Old Glass Sign Images...

[Larry White]

Showtime Auctions is having another auction up on ebay with a lot of nice vintage signs, quite a few are old glass signs. Some I remember seeing down at Rick's. Looks to be a good opportunity to capture some images of this old sign work.

[Patrick Mackle]

Wow- Thank you Larry for the lead. In viewing the antique chipped glass signs supposed to have been found in the old Western Sandblasting building, it looks like Western didn't have the ability or knowhow to get the quality of chip that 'ol Rawson & Evans were able to perform on their signs.
I see a lot of "roll ups" and unchipped sandblast areas.
I remember Rick Glawson telling me of his visit to Western Sandblasting as I viewed some dimmly lit photos of their shop that he had taken there. It appeared dark and a little run down, with sand on the floors appearing to rise up against the base boards. I gathered from Rick that it was quite a place- allbeit a little grubby and miskept. He said that they had a pan of HF acid to etch flashed glass signs and that the guy would pass by it from time to time and brush away the dissolving glass with a feather. I quessed from that, that feathers are immune to HF, but I have always used brushes.
I wonder if anybody here knows the time line between R&E and Western
Sandblast as to whether they existed at the same time. I believe some of the old original acid etched zinc sandblasting stencils that Rick had hanging in his shop were acquired by him from Western.
Pat