Sign Repair & Gilding

[joe]

Sign Repair & Gilding


At present I'm in the process of repairing and gilding a panel. I had promised to show more on the gilding process so here we go.

This panel is redwood and it has some border damage. My eye always goes to the damaged area first so it has to be repaired prior to repainting.


My favorite repair material is a combination 50/50 of Bondo and Fibreglass resin. I've mixed just enough to cover the damage area and made a dam with childrens clay. Once mixed you've got about about 10 minutes before it begins to set. Don't skimp on the amount of material poured. Once it be ins to set, you can shave off all the excess with a sharp chisel. It sands like a dream. Within an hour it can be can be sanded and painted.


Kolhner Instacol Gold Size. This is the size for High Gloss Gilding.


After completing a couple of jobs I can see how it could be over used. For shure it's the fastest and easiest way to apply gold.
This size will need to be thinned with a little water. Should be about the thickness of Half and Half coffee cream. As per the instructions it should be laid down in long smooth strokes. I'm using a french quill but any long haired soft bristle brush should be fine. Lay it down quickly and give ten or fifteen minutes to dry. You need two coats. My first coat always looks splotchy and week. The second coat will look solid. When dry to the touch it's ready for the gold, copper, aluminun or fake gold. If you wait too long, lets say an hour, you'll need to start all over.
One of my panels had 8" letters and the size set up too fast so I started all over. I'd recommend, doing a few letters at a time.
You may notice, in one of the photo's, some roll gold laying on it's side. You can cut patent gold with swisors to the exact size you want. Now when applying the gold, do so with authority. Mash it down hard. Within a few minutes you can burnish to a mirror gloss. Your eyes may pop right of your head. It's amazing. When finishing I start off with a soft mop and finish burnishing with my index finger.
Joe
www.normansignco.com

[joe]

Here are a few more photo's

[joe]

In a few days, when I finish this panel, I'll be showing the finished job along with a couple other gilded signs. I'll also show a little more on the bondo/fiberglass method for repair. It's very good on HDU, and PVC along with wood. I've posted about this process a few years ago.

Verks for me, Hope it verks for you.

Joe
www.normansignco.com

[bobmoore]

Thanks for the concise instructional Joe. Is the process and are the results similar enough in the copper and aluminum to use as practice on the less expensive metals before going to gold?

[joe]

Bob,

Gees that's a good question. I'll have to pull out some imitation gold, carnival gold, copper or aluminum leaf to see how it works. The down side with Insticoll is it's too bright.

Joe

[guitarwes]

Great work and instruction, but the letters are sideways.

[cowboy1296]

I dont think that i am off topic here regarding epoxy and repair. One of my retirement plaques cracked on the edge. The crack is definitely clamp-able. Now the question is to use glue or epoxy. Glue could show a little where epoxy wont. But can you clamp an epoxy repair before it starts to cure and expect good results?

[joe]

Cowboy,

First off let me say I'm sorry to hear about the plaque damage.

How big is the crack and where is it located? If you could post a picture I'm sure everyone would enjoy having a peek.

Joe

[cowboy1296]

The jury is still out on whether
UPS did the damage or a moisture explosion. Of course my planks are ripped and glued back together and are about 1.7 inches thick. The crack was not located in just one of the ripped pieces but it crossed over into two. The crack opened up to about .2 of an inch. Once i got it back i used a clamp and easily pulled the two pieces back together but have yet to use glue or epoxy.

[cowboy1296]

have you had any experience with dying tight bond glue.