This latest challenge was really all about making something out of wood and passing it off as rusty metal. I don’t know metalworking, so when the request came in for this retro sign reproduction, it took several nights of tossing and turning to plan this out in my head. There are custom sign artists out there who work only in metal and make the coolest, electrified old-time signage. So, after a few more sleepless nights I finally accepted the job and felt ready for the challenge to create a believable metal sign reproduction — made from wood.
I immediately talked with a previous customer who is an historical diorama maker who can rust out a model locomotive or army tank like nobody’s business. He told me what to search for online and I found videos demonstrating several rust techniques. Though his museum-quality rusty models are typically no bigger than a common brick, the same principles apply to a seven-foot sheet of cabinet-grade plywood. The results were amazingly realistic, but without a doubt, the coolest thing about this sign is that it lights up! A friend (and former NASA electrician) offered to wire the arrow for me and I’m thinking this sign could probably orbit the moon!
Late 1950s, The Dalles, Oregon.
