refinish sign

[dry heat]

My wife gave me this sign when we retired and moved from Vermont to Arizona and a new shop.
For 20 years now it has hung by the door in full sun and desert environment. Though it has held up well the elements have taken a toll. It was made by a professional sign shop in Stowe, VT. I’m not sure what the routed portion, front panel, is made of but it is attached to plywood that has begun to delaminate as you can see. I’ve been repairing that part with super-glue, a thin followed by thicker and voids packed with sawdust and soaked. When I get that finished I’ll sand it back to the original shape, my question is what kind/type of finish does the brain trust think I should use on the front? I believe we can paint the edge and back with a quality outdoor paint that matches the original but I don’t want to try to paint the front, around the gold leaf and such. I have a good spray rig so I thought maybe an automotive clear coat, don’t know how well that would adhere to the original paint. Any thoughts, shared similar experience and or suggestions appreciated.
E Sims

[fredhargis]

I wouldn't do anything to the front. For that sign to be out on the sun for 20 years it really, really looks good. (I'd like to know what paint they used.) If you insist on coating the front, an exterior rated waterborne finish without tinting would not change the color of the paint and still give good protection. The "without tint" part refers to the fact that some waterborne finishes have a tint to mimic their oil based counterparts. The label or spec sheet usually tells whether the finish has it or not. Very cool sign BTW.

[dry heat]

I wouldn't do anything to the front. For that sign to be out on the sun for 20 years it really, really looks good. (I'd like to know what paint they used.) If you insist on coating the front, an exterior rated  waterborne finish without tinting would not change the color of the paint and still give good protection. The "without tint" part refers to the fact that some waterborne finishes have a tint to mimic their oil based counterparts. The label or spec sheet usually tells whether the finish has it or not. Very cool sign BTW.

Thanks Fred
We talked about just leaving the front alone. No clue as to what brand/type of paint the maker used. We are trying to contact him, think he has retired. Need to get some more super glue before I can finish the plywood repair. 
Ed

[WoodTinker]

Thanks Fred
We talked about just leaving the front alone. No clue as to what brand/type of paint the maker used. We are trying to contact him, think he has retired. Need to get some more super glue before I can finish the plywood repair. 
Ed

Looks like the lettering was done in gold leaf.

Just a thought, have you thought about banding the edge in metal. Probably looking for a simpler fix.

Great looking sign after 20 years in the sun.

[Cooler]

I wouldn't do anything to the front. For that sign to be out on the sun for 20 years it really, really looks good. (I'd like to know what paint they used.) If you insist on coating the front, an exterior rated  waterborne finish without tinting would not change the color of the paint and still give good protection. The "without tint" part refers to the fact that some waterborne finishes have a tint to mimic their oil based counterparts. The label or spec sheet usually tells whether the finish has it or not. Very cool sign BTW.

The original was almost certainly painted with One Shot paint.  Especially the gold.  They use powdered metal in their metal look paint and they are simply the best.  The stuff is expensive, but you only need a tiny can of it.

One Shot is the industry standard for sign painters.  Oil based, but really nice to work with.  With a good pinstriping brush and One Shot, almost anyone with a steady hand can do passable pinstriping.


I've only used the lettering enamels.  Nice stuff.  You can find it on Amazon.com in tiny cans.

https://www.1shot.com/getmedia/adef85db-...s.pdf.aspx