One of Bob's first jobs was a sign for Bendix Washing Machines in 1955. (Click for Bendix signs).

One of his last jobs was this sign in Hackensack, New Jersey for McDonalds in 1993.

Paragon Oil was painted in the East Bronx in 1961.

There was even a sign for Mack Sign Co. itself (Click for image). This is painted on the side of the Mack Sign Co. shop (3rd Ave. near 136th St. in the Bronx). The sign was painted approx. 1963. At that time there were "Blue Laws" prohibiting working on Sunday. The two men on the scaffold are painted as part of the sign. "A NYC Cop working on Sunday thought he had a couple of guys breaking the law on Sunday. He walked down to the site from 138th St. to ticket the two guys but had a good laugh when the two guys weren't moving" (Bob Middleton).

The signs for Gibson were designed by Harry Middleton and painted by Bob in 1964. This was located on the Gibson warehouse in Long Island City on Northern Blvd. (Click for image).

And many many more - like:

Fleischmann's Whiskey - Bowery at Canal St. & the Manhattan Bridge, 1975
Reggie Jackson - Major Deegan, 1978
Exxon (Tony the Tiger) - 7th Ave. just south of Greenwich Ave. Mack painted 20-some walls for them every year.
Dewar's Scotch - 125th St. at Lexington Ave. 1968.
Tareyton Cigarettes (contract job for Marwin Outdoor Advertising) - approach to Midtown Tunnel.
Manhattan Mini Storage - beside Riverside Drive Viaduct at 134th St.

A Description For Painting a Wall Sign (Bob Middleton, 2004)

This is a rough idea of how some wall signs get painted: I receive the phone call and make an appointment. I meet the customer and he usually takes me down to the street and shows me where he wants the sign. The space is from the edge of the building in to the first row of windows and from the top of the third window down from the roof to the bottom of the fifth window down.

We go to his office and he gives me the copy and logo if any. He calls the building super who takes me to the roof to measure the space. I measure from the edge of the building in and measure down to the top of the third window down. Then I measure to the bottom of the fifth window down, and subtract the difference. I also check the surface and the rigging, also what's under the sign. If the sign is over a parking lot, I find out whether they will move the cars, or if I can cover them and if there is any charge for it.

In this case the area to be painted is 18' wide and 28' deep. It's important to have the right dimensions because everything is done by scale. I draw a paper layout: 9 in. wide by 14 in. deep. This is 1/2" scale - i.e., one inch on the layout to two feet on the wall. On the layout I draw with pencil the copy and/or logo, indicating the size and design of the letters and shapes. I also indicate the colors.

(Examples of layouts, click image to see larger size)

I make a copy of the layout, and type out a proposal for the customer's acceptance. It usually reads like this:

The entire area indicated on the layout will be scraped and wire-brushed to remove any loose and chipping paint. The area will then be painted with a heavy coat of blocking-out white and finished with a second coat of Ronan's Bulletin Enamel in colors indicated on the layout or in other colors of your choice. All work is covered by Compensation, Liability and Property Damage Insurance, covering the scaffold work. We are affiliated with the A. F. of L. Local 230 - Sign Pictorial and Display Union. Complete $xxx. (Click for example.)

Assuming the customer accepts the price, I arrive the first day with the following equipment:

(1) 1 set of 75 ft. Falls (Falls are the 3/8" Manila rope block & tackle)
(2) 1 set of Hooks (the Hooks are made of steel and fit over the coping to hold the falls and scaffold)
(3) 2 Life Lines (they are 3/8" Manila rope and long enough to be tied to something stationary on the roof and to play the end over the wall to the roof (or ground) below.
(4) 2 Tie Backs (also 3/8" Manila rope. One end is tied to the hooks and tied back to something stationery on the roof for safety.

This equipment goes to the roof. The hooks are bolted to the double block of the 75 ft. falls and played over the coping and set in place for an 18 ft. scaffold. The hooks are then tied back and secured, and the ends of the two life lines are also secured and played over the coping and set approx. 6' in from each hook.

Assuming that we have been given access to a lower three-story building adjacent to the wall to be painted, we unload the following equipment from the truck, and a man goes to the roof of the lower building. From there with a pull line he pulls up:

(1) One 18 ft. Scaffold to the lower roof. (My scaffolds were always made of wood.)
(2) One 18 ft. Wooden Guard Rail (looks like a 2"x4" and will be in back of the painters.)
(3) Kick Boards (1" x 5" x 18' long boards that are placed to keep any paint or other objects from sliding off the scaffold.)
(4) One Center Iron. (The center iron is in the center of the scaffold and the guard rail goes through it and is also bolted to the back bottom of the scaffold.)
(5) Two Iron Stirrups. (The stirrup slides onto the scaffold appox. 18 inches in from both ends and secured to the scaffold. The single block of the 75 ft. fall is shackled to the stirrup.)

We are now ready to pull the scaffold up to the third window down from the roof where the sign starts. After we pull the scaffold up to the window one man holds both King lines (the King line is the single line you pull up or lower with), and a hitch is made in the stirrup to hold you in place while you work. (Very important!)

This man puts on his safety belt, ties off the scaffold (a hitch made at the stirrup that will bind the falls in that position) and spreads the rig cloth (24" wide x 18" long) on the scaffold flat up to the wall to catch any paint drops.
The second man passes out two 5-gallon cans of fast drying Blocking-Out white, half full with two 9" rollers, a 3" brush, scrapers, wirebrush and a plumb bar.

We paint the 18 ft. wide x 28 ft. deep panel with blocking-out white, and then pull the scaffold back up to the window where we started and remove these cans of paint .

We go to the truck and get our Layout, Colors, Brushes, Chalk, Charcoal Sticks, Snap Line, Plumb Bob, Six Foot Extension Ruler, and proceed to layout the sign. The letters, logos, etc. are first outlined with the charcoal sticks. This sign is all white lettering and black background. The measurements for lettering, space between lines or any logos you can get from the scaled layout. The Scale for this job is 1/2" (1/2 inch on the layout = one foot on the wall). This job, depending on the weather conditions is appox. two to three days. All bulletin enamels are made not to run into one another. Also they set up fast, so after you layout your first line of lettering your helper's job is to fill in the white letters and feather the white paint up to the charcoal line. The Mechanic (chief painter) cuts in the letter with black and the helper fills in the remaining black background.

When you finish the job, you drop the scaffold to the lower roof, the helper goes to the roof and lowers the falls and hooks and all tie backs to the lower roof. The Mechanic coils up the falls and the helper returns to the lower roof. We get set to lower everything to the street level except the paint and brushes. We carry them down to the street.

Bob Middleton (2005)

PS - This is how it started out but work procedures changed in time.

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