The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Vehicle lettering

Going to start my D-X fuel tank restoration this winter, it has quite a bit of lettering to be done. I would like to have it hand painted just for authenticity. Now a days everything has gone vinyl. Is it possible to get an authentic look with vinyl lettering, or am I better off finding a sign painter. We had an awesome sign painter locally that did all the lettering on my dad's semis, but he passed away a few years ago. Also, is it very difficult to make a pounce pattern, get some quality lettering brushes, and some One Shot and do it myself? I am quite artistic. What do ya think?

Pakrat I'd look in yellow pages under graphics or sign painters. If all else fails chase down the local car clubs and see who they know or have used. But hey if the DIY bug hits grab a brush and go for it. Worse case is you don't like it and can grab the sander and start over. Good Luck.

im thinking about doing the vinyl lettering, but as a stensil. and ill do the painting myself. and with the vinyl, ill have an exact copy in case i need another exact copy of what was on it when the old is sanded off. i plan on tracing it on paper, then let them scan it and put it on vinyl,and remove the letters, then put the vinyl on the truck, and paint the letters. should work....i hope... :confused:

I think you'll have a hard time findin anyone to hand letter as vinyl allows any dufus to be a "sign painter" - buddy of mine here is real good, but he has to do vinyl to stay in business, hand lettering just doesn't pay

Bill

That was a topic of discussion at breakfast on the weekend. A graphic artist figured that a sign painter would be best but the idea of using a vinyl stencil as a plan is a good idea. He also suggested trying to do the panel lying flat so that the paint when thinned out for the weathered look won't run.

Thanks for the responses guys, the lettering is still a ways off, but I'm trying to get some ideas ahead of time. Anyone actually done any lettering on their own? If so, how did it turn out?

well the lettering i did was back in....hummm. well lets say i didnt do any that was worth talking about. i wonder if you could get the look you want from someone that does air brushing? some are realy good at what they do.

my experience w/ vinyl on co. work vans would be to tell you that the larger the graphic the edges became "fuzzy". looked good from 10-15' it lost the edge as it was blown up digitaly. i like the hand painted look especially if you want an antique look.

The reason I'm leaning toward hand painted lettering, is the imperfections, the visible brush strokes, the thickness of the paint, plus there is also some shadowing around the letters. The texture and depth of hand painting would be hard to get with vinyl I'm afraid. http://www.stovebolt.com/gallery/pankratz_keith_1947.htm kind of hard to see in these pictures, but you can get an idea.

Pakrat,

If you are looking for a good graphics place, Graffix Shoppe in Eagan, MN does good work. The one time set-up fee will cost ya tho. There is another place called Advanced Graphics in the metro. If you fax or mail either place what you are trying to do, they can give you a quote. The shadowing around the letters is possible too.

Keith, hand lettering is an art form and no "vinyl job" can reproduce it. I encourage you to try it! If you have not removed the old lettering, take clear digital photos and accurate measurements. A pounce pattern is not difficult. If you send me the photos and the measurements, I'll make the patterns for you. One-Shot is the paint to use, you can use directly from the can, but I like to thin a small amount with mineral spirits. Use QUALITY brushes and quills, they will be the most expensive part of the project. I use scotch tape as a masking for straight lines. Many make the mistake of watching the brush as you lay down the paint. Look an inch beyond the brush at your pounce marks and let the brush flow. If you go outside the line a bit, that's ok! The "allure" of hand lettering is the brush strokes and minor imperfections. By time you finish your truck, you'll feel confident enough to do someone else's truck. If you make a major mistake, a little mineral spirits will clean up quite easily. Feel free to private message me with any other questions.

Andy

I've got to get the old fire truck(see below) lettered too. It seems it was painted with Gold and Black color paint(not gold leaf). Is there a trick to doing a 50's style lettering job? I like the idea of a hand painted sign expert but what does something like that cost? I've got no artistic talent...

[img]http://www.iaffl2924.com/1951originalview.jpg[/img]

Pakrat, graphics is what my wife does for a living and she has done many old trucks. She does both hand lettering and vinyl. I fact, she used to work at the Graffix Shoppe that 46 in progress mentioned. She would be glad to answer any questions if you want to do it yourself.

I think you could find someone to hand letter it in your area if you want. Find someone that used to race at Jackson and ask them who was (or is) hand lettering race cars yet. I'm sure there's someone in your area.

If you folks would like to take a vacation to Kansas I am sure that I can line you up with an expert sign painter.

The painter I refer to has been the official sign painter for the Kansas State Fair for a long, long time. He is known as Bardo the Clown.

http://www.laafs.com/LaafDealerSpotlight.htm

Might be good to indicate where your at, someone might be able to point you in the right direction! Central fl. or the area give me a e-mail, I can help you!

Mark
[email protected]

Wow, thanks for all the responses.
Barry, there is a guy right here in town who races sprint cars, and as it turns out he has his cars' lettering done in Jackson. :rolleyes: Some times things are right under your nose. I'll check into that a little deeper.

Now I've almost got myself psyched up to do it myself. If I decide to go that way, Andy, I'll definatly get in touch w/you. When the lettering was in a little better shape a few years ago, I outlined everything in white chalk and took some photos.

46, I checked out Grafix Shoppe's web-site, looks like they do some pretty cool stuff. Maybe a little more "high tech" than what I'm after though.

I'm an old signpainter..and I would hire a pro..as there's nothing as bad as a poorly finished sign. Vinyl isn't the answer as you know already..and brushes (quills) can cost ya..
Gary Ind. One Shot colors are great. I'm not even going to do my own pinstripe work on my 36 half ton! Good luck finding a guy who knows how to letter.

Yep...just as I thought, this is going to be expensive. A fire truck without lettering is not finished.

Also..check with that compant perhaps they still have photos of trucks with better lettering on them..colors are important to be correct also..and the dropshade (or shadow) can be the real showstopper...as you or someone can, do an outline (thin) and then dropshade in a darker color depending on the letter color itself.
[censored] Blick art supplies has some pretty good brushes for big work. Good luck. BD.

VAFireTruck.... Go to your local fire departments (especially in rural areas) and ask them who does their trucks. Often times there's a firefighter who does it on the side. And I'd be willing to bet that a good signpainter who does firetrucks would cut you a deal just because it's an old truck.

I think you should do it yourself and write a tech article to boot with pictures for future reference. It sounds like a dying art.

I'd love to be able to do it myself and I might try before all is said and done. Most likely, I'll get one of the area sign makers to do it. I've asked about the fire trucks in the local departments and they are done by the factory that builds the trucks. They do not have local companies here doing it at the current time. The local trucks are also decals.

I want the hand painted version that was on the truck in 1951. It can't be that hard...

Tell ya what VA., we'll both try doing it ourselves and see how it turns out. You go first!

Be my guest, you go first....

o.k., I finally put together a web-album so you can see what I'm talking about. And VA. Firetruck, you can kind of see what the interior color looks like that we were talking about in another thread. Enjoy.

Thanks. It looks great.

Geez Packrat47, that shop is just too neat!! It just don't seem right. :p

Thanks a bunch Gold, it's the only place I can go where I'm in control of the mess! (btw, the Mrs. is sitting right here reading as I type, so let's say I was just teasing) :rolleyes:

My wife would have already filled it up with her stuff...

Pakrat47

That would make a great sign shop! I am a letterhead (sign writer) by trade. The guys who can hand letter are a dying breed and so is the artform. Vinyl didn't come into play untill the early 80's, nothing pisses me off more then people who letter their vintage vehicles with vinyl.

If you have a good pattern to go by that is half the battle. I would use your pattern and pounce it with a pounce wheel,remember to sand the back of the pattern after you pounced it to open up the holes. Put a little chalk into a sock and rub away. Then follow factorybrook's advice and have fun with it.

If you want somebody to do it for you, I can recommend someone in your area if you want.

Need more info or advice you can email me too!!

Rob

Thanks ez41, it's going to be a little while until I'm ready for lettering, but I think it's the most important part of this project, so I'm trying to get a jump start on it. Can you recommend a good supplier for sign painting tools?

Also, thanks to factorybrook for the advice and encouragment.

These people are great.
Letterhead Sign Supply
Products: Gold, Silver, Metal Leaf, Gilding Supplies, Ornate Clipart, Colored Glass Smalt, Glass Chipping, Sundries, Carving Supplies, Abalone & Mother of Pearl, Paints, Brushes, Books & Magazines.


Ron & Kristi Percell 1-800-531-3359

and


Canadian SignCrafters Supply
If you need brushes, paint, vinyl, gold leaf , glue chipping supplies, books and other hard to find sign supplies, Pete & Marj have the supplies you need as well as the know how on how to best use them.

Pete & Marj Payne 1-800-663-9753

Maybe we should do a step by step and post it for others.

Hope this helps.

Rob

My wife buys her 1-Shot paint from [censored] Blick Co. We have a store here in the cities, I'm not sure if there might be one in Sioux Falls or not. Kinda doubt it. Can mail order the paint, but if you do be prepared to pay a "hazardous materials" surcharge on the shipping. You may want to send for a color chart of 1-Shot paint first as they have many colors to choose from.

Hey Rob, you got me by a minute!

Thank you Rob and Barry. Barry I still have to check into the guy in Jackson. I'd love to say I did it myself, only problem is I know where every little mistake is. Drives my crazy!!