Welcome to The Hand Lettering Forum!
This is an interactive Bulletin Board on the topics of Sign making, design, fabrication, History, old Books and of coarse Letterheads, Keepers of the craft. The Hand Lettering Forum features links to resources, sign art history, techniques, and artists profiles. Learn more about Letterheads at https://theletterheads.com. Below you'll see Mchat has been added as a live communication portal for trial, and the Main forum Links are listed below.

Search found 150 matches

by John Studden
Tue Jan 03, 2006 2:34 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: gold wipes right off glass
Replies: 9
Views: 5920

Felix, Sounds like a contamination problem to me. Start form scratch, re-clean the glass, wash the size brush & container in soapy water & rinse well. Because of the varnish in the chip area add a drop of Ivory washing up liquid to pull the gold down, make sure you use clean cotton every tim...
by John Studden
Fri Dec 30, 2005 12:14 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Carved signs under glass question?
Replies: 9
Views: 5751

Joe, Traditionally the glass portion of the job has water gilded outlines & the background color, the letter itself is viewed thru the glass as a carved dimensional letter, that is what Doug is referring to. It sounds as though you have something different in mind, more of an artistic look?........
by John Studden
Thu Dec 29, 2005 11:47 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Carved signs under glass question?
Replies: 9
Views: 5751

Joe, The carved effect mimics the way some english shopfronts were done 100 years ago, although they used mostly pressed brass letters. In my case I use mostly carved MDF. The artwork is seperated and sent to a router ( in this case Gerber) this ensures perfect registration, I use mostly 120 degree ...
by John Studden
Wed Dec 07, 2005 12:33 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Doug Bernhardt's Pub Photos
Replies: 34
Views: 27397

John, The cover of the Book says "How to make Victorian Letters and Signs for Posters and Buildings, The spine says Victorian Sign Making America Life. It is a reprint of the original 1871 London version by James Callingham. ISBN 0-89257-055-5 hope this helps......John Try American Life Books, ...
by John Studden
Wed Oct 05, 2005 1:02 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: New plate glass
Replies: 4
Views: 3939

John, The glass should just be cleaned 3 times with bon-ami, that is usually good enough. Are you using gelatin diamonds, sometimes white golds need stronger size. Burnish relly well after the first gild, white gold is stronger & will take more rubbing, make sure you get rid of all the veins of ...
by John Studden
Tue Oct 04, 2005 1:11 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Doug Bernhardt's Pub Photos
Replies: 34
Views: 27397

The examples shown are OK but not technically correct as they show the shadow projected from the face of the letter, wheras it should be projected from where the supposed Dimentional letter contacts the surface it sits on, a common mistake and a faster , easier way to do it! If you draw the same let...
by John Studden
Tue Oct 04, 2005 10:53 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Doug Bernhardt's Pub Photos
Replies: 34
Views: 27397

Here you go Doug, the ISBN # 0-89257-055-5 lots of info on glass embossing also.........................John
by John Studden
Mon Oct 03, 2005 11:01 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Doug Bernhardt's Pub Photos
Replies: 34
Views: 27397

The unusual shadow that Jim refers to is known as a Block & Shade, it represents a painted dimensional letter attached to a surface & casting it's own shadow. The Block shadow is usually painted with blended sides, & the cast shadow slightly darker than the background it sits on. This wa...
by John Studden
Mon Sep 19, 2005 6:02 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Gold Leaf on Glass Workshop
Replies: 19
Views: 13600

The workshop cost will be $495.00, the hotel is around $85 a night with breakfast, some of the rooms can take 4 or more, good value. The hotel is aoun 3 miles from the shop. Nearest airports are Burbank, around 20 miles & LAX around 30 miles. There are dozens of reataurants nearby, & plenty ...
by John Studden
Wed Sep 14, 2005 6:29 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Gold Leaf on Glass Workshop
Replies: 19
Views: 13600

OK Larry, The 3 day Workshop will cover, Preparation of artwork, Making Silk Screens & setting up for Screening, in house & vertically on site, correct inks & procedures. Water Gilding, Surface Gilding, Burnishing Techniques, Blended Shades & Backgrounds, Marbling, Mica Powders, Pear...
by John Studden
Mon Sep 12, 2005 8:00 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: glass sign sequence of techniques (?)
Replies: 8
Views: 6670

Cam, I would do the Acid stage first as ther could be more chances of this going wrong than the chipped areas that will be a longer process. Are you screening or hand cutting? Either way just cut & expose the Acid part first, that can normally be done in I/2 hour or less, wash off, let the glass...
by John Studden
Tue Sep 06, 2005 12:07 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Glue Chipping & Mask Removal
Replies: 18
Views: 10963

I have found when using the Asphaltun method that leaving the mask on or taking it off makes no difference, it just acts as another resist & made the job easier.....this was using the sqeeze bottle method & making sure there was no bridging of the different areas. John
by John Studden
Thu Sep 01, 2005 7:19 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Gold Leaf on Glass Workshop
Replies: 19
Views: 13600

We are finalising the details right now on prices etc. I will also try to get a good rate at a nearby hotel that serves a good breakfast. It is 3 days of hard work, but there is a lot to learn in a short time, you should walk away with enough knowledge to tackle just about any Gold Leaf job you may ...
by John Studden
Fri Aug 19, 2005 10:56 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: glass panels- for newbies
Replies: 21
Views: 17085

.......I like to use around 200-220 mesh for most reverse glass work, and Autotype Novastar on a roll, this will give a lot less saw tooth than direct emulsion on fine lines. The screens we buy are aluminum framed from McLogan supply & are very reasonable in price. I have found that buying woode...
by John Studden
Thu Aug 11, 2005 8:21 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: glass panels- for newbies
Replies: 21
Views: 17085

Catherine, If you are interested, Noel & myself will be holding Gold Leaf classes pretty soon now, involving all the advanced techniques needed for those types of projects. They will be held in both Los Angeles & Boise regularly. As soon as he returns from Greece we will set some dates.........
by John Studden
Thu Aug 04, 2005 10:40 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Ghost town Letterhead meet...
Replies: 13
Views: 9098

Doug, You are welcome to pop in any time you are in the area, just let me know ahead of time..............................John
by John Studden
Thu Jun 30, 2005 6:15 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: do ya or don't ya
Replies: 9
Views: 5361

I now have a Web-site, mainly for the Gold Leaf side of things, to try to promote the type of work I would rather be doing more of. It was put together by a friend of mine, I have no idea what it might have cost ordinarily? I think it is a good sales tool/brochure, as Doug stated. Take a look someti...
by John Studden
Wed Jun 22, 2005 7:03 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Bakery Window questions.....
Replies: 10
Views: 5665

Doug, You don't say how much in pecentage the black panel will be. I think it would be safe to do the panel to within say 3-4" from the edge of the window, if the panel was around 25% the size of the glass. If it is a simple burnished letter, just putting down a mask for that part first, then p...
by John Studden
Wed Jun 01, 2005 4:29 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: First $$$ Window gilding job....
Replies: 9
Views: 7786

Dennis, You should contact Noel, the classes will be held alternately between Boise & Los Angeles, & possibly some travelling workshops.
No set dates yet, but we are working on the Artwork...........Thanks for the enquiry.
by John Studden
Wed Jun 01, 2005 10:46 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: gold size question
Replies: 6
Views: 3753

A 50/50 mix of 3/12 hour LeFranc will stay open at least a week, I have used this several times, & is the same mix Rick used for the letters outside his shop. If you are doing a big area, tint with universal tints, like an ochre. Do not use enamels they do not mix well & will not flow & ...
by John Studden
Mon May 23, 2005 10:39 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: First $$$ Window gilding job....
Replies: 9
Views: 7786

Doug, From the photo it looks like you are learning pretty fast.........nice job.
by John Studden
Thu May 12, 2005 10:49 am
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Hardener in Dekor?
Replies: 14
Views: 10141

Raymond, The brush, when you find one, should be used dry not wet. The idea is not to use water which when combined with bon-ami creates a grinding paste that will remove your fine lines really quickly............. The short bristles remove the gold very easily. Only use bon-ami as a final light cle...
by John Studden
Wed May 11, 2005 4:36 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Hardener in Dekor?
Replies: 14
Views: 10141

Raymond, Danny is right about the hardener, I did not mean to use the steel wool on gold, but on the black outlines before gilding...........& then a very light clean up with Bon-Ami before water gilding. Hope that is clear now.............................................
by John Studden
Tue May 10, 2005 1:07 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: First $$$ Window gilding job....
Replies: 9
Views: 7786

Doug, If you take a look at www.johnstudden.com this will give you an idea of the techniques we will be covering in the workshops. John
by John Studden
Tue May 10, 2005 12:48 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: First $$$ Window gilding job....
Replies: 9
Views: 7786

Doug, If you are using a computer mask method for the outlines, cut a double outline & peel it away a minute or two after painting, this will soften the edge of the paint & not create a "step". Paint a few letters then go back & peel. You can use around 5% 1-shot hardener in th...
by John Studden
Thu Feb 17, 2005 7:26 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Memorial Conclave?
Replies: 12
Views: 8432

It was good to see everyone again at the weekend, everything went off smoothly. I learned a few new things, & I'm sure everyone else did! It's a great feeling to be among so many craftsmen & goldslingers. There was probably more gold being laid at once than just about anywhere else in the co...
by John Studden
Wed Feb 16, 2005 1:43 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Screen ink for glass....
Replies: 7
Views: 4822

Raymond is correct, the soap acts to pull the gold to the line & not leave a gap that would otherwise show the back-up paint. One drop in the size will not cloud the gild. Ivory is the only one that does the job reliably. John Studden
by John Studden
Tue Feb 15, 2005 5:47 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Screen ink for glass....
Replies: 7
Views: 4822

Doug, You can use the new backup ink sold at Letterhead Sign Supply, It is the same formula as the old Fine Gold Back-Up. We used it this weekwend on 30+ projects with no problems. 5-10% One Shot hardener should be added, and can be gilded over in an hour or less. Don't forget to add a drop of Ivory...
by John Studden
Tue Nov 02, 2004 5:33 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Protective Clear Coat for Gold Leaf?: Reverse Glass
Replies: 6
Views: 5471

Gold Leaf Varnish

If the lettering is over a door I would not bother to varnish it at all, It's always the first thing to go. With good back-up & hardener ther is really no need. It has been several years since I clear coated a Gold job on site. The ones I have done recently with Dave MacDonald were the same way,...
by John Studden
Wed Jul 28, 2004 1:41 pm
Forum: The Hand Lettering Forum
Topic: Train Car Lettering
Replies: 8
Views: 8133

Train Car Lettering

Robare,
If is helpful, the Typestyle shown on this page is available from Letterhead Fonts, it is named Pullman Train.
John