Mitzi, may I suggest contacting the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati?
They are dedicated to preservation and restoration (whether fully or keeping
"as is" to prevent further deterioration) of everything from small painted
signs advertising a type of motor oil in a gas station to *huge* neon and
ghost signs.  The gentleman who runs the museum is an absolute *fanatic*
(but in a good way).  Here's their website, complete with contact
information:

http://www.signmuseum.com/

And having lived in Montana, I do remember how much of Butte's wild and
wooly mining past is still around.  When the pit all but shut down there was
really no new money coming in to "develop" the downtown.  I always thought
it rather wonderful that being broke saved the history.

On 9/14/06, Mitzi Rossillon <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Here in Butte, Montana, we have quite a few ghost signs worth viewing.  I
> am
> interested to know what paints and techniques have been used elsewhere to
> stabilize/repair/restore the signs, as this question comes up frequently
> in
> our community.
>
> Mitzi Rossillon
> Renewable Technologies, Inc.
> Butte, America
>