BLAG 01 - Magazine - Page 6
Letters
Q. Please could you offer some advice on which
size brush would be best to use with Fernando
Mello’s Tourigo Casual practice sheets?
Damian Thomas
Q. I recently saw this decay on an old reverse-glass
gilded sign. Do you know why this happens, and
what can be done to prevent it?
Sam Roberts / @mrghostsigns
A. I suggest you paint on acetate sheets (or a
piece of glass if you have one) on top of the
posters. That way you can see through and the
paint flows nicely! Brush sizes #5 and #7 work
great with them when printed at A3 (11.8” x 16.5”).
A. This is probably caused by one of two things.
The ground paint has over time dried out—the oil
content has had its day—and as it dries it contracts
and lifts the gold it’s adhered to. Or the old enemy,
damp, has saturated the sign from behind and
reactivated the gelatine, which then lifts.
I recommend the A.S. Handover 2112 sable brush,
or 333 if you prefer synthetic. A #5 size will be
comfortable for you to practice on the character
set posters, while a #7 will be great for the posters
where the letters are slightly bigger, such as the
one with the outline version of Touriga. I especially
like the #7 2112 sable brush. It is a super versatile
brush and can produce thin or thick strokes, if you
manage to control pressure well.
Fernando Mello / @fermello78
There are a couple of approaches to prevent
water damage. One is to allow plenty of airflow
behind the glass, and the other is to ‘hermetically
seal’ the sign. The latter is what the original
Brilliant Signs did—the back was sealed with
very thin lead foil. This worked well with their fired
enamel fascias, which had excellent adhesion
to the glass. Some experimentation would be
needed to find a material and technique that
doesn’t lift today’s enamel paints from the glass.
On traditional carved fascias, I have sometimes
noticed a small (< 2mm, or 0.1”) gap between
the glass and the board behind. This would have
allowed the air flow required to prevent water
damage from the build-up of damp and humidity.
Ash Bishop, Brilliant Signs / @brilliantsigns
Fernando Mello’s Touriga Casual alphabet from
Sign Painting (see page 57) and available as free
practise poster downloads at bl.ag/touriga.
Decay on a gilded glass fascia. Photo: Simon Whatley.
Please send questions, comments, and pictures to sam@bl.ag.
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