Painting/Applying a Name

[Shalfleet]

I would like to add a name to the transom of the sand dollar we are building and wondered on the typical/easiest/best way to do this. I assume a transfer would not look good and gold leaf would take too long.....perhaps painting one would work but how?

Another point is how to split a name across a transom mounted rudder, or should is be applied on just one side?

Pictures and advice are really appreciated!

[Shalfleet]

??

[mmd]

I hear ya, Shalfleet, just haven't formulated a complete response yet. To be honest, most wee boats like a Sand Dollar don't get a name on their transom - it is sorta like putting chrome exhaust stacks a la Freightliner on a Mazda B2000 mini-pick-up. Sorry, no insult intended, but that's what I see around me. You are, of course, free to do whatever you wish.

Splitting the name is relatively easy - print the name out rather largish on your printer, measure from end to end & divide in half, then adjust the half-way point to the nearest gap between letters. Layout the name on the transom with the split between letters on the centreline.

Applying the name is another matter. One way is to use transfer lettering such as Letraset and apply a clear sealer (varnish, polyurethane, etc) over the lettering to seal them, or paint the lettering directly on the transom (not as easy as it looks), or hire a professional signpainter for the job.

Good luck.

[ 08-25-2002, 02:10 PM: Message edited by: mmd ]

[NormMessinger]

Isle of Wight,eh. Sister in law and her husband went to some sort of a family reunion there a couple of years ago. How big are your jails?

Oh, lettering. Here abouts one can go to a sign shop and have the letters stamped out in vinyl. Most any style you want, with borders or not. I was surprised how good the "gold" color looked. Certainly not comparable to pure gold leaf but from 20' the casual observer would not notice.

The letters are burnished on and the carrier paper pealed off. The vinyl is as thin as a coat of paint and probably as durable.

--Norm

[Shalfleet]

Seems like the vinyl lettering idea will be quick and easy, and sort of fits the chrome exhaust/ furry dice look that I am going for ;) ....

[gert]

What, Little boats don't deserve names? How big do ya gotta be before your allowd to put a name on? I havn't put Carina's name on yet, now I'm wondering if this would be politicaly incorrect; I wouldn't want to offend some plastic 100 footer by my mere 16'-6" woodie also having a name.
Serously; is this for real? :confused:

[ 08-25-2002, 07:16 PM: Message edited by: gert ]

[imported_Conrad]

Yes, the rudder challenge........finally decided to keep it all on one side, more like a monogram, I guess. Vinyl letters are the only way to go- lots of color and style choices, cheap, and hard to screw up the application, even with beer....

[ 08-25-2002, 07:24 PM: Message edited by: conrads ]

[On Vacation]

You build it, you pay for the parts, you paint it, you put whatever hardware or accessories on it that you like, including names. This is the problem with the PC group. Its called sole proprietorship. A newborn baby has a name within six day old. Wait six days before applying. :rolleyes:

[NormMessinger]

"...chrome exhaust/ furry dice look that I am going for."

Not at all. You wont be able to tell them from a good paint job. Don't knock them til you've tried them. I'd put up a picture of Prairie Islander's numbers but pictures don't show enough detail.

--N tongue.gif R M

[Ian G Wright]

Another vote for the stick on name. Find an IoW company that does shop/van signs, chose a font that you like from their list, give them the name and the size you require and collect in a couple of days.
I like Times New Roman in gold with black shadow. From a yard away it looks like sign writing,,,,,,,
Next week my new plastic pram will announce that she is "Faux Bateux t/t Patience".

IanW. ;)

[On Vacation]

Many times I will apply the name on an nice mahogany or simular piece of good wood or plywood, 1/4" preferbly for smaller boats, and then secure it to the boat. This way you can remove it without redoeing it for the new paint job the next time in the refurbish mode. Either paint or varnish the board before applying the name. Many great vinyls are out there that look real.

[NormMessinger]

Ian, what does the "t/t" stand for?

--Norm

[Wayne Jeffers]

t/t = tender to ?

Wayne

[Scott Rosen]

I paint my hull every year, so painting the name or using vinyl letters doesn't work for me. I solved that problem by using cast bronze letters, Roman style, which attach to the transom with wood screws. You can get them in stock sizes, and some are small enough for a dinghy.

As for splitting the name, I do that too. But you need to choose a name with an even number or letters or it may not look right. Patience works out great. P A T I [rudder] E N C E.

To mount them on my radiused transom, I sprung a batten across the transom in the arc for the base line of the letters, drew a light pencil line, and then measured the letters to space them. I marked the arc where the letters were to go, then I tacked them temporarily to make sure I got the spacing right. The whole operation took only part of a morning.

[John of Phoenix]

I had looked at a number of sources then Frank Hagan pointed these folks out. http://www.lettersunlimited.com/ Best prices I could find, service you wouldn't believe, any font you can think of, lots of colors, and very easy to apply. Even I did it without messing up. Yea, I like them.

[Bruce Hooke]

First off, I see no reason not to put a name on a small boat, as long as the name and the style in which it is applied is in keeping with the rest of the boat. Obviously a gold-leaf name referencing a heroic character from Greek Mythology might look a little out of place on a rough-and-ready flat-bottomed skiff, but many fine small-craft have had names on them.

Second, if you want to paint the name here are some tips:

1. Computers are great for laying out the letters and finding a style you like. If your computer can't handle things like arranging the letters along a curve (if that is what you want) then you can at least print out the individual letters and then tape them down to another sheet of paper to get the overall layout.

2. Once you have the letters laid out to your satisfaction on paper then position the layout on the transom over some carbon paper and carefully trace the letters to transfer them to the transom.

3. For a brush you want an artist's brush that is round and has very long bristles. Any good art supply store should have such a brush. Make sure you get one suitable for oil paint. Size the brush to the size of your letters.

4. For painting letters it is very important that the paint cover the background in one coat, otherwise you will be faced with the very difficult task of tracing exactly over the first coat. With one coat you can stray a little bit from the marked edge of a letter without it being noticable, but if you need two coats you can't do this, which makes it all MUCH harder. This calls for thicker paint than usual. Special sign-painting paint is available but I've had good luck with artist's oil paints. A sign I painted with artist's oil paint has survived 4-5 years outdoors in Maine with no signs, so far, of deterioration. Thin the paint with turpentine until it gives good coverage but is thin enough to paint. There will be bruch marks, but that is just part of the way it works in my (limited) experience with sign-painting.

Finally, practice a little bit on a painted test board with one or two of the letters you are planning to use to get a feel for the brush and the paint...

To me there is nothing like a painted name to finish off a nice traditional boat, but I will admit that I am a perfectionist...

- Bruce

[David Kippen]

Scott--or other forumites--

Where do you find cast bronze letters?
Any recommendations?

[Buddy Sharpton]

You want to be purist? Then go ahead. Ger the name cut out of vinyl but tell the man you want the letters weeded and the background area premasked. Use the vinyl as a stencil and apply it to your boat. They do make a stencil material that is less aggresive in it's adhesive , but any vinyl will work. Go to the art supply store and get a small tin of oil based One Shot in inmaitation gold. This is not mettalic, no brass powder to tarnish , only a kind of mustard yellow brown. Get some real gold leaf, not the imiatation foil kind, it will turn green.Paint on the letters and let dry. Give it another caot and let it dry to tacky. Then pat on your gold leaf and burnish done with a soft brush or cloth. Pull up your stencil. If its "stuck", use a hair dryer to warm it up a bit and it will come right off. Don't varnish over gold leaf, it will ruin the glow. If you want to go all out, buy a narrow 1/16 to 1/8" squirrel hair lettering brush and a tin of red or black gloss one shot and outline your letters. If you can build the boat, you can apply the name. Good Luck.

[David Tabor (sailordave)]

I went for the real boat look on the kids OPTI and not only put the name on the transom (THINGY DINGY) (I know real original, but they wanted it!), I also sprung for the hailing port in small letters so it would look like a REAL boat.
I was VERY happy with BOAT-LETTERING.com

They've got a really neat web site that you can try out the different fonts/colors and see what your name looks like. Great service too. Sorry for the commercial plug but when I'm happy with someone I'm not bashful about it! D

[Scott Rosen]

The stock sizes were too small for my use, so I had to contact a foundry to cast them for me in silicon bronze. I used Port Townsend Foundry, (360) 385-6425. My letters were six inch Roman Prismatic.

[edsr]

Shalfleet-- Check out WoodenBoat #99 Pg. 54 Great article about goldleaf lettering. Very complete article to give your boat a classic and classy name. It worked for me.

edsr

[LAGOS]

Anyone know the common formula in determining the size of your lettering on the transum. The name is one size and the hailing port and state are another. Also, Scott, I like the bronze lettering approach. I have a 1951 Hodgeden Brothers Lobster Yacht. She gets painted every year and the mohogany nameboard is a bit tired. How do you fasten the letters. I assume the screws are applied through the lettering into the wood, rather than attachement from the inside.

[Ian G Wright]

Originally posted by NormMessinger:
Ian, what does the "t/t" stand for?

--NormWhat Wane said,,,,,,,,,,

IanW.

[LAGOS]

I must learn to edit and spell before posting.

[Scott Rosen]

After casting, the foundry drills and counterbores for wood screws. I used #6 X 1 1/4 bronze oval head.

[gert]

OK I got her name in those vinyl letters from the sign shop; they'r cheap an look absolutly terrific $15 CA for two 6 letter names about 3x24" total. Now, what if i put it on a bit crooked? (do the port side first) How do you get them off? Can they be reapplied or do I get a new one? I suspect a hair dryer will lift it but is it reusable? Any one else screw these thing s up?
Thx

[NormMessinger]

"How do you get them off?"

You don't. Not without destroying them. But there is not reason to rub them on until you have them possitioned perfectly. Well, not if they come attached to a paper matrix. Tape the matrix in postion, stand back and eyeball. When you have them where you want them to be, then burnish. Like Robyn did:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid17/p7d47f6585e6b20f0062726edd91ff040/fdf6beae.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid17/p910ab7c72384f07eebee4da5c462a51f/fdf6bea5.jpg

--Norm

[Andrew J. McGrorty]

if you spray a little windex on the boat first you can slide the lettering around until you have it perfectly positioned. then use a plastic squeege to burnish the letters on. as you burnish the windex is forced out from under the lettering and they will stick where you want them. then gently peel the paper matrix off. i have a friend that owns a sign shop and makes up boat lettering for me.
this is how "they" do it. take your time. i've done it on several boats and it works like a charm. andy

[TomRobb]

Gert, my impression is that embarrassing the driver of a plastic 100 footer is next to impossible. Have you checked out some of the monikers they paste on them? :rolleyes:
Where do they get their ideas? Restroom walls?
"worldsworstpuns.com"?

[Terry Etapa]

One of the guys in my marina is an ex-sign painter. He just put together a set of letters for me. Here is his technique:

Find letters in the font you want. Print them out and, adjust size (photo copy machine, etc.). Lay them out on a piece of craft paper. Trace the outline of the letters with a pounce wheel (star shape wheel that puts perforations in paper). Flip over the craft paper and, lightly sand the perforations to open them up. Place template on boat and, mark with powdered chaulk (chaulk line chaulk in old sock). Remove template and, paint with lettering brush and sign painters paint (thick stuff).

I'll be doing this in a few weeks myself.

[Shalfleet]

Many thanks for all the great information! I have gone with dark gold times roman vinyl lettering with a black outline which to me looks sort of 30's and quite stylish. I will be applying tonight before the big launch party tomorrow.