How to hang heavy enamel safely?

Use brass screws with rubber washers. Never tighten the screw directly against the face. Over-tightening chips the glass layer. The rubber provides a cushion and stops rust forming around the mounting hole.

We found a really big wooden pub board in my grandad's shed but the paint is flaking off in chunks, should we varnish over it to stick it down?

Varnish is the wrong approach. Modern clear coats seal in moisture and react badly with old oil paints, causing more lifting down the line. A professional conservator uses specialised adhesives injected under the flakes to consolidate the surface. If you want to stabilise it yourself temporarily, keep it flat in a dry room with stable humidity.

Best way to clean dirty enamel?

Warm water and mild soap on a soft cloth clears most surface grime. Stubborn marks sometimes respond to a gentle non-abrasive polish. Avoid harsh chemical cleaners or wire wool. These scratch the glass surface and dull the original gloss finish.

I have a double sided one with a folded edge but it sits crooked against the wall when I put it up, can I bend the metal back straight?

Bending the flange is risky. The steel base might flex, but the rigid glass coating will not. Attempting to straighten a bent flange usually results in large pieces of the surface popping off. It's better to use small wooden shims behind the fixing points. This corrects the angle against the wall without stressing the metal.

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Antique Signs from the 19th Century

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Antique signs encompass everything from cast iron pub markers and hand-painted wooden trade boards to vitreous enamel advertising panels, originally created to identify businesses or promote products to a passing public.