In order to install the main copy I have to make a pattern to paint from and to know where to place the cut out letters. The Pounce pattern is made from our plotter machine. It has a pin that punches the holes in to the paper and allows powder to be pressed through the holes onto the building. After the holes are made the back is sanded to open the holes up for  the powder to pass through.

After the Pattern is installed on the wall I use powder to pounce and rub the powder. I tape the top and bottom line for a straight painted line and hand letter the letters in reverse.

The lettering is installed using High Bond exterior double stick tape. The pounce pattern is also used to locate and position the letters on the wall.

   Mr. Al Dixon worked at Neel’s Clothing Store on the corner of Broad St. and Jackson St. when he got back from the war. After some years he attempted to buy the Mens Department from the Neil Family but because it was a family owned business, it was not available for sale. So he took his GI Bill and opened Al DIxon Men’s Wear. Mr. Ron, Al’s son, had memories of the old sign painter Floyd brushing the gilders tip in his hair to get the gold to stick to his gilders tip brush. I know today and use the same technique, the oils from your hair holds the gold to the Gilders Tip, Then the gold is transferred to the glass. Mr. Ron said he would come back every couple of years to touch up and re varnish the back to preserve it. Over the years Ron has taken great care to preserve it as best a possible but it has shown its age. So on this 60th anniversary of Al DIxon Men’s Wear,  Mr. Ron decided to redo the Gold Lettering. I am so Proud to be apart of this rich history.

   Mr. Ron wanted an upgrade of the Original lettering so I made it larger and added a mat center for easier readability from the road. I added the established  date and a more modern design but still using his original lettering. I was able to use modern tools and materials on to produce this new traditional gold leaf lettering on glass. In the next few pictures I will show you how I produced this project.

   The modern part of this project is that I used a vinyl paint mask to apply the black outline and the varnished centers. The varnish causes the shiny gold to look dull and increase readability from a distance. Between the varnish and the black outline is what’s called a glow line. It has a shiny mirror finish.

After the vinyl mask is removed I scuff the varnish centers to increase the mat appearance of the gold and remove any imperfections that can be caused by dust particles.

After the varnish was scuffed I applied the gold leaf. Once the gold is applied I trimmed the “Men’ Wear” edges of the lettering and backed up the ” AL Dixon” with black paint to encapsulate the gold and varnish. The excess gold was removed and the final step is to varnish the back of all the lettering to preserve it for many years to come. I too will continue to check back and re varnish if necessary and of course visit with Mr. Ron Dixon to catch up on what’s been going on.

This tailgate has some pretty deep lines and the material we are using is a thick high intensity reflective material. It will not form to these tight body creases. So we opted to come right up to the edge of the crease causing us to make a custom cut shape to match.

We started by doing a rubbing on paper with a piece of lead pencil. Because of the deep groove this technique really worked well in hitting just the top edge of the seam giving us our custom shape for that space.

After the rubbing was made I was then able to make a pounce pattern with my electro pounce machine. The electricity creates tiny holes in the paper for chalk powder to pass through and on to the decal we will cut.

Once the pattern is pounced we are able to apply it to the decal we have prepared for pouncing the chalk. We use that line to cut from as you can see in the next pictures.

So now it is just a matter of installing the decal on the truck for a happy customer.

When I digital print the decal sheets to install on the magnetics, I create a file that is registered to the print file and a cut path file that the Donek Drag Knife can follow. I am print/cutting sheets that are 24″x24″ so when i print the file I print a line around the edge which gives me my registration marks. I line them up with the registration marks on the table. My starting point is at the bottom left of the sheet and as long as my table marks are set up on the machines x/y axis all is straight and true.

The blade must be set parallel to the x axis and the starting point must always be the same for each shape, center and at the bottom of each shape. This way the blade direction it set for the next shape in line.

As you can see in this video each time the knife moves from one shape to another it always starts in the same place, bottom center point of the shape leaving the knife in the correct position to start the next cut.

I would like to start by telling you how I got my start. I went to art school and learned sign painting at the Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design. I have been in the Sign Business since the mid to late 80’s. My wife and I started Vital Signs in 1992. We started as a hand lettering shop and my first customers were the Car Dealerships. If you look in my Assorted Projects in the Portfolio under Window Splashes you will see some of my beginning work. I did advertisement on the windshield as well as Window Splashes on the showroom windows.

So the first thing i would like to start with is a Tip I learned kind of by mistake. I was working on a truck for the police department here in Thomasville GA and I messed up a stripe. When peeling the reflective decal the top layer came up but what was left was the silver and adhesive. It is very messy to use Adhesive Remover and the silver is covering the Adhesive.

So what I learn by mistake is that when I put masking tape on it, it pulls up the adhesive and the silver with one pull. So I took some 3″ masking tape put it over the Silver and burnished it with a Squeegee. Sometimes a little heat can make the adhesive on the masking tape a little softer and bond to the silver and adhesive better. Then slowly pull it off leaving a clean surface.

I have found over the years this works well with removing just adhesive left behind when stripping a vehicle of its decals.

I hope to share with you in upcoming Blogs some of the things I have learned over the years. Stay tuned and come back often to see what’s going on here at Vital Signs. I hope to have some interesting stuff for you to see.