Here's one of the reason I was off the hook lately, been busy painting away from the 'puter!
My latest project was the restoration of the gold leaf ornements on a 1876 Silsby steam fire engine. Spent around 200 hours on that thing from deciphering the original design, with the help of Pete Payne, re-drawing, gold leafing and asphaltum-glazing it!! Lots of fun!...and stress.
This machine is undergoing acceptance from the cultural department to be protected under the heritage program.
This is probably my biggest project to date and I am one very proud of the result.
One of the picture is the best side of what was left of the original ornements. Nothing was left on the coal box and the front axle so I designed them.
life is so good!! Posted by Kerry Hargraves (Member # 6837) on :
That is nothing less than fabulous.
Posted by George Perkins (Member # 156) on :
Take a bow my fiend...that's incredible!!!!!!!!
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
VERY COOL!!! Nice work my friend!
-grampa dan
Posted by Joe Cieslowski (Member # 2429) on :
SWEET!!!!!
Joe,
Makin Chips and Havin Fun!
Posted by Glenn Taylor (Member # 162) on :
If you ever want to see an example of pure talent, this is it.
.
Posted by John Arnott (Member # 215) on :
That's beautiful.....nice to see "REAL" hand painting still going on. I've restored 31 or is it 32 antique safes so far. Complete with oil paintings too. Could we see some closer pictures? I love this stuff! I'm like most of us....I want to "SEE" some of the brush strokes up close! What clear did you use to blend the asphultum with? How many glaze coats did you use to get that good of a blend? Great quality!
Posted by Bob Peach (Member # 2620) on :
Wicked cool! Very very nice!
Posted by Rene Giroux (Member # 4980) on :
Top shelf brother
Posted by Gary Winebarger (Member # 154) on :
I am speechless. Wish I could see it in person. Give youself a pat on the back!
Posted by Charles Borges de Oliveir (Member # 3770) on :
The close ups are amazing! Hopefully Pierre will post them.
Good Job Pierre, you are one of the best Sign Painters I know.
-Charles
Posted by Dennis Raap (Member # 3632) on :
Cool ..... I bet it looks even better in real life!
Posted by Sam Staffan (Member # 4552) on :
Top shelf job, hats off to all that worked on it.
I really like the new butterflies compared to the old I feel they tie in better. The old look more like an add-on.
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
Absolutely gorgeous!
Pierre....you just have to post some close ups!
Posted by Todd Gill (Member # 2569) on :
Stunning! Beautiful work Pierre. Posted by Mark Neurohr (Member # 2470) on :
B E A U T I F U L!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Outstanding Pierre!!!!
Posted by Randy Campbell (Member # 2675) on :
Very Very Nice Pierre Posted by Pierre Tardif (Member # 3229) on :
Thanks guys!
Here's some close-up. I was unable to get better shot but I will on my next trip there.
The asphaltum glazing is mixed with one shot tinting clear and they were done in one stroke. If I missed the first time I wiped it off and did it again until the shade was nice. I did practice a lot during the holidays on the living room table!!
Funny thing is that we discovered that the butterfly were originaly done with gold leaf and covered later with aluminium leaf. There was other parts also with aluminium leaf covering gold. We're still trying to figure why. Here's a pic of the original butterfly ornement.
In this case I had to reproduce as close as possible what was there 132 years ago.
Life is so good!
Posted by Cam Bortz (Member # 55) on :
Posted by Stevo Chartrand (Member # 2094) on :
Bonjour Pierre! Absolultely amazing work, my friend!!!
Stevo
Posted by Santo (Member # 411) on :
Very beautiful work! Hats off to you!!! Hat Posted by Alicia B. Jennings (Member # 1272) on :
I am flat on my back, looking at the ceiling just saying "Wow, Wow Wow"
Posted by Dale Flewelling (Member # 2577) on :
The "Feeling" after performing a piece of beautiful craftsmanship as this has to be overwhelming!!!To stand back and look at it...WOW!Very, Very, Very outstanding work.Thanx for sharing...
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
You have done very well- I AM impressed, Pierre!
It's quite a job, 're-interpreting' it to what it used to be before it became aged. You did nicely on the back, too, keeping the theme consistant.
(Can I ask a silly question...what else is asphaltum like? I've tried to get some here, and had no luck at all. The closest guess I figured was some oil-painting ivory-black, which is kind-of transparent, compared with say drop-black, or lamp-black. I still wasn't happy, so I ended up mixing a mission brown with penetrol & some boiled linseed oil, and used that to do the shading.
Asphaltum sounds like a tar or bitumen derivative, to me.
Many old books I have here, mention it being the item of preference for shading on gold.
Thanks!)
Posted by Pete Payne (Member # 344) on :
Hi Ian, nothing else like asphaltum that i know of, looks almost black but spreads out to a rich translucent golden brown, it's like a thin fine grade tar. It is sometimes used to coat heavy equipment and castings for outdoor storage to prevent rust prior to painting as it is easily removeable with varsol or other solvent. We also use it as a resist when acid etching glass or metal so a chemical or industrial supplier might be a good place to look. Awesome job Peeair, wish i could have been there but obviously you didn't need any help!
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
Pierre, Absolutly as Rene says Top Shelf...Beautiful Thanks for posting.
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
Thanks, Si- I was kind-of hoping I could find it a bit closer to home!
(I'm not sure they like posting liquids like that overseas in aeroplanes by mail.)
Posted by Jon Butterworth (Member # 227) on :
I agree with you Pat, and everyone else,.
But Pat, you and a few mates did a nice job on that Reo Fire Engine in Moose Jaw!
Posted by KARYN BUSH (Member # 1948) on :
outstanding my friend!!! you never cease to amaze me. hope to catch up soon!
Posted by Pete Payne (Member # 344) on :
yah si, we sell it too, but shipping by air is expensive and illegal and ground won't quite work , boats are slow so i tried to give him some options closer to home
Posted by Pat Welter (Member # 785) on :
Thanks Jon, I appreciate that, and it turned out really cool. May have to post it on another post...but right now let just enjoy what we're look'n at here...Pete must of instructed Pierre well ,as those fades are grand....And Pierre you didn't miss a thing, like the antenna on the butterfly being offset. Nice attention to detail. Thanks again, Pat.
Posted by Rusty Bradley (Member # 6938) on :
Really exquisite...beautiful...however reading the dialogue reminds me of how little I know about the sign industry...down here in the backwoods of Tennessee "asphaltum" is what we do to the good roads.
Posted by Dave Sherby (Member # 698) on :
Amazing work.
Posted by Jon Butterworth (Member # 227) on :
Pat ....I didn't get any real good pics of that Reo and there's nothing much on the letterhead past meet site. Comes up great in Kelly's daughter slide show of the meet, but too big files to post here.
Please post here seperately with detail and names of the guys who did it.
Let's keep this craft alive!
Posted by Elaine Beauchemin (Member # 136) on :
Superbe Pierre! simplement Superbe. whole lot of talent!
Bravo! É
Posted by Janette Balogh (Member # 192) on :
Rave applauze and a standing ovation are in order ... to say the least.
Yowza, that's spectacular work!
cheers, ~nettie
Posted by Pete Payne (Member # 344) on :
hey pat, if you know pierre you know you can't slow him down enough to listen, so unfortunately, as much as i'd like to i can't take any credit for that masterpiece, it was all da lil french guy, and credit also to ken soderbeck, a master at this sort of thing with a good video
Posted by Neil D. Butler (Member # 661) on :
And I was having trouble laying a little Graphic... man that is just outstanding!
Posted by Alicia B. Jennings (Member # 1272) on :
Yesterday as I was driving, I was thinking of this job. I thought, "Gee, if I got a job like that, where would I start? I so sure hope to see the real thing one day. It is so beautiful.
Posted by Donald Thompson (Member # 3726) on :
UNBELIEVABLY GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations Pierre
Posted by David C. Petri (Member # 6645) on :
Wow, dude, I can only hope to come close to that level of excellence in my lifetime. Fantastic work, neighbor!
Posted by Pam Edmunds (Member # 9109) on :
Oh Pierre that is beautiful! That looks like an exciting project to do. I wish I was there to see how you done it! That is right up my alley! Great job!
Posted by mark zilliox (Member # 3873) on :
PT......cest' Bon ! bookooo- Bohn !!
i guess when your" kooked" up indoorz for 4-5 months up there, and there's no more hockey playoff's, ......you can get the "hang" of it !
very talented work . excellent. i printed out a pic for inspiration.
thanks. monshur Zzzzzzzzz. ( who ?)
Posted by Craig Sjoquist (Member # 4684) on :
I've admired your before ..but that leaves me speechless.. just want to sit and look at it..
Posted by Donald Miner (Member # 6472) on :
Many years ago, I worked with a master sign painter, who used oil based stain, normally used on wood, for shading on gold leaf. Unfortunately, I don't remember exactly how he did it, and he is no longer with us. Have any of you ever done this, and if so could you share with us? Thanks, Pierre, for sharing such a masterpiece, it brought back some good memories. Peace, Don
Posted by Tim Barrow (Member # 576) on :
Stewey,...Rick Glawson told us many years ago that asphaultum varnish isn't much more than black tar roofing cement in liquid form,...I would still try to get the stuff letterhead supply sells as it is much more refined than the stuff you can get at the local hardware store,...too many changes in recent chemistry to trust whats is on the shelf there,..twenty five years ago I would have said go for it,..but alot of what is out there now has been butchered by the bean counters and new chemistry,....
Posted by Raymond Chapman (Member # 361) on :
There's not adjectives left that haven't been used, so I'll just add a big AMEN!
This is one of those "once in a lifetime" jobs...at least for me. You are fantastic!
You only get one try with the shading, the second stroke just makes it darker...so you have to wipe it off and start over.
Posted by John Arnott (Member # 215) on :
I once watched Bob Bond paint a corner scroll about 12"x12" on the corner of a red sign blank. He took the size and freehanded (NO PATTERN)a beautiful corner scroll in no less tan 20 SECONDS! It took longer to clean out the brush! He later came back after the leaf was layed snd shadowed it in about 30 SECONDS! After that dried he put the white highlights in place.....maybe 3 minutes!
Posted by Craig Sjoquist (Member # 4684) on :
What all has been said above wow
I would enjoy seeing this in real and just be in awe over it,
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Beautiful work Pierre. 
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