Posted by D.Bernhardt on July 29, 2003
Mike JacksonJust a quick note about a more recent discovery....as of the last few years or so i was in the habit of adding to my slow (12hr)size a wee bit of 24hr. After an extended conversation with Dave McDonald of Avila in CA i discovered that both he and the boss mixed a half and half mixture of the 2 rather than just straight 12hr. Tried it last week with terrific results...absolutely no cracks or holidays. Laid the size about 3or4pm and gilded in the am.
Kent SmithI'll throw in a few tidbits--tested here in Wyoming--but do your own tests.
On our sandblasted signs that were painted with Devoe/Ameritone latex paint, we found discovered we didn't need ANY size if we painted the letters or stripes with Chromatic Ivory. We had originally painted a line of raised letters with the ivory to prime it for the upcoming size layer, but instead of drying hard in the normal amount of time, it had the perfect gild tack--and it held the gild window for a long time.
Going back to Doug's post above, we often added a few drops of 12 heur LeFranc size to our 3 heur LeFranc size to slow it just a bit and keep the gilding window open a little longer. We also had better luck adding small quantities of gold size to a half full dixie cup of Imitation Gold lettering enamel. Our ratio was probably 95% enamel to 5% size(s). I know some people mix it opposite: 95% size and just enough imitation gold or ivory to tint it. In a dusty shop like ours, the drying time allowed too much dust to settle on the sized wet areas.
I know everyone eventually finds mixtures that work for them in their climate, elevation, and season. In the later years, we switched over to the One Shot gold size which set up faster, but had a shorter gilding window.
Mike Jackson
Just as a bit of trivia, the half-half mix originated with Dusty Yaxley and he had some struggle convincing Rick that it works so well. He developed due some issues of dry time in Florida and his penchant for using hardwoods.
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