Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted April 13, 2017 will be at a standstill after blasting and painting the black border as I have to wait on some gold leaf to come in - been a while since I did one of these. this was with the resist applied before blasting that only took 10 minutes Pretty sure it is anchor resist - I tried using some regular vinyl like I always did on glasses but wanted a good blast so went back and did the resist on the second one - 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Go-C Graphics 856 Posted April 13, 2017 You forgot to mirror your picture. How am I suppose to read that. LOL 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted April 13, 2017 I always sandblast from the back 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted May 11, 2017 slow updates as I am not in a big hurry- now to figure out the frame I want - may have to build that too gold leaf done and sealed 8 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted May 11, 2017 used to love doing them - now it seems like work lol - if I get the energy to get the planer out and make a cherry or walnut frame it would be nice but might just order a custom sized regular one - still undecided and still have lots of time. I know my way would look nicer but . . . . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coaster36 327 Posted May 12, 2017 Excellent! I vote for an oak frame with an antique stain. It'll look like you pulled it out of an old salon in the wild wild west. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wildgoose 4,200 Posted May 12, 2017 What do you use to seal off the gold leaf? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted May 12, 2017 it actually came with the gold leaf kit goose so have no idea 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted June 6, 2017 slow and steady - cherry from sawmill . . . 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Primal Decals 621 Posted June 6, 2017 On 5/11/2017 at 11:19 AM, Dakotagrafx said: slow updates as I am not in a big hurry- now to figure out the frame I want - may have to build that too gold leaf done and sealed I cant get myself to understand how you did that with the gold leaf? what is the process on this ? And im really puzzled in the 3rd photo lol... Sorry its been a very long week og packing everything in storage and moving,,, I think i have finally lost my brain cells.. I hope to be back to normal next week when i start unpacking after my 8 hour drive.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted June 6, 2017 because I wanted a deep etch I used sandblast resist on the back reverse weeded, sandblasted , removed the mask and painted the black portion and then added the gold leaf and sealed the back. - so front is totally smooth and can be cleaned forever without effecting the gold leaf. after that I planed down some rough cherry boards and cut to width, running the edges thru the Joiner - in this case I wanted a particular look so I cut the sides up a little and joined instead of the old 45 degree cut that picture frames use. today stained and added 3 coats of helmsmen poly satin clear - will let it cure a bit before assembling 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted June 7, 2017 close enough for now - will do a final clean up closer to the event 7 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Go-C Graphics 856 Posted June 7, 2017 How did you keep the mirror from frosting when you sandblasted it? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted June 7, 2017 it looks frosted until you add the paint or leaf and then you don't see it at all Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cal 393 Posted June 8, 2017 That, Scott, is sweet! Cal 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted June 8, 2017 thanks Cal, we used to have a guy on here , Schramm I think it was, that did killer mirror work and started doing commercial mirrors full time for bars, restaurants, etc - H e did amazing work on large scale and silvered his own mirrors then antiqued quite a few - I always wanted to get a kit from angelgilding and try my hand at it but never did. - I have bought a few mirros - these I got at the rv surplus because they did not have that funky glue like stuff the chinese ones come with and I always blast from the back Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cal 393 Posted June 8, 2017 It has been a while, but I remember being blown away by some of Schramm's work - make that all of his work. I have been doing some few mirrors for the past 3-4 years and plan to try gold leaf at some point. I also blast from the back, so many folks just hold it in amazement and puzzle over how I did it. I usually get my mirrors from a local glass shop, I will buy 4 or 5 at a time and they usually end up about 6 bucks each. I have bought a couple at a home decor store to get a larger size with beveled edges. You are right about that glue, that can be a job getting them out of the frame and the gook off the back. I have also been making the frames, sometimes with some red oak I harvested from our yard, most of the time from pallet wood that is free for the picking up and labor to disassemble. Cal 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rlvied 292 Posted June 9, 2017 Nice work Scott. The gold leaf looks good. When ever I do gold leaf I always back it with yellow paint so if there is a pin hole the yellow paint will not show as much. This summer I want to try my hand again with some glue chipping glass. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted June 9, 2017 Always wanted to try the glue chip word of caution though from an old guy at the cemetery i used to take prisoners to - one year he tried several different methods of fixing monuments that had been kicked over by vandals and broke - he said that same glue you use in glue chipping held up the best of all including beating epoxy - - - but he cooked it in the main building and drove everyone out for the day and the stench lingered for a couple of weeks even with all the air fresheners, cleanings etc - so cook it outside when you do it. I would have thought the hilti epoxy would have been the best but a couple of years later and even 10 years after the fact the animal based glue was holding strong 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JPvinyl 60 Posted June 10, 2017 No insult to anyone on here but this is one of the best looking projects I have seen. It puts my skill set into perspective and that I have a long way to go. Good for you. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted June 10, 2017 Thanks JP - on here and other forums we had a lot of projects like this in the past and some members put me to shame with their skills - it is cool to do some of the stuff we haven't done in a while and show more uses for your cutter - it's not just for decals! rivied does some wicket blasting! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rlvied 292 Posted June 13, 2017 Dakota yes hide glue can be a challenge the first time. I used powered glue and it was too strong. It is also not easy to prepare, with needing to soak the glue and get the right temp on the glue. The humidity has to be low when you do it 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bigk_54 7 Posted July 18, 2017 Outstanding! Love old school gold leaf! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites