It was around 1970, I was learning to lay leaf on glass. How I was taught to cut gold was to allow my index finger on my right hand to grow longer than the rest. When doing a gold job a nail file was part of my kit. I'd slide my nail across the gold and it worked fine. Eventually I learned to do this without leaving a mark on the leaf below.
Well, it's been several years since I did a gold job. I got discouraged with the varnishes not holding up as well as they used to and for the price of a gold job I felt dishonest continuing and tried using the gold vinyl. Although it never looked like gold, it seemed to hold up well.
So here it is, many years past my gold days and I still keep that fingernail long.
Posted by Curt Stenz (Member # 82) on :
I always enjoy hearing stories like this. I used to hand letter a lot of trucks at body shops and garages. Occasionally I would forget to load a pounce bag in my box when I left my shop. I remember raiding ash trays for some ashes to rub over a pattern, sometimes just plain dusty dirt and once while at a lawn maintenance shop using diatomaceous earth. whatever works.
Posted by Rick Sacks (Member # 379) on :
Curt, this sounds like something humerus for a tobacco company commercial!
Posted by Alicia B. Jennings (Member # 1272) on :
A long time ago, I forgot to bring paper to make a pattern for truck lettering. I looked around the shop where I was at and saw a newspaper. I drew the letters on the newspaper, pounced it and did the job.
