Signs of the Times - June 2015 - 28

S t r i c t ly E l e c t r i c

Gordon painted the signface
with a corrosion-resistant,
epoxy primer. Next, Gordon
and his wife, Darcy, handformed the returns with
Blackout's "well worn" Ruoff
notcher, and bent them into a
U shape with a manual brake.
Once Blackout had formed
the cans, they masked the
sign with transfer tape,
transferred the pattern, and
cut out areas intended to
receive background color to
prepare them for paint and
airbrushing.

team, cleaned up the rough sketch
following more research on this
crafty bird, and created scaled shop
art to use as our template for shop
drawings and neon patterns. Pinka
wanted the sign to be slightly
distressed - appropriate for a shop
that sells vintage trinkets. We
settled on a double-sided, 5 x 3-ft.
(the maximum city codes allow),
projecting, vintage-looking sign
with multi-colored neon, handpainted metal and goldleaf - with
a nest, of course.

After having sprayed the surface with an HVLP gun and airbrush, Gordon applied
slow size - a necessity to hold tack in Texas heat, he said - and 18k surface goldleaf purchased from Letterhead Sign Supply. He credits Gary Martin for teaching
him how to properly use a gilder's tip. To create an aged effect, Gordon applied
heavy size before gilding to replicate a natural patina finish.

& Curiosities (www.curiousbowerbird.com). Her business is
located in an early-1900s, twostory building in downtown San
Marcos. A self-proclaimed "cool
junk collector", she's very adept at
recognizing relics and giving them
a second chance for discovery.
Research after our first meeting
elucidated the store's name. The
28 SIGNS OF THE TIMES June 2015

actual bower bird makes elaborate
nests and decorates them with
colorful found objects in hopes of
attracting a mate.
So, I created a rough sketch
with pencil and paper of a sign that
would reflect this bird's quirky
personality, her shop's vintage
vibe and the historic building. Gabe
Hedrick, Blackout's one-man design

Hatching the bird
After having transferred the pattern
with carbon paper, we cut the
0.063-in.-thick faces with a jigsaw.
Next, we welded the sign's steel,
2 x 2-in., angle frame and 1 x 2
tubing. We MIG-welded the components together with a Millermatic 252 single-phase welder.
We painted the face with a corrosion-resistant, epoxy primer. We
formed the 0.040-in.-thick, aluminum returns by hand and riveted
them to the faces. Next, we ran
the returns through our well-worn
Ruoff notcher, a punch press with
an adjustable, automatic feed, and
then bent them into a U shape on
our manual brake. Jason Mathis
crafted the "nest" out of ¼-in.diameter, aluminum rod and made
mounting brackets for it.
Once we'd formed the cans, we
masked the sign with transfer
tape, and transferred the pattern
with carbon paper. We cut out the



http://www.curiousbowerbird.com http://www.curiousbowerbird.com

Signs of the Times - June 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - June 2015

Columns & Departments
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - Intro
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - CT1
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - CT2
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - Cover1
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - Cover2
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - 1
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - Columns & Departments
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - 3
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - 4
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - 5
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - 6
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - 7
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Signs of the Times - June 2015 - 30
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - 31
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - 32
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - BI3
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - BI4
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - BI5
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - BI6
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - 33
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Signs of the Times - June 2015 - 45
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - 46
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - 47
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - 48
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - BI1
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - BI2
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - 49
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - 50
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - 51
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - 52
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Signs of the Times - June 2015 - 120
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - Cover3
Signs of the Times - June 2015 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_202010
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_202009
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_202008
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_202007
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_202006
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_202005
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_202004
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_blackbook_2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_202003
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201802
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201705
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201704
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_bg2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201703
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201702
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201701
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201611
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201609
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201608
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201606
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201605
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201604
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201603
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_bg2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201602
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201601
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201512
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201511
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201510
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201509
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201508
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201507
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201505
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201504
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201503
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_bg2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201502
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201411
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201407
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201406
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201405
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_bg2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201306
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201305
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201303
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_bg2013
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201302
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201206
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201205
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201204
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_bg2012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201202
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201201
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com