Can anyone tell me which gold looks the closest to gold leaf

[Jon Aston]

Signgold is 22K Gold (plus clear Tedlar film and permanent adhesive), so it ought to look pretty close to “the real thing”…which should also explain the price.

IMHO, the “trick” is to play the SignGold card with the right type of customer…someone who is looking to you for something unique…someone who will take as much pride in their new sign as you do in designing/manufacturing/installing it for them…someone who would like to be able to “brag” a bit about their sign having real gold in it…and (of course) someone willing to pay a little extra.

SignGold is not a replacement for guilding, but not everyone has the time and/or the skill-set…so it is a nice alternative — and a means for increasing the elegance of and perceived value of a sign.

In most cases, you only ever really need to use SignGold as an accent, so the price per yard is also a little less relevant…especially (again) when you have a customer who is willing to pay more for something a little more unique.

[Steve Broughton]

Gray I just worked it out, thats about the same price we pay here about 40 quid a metre, yup it is expensive but you don’t use much and I tend to pitch it at the flash b’stards, you knw those with more money than sense, people with boats and planes you know Mike Brown etc. etc. ( 😆 😆 sorry Mike couldn’t resist it 😆 😆 )
The satin surface stuff looks closest to transfer leaf although I like the florentine swirl stuff my self.

[Mike Grant]

I picked up a sample of signgold at last years Sign UK.

Is it me or does the surface seem a little spongy and prone to marking. If I used it on a vehicle I think I would be a bit worried 😕

[Henry Barker]

I only use tranferleaf on my dimensional signs, but bought a roll of SignGold for other small bits and pieces (5yds) and it lasts a long time. They have a good selection to choose from and a good to work with, and probably ideal for honour boards.

[Alan]

Hi Gray,

I like you do my share of honours boards, but don’t you think that it’s that change of style and ability of the signwriters over the years that add to their appeal!

I think to have your name written by hand and gilded befits the honour, ‘sticky back letters’ don’t have quiet the same charm.

Don’t give in to your lazy side; lets try and keep just a little of the old craft in this changing business. 😉

[John Singh]

I agree with Alan, Gray
Thats what makes it signwriting & gilding
Some customers expect the difference in style
They feel it adds the character

Mind you a few lines of 1″ high Trajan or Roman done with a ‘0’ sable (sorry guys, traditional jargon) can leave your eyes a bit sore 😮 😮 (<( (<( (<(

The temptation is there Gray (I must admit I might be tempted too)

John

PS. Signgold does have a high laquered finish which might conflict with the traditional brush

[Alan]

Sad as it may be you are probably right Gray. 😥

I know I can make more money sticking vinyl onto a bit of Correx than I can wielding a brush and one shot. 😆

[Jon Aston]

Gents:

Signgold and Sticky Stuff doesn’t have to mean the end of the craft of sign making in your business.

With all due respect, if you’re capable of painting & guilding AND cutting vinyl, why not offer your customers both options, priced accordingly? If you REALLY LOVE guilding, your enthusiasm for it might just be contagious. If you can excite someone about the real deal, you can sell it to them (and for top dollar).

To be perfectly honest, I never really thought much of anything about guilding until a customer of ours (Pat Welter in Unity, Saskatchewan…a real master craftsman) tried to teach me how to guild glass. The process is almost magical…fascinating to watch. If your customers could actually see you doing it (at an open house, for example…do you ever hold open houses?) they might just line up for it, cheque book in hand.

[brian the brush]

Hi John,
As a traditional signwriter who specialises in glass gilding I am not sure if the product “Signgold” has the same qualities as loose gold leaf and could therefore never be regarded as an alternative product, but an imitation product.

Brian.

[Simon Clayton]

I agree with Brian,
Why did they use real 22 carat gold, when they could have made normal gold vinyl look like gold leaf..
If a customer has asked for gold leaf they want gold leaf, not gold vinyl
I think it is an expensive gimick,
Somethings are best left to the experts.

[Alan]

Well I did an honours board yesterday and another one this morning, so I’m still doing my bit. 😉

[John Singh]

Nothing can beat glass gilding
It stands out in a league of its own
When I tell customers the process can take up to three or four days to complete to do a simple number above the ‘transom’ (glass above the door) they slowly begin to understand the price quoted

But the end result? Magical! Pie hot

John

[Pete Witney]

Gray,at last years sign show on the Signgold stand they had some excellent sample boards from the States where they had used Signgold in conjunction with paint( for outlines,shadows,graphics etc)I thought the two complimented each other very well.
Alan I too update several honours boards with both paint and gold leaf,and yes it is nice to see the change in styles over the years but sometimes it can be quite a job bringing the lettering back into line as it gets bigger every year,and on one set of boards they hadn’t even noticed that the last chap had started using gold paint instead of leaf.

[Alan]

quote :

sometimes it can be quite a job bringing the lettering back into line

That’s funny Pete, I’ve followed that chap too. 🙂

On Thursday’s effort I had to drop the right hand side of the line an eighth to start bringing it back to level.
Still you see worse on the back of vans with vinyl put on ‘level’ by eye, presumably the van had it’s near side wheels up on the curb at the time. 🙄

[Jeffrey P. Lang]

Alan,
I keep up on a few trophy boards an one thing I started doing is screen printing. I cut the silkscreen stencil with the plotter, & also the name of the past winner. I use that for alignment, but mask it off with clear tape. A clear overcoat varnish ink can work well as a gold size,also.
I always get the names in advance, & I can usually get 8 names spaced comfortably on one screen 16″ x 20″.

It can give a very clean look with the proper font used.
Jeff

[Alan]

Hi Jeff

That’s a good-looking board you have there.

I must admit that screen-printing is something I’ve never dabbled in, but seeing it used in this way tempts me towards having play.
I can’t in all honesty though see it being an economic proposition for making a number of single entries, the brush must still hold it’s own in that respect.

Alan

[Pete Witney]

I thought screen printing was just something you had to do at college? On anything but a perfect surface doesn’t it bleed into the grain,I tried using a vinyl mask to apply the size with Mike the sign but had this problem as they’re usually oiled or waxed rather thn varnished. And yes Gray , Signgold would probably be too thick for honours boards.I quite often see the corners peeling up on vinyled honours boards where the cleaners have been a bit heavy with the duster.