posted
I'm finally finishing up the large smaltz & gold sign I posted about some months back. I've begun spreading out my Smith's/1-Shot mixture, & it doesn't flow out as much as I thought, so I'm a little concerned about the swirling lines from spreading it around. Will my smaltz knock down the texture when I sprinkle it on? I also wanted to ask if anyone here tonight has any suggestions on the nail holes I'm going to be punching in my coffee can. I don't want to have the stuff gushing out too much, so I'm thinking smaller holes is better, but lots of them... Since I've never practiced on anything small, & now I'm smaltzing 20 square feet...
..I guess any additional advice I can get will help.
I spent over an hour spreading the goop so far, & I'm only half done, so I'll go back to it now, & check back here later.
posted
thanks David. Mine is medium size, from Letterhead sign supply. I think it might be too big for that, but I might try a piece.
Do you think the texture will be hidden by sifting the smaltz on, or do I have to anticipate that any texture I leave in the smith's/1-Shot may end up there forever?
posted
well, I found some rubber mesh material for lining tool box drawers & I doubled it over a quart can of medium black smaltz. I had some mini bungee's around that made it a quick tool for shaking out the smaltz & it worked real well.
Much to my relief, the weight of the smaltz pushed down the texture of the smith's cream & paint. It looked good, so I dusted off the letter backgrounds & set my guilded letters on there, where they will eventually be mounted with 1" stand-offs. Here's a sneak preview.
Monday, I'll flip the sign, reclaim the smalt (sp?) that falls off, & then gild the inner three quarters of the black border. Then it's going out to the marble wall where a full size 3/4" thick digitally printed temporary sign is bolted through holes I cut in the marble. This temp sign doubles as a backing board & stand-off for this one which is 1" bigger in all directions. Half those bolts will be removed & longer ones will go through this new sign & the marble. Then I will just screw into the backing board where my recessed black border occurs on the two copper sections.
-------------------- Jack Wills Studio Design Works 1465 E.Hidalgo Circle Nye Beach / Newport, OR Posts: 2914 | From: Rocklin, CA. USA | Registered: Dec 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
So, like, do you have to put some kind of clear coat in the smalts to keep it in it's place?
-------------------- Signs by Alicia Jennings (Mudflap Girl) Tacoma, WA Since 1987 Have Lipstick, will travel. Posts: 3814 | From: Tacoma, WA. U.S.A. | Registered: Dec 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
It should sink well into the thick mixture, and after any loose stuff is poured off, the smith's/1-Shot is supposed to do that job by itself. (sure hope it works)
posted
The one-shot/smith's cream mixture has worked for lots of people for lots of years - its not an experiment. Why wouldn't it work for you?
Smalting is one of the easier tricks in a signmaker's bag. Don't fret over it.
-------------------- "A wise man concerns himself with the truth, not with what people believe." - Aristotle
Cam Bortz Finest Kind Signs Pondside Iron works 256 S. Broad St. Pawcatuck, Ct. 06379 "Award winning Signs since 1988" Posts: 3051 | From: Pawcatuck,Connecticut USA | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'm aware that it is a tried and tru medium, it's just that I "tried" it on an $11,000 sign for my very first effort...
...and I applied it to a smooth painted surface, because I don't recall ever being advized differently, although once I started & began wondering if I should have scored the surface...
...and I also showed the first photo on another board & several people said it looked too thick to them.
I trust Ron, and I don't think it was too thick... but saying "I sure hope it works" is an attempt to appease Murphy and God!
posted
No offense, Doug, but wouldn't trying it on a sample piece have been easier and less stressful, and still answered your questions? I'm not trying to bust your chops, and I understand that you need to get this right, but if I'm trying out a new technique, I want to try it on something other than a very expensive sign for a customer. Dave, I've heard of using epoxy - but I've seen epoxy in other aplications break down from UV exposure in a few years. I'd be interested to know your experiences with it over time.
-------------------- "A wise man concerns himself with the truth, not with what people believe." - Aristotle
Cam Bortz Finest Kind Signs Pondside Iron works 256 S. Broad St. Pawcatuck, Ct. 06379 "Award winning Signs since 1988" Posts: 3051 | From: Pawcatuck,Connecticut USA | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
My mind wanders. And that's not a good thing, 'cause it's too small to be out there alone. Posts: 3129 | From: Tooele, UT | Registered: Mar 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Cam Bortz: No offense, Doug, but wouldn't trying it on a sample piece have been easier and less stressful, and still answered your questions?
no offense back at ya, but "The one-shot/smith's cream mixture has worked for lots of people for lots of years" ...and I've read of it here for 7 of those years... so rather than fret over a test I charged, because that's just me. If it was an experiment, I'd experiment with it... but if I did a small test, I'd probably have smoothed it to perfection in 5 minutes & not even realized that I would have this question on a large piece.
Besides, I only wrote "I hope it works" because someone asked what makes it stick, & I answered from what I've heard, instead of what I've done. Next time I can answer from what I've done!
My mind wanders. And that's not a good thing, 'cause it's too small to be out there alone. Posts: 3129 | From: Tooele, UT | Registered: Mar 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Well, from the pictures, it looks like it finished up just fine. I've smalted a bunch of signs over the years, including this one I've never much worried about how smooth my adhesive was, just brushed it on fairly thick and put the smalt to it. The smalt itself seems to level things out. By the look of the first pic you have an extremely thick coat of adhesive, but that could just be the angle of the shot. Glad everything worked out for you.
-------------------- "A wise man concerns himself with the truth, not with what people believe." - Aristotle
Cam Bortz Finest Kind Signs Pondside Iron works 256 S. Broad St. Pawcatuck, Ct. 06379 "Award winning Signs since 1988" Posts: 3051 | From: Pawcatuck,Connecticut USA | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
This inspired me to do my first ever smalted piece. Fresh back from a mini meet for another forum. I started it there and added smalts yesterday (won from here, thanks Kristi) It's an easy way to dress up a sign. Your mixture did look thick, Doug, but as long as it works... Like I replied on that forum, you were looking thru vynull goggles. Looks like it turned out well. Love....Jill
Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
| IP: Logged |
Jill, glad I could play a small part in your inspiration on adding another to your many sign making experiences. I do believe your vinyl "goggles" theory is off the mark though... I may not have hand lettering skills, but I have been working with far more dimension than a sheet of vinyl for many years now. I don't have any aversion to "tool marks" or other evidence of non computer workmanship... I just wanted to know if the texture would show, so I could groom it to a balanced texture if I needed to, and not worry if I didn't need to. I did get it balanced enough to accept if it showed, but I'm glad it flattened out under the weight. I'll keep a eye out for a photo you may post of your project Jill.
Ron Purcell called this morning & he still maintains that a thickness (as in depth of the coating)of 1/8th inch is his reccommendation & I was right about there on average...
...but he did say that the thickness of the mixture (as in viscosity) was more than he usually sees & therefore the tendancy for the mixture to be self leveling as I had expected is what is more common. Next time I may try a 60/40 mix with more paint, to get a little more liquidity.
posted
must be in the air...it's good to see these posts. just bid a sign for a new "green" store which will have a black smalts background for the space b/hind a carved planet earth.I'll post after it's done.This forum inspires me.
-------------------- Darcy Baker Darcy's Signs Eureka Springs. AR. Posts: 1169 | From: Eureka Springs, AR | Registered: Nov 2007
| IP: Logged |
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic