Reverse glass sign painting
The making of signs by painting and applying metal leaf to the reverse of glass panes.
| Status | Critically endangered |
| Craft category | Glass |
| Historic area of significance | UK |
| Area currently practised | |
| Origin in the UK | 19th century |
| Current no. of professionals (main income) | 1 craftsperson able to teach all of the processes |
| Current no. of professionals (sideline to main income) |
Around 20 sign writers in the UK practice the skills as part of their signwriting businesses, but not to the extent they could teach all the skills |
| Current no. of trainees | |
| Current total no. serious amateur makers |
Around 10 |
| Current total no. of leisure makers |
Around 30 |
| Minimum no. of craftspeople required |
History
At one time every town in the UK had around three cut glass and brilliant cut artists and gilders and at least 30 signwriters, if not more, in every town and more in the cities.
Techniques
- French embossing (most endangered)
- Acid etching (most endangered)
- Brilliant cutting (most endangered)
- Water gilding
- Silvering
- Angel gilding
- Verre églomisé
- Graining (related to marbling)
Local forms
Sub-crafts
Issues affecting the viability of the craft
- The craft is labour intensive which puts people off learning it. It takes dedication and a lot of time to hone your skills.
- The paints aren’t as good as they used to be which is becoming an issue.
- The grindstones used to brilliant cut glass are principally of aluminium oxide and are hard to source. Historically they were made of sandstone from Craigleith in Edinburgh. The same beds from Cullaloe quarry may be suitable. Diamond impregnated wheels can be useful for roughing out. It is now necessary to scour the country to find old cutting wheels from a cottage industry of previous brilliant cutting craftsmen that have passed away.
- The high cost of the materials and lanour compared to the low cost and high speed of computer designed vinyl graphics reduces the number of clients willing to commission work.
Support organisations
Craftspeople currently known
- David Adrian Smith – apprenticed to Gordon Farr in the 1980s in the UK and Rick Glawson in the 1990s in California and brought the craft back from a brief period where it was not practised at all in the UK. He now has clients from all around the world and is the only person in the world teaching all the processes together.
- Jack Hollands, Signwriting Jack
- Aaron Stephens, Valentine Signs
- Eddy Bennett
- Archie Salandin, Irregular Designs
- Robert Walker, Signs by Umberto
- Archie Proudfoot
- Paul Banks
- The Brilliant Sign Company
- James Witchell (brilliant cutting)
- John Williamson, Ellison Art Glass (brilliant cutting)
- Stuart Owen Norton (brilliant cutting)
- Steve Robey (brilliant cutting)
- Steve Amin, Monkseaton Glaziers (brilliant cutting)
- S Taylor and Sons – Stockport (brilliant cutting)
- Robert Bondar, Loire Designs
Other information
References
