E-mail: bob@jc-signsandscenes.co.uk
Please advise a return telephone number along with the best time for us to ring if you reach us by e-mail as we prefer to make personal contact with potential clients in this manner, anywhere in the world.

Skills

The major differences between traditional signwriting and computer generated signs are:-

1. It is the individual skill and experience of the signwriter that determines the layout, spacing, balance, lettering style and colour combinations of each and every sign as opposed to a preset computer program.

2. With pictorial signs, for example pub signs, each one is unique to that business, and they have a great deal more contrast of colour, tone and light than computer images. One of our 'trademarks' is to have a different scene either side of the hanging sign, such as day to evening, spring and autumn etc.

3. Traditional signs will outlast vinyl several times over.

Materials

Traditional signs can be written on virtually any surface or material including medite, steel, aluminium, glass, stone, etc.

Gilding

This is the technique of applying precious metal, normally gold or platinum leaf, to the sign. There are two types of leaf, transfer and loose, and both have different applications and optical properties. Transfer gold is applied to the gold size by gentle pressure to the backing paper, once the size has reached the correct tackiness. Loose gold is applied to the size with a gilders tip, a special brush that does not actually touch the leaf, but picks it up purely with static.

The use of gold and platinum leaf is increasing for two main reasons.

1. Gold and platinum leaf (when lacquered) will never tarnish or discolour, in fact gold on glass has a design life in excess of one hundred years externally and internally several hundred years.

2. Historically worldwide gold has always reflected quality and permanence and the status of the individual or organisation.

Over the last year alone, we have seen the usage of gold dramatically increase and in the last three months of 1999 gold leaf was used on 74% of our signs.

General Comments

We have been told over recent years that there is no future for the traditional signwriter- "You will follow the dodo because of the computer" to which we give a three part reply:

1. The computer is only a tool, just like our brushes and gilders tips; we are not ludites- hence our web site.

2. There will always be a market for quality, individuality, tradition and good taste.

3. Our order board has never been busier.