That was rewarding. It's nice to see some people are still doing it. I bet they're making a good buck at it now, too.
I too, was taken back by some well painted chrome lettering. Many years ago when I re-did a sign for a paint store... the original was painted like I had never seen before. The colors that were in there were amazing. As luck would have it, I found the guy that did it. He came to my shop and started showing me all kinds of stuff, because where I first started in signs.... no one had used that effect... or many others this guy had.
I always admired how they got the bubbles to look so real on those old Coca~Cola and beer signs. They just looked ice cold in the middle of summer.
When I was a kid, I rode my bike to a an old 12' x 40 'sign where a guy painted a double-sided billboard. It took him three days total and it was almost all picture work for a roadside luncheonette. You felt like you could reach out and eat that stuff right off the sign.
Thanks Arlo...................