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hand painted signage: Ivy Designs
This is a sample of some of the latest work by my mate Paul Rafferty of Ivy Designs in Brigg, good innit 😮
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19 Replies
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It is good to see great craftmanship like that- pure quality 😀 What are the different materials used on the various signs (?) Well done.
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great stuff steve.. my favs the main ivy one.. 😉
thanks for taking the time to post. -
Excellent stuff although a little toooo ornate for me, Is he local to you Steve? must keep you on your toes.
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quote Pete Witney:Is he local to you Steve? must keep you on your toes.
No thank goodness 😆 he’s a good 50 odd miles away, and I wouldn’t mind if he was, I wouldn’t have so far to go to drool over his stuff 😆 Paul’s a good fella and has opened my eyes to a lot of stuff and has helped me out no end.
He uses all sorts of techniques, the main Ivy Designs one is I think a single sheet of exterior mdf that has been sand blasted, not sure about the lettering, I know its gilded and think its routed thick foamboard, the rest of them are a mixture of paint, vinyl, gilding, digital, everything.
He’s very talented, for a scummy southerner. 😆
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To change tack slightly, the last four shops to open in Whitby have been a variation on -helvetica, lower case, open spacing, small on a plain background – is this a national trend? .I’m doing one next week and thinking “so why exactly do you want it Painted”?
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Hi Pete,
The trick is to sell them a design that can show YOUR talants as a signwriter, then you can use the work as a springboard for future work in that area of the town.Design is paramount and introduce some paint effects and maybe a double drop shade, etc, let the paint do the talking.Brian the Brush
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Excellent work
It really is a pleasure to see work like this
John
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Really great work thanks for sharing it with us, I really want to use mdf outside have medite in the shop just worried about it holding up, in this climate.
Gray its Mike Jackson Golden Era Studios, I just bought his latest Americana CD its great.
Mike Stevens is the guy that wrote the book “Mastering Layout” which is also one to have in your collection, lot of useful stuff!
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Henry, make sure you get the right grade of MDF, it has to be the exterior stuff, there are 4 or 5 different grades, have a look here for more info http://www.weyerhaeuser-europe.com
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As Steve says
Make sure it is exterior because they do mill a moisture resistant which is not good enoughFor my own peace of mind I always coat or prime the board with aluminium primer
John
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I’m glad you mentioned that John, as I haven’t used aluminium prime for a few years
and was wondering if it was still available and still the best product for the job.
Do the main DIY stores still stock it? -
Most large DIY store do sell it
I normally get mine from Travis & Perkins
They’re pricy but they’re just around the corner from meTravis & Perkins do aluminium finish as well
Oh and they do specialised paints such as rubberised road paint (contains lead!!) and other stuff but as I say very pricy
Aluminium paint is so thin it goes a long way so although you are paying a lot more for a tin as opposed to ordinary primer in the long run it works out quite economic. And of courseits much better protection and has a high temperature resistance too
John
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John, you say aluminium primer gives better protection, is this because Medite needs better protection or is it as good /or better than exterior ply? I know a chap who uses standard mdf and applys linseed oil to the edges before priming with oil based primer, seems to work for him.
Brian, unfortunately I’m usually the end of the line and the design is already established by the time they think about a sign. -
No what I meant Peter is that aluminium primer is far better than ordinary oil based primer or even in my opinion acrylic primer.
There has been a lot of hype about acrylic primers. The advantages of acrylic primers, undercoat and gloss system is that it drys extremely quickly. Hence if you need to apply several coats this can be done in a relatively short period of time.
The other advantage is applying acrylic in confined areas. No dangerous fumes as with gloss or oil based paints.
However I have not been impressed with the durability of acrylic. It cannot compare with oil base.
Also the finish of acrylic is dismal compared to oil base. As you know Pete and as you probably do, you always rub down with fine 400 before you coat again. This is extemely unforgiving with acrylic
With aluminium primer you are not putting a colour on your board you are putting aluminium on, albeit a thin layer
There is nothing preventing you from applying a second coat of aluminium
Something I would do if I did not want return to a sign at a future date because of deterioation of the paint on lets say that unreachable swing sign that needs a tower to access.As for Medite or MDF Exterior as opposed to WBP (weather board ply)
I prefer MDF because you have a beautiful smooth finish. With some far eastern ply there is sometimes a heavy grain which does affect the final finishSome timber yards leave their sheet materials outside albeit under cover.
Whilst it is laying there it is absorbing moisture and as soon as you bring it to the warmth to work on it can experience warp.If medite is going to suffer any, it will be at the edges. Finish the timber with hardwood surround, glued. Or as your mate does apply linseed oil to prevent moisture absorbtion
John
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Hi y’all’
A guy I know says that if you paint foamex with ali’ primer you can then gloss paint it to any colour and the paint will stick like sk*t to a blanket, anybody tried it ?…. it could be a good tip to remember ???Brian the Brush
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Very interesting Brian
I haven’t tried that as yet but might give it a goDoes your mate have an example of a sign done this way that’s been knockin’ around for sometime. If so how has it faired against the elements?
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Hi John,
The guy primed 6 @ 8’x2′ foamex panels with ali’ primer then glossed with dark green enamel, fitted vinyl graphics to the boards and then hung them in an indoor market, that was 6 years ago and he says they have stood the test of time !!
As you know foamex is not a stable material and expands and contract with heat , I have always used vinyl inks in the past to change the colour of foamex but I think if this system works it will be easier and cheaper to use it, why it works? ….. I do not know, you would think that as the foamex expanded it would damage the paint surface ?????Brian the Brush
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John, I agree about the acrylic paints,I try not to use them unless it’s an absolute screamer.I like to use ply because even after a good sanding down,I actually go down to 600 or 800 wet and dry you still do get a little grain coming through, just enough to give it a little character,though I also agree with you about the problem of damp ply. I will give the aluminium primer a go, hoping I’ll be able to get it at the local boat yard, I know boat people always put several coats of primer on, anything to help them last up here in the north sea.
Brian I have found “problem solving primer” works quite well on foamex and acrylic type materials( I think it’s Blackfriars) -
And don’t forget Frog Juice for coating foamex to make it receptive to paint
Its pretty tough stuff and drys extemely quickly
Bit of a stink though
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