Since we know the Merry Dragon sign is to travel thousands of miles, be handled much more than a normal sign would and also interact with thousands of visitors to the booth we opted for a weathered look for the sign, post and stand. That way any dings or wear and tear it may suffer along the way will blend right in. Today, I finished painting the last perfect brush stroked before going over the sign with with aging glazes. When that was dry I attacked the metal base and brackets with the sander and then applied a mild acid solution to the bare spots to encourage a bit of instant rust. With that I declared the sign finished.