Gold signs produced on the exterior of a shopfront by Traditional Signs of London are only created using genuine 23ct gold & not with paint or vinyl stickers.
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The first work to be produced was to remove the old signage which Traditional Signs of London had produced for the same clients a few years earlier. the Clients had a rebrand & name change, which was the reason for the new signage.
The previous signage was also gold signs made by using 23ct gold leaf but this had to be removed by sanding down the surface & then coating over the fascia with oil based black paint. Traditional Signs doesn’t often provide this service but the clients were insistant on the whole project being with Traditional Signs of London.
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The shopfront had to dry & cure with its fresh coating of paint before the gold signs could be created. This meant returning to site another day rather than wait for the drying time, as this would not leave enough time to produce the gold signs within the same day, unless it was on a great weather day in mid summer.
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The signage is started by having artwork created before being on site. This is produced on paper first. The artwork is measured to size before being drawn on the paper. The drawing is then taken to site, measured into the ideal placement for the shopfront & reliefed onto the fascia. Once reliefed the artwork can be seen well enough for the signwriter to see where to paint.
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To produce gold signs the traditional way a specialist sticky solution is used & mixed with paint so the signwriter can see where has been painted. In this instance & often the case yellow is chosen as its closest to a gold colour. The signwriting is laid by brush & hand painted by the signwriter.
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The lettering is painted & allowed to near dry to the point of very slight tack when touched. Once its at the ideal point of tack the 23ct gold is applied to the lettering by using a pressing method from the leaves of gold onto the surface of the signwriting. The gold sticks to the tack of the signwriting & not to the rest of the surface.
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The signwriting is painted in stages rather than all at once, so the tack is ideal & doesn’t over-dry. The gold is then applied a few letters at a time too. this way the gold signs are created with good application. Its a slower process than would be though of or if it was painted in gold paint, but gold paint is a poor immitation & just not up to standard and vinyl stickers can obviously peel off over time. Genuine gold applied properly can last a lifetime & shines brighter in sunlight than any immitation could.
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The excess gold is ‘burnished’ off to leave a crisp edge of a letter & leaves the gold only applie to the letter & none of the rest of the shopfont surface. The gold signs then needs no other maintainence or protection. It will last for years & can be wiped clean once dirty. It will not lose its lustre for many many years.
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Producing gold signs in this way is traditional but also still relevant & ideal for shopfronts which are uneven & not smooth or panelled. The pannelled shopfronts can also have gold signs using this process too & its easier to apply, but it allows the worst surfaces to have gold signs too without the worry of a sub standard look gold paint gives or the flaking off of vinyl stickers.
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Traditional & Contemporary Hand Painted Sign Writing in London
Sign Writer Traditional Signs of London
info@traditionalsignsoflondon.uk