I’m no restoration expert, but I was asked to repaint the numbers on this old clock. I was not commissioned to touch up the boarder or the white paint, not that I’d even know how without sanding it down an starting fresh. Nope, I did my best to trace the numbers that had faded with a fresh coat of black to restore the clockface to usable condition.
Below is the finished piece. I used a back, waterproof, acid-free India ink with a brown undertone. I’d say this is three coats. I used the world’s smallest drafting triangle to get my lines very straight. Took me back to my manga days, and the straight lines and ink flow management came right back to me. One thing that was more difficult was using my magnifying glass…am I getting old? I used to be able to use two eyes through my desk magnifying glass but that was making me dizzy and I had to only use one eye! Maybe that’s normal but it didn’t use to be the case for me.
My tip for very smooth ink lines is to lay your stroke on a soft exhale or between breaths, never on an inhale. Below is a print out photo the client sent me of the clockface installed back in its frame.
