It's a long, painful story as to how we got to this point, but, we are working on 9 signs, 15'H x 7'W, (produced by an out of town sign company), that have seams in the aluminum panels.
My customer now wants us to fill the seams so they are no longer visible. We would like to do this out in the field.
The panels are painted with Matthews paint.
Any suggestions as to how we can fill these seams and paint them on site.
Posted by Cam Bortz (Member # 55) on :
Any sign 15' by 7' is obviously not intended for close viewing - are the seams visible and obtrusive from the intended viewing distance? Do they interfere with the message and purpose of the sign? Or is this an unreasonable client looking for an excuse to complain about something?
Just about any sort of filler I can think of is going to fail at some point, if only because of the expansion and contraction of the panels in different conditions. Getting a filler to match your colors is another issue. I have never heard of a seamless aluminum panel that large; the only way I can think of making one would be to weld the seams, then grind and polish to eliminate the seam before painting. Chances are your client wouldn't want to pay for all that.
I wish I had a more positive solution for your problem. Best of luck.
Posted by Tony Vickio (Member # 2265) on :
Richard, I have used strips of vinyl over the seams, then paint them after application so the edges are sealed. You will see a slight line, but I see no way to eliminate the seam to a person who stands there and looks for it!
Posted by ScooterX (Member # 2023) on :
i'd sand, fill and use the vinyl. but here's another option:
use router or die grinder to cut a 1/6" deep groove where the seam is, then fill the groove with 100% silicone caulk and paint over it (or paint under it and use the clear caulk). its a bit of labor, but it should weather al right for 5-7 years. that's how they match up architectural building panels when they need to create access panels.
I'd suggest doing a dummy panel with a few choices (do the work in the shop) and mounting at the correct viewing distance and show the client the options (and prices).
Posted by Curtis hammond (Member # 2170) on :
Aluminum moves a lot. You fill it with something it will show after time. No matter what you do.
And get back about 35 ft and if he can see the seams then he needs to be a telescope not a human.
That is unless the seams are really badly aligned.
Posted by Rick Chavez (Member # 2146) on :
How thick is the Aluminum-if it's to thin, welding is a biig pain in the but, especially if its uplit-anotther option is reskining-make a prepainted panel and attach to the face-there are a few attachment things to consider, but might be worth it than painting on-site or removing the sign.
Posted by Michael Berry (Member # 2604) on :
Richard~
Of course something that large is going to have seams!! Sounds like somebody is being pretty unreasonable. Even if you wanted to weld it, it is going to look tons worse because of warping. (I assume it's .040 aluminum?) If you fill it with a filler, you can just bet it will fall out, then you know what will happen next....or the color will be off, or something won't be just right, then this project will be the biggest zit on your butt that you could ever have! Just tell your customer to get 50 feet back and look at it, it will be just fine.......
