"SNAPPERS", for those of you who don't know, were Sign Painters who were, for the most part, on the move, from town to town,or state to state,knocking out window lettering, repainting faded signs, lettering truck doors, and even billboards. His 'kit' contained 3 or 4 quills, a liner or two, a coupla fitches, a chalkline, carpenters pencil, some razor blades, masking tape, 5 or 6 cans of paint (usually one-shot, but any enamel would do), and an assortment of stuff to enable the Painter to get the job done RIGHT NOW for CASH, or sometimes TRADE (for food or accomodations). There was usually an extension ladder, or, at least, a stepladder strapped to his car, truck or van. Their "library" of fonts consisted of 3 or 4 'knockout' letter styles, a couple of scripts, and the old reliable 'thick n thin'. The SNAPPER used almost anything for thinner.....even beer.......and the ever-popular RUSTOLEUM, which was available everywhere (but NEVER dried) was a mainstay when no other enamels were available. These guys were 'everywhere' when our craft was a 'fun' thing to do, rather than a BUSINESS. Prices on everything was low.......you didn't need a license........and you got paid immediately! I spent 5 or 6 years in the late 70s and early 80s snapping throughout Arizona, Colorado, and Utah. I had a blast, made lots of friends, and the money was good! Anybody out there have similar experiences?
[ March 04, 2003, 04:25 PM: Message edited by: Bob Burns ]
Posted by Pierre Tardif (Member # 3229) on :
John Hodgins have published a book about snappers. It's a collection of stories and adventures of snappers. Very interesting book for every signpainters!! Available through John Hodgins at 1-585-343-3613 OR jhodgins@2ki.net for $10 this book is a real bargain.
Posted by cheryl nordby (Member # 1100) on :
I never went out of state. But in the 70's I would walk around different towns to furniture stores, restaurants, and apparel stores and make sho~cards on the spot. Most were small 11x14...and you would get 12.00 each. But somedays you would make 20 of them for a furniture mattress sale. I made good money back then....especially considering my rent was 50.00 per month... in a little house right ON lake Washington! Posted by Wilson Ardmore (Member # 3230) on :
Hello Bob,
Unfortunately there is not to many of us left. Snapped most of the states west of the big river and some on the east side. Hauled many a 4x8 on top the car with a ladder to hold them down. Did all the things you described in your post as well but you left one thing out. If you remember, on a cold day the one shot' would slide down almost any surface except one that was dull and faded. What I learned from my apprenticing, was to **** in the paint to keep it from running. That was a billboard trick we used especially on tiffin panels. Yeh...them was some good days and the neat thing about it is, the key pounders can't go back in a pinch but we can.
Jack Wills...(usin' Ardmore's spot)
Posted by Richard Bustamante (Member # 370) on :
Francisco Vargas and I went "snap`n" in the bay area San Francisco, California. I had a contract for a public storage company, who had just bought out 22 new locations. At one location, San Mateo, we spent a few days there, painting yet another "Security Public Storage", and picked up other jobs, right next door. Two more walls. To put this into perspective, picture a 4X8, and multply by twenty or so, thats how big these things are. Another business, right next to the other was "Prince of Wales Pub", in which, Cisco and I some how spent alot of time there drinking "sign painters juice", and we wound up trading for food and cash. Yes CASH! While we were there, someone came around and started asking alot of questions, and we thought that wierd, but wewnt along our business. This guy kept creeping up in the back of our mind's, so we finsihed up, packed up, and went to our next location. Later on, I found out that each of the companies we worked for had just got fined for not getting permits.
Heres one, its about 4'X60'.
"Maybe Cisco'll tell you about the time we got paint on this fine chicks car." "...but thats another story..."
--Rich
[ March 04, 2003, 06:17 PM: Message edited by: Steve Shortreed ]
Posted by Wilson Ardmore (Member # 3230) on :
OOPS...! I meant pee.
Posted by FranCisco Vargas (Member # 145) on :
Richard, Ah man do I remember that one, She was a "fine" sweet lookin thang. I had put up baracades all around me, but damn wind as I was rolling the paint to cover the background snuck up on me and blew to the north. Well as we were rolling the scaffold the do the other side. I noticed the splatter all over the tail end of this new Red Honda. I said I better let who ever owes this car know that it needs to get rinsed off soon. Latex dries pretty fast in the summer. Couldn't find the owner, I was in the Pub in the same parking area asking all the patrons if anybody owned this Honda. Then the she comes in with another guy, who says she ownes the Honda, she was very attractive, but she diffinetly had no interest in yours truly. I told her we must get to a car wash now so we can take off the paint, well she was freaking out, making phone calls, then asking me if I had insurance, I told her I was "just an employee" with 5 kids to support, just trying to put some beans and tortillas on the table for them and I lived out of town, but I would do whatever it took to fix my mistake, Nope that wasn't good enough. She called the police! well they came by and we both said our piece, and the police officer said "Mam, I can't arrest this man, he is more that willing to fix his mistake, you should take him up on it now before the paint dries even more. It was to late, at the car wash the guys who do a quick wash thru before it goes on the rack did just that "a quick wash thru" I relaxed her and bought her lunch as the car went thru, when it came out only some of the paint came off, so I ran it thru again, this time I jumped in with my border brother compadres, and explained to them the situation, it was going ok till the boss saw me cleaning and said NO,NO we don't do that here...run it thru! Well...still couldn't get it all off. Only thing left was to have it detailed, $130 bucks out the door! In one way it was a lesson that I don't want to learn again and in another less than a paint job. So it was back to the Pub to dry my sorrows. But yeah Snapping was fun! Especially when you can do it cross country. For some of you who are new, here's a little bit of a story that was written in my home town newspaper http://franciscovargas.com/travels.htm
Thanks for the flashbacks Bob and Richard
Posted by Jeff Ogden (Member # 3184) on :
Yeah, I've done road work from NH to FLA starting pretty young, and once in a while I catch myself still doing it. Everytime I go somewhere I'm checkin' out the territory looking for a sign that needs a repaint. Sometimes you go through an area with several repaints just sittin' there, and it's hard to control the steering wheel sometimes, the urge gets so strong to pull over and stay awhile. I like the freedom, but it's getting harder and harder to do that anymore...people arent too trusting of strangers in certain areas. I hear cops are getting harder on travelling types unless you stay in motels. I used to stay in my truck alot, save some money that way. Now its hard to stop overnight somewhere without someone checking you out, so I usually go to a campground whenever possible to avoid the hassle. Posted by George Perkins (Member # 156) on :
I did my share back in the very early eighties. I worked out of a ( man I hate to admit this one ) VW camper. Made out quite well at truckstops doing striping and lettering. Did an occasional wall here and there. Jeff is right about htings being different nowadays. Most truck stops won't even let you on the lot or have rediculous insurance requirements.
Posted by Bob Burns (Member # 268) on :
In the early 80s, I spent weeks at a time in a horrible town on the Colorado River....BLYTHE, Cal.!!! There was no sign shop there, and they had a huge depot full of Semis loading up on VEGGIES and FRUIT grown in the area. I lettered truck after truck from daylight till nightfall, working out of my old Dodge Motorhome, in the hot Spring heat (summer was out of the question). Remembering that, makes me happy Im in a SHOP now!
Posted by Alicia B. Jennings (Member # 1272) on :
I'm not sure if it could be considered snapping, but I used to work the trucks stops in Southern California back in the eighties. I'd show up, open the back of my truck, straigthen out the hairs in my brushes, look at the sky and say "Lord, put me to work" And shor nuff, some trucker would ask me to do a little lettering on his rig, and then another, and another till sundown. Sometimes I would be finishing up a job while the driver would holding up a flashlight. Those were fun days. I worked on trucks from all over the county. When I was got married in 92', this driver told me "Hey, bad news travels fast, I heard all the way in Georgia that you're getting married".
Posted by kc (Member # 650) on :
Its fun reading these stories.
In the mid seventies I ran out of money and academic ambition one winter at Michigan State University. I up and quit. I drove south in my beater Ford Maverick till it got warm and turned right. I traded window splashes at gas stations for gas all the way to California. Worked at a couple of signshops out there for a month and worked my way back. I'd never traveled outside of Michigan before and hold those memories as some of the best of my life.
I couldn't dream of doing this today. It seems to be a WallyWorld everywhere you go.
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
iam still "snappin", i got a mobile sign shop with vinyl and paint..........hehehehehehe
Posted by Brad Ferguson (Member # 33) on :
Jack Wills, Is that how you got the name Crazyjack? Or did everybody use that trick? Are paint and pee really miscible? I'm trying to remember if this product is uric acid or urea. I know it's the opposite of reptiles. I think this idea should be in the next book on 'Tricks of the Trade.' Or maybe one titled, 'Last Resorts of the Trade.' Gives new meaning to organic solvents, huh?
Now I gotta go do something to get this outta my head.
Brad in Kansas
Posted by dave parr (Member # 3868) on :
Brad, If you look at Jack's post you'll notice that there are four letters unaccounted for, not three.
Smiles Inside,
Posted by Stephen Deveau (Member # 1305) on :
Richard.
GAME! Nice Pic... Glad to hear you had a Watering Hole next door!
Tell me about your ladder set up? I have never seen this one before. BUT I LIKE IT. Posted by Stephen Deveau (Member # 1305) on :
Alicia
Please! (Take this with a grain of salt and humour!)
If you were working the "Big Stops" you must have been one hell of a Lot Lizard!
I drove one for 7 years and am still letter for Companies,Friends that are in the industry that I worked with. Posted by DONALD THOMPSON (Member # 3726) on :
Wilson, Who was the first person to ever try that trick?, and Why? I wonder alot about how things get tried for the first time, but people find out something odd works.
Anytime any of you Snappers would like to travel to my area, I would love to have you stop by to talk. I have a couch for you to stay on free of charge. Ask Ryan Young how it sleeps. I would love to have someone stop by and show me a few tricks of old. I wish I could have done that sort of thing "back in the day." It would have been awesome, but you better not try nowadays.
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
Raven....those are called "ladder jacks". The hook on to 2 rungs of the ladder and have arms that project to hold the plank, ot in the above case, a oik.the can be mouted to be in front or behind the extension ladders, as the situation requires. They are pretty much outlawed by OSHA nowdays. I don't miss them....they swayed and wiggled and jiggled! PLUS you had to ALWAYS remember not to step back to check your work!
Posted by george williams (Member # 516) on :
have used the same "thinner" on a billboard on a cold winter day about 30 years ago...have set 4 poles for a billboard using a rope and tree limb on july 4th by myself...put up many an 8x12 by myself in the wind and the rain...used wall hooks, swing stages and dropped the pounce bag after pulling to the top...learned how to ty a pinch knot on a stage (the hard way...gold leafed the original opryland hotel doors...didn't realize it had been that long and how much the newer folks are missing...
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) VW camper. Made out quite well at truckstops doing striping and lettering. Did an occasional wall here and there. Jeff is right about htings being different nowadays. Most truck stops won't even let you on the lot or have rediculous insurance requirements.
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