4' X 20' sign

[Gary Malone]

Not my best but certainly my biggest! Made this for my sons Jewelry store last week. Funny, it looked a lot better in the shop than after we put it up. Can't tell it in picture but the diamond is silver metalflake.
TR, any advice would be appreciated!

[tonywish]

Gary,

Sign looks good. What did you make it out of?

Tony[book]

[T.R.MacMunn]

Not shabby at all Gary.
The only thing I'd have done differently is I would have carved all the facets on the diamond & probably used palladium leaf. Since it's a jewellry store, a little more upscale is appropriate.
Your composition is good, you have lots of contrast & it's more than just legible ....... y'done great.[clap]

One note ....... if your sign was in Canada, "jewellry" would be the correct spelling..... same with "jewellers. Ink is cheaper here so we but an extra letter in "neighbour" & several other words too.

[Gary Malone]

Tony the panel is Maxmetal, aluminum front and back with polystyrene core, the letters are extira with black Maxmetal outline. Finished with high-build urethane primer and urethane paints and attatched with 3/4" standoffs. TR,I did want to cut each individual facet and have it stand out a lot more, just didn't have enough time, I think I will do that soon as I get caught up. I haven't done any leaf finish yet although I have couple books of 23k gold, it cost so much I'm afraid I'll mess it up LOL!

[Mick Martin]

Nice work Gary [clap]

[T.R.MacMunn]

Gary, gold & palladium are relatively expensive but in spite of what you might have heard, it's not difficult ..... at least not on signs.

I use a LOT of gold & buy in bulk, but you can be set up for this job for about $100...... no special tools required, although you should buy a couple of lettering quills. You'll use them again.

When I used to have co-op students from the Secondary School, usually I let them lay gold on their first day. It got them interested & it was something an 8 year old could do proficiently.

I can walk you through the process over the phone. With "quick size" you'll be done in about 3 hours & 3 relatively short phone calls.
You could use either Gold or Palladium ...... Palladium is the colour of polished aluminum. Silver & all gold alloys below 18k need to be clearcoated, which dulls the shine.

[Chris Fruge]

T.R., thanks for all the input on all the sign questions. You save me alot of time. lol
Gary, Looking good so far. I would have maybe added another layer ( outline) on letters, a border wold help , anything t.r. metioned is always good, ( even though he is canadian.) ( he knows I'm jj). Also, one of the main things I would have done was to do the diamond in true 3d.
If the client would have spent the money I would have made a 3d diamond, cast a mould of it then cast the mould with clear resin from smooth on. Back with silver leaf. That would pop. Just a suggestion.
Keep up the great work!!

[Gary Malone]

Thanks TR, I am going to take you up on that. I've seen some of the signs you have posted and in your website and they are outstanding, you are truly an artist. I should be caught up next week and will give you a call. BTW, I have 1 shot 4008 fast gold size, will this work?

[T.R.MacMunn]

Gary, the 1-shot gold size will be fine, although I've quit using it, for a multitude of reasons.
Almost everyone likes Lefranc's, but my shop is way too dusty for those slower sizes & I've taken quite a liking to Rolco. It's ready to gild in as little as 45 minutes but its open time is MUCH longer than 1-shot. This should go quick though, with patent leaf, & open time will not be an issue.

Pay no attention to the coon-ass from the 'burbs of Baton Rouge ..... he'll have you using crawdad peelings as a sandblasting medium & before you know it you'll be airbrushing habanero sauce onto signs to give them some "oomph" LOL

[Gary Malone]

Chris, client was my son so you can guess how much I was paid[lol] I was glad to help him, that was my jewelry store for 15 years now he is carrying on the tradition, he is 4th generation jeweler. I did it for 32 years and actually opened up this awards business that I presently own next door to it and have been fascinated by the CNC world ever since. I just like to watch dem machines run! I know you got to be an LSU fan living there in Baton Rouge, I was born and raised in Louisiana. Geaux Tigers!!! 12 & 0ueax!

[Joey Jarrard]

Tigers! Don't you LA boys know your machines where built in DAWG country? Don't let the yellow powder coat fool ya I am red and black baby!

[Chris Fruge]

lol, yeah yeah Joey. Gonna be a good game saturday, hopefully.

Gary. i know what you mean about family jobs. lol So where in La. did you grow up? I actually grew up around lafayette in Cajun country ( eunice to be exact ).
I bet you miss the food. lol

[Gary Malone]

Chris I lived in Talluah, NE part of La. across the Miss. river from Vicksburg. Moved to FL in '86 mainly for offshore fishing! I have a brother and some friends in Lafayette and I never leave without going to "Dons" to load up on Boudin' and fresh sausage. Joey, sorry man, the Dawgs are going down [nih]

[mezalick]

I was in the same hotel ( the Ritz) as the Bulldogs last weekend when they played GT.. They are some big boys !

[Joey Jarrard]

12 net yards and no 1st downs in the first 1/2. If the dawgs defense can do this the rest of the game we will have it.

[Chris Fruge]

Wait what? Let's go Tigers!! Number 1 boyyyyyyyeee. lol
I needed them to win so I can go forward with a project. Planning on doing a set of woodcut lsu prints for the championship. Oh yeah, and of coarse my x3 will be making the woodcuts for me.
Gary. I know where that where that happens to be. I did some mural work in Vicksburg on the floodwall with a friend.
Don's is good. But I prefer Best Stop which is at the same exit but a few miles off i-10 on the other side from Don's. Best Stop is more mom and pop. Not commercialized and touristy as Don's. They make fresh cracklins and more. Spicier too. Try it next time you go to Don's.

[Joey Jarrard]

The tigers are the best at finnishing strong. My hat off to them and go represent the SEC in the national title game. Hold on both teams going to be from the SEC.

[Gary Malone]

Yea Joey, that was the worst offensive performance for LSU in the first half I have ever seen! Honey Badger got it turned around for them. Chris, I will try that one, I always go to the original Don's off Interstate 49 N. I also frequent "Pouche's" just north of Breaux Bridge on Bayuo Teche, man dat's good yes yea!![wink]