Finishing

[joe]

Finishing letters can be fun or a real pain. Here are a two rules I use. #1 Stay away from high gloss paint. Rule #2 Use some kind of texture.

As we know, routers can leave ugly machine textures. Rather than sanding, texturing can save the day. There are several texture rattle cans or you can purchase stucco's and apply with rollers or brushes. A little sanding is necessary. Flat or Semi-flat latex paints also hide imperfections.

Whe I need a mirrow finish catalized automotive high build primer is my choice. I spray a fat heavy coat. I mean heavy enough to fill most machine imperfections. It will dry in a few minutes. A light buff with a scotchbrite pad will do the trick.

Sculpt Nouveau looks much better with a little texture. This gives the patina, acid, a place to settle out magnifying color. I also use colored waxes. The combination of texture and wax brings more surface depth.

If you not fond of spray painting, try the Critter. It's cheap, easy to clean up, works well with thick latex paints. Try Amazon or Ebay for a discount. My shield was left rough to simulate raw, old iron.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e115/jcrumley1/PhiDeltaCoatofArms6-1-2009.jpg



http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e115/jcrumley1/Copper-1.jpg

The chunk out of the shield was due to vandels. It was part of a routed rough cedar fraternity sign. Another frat. organization, thinking the shield was metal tried to pry it off. Surprise, Surprise it was all caught on video. Therasn't any problem getting paid and no quibble about the price either. Fortunately I don't have many re-do's jobs like this.

The above letters are rough textured and painted with Copper SN. Very little finishing time. Keep in mind, all SN letters must be clear coated. If you don't, rain will leave a green residue wash down the wall. Once the clear is applied, most of the brilliant beautiful colors will disapear but that's temporairly. The brillian colors will come back with time.

Joe Crumley
www.normasnsignco.com (http://www.normasnsignco.com)

[kurt_rose]

Thanks Joe for taking the time to do these little tutorials. For a newbie like me it's a huge kick in the butt to encourage me to dive into uncharted territory. Sculpt Nouveau is on my list to try next. Keep up the good work.

[blackhawk]

Joe - Can you spray the automotive high build primer using the Critter?

[kevin]

Joe thanks Iam enjoying your weekly blogs

[joe]

Yes Brad, the critter will spary automotive primers as well as finished coats. One of the major advantages of this cheap little gun is the lack of over spray.

I'm with you guys. Finishing can go your way or cause lots of trouble. For those who don't know, SN is a water based, paint that is saturated with metal grindings. The process is to mist the paint with one of their acids to get a chemical reaction. If you're interested in giving a try, I'd suggest a pint of Copper and Iron (B). Light green patina or Tiffany green are good patina's. The process takes overnight to mature.

Finishing is a fun and creative art.

Joe Crumley
www.normansignco.com (http://www.normansignco.com)

[michael_schwartz]

Thanks for posting this. Always looking forward to learning from your posts.

I will have to try a critter gun as I like to keep my gravity gun pristine for spraying waterborne top coats.

[curtiss]

Everything Joe paints quickly takes on a "world class" look...

my paint adds a "cartoon look" to everything ...

I would think Joe could load up a few brushes & things and travel from bot to bot & never get hungry or run out of fuel.

[joe]

Thanks Curtis,

It's not that difficult if you use some basic steps. Stay tuned and pick up the techniques you are interested in.

No matter how well you understand one of these proceedures, it's no good unless you actually do it. The mind won't register these techniques unless they are acted upon.

Joe Crumley
www.normasignco.com (http://www.normasignco.com)