The museum team at work

The story behind this sign is that a research team for Prof. Henry's Museum of Dubious Authenticity discovered it hanging on a barb wire fence at an abandoned airstrip somewhere in Montana. The group quickly acquired the sign (it was almost dark, nobody was looking) and returned it to the museum. The curator has decided it is for a private collection.

Every project needs a good story, and some may actually be true. In this case ... not so much. Prof. Henry's stories should always be taken with skepticism.

Actually, I used a 35º CMT engraving bit to cut .002" deep through a layer of Oramask 813 along the artwork and text's vectors outlines to create a stencil. With the carving finished, it was a matter of weeding the mask for the areas that needed painting and then painting with a dry brush technique to add to the illusion of aging. The remaining mask was removed after painting, and then the rust-look and more aging were added. The labels on the back are there to add authenticity to the sign's story. The sign is for a friend who is a retired pilot.