those smallish projects ie say a small box or an item that does not have a large surface.
I've found the best way? to varnish them with a high degree of mirror finish.
Use the finger to apply the varnish to the item.
No Brush marks,Dust.
There shouldn't be any fingerprints? the varnish when curing forms a pull together barrier.
I remembered this when I use to make fly fishing rods for people,I always used the finger to varnish(shellac)the rods as any other method was wasting varnish.
And the fingerprints?
Perhaps a way of uniquely identifying your work.
In the '60s, there was, and perhaps still is, a jeweler named Bob Winston, out of Arizona IIRC. He used the Lost Wax Method to create his pieces and had developed a unique, easily recognized - and PRICEY style. As many artists have discovered, there's money to be made in "limited editions" of a work, and making a rubber mold of an original piece enabled Mr. Winston to easily make copies of his originals - in limited editions of course.
Well it seems an unscrupulous "entrepreneur" would buy one of Mr. Winston's "limited edition" pieces, make his own mold and copies and sell them for 25 percent of a Winston "original"
Mr. Winston, upon learning he was being ripped off took the scoundrel to court. There the scoundrel stated that he and Mr. Winston grown up in the same environ- ment, had gone to similar schools and taken classes from the same jewelry makers. The scoundrel maintained that since their backgrounds were so similar, it was no surprise that their jewelry would be similar, if not identical at times.
The judge bought the scoundrel's line.
So Mr. Winston made another piece for limited edition sale. BUT - this time he pressed his fingerprint into the wax master for the piece. With lost wax casting - EVERYTHING of the wax pattern is in the cast metal piece - inlcuding finger prints.
Within a month of selling the first of this limited edition piece the scoundrel was selling his knock offs of it - for one tenth Mr. Winston's price! Mr. Winston, using a neighbor's name and address, ordered a knock off.
Once again he took the scoundrel to court.
Once again the scoundrel went through his "similar backgrounds, similar environments, similar pieces" wrap, certain, having won the earlier case, that the judge would rule in his favor.
But this time Mr. Winston handed the scoundrel an unopened box - with the scoundrel's return address on it, along with canceled stamps indicating that it had been sent via the US Postal Service - AND a stub for a Return Receipt Requested - the return address on the stub being that of the scoundrel.
Is this a box you mail YOUR limited edition pieces in?
Scoundrel: Yes
And do you keep your Return Receipt Request forms to verify that what you sent was received?
Scoundel" Sure do. Don't want a customer to burn me saying they didn't get the peice they paid for.
Woudl you please open that unopened box and remove its content.
Scoundrel opens the box and pulls out a ring.
Would you please tell the court what you found inside the previously unopened box?
Scoundrel: It's one of MY latest limited edtion rings.
Would you please explain to the court how MY finger print - cast into YOUR limited edition ring - got there?
That finger print cost the scoundrel $50,000 and put him out of business.
SO - forget the branding iron logos or signatures - they're easy to reproduce. Instead, just press your thumb print into the finish on your work - in an out of the way place of course.
Oh, and avoid changing your thumb print - with a saw blade for example.
charlie b
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