Antique Fire Truck
Gold leaf striping, Lettering and Scrollwork

The collectors and restorers of antique firetrucks are an amazing group of people! I admire their dedication and perseverance in saving a bit of our history. They know that all the original lettering and scrollwork on firetrucks was done in Goldleaf and they want their restored vehicles to be as beautiful now as they were back then!   

In this series of photos, I am  gilding all the decorative areas of a 1920 American Lafrance firetruck. The gold leaf work on this truck represents the "deluxe" version available then. Scroll work on the hose bed, fenders, the seat and the battery box. The scrolls are shaded with asphaltum, a tar-like substance which, when mixed in a clear coat, gives a transparent brown which lets the gold shine through and can be layered to produce different shades. There is gold leaf striping on the frame and the springs, on the pump manifold and behind the seat. Just about everywhere... incredibly beautiful!    

If you are restoring an antique firetruck, give me a call. I keep copies of all the original scrolls for all the trucks so authenicity is my specialty!