Correspondence
"We have the advantage to let you know, by this
letter, our services offers for the supply of advertising enamelled steel signs, manufacture in which we are specialized since many years.
From the advertising point of view, the enamelled steel sheet joins together all the superiorities, whereas the posters, paintings whatever they
are, gradually lose within a more or less long time their resistance and the promptness of their colours, thus seeing attenuating and disappearing their advertising value.
Our enamelled signs with their eternally sharp and fresh tones keep the glare of the new and
continue to catch the glance, to collect the attention and thus constitute a perpetual publicity.
We guarantee our enamelled signs for ae twenty year duration as well from the point of view of
the quality of enamels employed in their manufacture as of the inalterability of the hues, and this in spite of their exposure to the sun and to bad weather.
We can reproduce on enamel any drawing, text or label, and we are fully at your disposal to
establish you, without engagement from you, an estimate if you express the desire of it. "
Letter of July 8, 1953 to the Brasserie (brewery) Bertrand Mapataud in Limoges.
"I have a Gagennau gas stove with four holes,
and oven. I believed that the top of this cooker, which comprises a plate being used to put the pans on, and four rounds, was enamelled like the side walls, which are white. But I realized, while making there boil a boiler of linen, which overflowed, that the top was simply varnished in black.
I will thus wish to make enamel this top of cooker, light gray enamel granity. Could you give
me an idea of the price which would cost this enamelling, that I would like of course very
solid. How long would you keep this part?"
Letter from Mrs Suzanne Bubel to the EAS on April,26 1950
"We hasten to inform you that it is intentionally that all our signs are bent on the right,
and this precisely to facilitate their installation. Indeed, it is much easier to attach to the wall a sign bent on the right since the assembler can hold the sign in his left hand screw it with the right hand.
If the sign was bent on the left, the assembler would be obliged to hold it in the right hand
and screw it with the left one, which is not given to everyone.
We suppose that the assembler who dealt with the installation of your signs is not experienced
yet enough in this work, but he will be accustomed to it very quickly, and there will be no more difficulty for the installation of your signs."
Letter To SA Gillette Safety Razor Company on the November 8, 1950
"For your information, we allow ourselves to say to you that a "flexible enamel" does not exist.
They are in the circumstance painted sheets and kiln-dried, and which we call " Tolaques".
There are some not very scrupulous manufacturers who want by the expression "flexible enamel"
to impress the customer and often they succeed.
The enamel, cannot be flexible, being like glass, and until now flexible glass has not been yet
invented.
The painted sheets resist the shocks better than the vitrified enamel though an enamelled sheet
very supports violent shocks without bursting the enamel. It is necessary to say that the thinner
the layer of enamel is, the more it resists the shocks. The only advantage of a painted sheet
compared to an enamelled one is a better resistance to the shocks. From the resistance to the
bad weather point of view, it cannot be compared with the enamelled sheet.
The manufacturers of painting say that they assure from 3 to 5 years. We are very skeptic on
this subject, because the providers of painting do not assure any duration.
On the other hand, an enamelled sheet has the same freshness and the same shining as well after
50 years as the day of its manufacture. Neither the light, neither the sun, neither the fog,
nor the rain can attack the enamel .../...
In addition, we ask you not to offer punt signs to the customers. They become deformed during
cooking and are not a good presentation. A punt sign attached to the wall has a poor advertising
effect while chamfred or edged signs are initially quite plane, and while being raised a little
from the wall, have a quite higher presentation than the punt ones. This is why we chamfer our
signs. "
Letter to S.A.P.R.A. from Lyon on the November 6, 1953
Remarks from Mr BESNARD on the October 6 concerning the enamelled signs.
"Most of the signs attached by their agents these
last years were removed by the owners of the shops who made them remake in a much more modern
way: marbles, coloured sheets, etc... and from this fact it proves increasingly difficult for
the customer to attach signs on the frontages of the shops, those being replaced, currently,
with the modern manner, by large windows pans, which leaves a very small space for the installation
of signs. "
Letter from Mr Robert Grundberg to the EAS on October 07, 1959
" We allow ourselves to make you know, by this lettere present one, our service offers for the
supply of advertising enamelled steel sheets.
In consequence of new manufacturing methods, we are able to manufacture the advertising
enamelled signs with very advantageous conditions, and we would be very happy if you want to
consult us at the time of your next needs.
We guarantee our enamelled signs for a twenty year duration as well for quality of enamels
employed in their manufacture as for the inalterability of the hues, and this in spite of their
exposure to the sun and to the bad weather.
Our draughtsmen are at your disposal to establish you, without any engagement from you, some
models."
Letter from April 13, 1953 to the Brasserie (brewery) de Monaco
" We refer to our telephone conversation of this day, and we inform you that we made our
provisions to deliver the signs to you according to your order N° 1611 from June 10 within ten
days. We ask you to agree in excusing us for the time taken for this supply due to the hail
storm on August 11 which seriously damaged our factories. "
Letter to Blanchisserie (Laundry) Vilmin de Malzeville on October 2, 1958
" Regarding to the small remarks that you formulate about the manufacture of your signs, we
will take care that the vertical striations are removed as far as possible.
However, we regret that it is impossible to get a brighter white for the following reason:
There are two kinds of white enamel: the white with tin oxide that we employed and the white
with titanium. This last is brighter, but we cannot employ it for the manufacture of your signs,
because it does not support more than four cookings.
Your signs have to undergo 9 cookings and the White is posed and cooked immediately after
coating. The various hues of your signs would thus undergo transformations which would be
harmful to their aspect. "
Letter to the Cinzano company on June 11, 1953
" We received your letter from September 28, by which you inform us that these signs must have
a diameter of 50cm instead of 49cm according to our samples.
We regret to inform you that we cannot carry out these signs in 50cm diameter since, after
bending, their size is 49cm.
To obtain a diameter of 50cm, they would have to be cut out on 51cm, and then we would have too
significant sheet waste.
Being given that the signs will be pierced with 4 holes, we think that the customer will find a
way to use the envisaged frameworks. "
Letter to Robert Grunberg for the Dunlop company on October 11, 1950
" We regret however not being able to give you our cotation for the
-3m X 0.55, and
-2m X 0.50
signs since it is always prohibited to manufacture advertising signs exceeding a half square
meter.
As for other dimensions, namely:
-1m10 X 0m40 with fixation ears, and
-0m80 X 0m40 with fixation angle,
we regret not being able to manufacture such signs, the tools having been removed during the
war.
We have not been able yet to let remake those tools, the Foundries pretexting that they cannot
make such parts yet."
Letter to Mr Patijaud on August 29, 1946.
"We received you letter letting us know that your Federation informed you that the sale of thin
sheet was made free by decision published in the Official Journal on last September 30 .
The decree in question stipulates that the sale of thin sheet is free for the purchases made to
the merchants of iron; however, the Forging mills continue to require to paid by "currency-matter"
.
As we supply ourselves exclusively to the Forging mills, since we employ a special sheet for
enamelling, we are obliged to ask for the "currency-matter" from our customers. The Forging
mills reject any command if it is not accompanied by the related "currency-matter". "
Letter to Mr J. Gaucher & Wire on November 22, 1948
"We must however point out to you that certain parts of the sign were reproduced by printing,
these parts, in the event, the "figure du Bon Brasseur" (Nice brewer's face), the word
"Piedboeuf" on the cap and the inscription "Le Bon Brasseur" are much less better covered than
the other enamelled parts and we extremely doubt that the hues will last 20 years as you have
guaranteed it to us."
Letter from the Brasserie Piedboeuf (brewery) to the EAS on February 19, 1947
"...the parts of the sign reproduced with the printing that you mention to us are covered with
a layer of glaze, and we ensure you that the hues will hold as a long time as those of the
parts of the sign applied with the stencil.
To tranquillize you, we tell you one more time that we entirely confirm our twenty-year
guarantee. "
Response from the EAS to the Brasserie Piedboeuf on February 21, 1947
" We are ready to manufacture the samples that the customer asks, but we consider it useful to
draw his attention to the fact that it is not possible to apply the bronze/gold hue presented
on his model, and that we can imitate it only by a "Gold Button" yellow hue.
If other enamellers offer signs thus carried out, you can be certain that it is not a question of enamelled signs, but certainly of painted sheets. In all cases, in enamel field nobody did succeed yet in imitating a bronze/gold hue. Moreover, the customer will realize it perfectly when it receives the samples from them. "
Letter to Mr Rene Patijaud in Marc-en-Baroeul
"As continuation, we are pleased to inform you that we are able to deliver to you by the end of
the year the requested quantity of signs, but the delivery depends however on the attribution of
the "matter-coupons".
To establish your request to the OFFA, we ask you to agree in indicating that it is about a
supply of panels/signs, since the manufacture of advertising signs is prohibited.
As they are actually panels/signs announcing the buildings where your beer is tapped, it is
possible that the necessary quantities of sheets be attributed to you. "
Letter to the Brasserie de l'Esperanc (brewery) on Octobre 26, 1945
" We thank you for your proposal for visiting the customers in North Africa, Morocco, Algerie
and Tunisia, who could possibly be interested in the enamelled signs.
However, we are obliged to say to you that you would only waste your time, because the orders
of enamelled signs are not quickly realised. It is necessary, as we explained it verbally to
you, to visit the customer sometimes during years to obtain an order command and to submit
projects to him. A representative passing once or twice a year at the customer cannot thus
have great success. We prefer to say it frankly to you.
In addition, we have an appointed representative in Algeria, living in Algers. For Morocco and Tunisia, we wish to enroll an agent living the country."
Letter to Mr Antony Grimaldi in Nice on September 27, 1951.
"Mr Lang has also talked to you about our enamelled thermometers and thermometers-barometers
for the use of external fronts of your dealers and your customers stores.
This Advertising is very appreciated since long years by most of our customers. For more than
30 years, the MARTINI company orders a few thousands of them each year as well for France as
for export. We also provide these items to CINZANO, MUTZIG brewery, etc...
Usual dimensions of these thermometers with alcohol column are:
- 23 X 64 cm - column 30 cm.
- 17 X 47 cm - column 16 cm.
- 30 X 96 cm - column 46 cm.
We also provide enamelled signs including a thermometer or a barometer or both, these
thermometers and barometers being metalic with circular form.
Usual dimensions for this item are of 30 X 60 cm. We provided some to DANONE, POTASSE d'ALSACE
(fertilize), etc...
We join to this letter a folder (quite old) in which you will be able to see a Martini
thermometer.
We are obviously fully at your disposal for all further information you would need, to realize
some models for your projects and estimate any demand."
Letter to Vins de la Craffe (wines) in Maxeville on April 30, 1969
"As continuation, we inform you that we are perfectly able to provide you enamelled signs
identical to those which we delivered to you in 1935, intended for your publicity.
However, all our archives having been destroyed during the war, it is not possible for us to
submit our cotation to you, and we would be glad if you agree to forward to us a model of the
existing sign or in the absence of this one, to make us know:
- the quantity
- dimensions
- colors
- the text, and
- the illustration of the concerned signs."
Letter to Société des Ciments (cements) de la Porte de France in Grenoble on February 24, 1950.
Deformed double-sided signs.
"These slight deformations of sheet are caused during cooking, and although the signs are
rectified when they come out of the kiln, it is not possible to obtain a perfect flatness.
It is for this reason that all the single sided signs that we manufacture are, either convex,
or chamfered on 1 cm for the 4 sides, in order to prevent this deformation.
Unfortunately, this process cannot be carried out for the double-sided signs since there is
text on the two sides. "
Letter to Vêtements "Le Populaire" (clothing) in Villefranche on December 15, 1949
Letter to Economie Bretonne on May 27, 1957
"Mr, We thank you for the pleasant greeting which you agreed to reserve for our agent Mr
Cavellat, that you consulted for your project of coating of your stores by vitrified enamelled
steel sheet panels.
This mode of coating of stores takes more and more extension, being of an pleasant aspect and
easy to maintain; a sponge pass is enough to make it clean.
The mounting is usually done on a wooden framework which is attached to the wall of the
building by cramps, work relatively easy to make, our panels being provided with mounting
brackets. These mounting brackets being placed under the panel, those become invisible.
Of course, it is necessary to make establish, by your Architecture departement, the plans
according to which we will then manufacture the panels.
We are at your disposal for any further information which you could need. "
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