The 1909 Gas Traction Engine project

Just returned from working on a 1909 Gas Traction Company tractor at the Reynolds -Alberta Museum in Wetaskiwin, Alberta. Myself and a good friend Bruce Ander spent 3 days re-creating the lettering, striping and high-lighting the cast letters, back to the way it rolled out of the factory in 1909. This was another one of those jobs that required a lot of research and a little guessing as to how they would of been done. The problems with working from photos from that period, is most have been retouched in one form or another. The other problem is they usually show the equipment from a distance, or from the wrong angle. I've also included a picture of the fender that has traces of the original lettering, but is almost non-existent. We managed to get a lot done, and will finish up the lettering on the radiator and fenders next week. Although we'll be hand painting the lettering, they'll have a stenciled look that was used from the factory.  I've also included a few photos of other tractors that are part of their collection. If you ever get a chance, make sure to drop by the museum. They have a wonderful collection.

Aultman Taylor decal project nearing the end.

Just a quick update on the Aultman Taylor decal project. Some of you may remember when I first started the project,  how little I had to go on. Fast forward to today, and you can see the almost finished design. I hand painted the master artwork to a stage where it could be scanned into the computer, and then will finish up using Photoshop and Illustrator. The finished piece will then be digitally printed to create decals, instead of the traditional way of silkscreen and die cutting, that used back in the day. This has been a very detail orientated project, testing both my brush skills, and also my computer skills. I believe you have to be able to master both skill sets to survive in doing this type of work. The nice thing about using the computer, is how much flexibility you have in making changes and tweaks, not to mention, not having to wait for the paint to dry. Here's a few updated pictures of the project. I'll be doing a full re-cap of the entire project in the near future, including a pictures of the finished decal, applied to the tractor. Thanks for dropping in. Funny, when I was a kid, I use to get in a lot of trouble for drawing on my friends wall and whatever I could find, now I get paid for it. Who would have know.