posted September 03, 2008 12:49 AM
Hi fellow Letterheads. Have you ever relied on a "tall tale" to explain to some passer-by just what it is you're doing ? Here's one that I once told to a lady who wanted to know why I was palletting my quill:
"Actually, what I'm doing is turning over the paint so that the glossy side is facing out. If this isn't done properly, this lettering could have some letters that look flat, and that just wouldn't be consistant."
" Well,that makes sense, she replied, and I could tell that she walked away completely believing what I'd told her.
-------------------- Ken Henry Henry & Henry Signs London, Ontario Canada (519) 439-1881 e-mail: kjmlhenry@rogers.com
Why do I get all those on-line offers to sell me Viagara, when the only thing hardening is my arteries ? Posts: 2684 | From: London,Ontario, Canada | Registered: Feb 1999
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posted September 03, 2008 03:38 PM
My one time where I got Sarcastic with a walker-by blew up in my face and made me feel real bad.
Was lettering our new window on the shop.. Large as life SIGNS was already up. My back is to the sidewalk. Someone asks.. "What's going in here." Without turning around I just replied "A Bordello" (Thinking to myself What a Fool can't you read)
I then look back, there is our Paperboy who is a special needs child with his Father with the most shocking look on his face escorting him on the paper route.
Needless to say I felt about 1" tall while apologizing.
posted September 03, 2008 09:37 PM
After hearing the "I knew/saw this signpainter...he'd shake....til his brush set down on the sign/truck,etc., then...Steady as a Rock...." time for me to relate story about the signpainter..."he'd just walk up to the truck/wall etc, and just get letterin'.....didn't even know whose truck/wall it was......." usually silence ...head shaking, maybe...
-------------------- John Lennig / Big Top Sign Arts 5668 Ewart Street, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada bigtopya@hotmail.com 604.451.0006 Posts: 2184 | From: Burnaby, British Columbia,Canada | Registered: Nov 2001
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posted September 03, 2008 10:00 PM
A woman whose vehicle I just repaired at a body shop once said to me that her son had done pinstriping until he got a real job at McDonalds. She just about had a heart attack when she saw the bill I had given to the shop manager as I said, sure beats an 8 hour day. Years later when I finally came to Oregon I heard many stories from others who watched me stripe while telling me that they used to stripe when they were younger and how they knew Von Dutch, the Kid and others with all the crap they could make up figuring that with my accent I could never have known these persons first hand. I still go through this stuff even though I been out west off and on since 62
-------------------- HotLines Joey Madden - pinstriping since 1952 'Perfection, its what I look for and what I live for'
posted September 04, 2008 01:06 PM
When a customer sees a pounce pattern they always inquire about 'all those little holes' and I say, 'Yeh. I tell ya . . . it just takes hours tracin' around those letters with a straight pin . . . .'
posted September 04, 2008 01:47 PM
I once told someone, while lettering a window, that I didn't do round letters because I didn't have my union license - and that the sign would be finished whenever the "round letter man" could get to it (I said there were only two in the state, and they were some busy).
-------------------- "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
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posted September 05, 2008 04:18 PM
Sorta on topic, and good for a Friday afternoon fun watch. This is a six minute video "documentary" about the fine profession of the crossword puzzle inker...
posted September 05, 2008 11:50 PM
Come on Cam, they way you told it in Wales... it was a boat, and the guy was all shook up when you "left"(for lunch) anyway, it was sure fun to hear you tell it, i repeat it once in awhile(giving full credit to you, by the way...)
there is alot that "they" don't know about our calling...
John
-------------------- John Lennig / Big Top Sign Arts 5668 Ewart Street, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada bigtopya@hotmail.com 604.451.0006 Posts: 2184 | From: Burnaby, British Columbia,Canada | Registered: Nov 2001
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Onlookers have always "provided" the entertainment while working in public, questions range from the silly to the incredibly, stupid...such as, "Are you doing that by hand?", "My brother used to do that.", but my all time favorite is the personage that has that clueless look about them and spouts off, "Your so steady, you should have been a brain surgeon.", which I almost always reply, "I was, striping pays better.".....
Naivete is such sweet bliss...
-------------------- Frank Magoo, Magoo's-Las Vegas; fmagoo@netzero.com "the only easy day was yesterday" Posts: 2365 | From: Las Vegas, Nv. | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted September 08, 2008 03:29 PM
Your memory is close to right, John... it was a window (actually a glass door) AT a boatyard. And I did pack up and leave without lettering the Os, Cs and Ss, then came back after lunch to finish.
-------------------- "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
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