Bob, I am of the opinion that there is no good varnish available for this purpose & has not been for years. I have not varnished a window job in years & with the good resins & hardeners in Back Up Enamel it is not really needed, it also cheapens the job making it look more like a "T...

Rod, Cut a vinyl mask, Gerbermask or similar , apply to the material, you can use a hard bristled rivet brush or something like that to make sure it is adhered properly, then mask of the outer areas & seal with aerosol shelac then roll on your color, it will use a lot less paint, did a lot of th...

It was fun working with Dave at the Dead Man, those gifts were top notch quality, as were the guys that own them now.....Working on the Acid etch problems was intersting but I think we solved the problems ....Great meet, good friends, great food! Dave & I are thinking of starting a comedy routin...

James, Gelatin does have a useable life, especially the diamonds, I have used some that were probably a few years old that did not dissolve at all. When mixed it probably has a life of 2-3 hours, then it would be better to start with fresh. The paint Tip reminded me of working in England where all o...

WB, That came out really nice, but only to be expected from a Deadman like yourself.......
Really like that "marble panel" at the top, how'd you get it that way, now I have something to base mine on, might just start it soon! D

Robert, A mineral light is handy for Angel Gilding, but with water gilding it does not make any difference which side you use, they would look identical. The normal cleaning 3 times with Bon Ami is sufficient, streaking in large areas has more to do with the Size, usually too much gelatin, always us...

I have the registration form to send to anyone interested, contact me at

john@johnstudden.com

Kelly, The word Advanced should no make anyone feel intimidated, we are just introducing some extra techniques & embelishments to make a beautiful craft even more attractive, it is not difficult for anyone that can lay a leaf, even if they cannot they will learn quickly. Just come with an open m...

The Gold Leaf Workshop is coming up fast, there are still some places left, 3 days of serious hands on techniques that will enable you to tackle just about any Gold job, you will have great time...............May 18, 19 20

......after posting I realised that I did not know if you had already gilded & backed up with the black or if it was just a black o/l & you were going to water gild over that ? If it had alredy been water gilded shellac may have been the next step....if not water gilding could have been. If ...

Bobbie, A light coat of Aerosol shellac would be a lot easier & faster, after leafing back it up with a simlar color, the easiest way would be to pick a close color of bronzing powder & mix it with some one-hour size. you do not need shellac after that. If you were doing a lot of blended pan...

An advanced Gold Leaf Techniques Workshop will take place on May 18, 19 20 at Noel Weber's Classic Signs, in Boise Id. Three intense days of all types of interesting subjects related to Reverse Glass decoration. This class typically fills up quite quickly...I know some people could not make it last ...

Sue & Frank came by yesterday about 3, he seemed to be his usual self & was glad to be on his way home, a shame to drive all this way to lie in hospital for 3 days......... The weekend was a great success, even the weather held out, it really is a great feeling with such a wealth of knowledg...

The cloudiness is probably caused by too much "soap", the only one that seems to work well is IVORY washing up liquid, a couple of drops per pint is enough, I have used this for years over varnish centers, it should work equally well over Shellac. If you want a cloudy effect to match older...

Thanks Larry, for bringing back all the memories of probably the only place like that. There will never be another......It makes you remember where they were all situated throughout the shop. The early Conclaves are where most everyone that I know now first met, all eager to absorb as much knowledge...

I am very sad to hear the news of John Jordan's death, he was a great guy with a lot of warmth & knowledge that he loved to share....glad to have known him & to have shared a few pints, we last saw him in Scotland. This man cannot be replaced, our respects to his family.

Just over a week to go for the Workshop, we could squeeze in a couple more people if necessary, our good friend Larry White will be attending & giving an Angel Gilding demonstration, something worth seeing from an excellent craftsman...............

If you seal the silver with a light coat of aerosol Shellac, you can use back-up enamel or similar with success. After drying remove the Shellac from unwanted areas with a quick wipe of Denatured Alcohol, then use silver strip. This method prevents tarnishing. I have several cigar signs that used th...

Rod, That was a fun weekend, a good time with a small group of friends, the art work was in fact done by Gary Godby, just to set it straight. Just another 16 hour fun day........

Noel Weber & myself will be holding a 3 day Workshop on Gold Leaf Techniques in Boise ID. on October 27, 28, 29. This would be an excellent chance for anyone wanting to learn a lot of different treatments for GOLD, Including on-site screening techniques, Glue Chipping, Mother of Pearl and many o...

Judy, Funny you should mention Mick Kilgallon here, he was the first signwriter I worked with in England after art school in the early 70's, a very knowledgeable sign man & artist of the old school. We worked together for several years on a variety of projects. He later came to California & ...

Judy, Funny you should mention Mick Kilgallon here, he was the first signwriter I worked with in England after art school in the early 70's, a very knowledgeable sign man & artist of the old school. We worked together for several years on a variety of projects. He later came to California & ...

Charles, The best way to water gild a depression like a v-carve or chip area I have found is to lay the piece flat, fill one letter at a time with the water size, float enogh loose gold onto the area, then slowly raise the workpiece from one side, so the water starts to run out of the groove, in doi...

Charles, Is it viewed from the front or the back? What size are you using? 12 hour LeFranc would be best, & after sizing turn the piece upside down overnight to prevent "pooling" at the bottom. As Mike said a 15 degree bit would probably look better... Sometimes at the bottom of a v-cu...

Roderick, If you use a low tack mask like Gerbermask 1, you will not have a problem, just use a few outlines & peel as you go.....this stuff does not leave a residue. Don't forget to add the IVORY to the size, & flatten the outlines with some 0000 stell wool, should work well....... Paint th...

Larry, Came out looking real good, carved letters and all.....beautiful job, the photo does not do it justice.......I suppose I will just have to pay you a visit soon................John

Robert, I know exactly what you mean, I remember walking into Rick's the for the first time & having that moment change & influence my life since then...Attending my 1st Conclave (#3) & seeing the likes of Noel Weber, Mike Jackson, Bill Hueg etc. made me feel like an apprentice... but af...

Larry's work is of the highest quality, great workmanship & detail, an inspirational piece by a true Letterhead & great Sushi eater. Thanks for bringing it along, we had a great time. John

Larry's work is of the highest quality, great workmanship & detail, an inspirational piece by a true Letterhead & great Sushi eater. Thanks for bringing it along, we had a great time. John

Felix, Smiths cream is just an additive to slow the drying of paint & cannot be used by itself. If you want to create suttle shades use 1-shot tinting clear mixed with the approprate 1-shot enamel, this will work as well as any other method. Smiths cream is normally used for blending when an ext...