Scrollwork and striping pics?

G day cunning any chance of daves number i want to re line & scroll my ole cabover and you have sold me on daves work would be appreciated thanks Col.

Cam, that sure puts the finishing touch to your truck. Nice work.

Roland is right, that workmanship of Dave Thrush's is outstanding, particularly in relation to the shading.

My old man was a painter and signwriter by trade. He could knock out stuff every bit as good as Dave Thrush, even in his late 70's.
He did his apprenticeship in the hard days of late WW1 and the early 1920's, in Portsmouth, England.
Unfortunately, I never got his skill or interest in signwriting or painting .. I prefer to fix mechanical stuff, it seems easier ..

He's been dead for 22 years, and I often wish I'd taken more interest in his game, to pick up tips and techniques that might have been of use.
I think top class signwriters are born, not made, though .. because the old man was like Rolf Harris .. he could pick up a piece of tin, cardboard or paper and knock out a cartoon or scene that would make any cartoonist or artist, pleased with the result ..

The funny thing was .. he was naturally a molly-dooker .. and it got beaten out of him as they were wont to do, in the old days, and he got taught to do everything right handed. As a result, he was exceedingly ambidextrous. He could pick up a pen, crayon or paintbrush in either left or right hand, and produce exactly the same result!
This worked great for signwriting in awkward positions, where he would often swap hands with the brush and rest, to complete the job from a different position and angle!

My old man was a painter and signwriter by trade. He could knock out stuff every bit as good as Dave Thrush, even in his late 70's.
He did his apprenticeship in the hard days of late WW1 and the early 1920's, in Portsmouth, England.

Hi OneTrack,

Your Dad could have been an apprentice with one of the 'Eberhardts' then.
www.eberhardtsigns.com/
They say they are over 50 years old in their current form but something in my distant memory tells me that the signwriting family goes back further.
They are right on the edge of the Continental Ferry Port.

Cheers
RS

Gday guys,
another fella who is great at this old school stuff if Frank, used to be at Hedley signs, now works for Ikon signs in Geelong. He does all the touch ups on the truck we sell, he also did my R600 mack and my two old 1418 Benz's. ( I think there is some photos of them on Youtube. I'll put them on here when I work out how to do it!) He's a treat to watch, does one scroll on one side, walks around the other side and does a complete mirror image, no going back for a second look or anything. Apparantly every sign writer had there own style, he often looks at a truck that has ocme in and says "oh, this was done by Butch" or something like that! Artists, and a dying breed... Get it done while you still can I say.. Cheers
Richard

Roland - I couldn't tell you who the old man was apprenticed too, he never mentioned them. I think they were pretty tough taskmasters, though. The only story the old man let slip was .. he was helping paint the ceiling of a cathedral, and they had planks set up, up about 50' or 60' .. however high cathedral ceilings are .. and the old man, being 14, full of fun and not in the least bit scared of heights .. ran along the planking, and jumped up and down, making it spring!
The bloke working with him, went white as a sheet, apparently .. clutched at a pillar with both arms .. and yelled at the old man .. DON'T DO THAT, YOU YOUNG FOOL!!!! ...

It goes without saying, of course .. that safety in those days, was a low priority .. fall arrest harnesses were unheard of .. and OSHA would have had a field day, if they were around then .. :

Grandad (Dad's father) died in 1923, aged 83, in Portsmouth, from pneumonia that he contracted as a result of falling into an unprotected street excavation, that was about 20' deep, and had several feet of water in the bottom. Grandad was walking to work at 5:00AM on a freezing cold, and foggy, Portsmouth winter morning .. and it was quite a while before he was hauled out, resulting in him contracting pneumonia. Could you imagine leaving an excavation in the street overnight, nowadays, with no guard rails or barriers?? .. :

Cheers - Ron ..

that red dodge scrollwork was proberly done by a fella late 70s called auburn signs sydney .he scrolled a b model mack for my dad harold mccracken when he brought it from macks in sydney off fred bartley ex sydney mt isa transport (dudly miller) scrolls are the same being a truck scroller every scroller hase his own trade mark hence the scrolls and has the dodge got chrome rims as well bit knackered but still looks okay thanks .crackers

Every Signie has his or her own style...
An artist in their own right..there are ways and ways of doing things..Practice makes perfect!
Anyone can buy a cutter and a program and become a so called 'Signwriter' overnight..
I have been in and around trucks all my life, have a transport business now, with 4 trucks....
I started Signwriting in '85, self taught, watched looked and listened for a long time...
We run a Signshop out from Geelong, do vinyl lettering because it has its place. I can letter, line and scroll with a brush, i also airbrush.
The art is not dying as such, the demand for cheeeep is killing the craft!
I keep the craft but you wait....and you pay.....
You want cheeeep.....buy a chicken.
You spend 10 years rebuilding a vehicle and want it lined and signed in 25 minutes for 30 bucks....sorry it doesnt go like that.
I don't do as many as i should any more....just a few 'specials' here and there...i too got sick of people wanting everything for little or nothing in nothing flat...
Good work takes time...the best lookin bangers were not done in 5 minutes.
The reason they look so good???
The craft has been carefully executed by a profesional Signwriter.
Fast and cheeeep is killing the craft...there are a few of us out there yet who still know how its done!!!

Take it easy
chocs
Everyone has a 'mate' who can paint

Back in the 80's when..........

Howdy,

Chocs, may I ask a question ? How do you prep a painted surface that your about about to scroll or airbrush ? Ive always wondered how its done.

I found your closing comment funny to....your right, everyone does have a painter mate.

Basil