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.

Atkinson Smalts

Hand Lettering topics: Sign Making, Design, Fabrication, Letterheads, Sign Books.

Moderators: Ron Percell, Mike Jackson, Danny Baronian

Post Reply
Mike Jackson
Site Admin
Posts: 1705
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2004 11:02 pm
Location: Jackson Hole, WY
Contact:

Atkinson Smalts

Post by Mike Jackson »

Here's another little gem in the Atkinson book.

"Making Smalt: Use clear white beach sand and have perfectly dry. For black smalt use Lamp Black in Japan, toned deep with Prussian Blue. Add in a little Quick Rubbing Varnish and break and thin with gasoline. Starte coloring the saning five pound lots, and start by keeping sand in motion, addin the color the while, when sand is stained the desired shade dry by "tossing" it against an inclinded screen (common wire screen). Keep it in motion until it no longer adheres together, then sift three or four times and it will b ready for use.

For light colored smalts, such as vermilion, pale green, tan, yello, old gold, etc., make the "cutting in" color about the same color as the smalts used, i.e., neutral in tone. Whil the neutrality is not imperative it is more workmanlike and gives the smalted ground a more solid look."

Sounds like quite a bit of work, but maybe worth it for a special color.

Mike Jackson
Mike Jackson / co-administrator
Golden Era Studios
Vintage Ornamental Clip art
Jackson Hole, WY

Photography site:
Teton Images
Jackson Hole photography blog:
Best of the Tetons
Post Reply