"Gold leaf" letters

[Oldad]

Recently I saw some nice gold leaf lettering on the transom of a boat. They were individual letters, about 6 inches high, and looked good to me. The owner was not around and I could not ask where he got them, any ideas?

Oldad

[pcford]

Recently I saw some nice gold leaf lettering on the transom of a boat. They were individual letters, about 6 inches high, and looked good to me. The owner was not around and I could not ask where he got them, any ideas?

Oldad

Gold leaf is applied by a traditional sign painter. Unfortunately these are few these days since it is a rare boat owner that can tell the difference between computer generated lettering and real hand applied lettering.

You should be able to find a sign painter...depending on your community it could take some time.

[E.Johnson]

I just saw a Flickr stream yesterday where someone applied gold leaf designs to a boat. Just re-traced my steps and...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10180659@N02/2771654087/

(it won't let me embed the photo here, doh.)

Also: Check out the photostream to ooh and aaah over some Iain Oughtred designs done well.

[Lew Barrett]

Jay Greer has done tutorials on sign painting here. I expect he'll be around shortly. For the rest of us, a good sign painter is the way to go.

[gondolier88]

It depends what you mean by 'gold leaf letters'- you can sign write the lettering in a high quality gold paint and get very good effects, or you can gild the letters.

Gilding is a process whereby you paint a glue, called 'size' in gilding parlance, in the shape you wish the letter to take, let it go tacky and apply the gold leaf to the size. It sounds very simple, but in reality takes a lot of practice.

Greg

[Garret]

I know a guy in Maine who does it, but not here in VT. Where on the lake are you?

The name is gold leaf, the hailing port is paint. BTW, if you hire it done, it ain't cheap; the gold costs some, but the labor/skill is even more.

[Jay Greer]

My pal Walter Methner and I ran Walter's Sign Shop in Newport Beach CA for nearly twenty years starting back in the sixties. Walter's shop was next to my boat shop that was located in the old South Coast complex. Walter would drop in from time to time with a carving project that he needed done. It took time away from my boat work and so I offered to teach him to carve if he would teach me to hand letter. I ended up spending more time doing boat lettering than boat repair work and so we went in together as a full sign service. I got tired of all of the carving taking up my time so I suggested we try sand blasting our signs like the Jelly Jars I did in grammer school for Christmas Gifts. It worked great and we added sand blasted signs to our repitoir. In fact, I can honestly say that we were the first sign shop to offer sand blasted signs. As a result we did sign work nation wide for such businesses as Marie Callender's Resturants and the Bank of Boston to name just two. One of my ski bum buddies and I delivered a three by sixty foot sand blasted gold lettered sign that graced the front of the Colorado City Fire Department. We towed it all the way behind my buddie's Datsun station wagon on an outrigger canoe trailer. Some times the tail would wag the dog and we were constantly being stopped by the HP who had never seen it done before! No tickets though. I guess they figgured we had everything under control.
We enjoyed three days skiing Ajax Mt. in Aspen and a couple of days at Vail all at company expense. The sign business shure was tough on us!

Please excuse my rambling but your question brought back a lot of good memories of having fun messing about with boats and signs. So far as your own project is concerned, I would, honestly, recommend that you find a craftsman that can hand letter your boat for you. Gold leaf in itself has a big learning curve attached to it and the skills of layout and brush control take a long time to master. It is not a slap dash wham bam thank you mam thing that can be done during a weekend haul out. It is a dying art form though and if you truly want to learn I would be honored to coach you. But don't have any illusions about learning it overnight.
So far as computer generated lettering is concerned, while it gives instant results, I can still peg a transom job done by it from a hundred yards away.
Jay

[Oldad]

Sorry, my bad, I did not explain myself clearly. These letters were not real gold leaf, that's why I used the quotes, they were some kind of stick on but until I felt the edges of the letters I was not sure if they were real or not. Very nearly looked like the real thing and from a yard or two away hard to tell (for me at least) Anyhoo, that is what I am looking for, small purse does not allow for the real thing but am willing to settle for some kind of stick on plastic letters, wish to heck i had hung around and found the owner.

Believe it or not, my grandpa used to do gold leaf work on the old steam engines on the NYCRR back at the turn of the century so I am familiar with the process and in no way would I attempt it right now. When he died he still had some gold leaf, his brushes, etc. Not sure what dad did with it.

Oldad in Essex VT, keeps his boats in Mallets Bay in Colchester

[Jay Greer]

I wish you good fortune with your project. Those brushes are worth a lot of money if they are still around.
Jay

[JayInOz]

Oldad go to a graphics/signwriter studio. The lettering on my boat is in metallic gold and it's done with their computerised printing gear- I told them the font (style of lettering) I wanted and the size and stopped by to pick up the finished transfer a couple of days later- you tape the top of the transfer in position using masking tape, fold it back and remove the backing, then lay it down smoothly on your boat and it's done. Mine cost 22 dollars and is guaranteed for five years. And now that it's in their computer if I want another at a later date it will be quicker and cheaper. The "flintknapper" tranfer of the back window of my ute is four years old and still looks like new.
Actually I have a photo of my wife putting the name on the boat- I'll dig it out and email it to ya- but it will have to be later in the day- just heading out the door to a poultry auction to try to replace the bronze turkey hens that the bloody foxes got. JayInOz

[pcford]

Oldad go to a graphics/signwriter studio. The lettering on my boat is in metallic gold and it's done with their computerised printing gear-

Like I said: "Gold leaf is applied by a traditional sign painter. Unfortunately these are few these days since it is a rare boat owner that can tell the difference between computer generated lettering and real hand applied lettering....."

[Mad Scientist]

Graeme King wrote about applying loose-leaf gold in WB #214.

Tom

[Todd D]

There are several people locally that do gold leaf boat names, hails and coves. Hardly a dying art here. Pretty much any sign shop that does vinyl letering can make up gold lettering for you. The good ones use gold leaf on vinyl and will curve the name to match the curvature of your transom in three dimensions. We have a couple of very good vinyl guys locally that do work that you can't tell from gold leaf unless you touch it.The source for real gold leaf on vinyl is a company called sign gold.

[David G]

There are ways to get 'kinda close' with paint or vinyl. But nothing looks like the real thing. I have a friend here who does it. Absolutely gorgeous when it's done... but, no, not cheap.

[JayInOz]

Like I said: "Gold leaf is applied by a traditional sign painter. Unfortunately these are few these days since it is a rare boat owner that can tell the difference between computer generated lettering and real hand applied lettering....."

I had real gold leaf- emblem and pin striping- on the tank of a 1942 Harley I restored. Cost a bomb but looked beautiful. Riding in all weather on dirt roads with my jeans rubbing on it, most was gone in one season. Like I said, the gold lettering on my boat now is guaranteed for five years and cost $22. JayInOz

[David G]

I had real gold leaf- emblem and pin striping- on the tank of a 1942 Harley I restored. Cost a bomb but looked beautiful. Riding in all weather on dirt roads with my jeans rubbing on it, most was gone in one season. Like I said, the gold lettering on my boat now is guaranteed for five years and cost $22. JayInOz

I'm not a gilding expert, but from what I understand: first - gold leaf is not meant to be a wear surface; second - if there is to be wear, I believe there is to be a clearcoat applied over the leaf to protect it. For it to wear that quickly, it sounds like you didn't do that. Too bad.

[Garret]

I have 8+ coats of varnish over mine.

[Oldad]

Thanks for the advice, there are a few vinyl sign makers in the area, I will check them out, too bad my grampa is not here to apply the real thing for me...

yankees are known for doing for themselves but sometimes you gotta know your limits and doing my own gold leaf lettering is mine, Oldad

[pcford]

I had real gold leaf- emblem and pin striping- on the tank of a 1942 Harley I restored. Cost a bomb but looked beautiful. Riding in all weather on dirt roads with my jeans rubbing on it, most was gone in one season. Like I said, the gold lettering on my boat now is guaranteed for five years and cost $22. JayInOz

As someone else has pointed out, it seems that you did not have enough clear coat over the gold leaf. Gold leaf is extremely delicate before it is overcoated.

By the way, a name on a transom of a speedboat would typically cost 5 to 600 bucks...that was several years ago. Have not had one done in several years and gold has indeed gone up. However, if your boat is smaller the cost will be less of course.

I was managing a boat for an out of state owner...the yard got a sign painter to do the work. (My guy died several years ago.) I was very disappointed in the work...the owner thought is was ok. Ask for a look at a portfolio before proceeding.

If you think that computer graphics are just as good as hand applied work...it is an admission of your lack of knowledge.

[David G]

Thanks for the advice, there are a few vinyl sign makers in the area, I will check them out, too bad my grampa is not here to apply the real thing for me...

yankees are known for doing for themselves but sometimes you gotta know your limits and doing my own gold leaf lettering is mine, Oldad

My friend Tad, the gilder, rented a mezzanine space from us for several years. I took that opportunity to look over his shoulder and see what the process is like. I have to say that it is not a job I'd tackle for the very first time on a project I hoped to display anywhere.

[pcford]

My friend Tad, the gilder, rented a mezzanine space from us for several years. I took that opportunity to look over his shoulder and see what the process is like. I have to say that it is not a job I'd tackle for the very first time on a project I hoped to display anywhere.

Whenever Bruce, my late signpainter friend, came over to do a boat, I stopped whatever I was doing and went over to watch him...it was great fun to watch.

A lot of these guys were extremely talented...it was not uncommon for them to have gone to art school. Comparing their skill and that of a vinyl graphics tech is sad. Computers make it possible to do mediocre work very easily.

[Cogeniac]

I had a guy from Marin (Brian Rutana) do Makoto's transom and name boards. It was really interesting to watch him work. Everything was done by (a very steady) hand.

Here are some pics of the process.

He had laid out the name in pencil on a large sheet. He scrubbed chalk on the back side and then taped it onto the boat. He then used a pencil and a ruler that he moved in graceful arcs to follow the curve of the letters. The ruler basically helped steady the pencil, but no line was straight. Tracing the letters left a very faint chalk impression of the letters on the transom. I had laid about 8 coats of Epifanes on the transom in the week or so prior to this, and then sanded it with 320 just before he arrived.



Once the letters were traced on, he carefully painted the size inside the chalk lines. He uses a little yellow paint in the size to make the gold a little more brilliant.



Here are the letters painted in size.



He then used little sheets of gold leaf attached to paper backing. He would press the leaf up against the size, where ti would stick, and then gently rub the paper backing. Eventually the paper would fall away, leaving the gold on the size. He called this "patent gold" I guess because the paper thing was patented as some point. There are other processes that use plain gold sheets, but apparently they are more difficult to use.



Here, Brian is carefully brushing the edges of the letters to remove the excess gold. There were little wisps of gold floating around the shop for a day or so.



He then outlined the letters in black shadow, again by hand, and then I did another 3-4 coats of varnish.



The results were really pretty. IMHO much nicer than stick on vinyl letters.

S

[jonboy]

True gold leaf, forget it unless you're highlighting a Riva... here and in my time in the UK I use a product called transfer leaf or Dutch metal or Faux gold...its fine metal leaf either on a tissue backing, or not (the tissue makes it easier to handle) in little 10cm square books of 25 sheets.... cheap, about 6 or 7 beer tokens a book... the adhesive is a PVA based mordant with a retardant so it never dries... paint it on, wait minimum 30 mins and it's tacky, lay the leaf on ...if it goes wobbly or you are in a breeze, wack another leaf on top... I use it to 'gild' picture frames... Don't overdo the mordant, and as with all finishes it is only as good as the prepped surface...It comes in green yellow and red gold, you can get 'silver' (Aluminium) leaf and copper tones too. Bit of practice first, but the finish is a mil times better than any gold paint or powder and mordant, and its cheap enough to play around with....I recently did a name on a piece of mahogany with computer cut letters from the graphics shop... choose your style size etc. then applied the mordant while on the backing sheet, stuck the letters on the plaque and laid the 'gold leaf' on top. a couple of sealant coats of acrylic spray artist's varnish, then any finish you want on top....careful of compatabilities though.
The books of leaf and the mordant are available in my local art and craft shop, don't even need 'specialist suppliers'....Easy peasy

[Oldad]

I am a little puzzled by remarks like pcford made in his post "If you think that computer graphics are just as good as hand applied work...it is an admission of your lack of knowledge" If I could afford the real thing, that is the route I would take. I have personally never said that one is as good as the other. Perhaps his remark was directed elsewhere. I do not think anyone on this forum would find the two, vinyl and real gold leaf, comparable. We buy what we can afford, even if it is for our boat. I stand by my comment that I have seen some that look pretty good, that is to say, acceptable to my pocketbook Twenty two dollars as opposed to 500. Maybe more a lack of money than of knowledge. Let's not look down our noses at the fiscally challenged.

Oldad, not on the breadline... yet

[Cogeniac]

PC is a bit of a purist, but he is right about using real lettering and not Vinyl. He convinced me to go for real lettering a long time ago.

My lettering including the transom and the two name boards was about $300 (although I gave him a big tip, because I thought it was worth more). Good quality reflective gold vinyl letters at BoatUS graphics priced out at $120 for the transom and $65 for each name board, so about $250 for the set. Not all that much cheaper...And lots less attractive and durable (the vinyl letters tend to shrink and lift in the sun).

S

[pcford]

I am a little puzzled by remarks like pcford made in his post "If you think that computer graphics are just as good as hand applied work...it is an admission of your lack of knowledge" If I could afford the real thing, that is the route I would take.

Nobody needs a boat unless you are killing fish for a living. So it's all a luxury. My point is that there is no comparison between hand lettered and "stick-on" letters. However, some will argue all day long that they look the same. Gold leaf is expensive...because, it is gold and there are several steps to the application.

Hand lettering itself is likely much cheaper than you think...I am certainly not criticizing those that can't afford to apply gold leaf; it is expensive. However, if I couldn't afford gold leaf, I would just have the name painted on rather than use phony stick-on letters.

Not criticizing the size of your pocketbook, just your taste. This is all about craftsmanship, right? Why use something that is fake to crown off your creation/restoration project.

Good luck...and think about it.

[Oldad]

"Not criticizing the size of your pocketbook, just your taste." Well golly, who could call that statement offensive. Since my grampa made his living doing gold leaf work on railroad engines I certainly have respect for the trade. There seems to be an understanding gap here that no amount of dialog will close. I appreciate all of the useful suggestions.

Oldad

[pcford]

PC is a bit of a purist, but he is right about using real lettering and not Vinyl. He convinced me to go for real lettering a long time ago.

My lettering including the transom and the two name boards was about $300 (although I gave him a big tip, because I thought it was worth more). Good quality reflective gold vinyl letters at BoatUS graphics priced out at $120 for the transom and $65 for each name board, so about $250 for the set. Not all that much cheaper...And lots less attractive and durable (the vinyl letters tend to shrink and lift in the sun).

S

Right, Scott...people just assume hand lettering/gold leaf is expensive. Don't even inquire. I once managed a boat...when the time came to put on name and letters, the owner insisted on stick-on letters...even though they were more expensive than hand lettered!!! (?).

[Oldad]

Jay in Oz said, (post # 10)"The lettering on my boat is in metallic gold and it's done with their computerised printing gear- I told them the font (style of lettering) I wanted and the size and stopped by to pick up the finished transfer a couple of days later- you tape the top of the transfer in position using masking tape, fold it back and remove the backing, then lay it down smoothly on your boat and it's done. Mine cost 22 dollars and is guaranteed for five years"

pc said, (post #2) Like I said: "Gold leaf is applied by a traditional sign painter. Unfortunately these are few these days since it is a rare boat owner that can tell the difference between computer generated lettering and real hand applied lettering....."

and I say, "If I had a craft like MAKOTO I would do as S did, with or without pc's urging. My little boat will do fine with the 22 dollar name, in fact that might be a bit too classy for her humble origins and porch paint finish (oh my!) but we love her just the same."

Oldad, wondering why I am doing this instead of working on my new boat.

[Jay Greer]

I can see that we have a tempest in a teacup here! Just to dispell any misconceptions, genuine gold leafed letters must be clear coated in order to resist abrasion from weather and cleaning. I use Man-O-War varnish as it has the least amount of color of any of the varnishes and does not change the color of the gold much. It is very hard to find now!

A proper gold leaf hand lettered name on a transom should last as long as twenty years or more; or as long as the varnish finish can be kept up. Now, I doubt that many of you would or did offer your bride or girl friend a cigar band or a ring from a Cracker Jax box as a token of your love and esteem. So, why are you objecting to giving your aquadic partner a proper name to grace her transom?
Jay

[pcford]

I can see that we have a tempest in a teacup here! Just to dispell any misconceptions, genuine gold leafed letters must be clear coated in order to resist abrasion from weather and cleaning. I use Man-O-War varnish as it has the least amount of color of any of the varnishes and does not change the color of the gold much. It is very hard to find now!

A proper gold leaf hand lettered name on a transom should last as long as twenty years or more; or as long as the varnish finish can be kept up. Now, I doubt that many of you would or did offer your bride or girl friend a cigar band or a ring from a Cracker Jax box as a token of your love and esteem. So, why are you objecting to giving your aquadic partner a proper name to grace her transom?
Jay

Agree with all...

AND...employing a skilled sign painter helps keep an endangered craft alive...and isn't that what this is all about?

[gondolier88]

True gold leaf, forget it unless you're highlighting a Riva... here and in my time in the UK I use a product called transfer leaf or Dutch metal or Faux gold...its fine metal leaf either on a tissue backing, or not (the tissue makes it easier to handle) in little 10cm square books of 25 sheets.... cheap, about 6 or 7 beer tokens a book... the adhesive is a PVA based mordant with a retardant so it never dries... paint it on, wait minimum 30 mins and it's tacky, lay the leaf on ...if it goes wobbly or you are in a breeze, wack another leaf on top... I use it to 'gild' picture frames... Don't overdo the mordant, and as with all finishes it is only as good as the prepped surface...It comes in green yellow and red gold, you can get 'silver' (Aluminium) leaf and copper tones too. Bit of practice first, but the finish is a mil times better than any gold paint or powder and mordant, and its cheap enough to play around with....I recently did a name on a piece of mahogany with computer cut letters from the graphics shop... choose your style size etc. then applied the mordant while on the backing sheet, stuck the letters on the plaque and laid the 'gold leaf' on top. a couple of sealant coats of acrylic spray artist's varnish, then any finish you want on top....careful of compatabilities though.
The books of leaf and the mordant are available in my local art and craft shop, don't even need 'specialist suppliers'....Easy peasy

Dutch metal/faux gold works well indoors, but with repeated sunlight, even under varnish, it goes a greeny/black colour that is really quite horrendous- you save about 75% on cost of gold, put all the time and effort in that real gold needs and get a far from perfect job (compared to gold) that won't last more than a season outside. Good for interior gilding however.

Greg

[Jay Greer]

Yes, Dutch metal and silver leaf as well, remain bright for only a short while. I am too polite to say what I really think about all this.
Jay

[Canoeyawl]

Automotive clear coat with a retarder added so it can be brushed is an excellent top coat for gold leaf.

[David G]

Automotive clear coat with a retarder added so it can be brushed is an excellent top coat for gold leaf.

If it's on a very stable substrate, I could see that. If not... I'd go with one of the clearer spar varnishes.

[Oldad]

I feel I must apologize for my part in this discussion although I am not sure why. I started this thread by asking for a source of vinyl letters in faux gold leaf. Aside from one or two helpful suggestions it has been repeatedly highjacked into a discussion of the merits of true gold leaf. Hopefully this forum is not just for those whose boats would grace the cover of WB but might also extend down to the humble builder working in his garage on a Bolger Brick. Thanks again for the few helpful suggestions that applied to my question.

Oldad almost wishing he hadn't asked

[chuckt]

If you have patience and a little bit of artistry, you can get a gold leaf kit pretty cheap. Look for em on Amazon. I know you asked about vinyl but I assume you did because you don't want to plunk down $800 for a lettering job. Can't blame you there. So I thought I would suggest an alternative. If you use a simple font, it is very doable for an amateur.

If the boat is one that might look overdone if real gold leaf is used, I suggest that vinyl gold leaf would be even more out of place. In that case, I would paint. IMHO

[Cogeniac]

Yeah, I tend to agree with Chuck.

I did the vinyl gold letters on Makoto before, and they looked OK. Note that the home port is also vinyl and they were getting pretty ratty...probably about 5 years old.



However,if you DO use gold-like vinyl, be careful what you order. The first set I got was sort of glittery gold, and it really looked cheap.... like something you might see on a metal flake ski boat...

When I did the vinyl ones, the instructions said not to varnish over them, but I did anyway. They lasted OK, but I suspect that had I not varnished they would have peeled at the edges.

Oldad; If you can't tell, we are all very passionate about boats. Few of us have boats that would "grace the cover of WB" (OK, maybe Ramillet), but we do have lots of opinions (as if that was hard to determine)!!

Do what suits you.

Cheers.

S

[Canoeyawl]

Automotive clear coat with a retarder added so it can be brushed is an excellent top coat for gold leaf.

If it's on a very stable substrate, I could see that. If not... I'd go with one of the clearer spar varnishes.

How stable is gold?

The clear coat is only applied (with a brush) directly over the gold and the black highlights.
On bright finished work, regular varnish is applied over this as maintainence, but every subsequent varnish coat obscures the lettering.

[chuckt]

I could totally see Makoto on the WB cover!

[David G]

How stable is gold?

The clear coat is only applied (with a brush) directly over the gold and the black highlights.
On bright finished work, regular varnish is applied over this as maintainence, but every subsequent varnish coat obscures the lettering.

As always, it depends upon the circumstance. I was imagining your clear-coat over an entire area... not cut into JUST the lettering (that sounds tedious). I misunderstood your intent.

As far as varnish build-up... you're right. But it's often possible _ again depending upon the circumstance - to varnish the lettering less frequently. If it's on a name board. If it's gold leaf applied to carved (incised) letters. But if, for instance, the lettering is done on a transom that IS the field... no smaller defined area where a break can be make around the lettering... then you certainly will get varnish buildup. I don't happen to dislike that look... but some will.

The gold itself is very stable, but the gold is not the substrate. If you've carved your name into a board and gilded the lettering.... the stability depends upon the seasonal movement of the species of wood you've used. Mahogany, for instance, is pretty stable. W. oak... less so. And it doesn't take much movement to fracture the film of the automotive-type clearcoats.

[paulf]

If your interested in trying it yourself, Walter Simmons has a book about "finishing" with what I thought was a good primer on applying gold leaf. It might be worth buying the gold leaf as the price of admission to a new skill. I find the apperiation for a craft starts with doing some of it yourself.
Hell, who knows, you might have a real hand for it!!!
http://www.goldenleafproducts.com/order_GLP230.html

less than a buck a leaf. 25 leafs per book $22 per book

I might try this myself!

[Canoeyawl]

I was imagining your clear-coat over an entire area... not cut into JUST the lettering (that sounds tedious). .

That is the way it is done...

(Automotive type clear coat is far more durable and flexible than you imagine).



It works on wood

[David G]

You could be right. There could be formulations of automotive clearcoat that are more flexible than the ones I've had experience with.

However - on a theoretical level... the formulations used are typically harder, more abrasion resistant, and more durable in general. But the trade-off is a loss of flexibility. Certainly less flexible than long-oil (spar) varnish. But... as I say... maybe there are some formulations that would serve. On a practical level, I've seen automotive clear-coats attempted in various marine applications perhaps 6-7 times. Each has failed.

Sounds like you may have a system that works, though. Can you run through it - with specific products cited? Maybe there are some here that'd like to go that route, and maybe regard the hand work to cover only the lettering with clearcoat a fun challenge.

[Oldad]

If your interested in trying it yourself, Walter Simmons has a book about "finishing" with what I thought was a good primer on applying gold leaf. It might be worth buying the gold leaf as the price of admission to a new skill. I find the apperiation for a craft starts with doing some of it yourself.
Hell, who knows, you might have a real hand for it!!!
http://www.goldenleafproducts.com/order_GLP230.html

less than a buck a leaf. 25 leafs per book $22 per book

I might try this myself!

Paul, by all means give it a try. My hand shakes so badly that I could not imagine doing the fine work as was done on MAKOTO. Actually, my hand only shakes when I try to do fine work. I am not made for that kind of fine detail. I can work with wood, but my painting skills stop with roll and tip. No varnish on my boat and never will be. Love the way it looks on other folks boats but I want to use the boat more than work on it. Hope that is not another black mark on my record.

[Garret]

I want to use the boat more than work on it. Hope that is not another black mark on my record.

Not only is it not a black mark, it's a great way to think!

[David G]

Not only is it not a black mark, it's a great way to think!

Hear, hear! That's an outlook I applaud... and wish I would practice more myself.

[paulf]

Paul, by all means give it a try. My hand shakes so badly that I could not imagine doing the fine work as was done on MAKOTO. Actually, my hand only shakes when I try to do fine work. I am not made for that kind of fine detail. I can work with wood, but my painting skills stop with roll and tip. No varnish on my boat and never will be. Love the way it looks on other folks boats but I want to use the boat more than work on it. Hope that is not another black mark on my record.

Have a couple shots of Irish Whiskey and a Guinness and you'll smooth right out! (just joking).

But it could be a fun experiment, Also, no black marks from here.

[Jay Greer]

We had a guy named Smitty who worked with us. He was a good sign painter put couldn't paint a straight line unless he was half in the bag. Sadly Smitty checked out a few years ago. Seems the good guys die young.
Jay

[pcford]

We had a guy named Smitty who worked with us. He was a good sign painter put couldn't paint a straight line unless he was half in the bag. Sadly Smitty checked out a few years ago. Seems the good guys die young.
Jay

Alcohol seemed a common element in some of the old time signpainters' toolboxes.