It has been almost 15 years since I've carved our house number sign, and hung it above our front porch entrance. Over those years, the weather has taken a toll on the paint and gold leaf, although not as much as I expected. It has been taken down and is undergoing a repaint/gilding that should, I hope, last another 15 years. Completed photos to follow. On the same vein, I'll be redoing my shop sign(made from cypress wood) with a light sanding, restaining, and varnishing. These are good projects to do, inside, because of the cold and wind that we have been getting here!

I'll have to drive by and check these out!

Something I have never tried is gold leaf, but I do have some copper leaf in cabinet for about 5 years. Hope that was not a good plane, yeah got one almost that big.

28 minutes ago, Gerald said:

Something I have never tried is gold leaf, but I do have some copper leaf in cabinet for about 5 years. Hope that was not a good plane, yeah got one almost that big.

The sign is not a functional plane. It is supposed to be a birdhouse but never became one. There were plans, for the "plane", in one of the woodworking magazines(can't remember which one) and it was to have 3 holes drilled into the front of it. I thought that after spending the time making it, that it was too good for the birds. When it's down and in the basement, I'll take a few more photos.

Here's the finished product. This took more time than many of my other carvings! May it last another 14+ years in the weather.

Now, onto my other outside sign. This is above the entrance(garage door) to my shop and was made in June, 2010. I'll have to sand everything down slightly, restain/paint, and then add a protective coat of exterior varnish.

Missed this thread somehow?

Never tire seeing your guild work Frederick. The house sign looks great. Do you apply some type of sealer coat or does that affect the gold leaf?

The shop sign (plane) is just too cool. Love the extra detail with the hand-stamped "iron" brand.

The numbered house sign is nothing more than an exterior oil-based paint with the gilding applied directly on it. I did use a red paint underneath the gilding to help give it(gold leaf) some color/depth.

The plane is bigger than it looked. Love the sign

Years ago, Chris Schwarz made a birdhouse shaped like a wooden plane.  Pretty neat.

5 minutes ago, kmealy said:

Years ago, Chris Schwarz made a birdhouse shaped like a wooden plane.  Pretty neat.

That might have been the article that I used for my copy!

 

The plane is cool and all Frederick, but the house number sign is totally awesome.

Now I am wondering about the "equation" at the top of the door...

          +

 20B*C*M22

 

Please share with me (us)

38 minutes ago, Cal said:

The plane is cool and all Frederick, but the house number sign is totally awesome.

Now I am wondering about the "equation" at the top of the door...

          +

 20B*C*M22

 

Please share with me (us)

Good question! The last time that my wife and I were in Oberammergau, in Baveria Germany, was in late November several years(4) ago. As we were walking the the village, we kept noticing that inscription chalked above many of the doorways there, stopped a friendly-looking German, and inquired about the meaning of it in our broken German. He said that the village priest would come by to "bless" the house, if requested, with that inscription. It stands for the current year(2022) and lists the first initials of the 3 wise men.... Balthasar, Casper, and Melchior. We thought that this was a perfect blessing for our home and have been doing it, above our doorways, ever since. I'll be changing it to 2023 at the start of the new year

Forgot to include this link:

https://triciaannemitchell.com/2019/10/26/oberammergau-germany-things-to-do-passion-play/

Enjoyed the link. Is all that where you went or just the one place? You are making me want to visit Germany.

Gerald, name a place and we've probably been there!

Frederick, wish we had had this thread a month ago!  We were in Germany in mid October.  One day trip took us from Munich to Hohenschwangau, and it looks as if we went either through Oberammergau, or very close to it.  I was not driving so I'm not sure of the actual route we took.  That was the trip of a lifetime for me!  The weather cooperated fully, the trees were in full color.  It was absolutely beautiful.  I couldn't tell you how many cathedrals we walked through!!!

 

In Hohenschwangau, tours for the big castle were booked up for two weeks in advance, even though the big castle was never completed.  The smaller castle was completed and lived in while the big one was under construction.  The smaller castle had tours and it was mind blowing to go through. 

 

 

 

Cal, great photos and you certainly traveled during the right time of the year! Munich is one of our favorite cities in Germany. Did you have time to go to the central market area for some food/drink. About visiting the Beer Halls there?

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/germany/articles/the-10-best-beer-halls-and-beer-gardens-in-munich/

Edited November 25, 20223 yr by FrederickH

One of our favorite eating/drinking places in Munich. We went back several nights in a row and met some fantastic people. When the locals found out that my wife and I weren't local, they would invite us to join their table

https://www.hofbraeuhaus.de/de/hofbraeuhaus.html

 

@Cal. Thanks for the pics. Awesome you both were able to make the trip. Strong German heritage here. I've always wanted to travel to Germany. My younger brother did get the opportunity a couple times through his work. Daughter spent a short time there while in college. Alas, my back condition would no longer allow such a trip. In your spare time would love to see more of your trip in a separate thread.