signage

Guilty as charged M'Lud 8|
 
Just my old fella was a signwriter. He always reckoned Gill was close enough. In fact he wrote loads of signs for the Watercress in his retirement, though they've probably mostly been re-done since then.
 
Well that certainly has opened up a can of worms, well you know what I mean.I am going to try to keep it simple, though, to begin with at least. All I have done so far are the two station signs, which held up OK during yesterday's downpour, but the larger sign, well, I obviously have used the wrong glue here, because the sign is sliding around on a watered down solution of the glue. Got to use something a bit better. Impact adhesive? Some good suggestions posted, though, thanks, I may well make use of these
 
I have to say that some of you lot are very patient with the likes of me. There it all was back in March ready to use, as it were. So just been down to Staples for a coupla items, we will start from scratch again, and let's see how we get on. I think I'll try the paint sticking method, but maybe not. Thanks a lot, all of you
 
For what it's worth, we used to fix transfers to vehicles with a thin coat of varnish. Paint it on the back of the transfer and wait till it goes well tacky, then you get one shot, two if you're very lucky. but it definately sticks. It should work as an adhesive for other types. We then varnished the whole panel.

Gold-size can also be used if you can get it.
 
pugwash said:
bobg said:
As a point of order Mr Chairman! :rolf::rolf::rolf:
I believe the most common font used for railway UK signage is/was Gill sans (serif).
Now there's another piece of (almost) useless information.
:wave:
Click to expand...
Zzzzzip, anorak on:
Only the LNER used it exclusively, in 1965 dear old BR adopted 'Rail Alphabet' as its standard, although it wasnt far off from the later Gill typeface (it was continually modified and updated). :nerd:
It, and its versions, fill the typecases of nearly every printers that still use letterpress, although strangely it was taken up by Monotype who used casting machines to make 'slugs' i.e. a sentence or part of one which were fastened together rather than individual type.
Zzzzzip, anorak off.
Believe me there is nothing more boring than old printers talking to each other over a jar, talk about rivet counters...:laugh:
Click to expand...


Coming up to date, Railtrack also used Gills Sans (ie - without serif) during their short existence. To return to the topic, I used laminated signs on the Bredebahn and they were good only for a few months outdoors before the water got to them. Whatever you do, avoid red as it fades very rapidly (bit of a problem if you model Swiss railways as they use a lot of red). I also used a Brother hand printer on vinyl tape - this works very well and you can expect up to about a year from black in white tape outdoors.
 
Far from the font discussion being 'anoraky' (is that an actual word? I suspect not) I found it fascinating, and many thanks for the information. I do know that the GWR's preferred font for its signage, and for loco nameplates for that matter, was Egyptian. Does anyone know where it can now be obtained or downloaded? Unless I've missed it, Egyptian doesn't feature in the Microsoft canon anywhere.

All the best,

Alec K
 
pugwash said:
bobg said:
As a point of order Mr Chairman! :rolf::rolf::rolf:
I believe the most common font used for railway UK signage is/was Gill sans (serif).
Now there's another piece of (almost) useless information.
:wave:
Click to expand...
Zzzzzip, anorak on:
Only the LNER used it exclusively, in 1965 dear old BR adopted 'Rail Alphabet' as its standard, although it wasnt far off from the later Gill typeface (it was continually modified and updated). :nerd:
It, and its versions, fill the typecases of nearly every printers that still use letterpress, although strangely it was taken up by Monotype who used casting machines to make 'slugs' i.e. a sentence or part of one which were fastened together rather than individual type.
Zzzzzip, anorak off.
Believe me there is nothing more boring than old printers talking to each other over a jar, talk about rivet counters...:laugh:
Click to expand...
You would recognise this then?
c62646e25f274d378c1054d01ca1a956.jpg


and this...
8757bb23a58548fd8afacb18d415911d.jpg


I am NOT a printer.
 
Pugwash, brilliant, absolutely brilliant.

I've set up an account with Linotype and have downloaded Egyptienne Condensed. I'm about to create a number of GWR-style signs on inkjet transfer paper and the purchase price of the font family is well worth it at around £20.

Many thanks for a first-rate piece of advice!

Kind regards

Alec K
 
:kiss:
 
KeithT said:
You would recognise this then?
images

I am NOT a printer.
Click to expand...
At first hand no, all I can see is that it is a web fed machine with apparently two printing units, the size of the reel makes me think newspaper (broadsheet) and there is a centre stack (as opposed to being at the other end of the machine) that centre group, plus the folding bars atop make me think it's a recto/verso single pass (which again fits in with the broadsheet) and the whole style of the machine says Heidelberg. I would be interested to know how the printer got the ink in the duct without pain and misery (note the later addition of an emergency OFF button);
Aargh, missed a couple of basics, it's rotary, and almost certainly a plate machine. Hmm. Dunno, could also be an early Augsburger.
The second, prettier, picture is Heidelberg.
 
pugwash said:
KeithT said:
You would recognise this then?
I am NOT a printer.
Click to expand...
At first hand no, all I can see is that it is a web fed machine with apparently two printing units, the size of the reel makes me think newspaper (broadsheet) and there is a centre stack (as opposed to being at the other end of the machine) that centre group, plus the folding bars atop make me think it's a recto/verso single pass (which again fits in with the broadsheet) and the whole style of the machine says Heidelberg. I would be interested to know how the printer got the ink in the duct without pain and misery (note the later addition of an emergency OFF button);
Aargh, missed a couple of basics, it's rotary, and almost certainly a plate machine. Hmm. Dunno, could also be an early Augsburger.
The second, prettier, picture is Heidelberg.
Click to expand...
Oops and I thought it might have been an easy one.
Perhaps these help, and the town is Mainz........
d21ac62b14c44e11938dbcd2a0b3a12c.jpg

fcfc9aa77097483aa2e78bdbdc99f889.jpg

34dd4bde1a544970bec5b3e4ce2a016d.jpg
 
KeithT said:
pugwash said:
KeithT said:
You would recognise this then?
I am NOT a printer.
Click to expand...
At first hand no, all I can see is that it is a web fed machine with apparently two printing units, the size of the reel makes me think newspaper (broadsheet) and there is a centre stack (as opposed to being at the other end of the machine) that centre group, plus the folding bars atop make me think it's a recto/verso single pass (which again fits in with the broadsheet) and the whole style of the machine says Heidelberg. I would be interested to know how the printer got the ink in the duct without pain and misery (note the later addition of an emergency OFF button);
Aargh, missed a couple of basics, it's rotary, and almost certainly a plate machine. Hmm. Dunno, could also be an early Augsburger.
The second, prettier, picture is Heidelberg.
Click to expand...
Oops and I thought it might have been an easy one.
Perhaps these help, and the town is Mainz........
images

images

images
Click to expand...
Could be a double broadsheet, prints 4 folios at a time, still an early newspaper machine.
Not much, it's as I said an early rotary letterpress machine, plate, and I take it back - it's not a Heidelberg as they didn't make these machines . The gutenburg museum in Mainz, gawd I can already smell the ink.
I'm interested in what the bottle of water and pail were for...

Anybody else see the film with Will Smith '7 pounds' at the cinema? Well when he asked the woman the age of the disc letterpress machine I said 120 years just before she did, two dozen pairs of eyes turned my way...
 
Oh blow me down, those are Zincos, the plates held onto the cylinders by clamps. This was an early attempt to make the type last longer, an original was cast and the the zinc copies made. Or, no, can't be an early intaglio machine, the duct and roller layout is wrong.
 
If you want fonts for use with your own printer, go to www.railfonts.com. You can search their catalogue on line or print out. Mostly US stuff but I found the GWR one on there.

You can download the font and then use it in word, photoshop or whatever.

No connection with them, just found them on line and they offered good service.
 
Vinyl is the way to go. I have a sign with a painted background and vinyl lettering that has been outdoors 24/7 since 2004. The paint has now faded badly, but the vinyl lettering still looks like new.

I have customers all over the world using my vinyl lettering. Let me know if I can help.

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/DelTapparo/ < Link To www.GScaleGraphics.net
 
Well G scale Graphics looks very good, a bit far away from me of course. A point has just been pointed out regarding the lamination where I have been going wrong, I was just printing my sheet, whether blank paper or transparent, doesn't seem to make much difference, as a whole in the lamination. Of course this is wrong as when you cut the signs out you are breaking the seal. Each sign should be cut out separately and placed into the laminate making sure the signs do not overlap of course. Then they can be cut out of the laminated sheet without destroying the lamination. What! That was bleedin' obvious to all of you - oh, please yourselves
 
To give you due Glengrant, everything is bleedin' obvious when you get it wrong, the advantages of hindsight (and I don't mean looking over your shoulder) :bigsmile:
 
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