posted
I made my first smalts backgound on a sandblasted HDU sign a couple months ago. I used Jacks Cream from Ronan, (they claim it works the same as Smith's Cream, but only with black paint). My question is, how long do you have to let the paint/cream combo set up before you hang the sign? With the first one I had the luxury of letting it lay flat for almost 2 weeks as I had some carving add ons to make. But I noticed that I would pick up paint on my fingers when touching letter edges where there weren't any smalts a week or more later. I'm worried about hanging the sign too soon and having the weight of the smalts sag the paint and the smalts with it.
I've heard that Smith's Cream will double the drying time of lettering enamel, but this was over a week and it was still tacky.
------------------ Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 ICQ: 21604027 sherwood@up.net
Posts: 5397 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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I don't know what the problem could be, though I've never used Smith's Cream in a smalt size. I plan to, haven't yet. I have to admit that retention of the glass has not always been the best I expected with the size I have used in the past.
My experience with Smith's Cream as a blending agent is that it keeps the wet time open for a while, and then when it decides to dry, it dries fairly rapidly, leaving a super gloss. But I've always used it in a mix with boiled oil and thinner. I lay it down as a base and then put the colors on top of it, with a little oil in each color. Does your size recipe call for anything, like boiled oil, that would act as a drier?
Brad in Arkansas
------------------ Brad Ferguson 4782 West Highway 22 Paris AR 72855 501-963-2642 signbrad@cswnet.com
Posts: 1230 | From: Kansas City, MO, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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I ordered my Smith's cream and smalt both from Rick Glawson at Esoteric Sign Supply. I followed directions Dave Correll kindly gave me here on the board last year when I was doing my project for the Mazeppa Muster.
I mixed one part smith's cream to one part black one shot lettering enamel. Apply a generous coat to your sign and sprinkle on smalt.
I just let it sit for a day or two flat before lifting it, and it was fine. Although it's an interior sign, after it's travel to and from Mazeppa, it's still in tact hanging on my show wall in my studio.
Dave, give me a call if you need more info. Nettie
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Jack's cream should work just fine as a size for smalts. You did't mention what mixture your used, but the recommended formula is 50/50 with 1-Shot lettering enamel. The biggest difference between Jack's and Smith's Cream (besides the cost) is that Jack's doesn't work well with lighter colors. Black should be no problem at all. If your size is taking over a couple of days to dry, you have definately got something else wrong.
In days's past, we would have used a mixture of white lead and varnish, but of course you can't get white lead anymore and real boiled resin varnish is only made in limited quantity in Europe. White lead was the secret of the extreme long life we saw from smalts signs.
Jerry Mathel Jerry Mathel Signs Grants Pass, Oregon signs@grantspass.com
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Posts: 916 | From: Grants Pass, OR USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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posted
I used the recommended mixture of 50/50 Jack's Cream to One Shot lettering enamel. I painted a coat of black lettering enamel on the raw blasted HDU and after several days, if not a full week later, painted on the paint/cream mixture and sprinkled on the smalts. Maybe I was picking up wet paint from the adhesive on the sanblast rubber. I left it on until the smalts part was done.
Since white lead is no longer available, with the method described above, what kind of life can I expect from the smalts? (I used black glass smalts)
------------------ Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 ICQ: 21604027 sherwood@up.net
Posts: 5397 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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