Art & Inspiration Cracked paint look sign writing

I tried sticking 2 socks down my pants...but got cold feet.

 

Thanks, I see you are a fellow Queenslander. I have had a look through that thread and like a lot of what I see.

Steve

 

Not sure, where’s Kalifornia at?

 

Its the portion that fell into the Pacific during an earthquake.

 

I really think the term "old Farmer" could be offensive to some( I was raised on a farm), maybe even politically incorrect or some other bulony. I painted the numbers on our 57 Ford dirt track car with a 4" wide paint brush. And I'm going to use a 4" paint brush to do the lettering on my 1937 ford coupe tribute race car.

 

Mate I may have missed the smiley face about the old farmer being politically incorrect. I also did not use old, I just said a Farmer. In the early seventies dad was just a farmer. Moving forward 50 years I don't think he would mind being called old. The farm was purchased in 1907, so one of my forebears must be in the old farmer category by now.

 

That is totally awesome and that door is a treasure! As you said, done by Father Time. Very cool!

 

I find it offensive when I'm called an "Old Fart"...considering my chronic EIF...Excessive Intestinal Flatulence Syndrome.

 

genuine

 

My old delivery said "Browns flowers and XXXments Phone- 36
I never did figure out what the 4 letters [covered by rust] were.

 

@Rocky Probably “Arrangements”?

 

If it was four letters, my guess would be ORNA as in Ornaments.
Steve

 

Right... four letters. I should stop posting right after rolling out of bed.

 

Arrangements

 

I have done a fair amount of "aged" lettering but have yet to try the crackle finish. I remember seeing an article in one of the small books years ago about a technique called,"Atzei(sp?) Painting" It involved spraying a helmet with metallic gold enamel and just after it surface dried(about 24 hours)spraying over it with white nitrocellulose lacquer. The effect was the white separating into jagged segments almost resembling lightning bolts. As I recall it was not clear-coated afterward probably because there was no clear available at the time(mid 1950's)that would work.
My technique for aging letters is fairly simple and straightforward.:
I usually work over an old paint job so I do not clean it with anything before I start. Any dirt that might be on the surface actually helps the aging process.
I make a pounce pattern of the lettering to be done usually using a regular Gothic style with small serifs and lay it down on the door. To get a nice clean edge on the letters(not the round ones)I use a piece of Scotch tape on the top and bottom of the strokes. Makes it faster to paint and leaves a clean edge.I thin the paint normally as if you thin it too much it has a tendency to run.Some people mix the paint 50/50 with 1-Shot Sign Restoring Clear for more transparency. Personally I like using the paint normally.
After the basic letters are done I add the shadow. Most of the letters I do that were originally white I use 1-Shot Ivory to give it a yellowed look. Most times the shadow I use is either 1-Shot Maroon or a 50/50 mix of Bright Red and Maroon. The bright red has a tendency to darken with age so the maroon works just fine.
I let it set overnight and the next day I take a gray Scotch Pad and some windshield washer solvent and spray the lettering and start slowly scuffing each letter. I try and remove a bit more from the middle of each stroke as that is where the paint was usually the thinnest. When lettering say a vertical stroke you usually only make one pass but make several at the top and bottom to clean up the edge or start a horizontal stroke so the middle is where most of the wear occurs.
The good part is if you remove too much ,just re-coat and start again.
When you have removed enough of the paint to satisfy your self the way it looks,I lightly scuff the whole door to make the surface appear evenly worn.
And that is basically it. Here are a couple I have done over the years.

 

your thick and thins on your W and Y 's
are backwards.......

 

I'm left-handed and that's the way I've always done them since 1957.

 

Possibly "Monuments"

 

Another way to do it is to use water base paints (house paint) and hair spray. Use the hair spray first, here and there and let dry, letter over that let it dry an hour or so then come back over it with a damp clothe and rub off the letters to the degree of decrodedness you desire, you will also wash off the excess hair spray. The paint over hair spray will cause the paint to crackle, do not use straight or bright white as it looks way too fresh, dull it with some umber to make it look “dirty” or aged and add accents of brown/orange wash rust where the paint is worn off to bare metal. Brie wax can be applied as a protective coat and is available in different colors if further weathering is needed. I will post photos if I can get onto the other computer.

 

Does the hairspray drastically reduce the longevity of the lettering on the door. What I am asking is will the sign writing look great for a year or two and then need to be redone because it all did not stick well.

Thanks
Steve