Hokey Ass Tech: Make your own 'vintage' sign...

Ok... This is my first 'real' post since the 'Great Burnout of 2006'.
My therapist says I need to start with simple projects.
Hence this Hokey Ass Tech... 'Make your own vintage signs'.

Let's begin:



1- I wanted to beautify my garage with a nice vintage sign. There was a great choice of quality petroliana at Hershey this fall, but I could NOT bring myself to pay 1000$-1500$ for 'wall art'... However beautiful...




2- At a local flea market I came across a rusty, steel picnic table. (These where very popular in the 70's). Incidently, the diameter is 42'': the same as a vintage Texaco sign.... I just need to get rid of the umbrella hole.




3- A bit of grinding takes care of the bulk of the rust.
Gloss white Rustoleum will take care of the rest...




4- I'm making a patch out of steel. It will be epoxied form the back.

 

5- This MAY look like a log and rubber tie-down, but it's actually a very specialized tool, used to apply pressure to the patch...




6- A bit of fancy Bondo work and the surface is ready for paint:




7- This is the artwork, traced in Illustrator from a picture of an original.
I 'tiled' the artwork and printed to size:

 

8 - I layed Frisket paper (a low-tack mylar used for airbrush masks) over the artwork and traced it onto the Frisket:






9- Applied the Frisket to the metal disk, cut along the lines and peeled the film to reveal the underlying surface:




10- Time to spray. ( Areas are masked selectively). No fancy paint here. Leftover Rustoleum aerosol is just fine:

 

11- New life to an old picnic table...




12- Some tubing, an old light socket and shade:




13- Voila! 25$ later:




Thank you for your patience.
Now it's time for my meds...

whizzerick

 

very kool,i got one of those ol tables kikn around too,im gonna copy ya

 

Works for me! Nice job!

 

You're an artist and frugal!! A lovely combination.

It looks great but I think you should shoot it with a few BBs and let it sit in the rain for a week to get those "patina perfect" rusty streaks running down it.

 

Very nice,man there is a lot of talent on this board!

 

Cool stuff as always whizzerick.

 

Definately creative, that's awesome.

 

wow, nice work... as usual

 

OH NO............ now the price of vinage steel picnic tables is going to go thru the ruff on ebay.

Very cool.

And cheap just like me.

 

Excellent!!! Leave it outside for six months then take it to Hershey and sell it for big bux. -stick

 

Ah ha, and here I was going to throw my old steel - vintage - picnic table on the scrap heap!!

It's EXACTLY the same as the one wizzerick used! (WELL DONE BTW!!

Now, which one to use ...

Maybe this one ... OR, this one ...

 

I been thinking the same thing as I have an old table top like that too......now I have been motivated ! ! Can I borrow your specialized hi tech pressure applying tool, or maybe you can just send me the plans to build one......

 

kewl.....thanks

 

I had a picnic table just like that once...only mine was wood and had these long seats! Oh...and it was a rectangle...but it was just like it!

Kidding aside...you made that look too easy to be that beautiful. Excellent work Wizzerick!
Unreal!!!!

 

Another excellent way of transferring a pattern is to use a "Pounce Wheel" to perforate the paper pattern, then you can give it a dusting of spray paint to transfer the outline of the pattern onto the work. I use spray paint rather than pounce-powder because I'm left handed and can rarely fill in the letters with a paint brush without smudging the powder all over.

I found this description of the Pounce pattern process on another site:

"Used by sign painters and other artisans, a pounce pattern is a simple format for laying out artwork. It can be used for many different projects, such as marking the positions of hand painted letters and logos, vinyl lettering, plastic or wood letters, or carved or wood-burned designs.
A pounce pattern is simply a traced version of a letter or logo that needs to be applied to a background. The pattern is traced on paper with a "pounce wheel" which makes tiny perforations in the outline of the design. A wheel with 15 teeth per inch is sufficient for most projects. When tracing the pattern, place the paper on cardboard, cork, foam core, or any other flexible material that you don't mind making holes in.
Once the pounce pattern is complete, lay it face up against the background and dust with powder or chalk, either by hand or with a pounce bag. Do not overdo the powder. You only need a light dusting. Too much powder will make a mess, may create an uneven outline, and may mix with paint causing clumps. Remember, if you are using a light background, you must use dark powder, and vice versa.
As the pounce pattern is dusted, the powder seeps through the tiny holes. This creates a light outline that marks the exact placement of letters or logos, allowing them to be applied flawlessly. The outline can be removed easily after the application, by wiping away the powder.
If painting, it is a good idea to make the pounce pattern just a bit larger than the actual letter or design, so you can paint inside the chalk lines. Otherwise, the residue may mix with the paint or create rough, uneven edges. Making the pattern about 1/16 of an inch (or about 1 1/2 millimeters) larger than the design should be sufficient.
Pounce patterns are the handiest method for artwork or signs that require repetitive letters or designs. One pattern will make many copies of the necessary symbols. While this method is seen as "old school" by some of today's artisans, it is still used frequently by many, especially for jobs that require on-site applications. A pounce pattern is also a favorite tool of individuals who do not have high tech equipment or do not have much experience with lettering and similar applications, because it is simple and inexpensive to prepare"

Here's a link to a place that sells the pounce wheels:

http://www.dickblick.com/zz289/11/

 

Thats nice! I shall try that some time.

 

Thanks fellas.
It's funny how 'scrap' isnt a dirty word for me anymore?

 

That's great.

 

Those must be some really good meds you are taking to come up with that. Looks sweet.

 

Looks awesome whizzerick! I made a Facel Vega badge on a mirror using a similar technique (only in reverse on the backside of the mirror). Lots of good looking stuff in that room of yours.





Chris

 

I think we found the next Tech week winner................ !

 

I guess those aluminum snow saucers would work well for people with limited wall space.

 

Whizzerick that was killer. Great post!

 

They keep me from offing myself but wreak havoc on my libido...

 

GREAT POST! Guess it shows that not everyone has the,"use-it-once-and-throw-it-away" mentality.I love posts like this.

 

that is awesome!

another cool way to transfer images is using an overhead projector like used is school.

Anyone have any websites that have old logos and such that could be used for patterns?

 

That is a great idea.I working on some patina ideas and loading my.38 in a few minutes.