posted
hi everyone thanks for the help the first time around, i just have a few more questions. if you missed the first post i'm a newbie in the sign painting business and wanted some advice on window lettering. i've been practicing some on a piece of glass, i put down the first color then went put down the second and it wrinkled up a little where the colors overlapped. just wondering how to avoid this. should i let the first color dry completely before starting the second? what is a good product to use to clean the glass beforehand? would it be best to lay down the fill color then the outline around it? will the one shot hold up ok against window washing? well thanks again... can't wait to get my first store front done!!
-------------------- Matt Minjares pilot66@hotmail.com Posts: 34 | From: Phoenix | Registered: May 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Matt, letting the first color dry should solve the problem, but there really shouldn't have been that much of a problem in the first place. It's kinda wierd. Were you using a stronger or faster drying thinner in the second coat? Maybe atmospheric (sp?) conditions. The only problem I have with not waiting for the first coat to dry is that it's sticky, harder to control the brush, and harder on the brush. I do it all the time anyway.
As far as which to put down first, the fill or the outline, that depends on how you want it to look from where, and what tools you're using. If you're working on the inside of the glass,(which I do as seldom as posible) you could put down the outline first, then you'd know exactly how wide the outline was going to be, and filling in the other color would require less precision,=time saved.
If on the outside of the glass, do the fill first, then outline. If the letters are big, use a mini roller to fill. Either of the above methods won't leave as attractive a job from the inside, but often that doesn't matter.
Window lettering is for me a really cool medium, in that it has SO MANY methods you can employ. I'm going to list a few:
Here's one I just did, I made the whole window "backlit". That is, the window, if there are lights on inside at night,becomes like a lit-up sign you see on a pole (plastic faces, flourescent lamps inside, etc.) The lettering itself was a caligraphy style (thanks Arthur V.) hand cut from translucent vinyl. the background, illustration, and other stuff in the sign are made to look like a stained glass window. But lettering is important to me, so I wanted it to be more even, thus the vinyl. I've sprayed these before, but man the worry about overspray on passing cars is not worth it. In order to get the paint to look like stained glass, add quite a bit of varnish and/or linseed oil. Maybe penetrol instead of linseed oil. Most all paints can (roughly speaking) be broken down into three components: binder, pigment, and solvent. The terms explain themselves. If you try to just thin the paint down to the point of translucence, it will run off the glass, dry dull looking, and be weak. If however, you thin the pigment apart by adding more binder, you'll have a more durable, better looking finish that lets light through nicely. I use varnish as extra binder in One Shot paint. Now I'm also using their hardener, man does that make some tough paint. But it'll be interesting to see if I can use the hardener in warmer weather, as it speeds drying time. Also, I havn't yet tried using the hardener with linseed oil.
Try using the "cut and roll method". Get some transfer paper or frisket paper, apply it to the window. Draw your artwork, cut it out with an exacto type knife. Peel out the areas to be painted. Then you can fill with roller, brush, whatever. Try rolling on a color, the airbrushing a blend into your letters. Neat effects, quick and easy.
Also, learn about "window splash", and gold leaf lettering. Have fun.
-------------------- James Donahue Donahue Sign Arts 1851 E. Union Valley Rd. Seymour TN. (865) 577-3365 brushman@nxs.net
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what's for lunch, Benjamin Franklin Posts: 2057 | From: 1033 W. Union Valley Rd. | Registered: Feb 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
thanks for the help james. you say you try to paint on the inside as little as possible, any particular reason? or just be cause it takes more time? i thought it was usually done on the inside, i'm doing a logo on the front door and the hours. not really big stuff. i think it usually looks better when it's on the inside. i've tried gold leafing and would really like to learn more about that and window splash as well. there's a really good window splash artist here in phoenix and i'm always amazed by the work i see. thanks again.
-------------------- Matt Minjares pilot66@hotmail.com Posts: 34 | From: Phoenix | Registered: May 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Hi Matt. I have had that very same problem before (Overlaps crinkling) and someone told me it is because I never add any hardener to the 1-Shot. But I also believe it has something to do with not letting the first coat dry thoroughly. I would make it a 2-day job. Do the outlines first, then return the next day and do your fills. That way your outlines will be even. I am sure that the Phoenix sun & temp will be a great drying aid. As for cleaning, I would tell the building owners to wait 2 weeks before cleaning. Then I would just clean with Windex and paper towels. Have fun. Love...Jill edited to say...this is for the inside of the glass method...window splashes are usually done on the outside. I prefer the inside of the glass for long-term use, that way the paint is protected from abuse by "pickers".
-------------------- That is like a Mr. Potato Head with all the pieces in the wrong place. -Russ McMullin Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
Yeah, Jill pretty much summed it up as to why the inside or the outside. The reason I favor the outside is the visibility and vitality of the job. Even with untinted glass, the glare detracts. Also I used to do a lot of window splashes, which should only be on the inside of the glass as a last resort. The paint used for splashes is flat instead of glossy, and it loses a lot when behind glass.
-------------------- James Donahue Donahue Sign Arts 1851 E. Union Valley Rd. Seymour TN. (865) 577-3365 brushman@nxs.net
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what's for lunch, Benjamin Franklin Posts: 2057 | From: 1033 W. Union Valley Rd. | Registered: Feb 2003
| IP: Logged |
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic