E.C. Matthews

It's Easy To Make A Lacquer Sign
by C.E. (sic) Matthews
from Signs of the Times magazine; July, 1931 issue, pp 28-29.

Five years ago sign painters told me that the lacquer system was too complicated for sign work; and even today I hear the same objection many times from those who have never tried it. There is but little I can say that would be interesting or valuable to those who are already using lacquer in the sign shop. So I shall write these lines especially for those who have never given the material a real trial.

Instead of explaining tricks and stunts this little article will be devoted to showing just how easy it is to make a lacquer sign. In the small illustration we show a piece of galvannealed iron that has been primed and coated with white lacquer. The layout was made with a soft lead pencil as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 2 shows the sign lettered, with the masking paste. This was not done by a lacquer expert, but by a show card writer--it was his first attempt to make a lacquer sign.
Next the sign was sprayed very lightly with a film of black lacquer (dust, or fog-coat, we call it). After this had dried about two minutes the sign was given a full coat of black lacquer, Figure 3. When a colored border, or colored center in the large letters is desired, it is sprayed on and masked before the black is sprayed on.

In about thirty minutes the sign was scrubbed with water and a short-haired brush, and the job was complete, "as easy as writing a show card." Of course if you have a wash rack and a power washer so much the better; but small signs can be handled successfully without such equipment.

I have just described the simplest way of making the simplest lacquer sign. But any design, no matter how complicated, can be reproduced in lacquer. The rapidity with which the material dries makes it possible to use many colors on one sign where that is desired.

Lacquers are much more uniform and dependable than they were a few years back and the new sign lacquers automatically overcome most of the troubles that we originally experienced. Just as in oil painting, the best materials are none too good. Use the best sign lacquer and the best spray gun you can get and you will have very little trouble.

Perhaps we have make a mistake in the past by placing too much stress on the mistakes and troubles to be avoided, thus making the lacquer system seem complicated. So, to avoid a repetition, I shall simply say that lacquer is easy to apply. It is more beautiful, and more durable than any painted sign and less time is required to produce it.

Any sign man will find that he can learn to use this new material successfully in a small fraction of the time it took to learn card writing or sign painting. And you will be justly proud of your lacquer signs. No cutting-in, no brush marks and no waiting for the sign to dry - what more could you ask? Try it out.