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Hand lettered with 1 Shot enamel on glass. Lane Walker, Solo Signs, Reno, Nevada
“We painted the background of the sandblasted cedar panel with acrylic latex paint,” says Bob Stephens, Skywatch Signs, Zephyrhills, Florida. “The letters and the banner panel are PVC board, finished with Matthews polyurethane paints. The base is PVC board, v-carved to look like pecky cypress wood and painted in two shades of gray to enhance the effect.”
“We used Nova Color Artists’ Acrylic Paint on this,” says Peter Poanessa, Keene Signworx, Swanzey, New Hampshire. “We started with a mixture of 90% clear medium and 10% black. We painted this on then wiped it off quickly before it dried. This really gave it an aged look. Then we mixed a color to match the brick and used a block of wood with paint on it to hit the high spots. It ended up looking just like brick showing through failing paint. The background was done with masonry stain to create the darkened brick panel.”
Hand lettered with 1 Shot enamel. Lane Walker, Solo Signs, Reno, Nevada
“The ribbon is a combination of Modern Masters English Brown, Opaque Silver, Iridescent Gold and Antique Bronze,” says Gary Johnson, Great American Sign Co., Basking Ridge, New Jersey. “The coffee beans are Sculpt Nouveau Bronze C which contains a hardener that allows me to polish the surface. Then I used a darkening patina to create contrast in the center line of the bean and the background behind the bean pile. Modern Masters English Brown was used for the border and Opaque Silver for the Cafe letters.”
“I used Benjamin Moore acrylic latex paint on these signs,” says Gary Johnson, Great American Sign Co., Basking Ridge, New Jersey.,“as I do on 95% of my work.”
“I clear coat all my truck lettering,” says Lane Walker, Solo Signs, Reno, Nevada, “as well as my flat painted signs, for maximum durability. I had always clear coated gold leaf on truck doors because it was fragile, so I got the idea to do the same over my 1 Shot lettering enamel. “After trying a few clear coats, I have chosen Spies Hecker High Solids Clear, mixed 2:1 with their Warm Weather Activator. At $650 per gallon it’s pricey, but it lays down nice with a brown quill on trucks. It seems to really bring the colors alive, especially airbrush blends.”
“We use 1 Shot enamel, especially for dark colors, when we want a smooth finish—as for a main ID type of sign,” says Ken Stiffler, Sign Design Wooster, Wooster, Ohio. “The darker 1Shot colors cover in one coat and flow smooth overnight. For lighter colors like this buckskin-colored background, I’ll use PPG’s Manor Hall Gloss Acrylic. The lighter acrylic latex colors cover white factory-primed overlaid plywood well and quickly. It has a little more of an orange peel look, but if you thin it just right and temps are cool, it flows out almost as well as enamel.”

Choosing paints and finishes

Take advantage of the wide variety of options

By signcraft

Posted on Sunday, April 23rd, 2017

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Source list: Paints and finishes

 
1Shot Paints: Lettering and bulletin enamels, background finishes, specialty finishes
www.1shot.com

Akzo Nobel: Base coat/clear coat paint system and single-stage finishes
www.signfinishes.com

Alsa Corp.: Candy airbrush colors, Spray Chrome and specialty finishes
www.alsacorp.com

Axalta Coating Systems: Hot Hues, Standox, Nason, Cromax and Spies Hecker finishes
www.axalta.us

Coastal Enterprises: Primers, hard coat and texture finishes for HDU board
www.precisionboard.com

Createx Colors: Airbrush colors for all applications
www.createxcolors.com

Design Brilliance: Axalta Hot Hues urethane paints
www.designbrilliance.net

HAR Adhesive Technologies: Jay Cooke’s All Purpose Sign Primer
www.haradhesive.com

House of Kolor: Urethane paints for pinstriping, plus specialty finishes and clears
www.houseofkolor.com

Matthews Paint: Base/clear coat paint system and single component sign finishes
www.matthewspaint.com

Modern Masters: Specialty and patina finishes
www.modernmasters.com

Nova Color Paints: artists’ acrylic paints for graphics and murals
www.novacolorpaint.com

Sign Arts Products Corp.: Primer for HDU board
www.signfoam.com

Sign Life Products: Stains for wood signs 419-524-7446

Sculpt Nouveau: Textured and specialty finishes
www.sculptnouveau.com

Sherwin Williams Co: Base coat/clear coat paint system and single-stage finishes
www.sherwin-automotive.com/sign-manufacturers/

T.J.Ronan Paint Corp: Lettering and bulletin enamels, waterborne and specialty finishes
www.ronanpaints.com

Triangle Coatings: Sophisticated Finishes metallic finishes
www.modernoptions.com

Vivilon Coatings: Clear coating to restore faded paint and protect against graffiti
www.vivilon.com
Every shop seems to develop its own systems for paints and finishes. That’s helpful because you know what performance to expect from the products you know and use. But it can also limit you if you don’t keep learning about other products and experimenting with them. Sign makers have never had more options for paints and finishes than they do today.

The enamel tradition


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