I am making a hanging sign that is approximately 42" x 18" and 1 to 1 1/2" thick. It is for a non-profit group and it has to last a very long time. It is flat, but has the silhouette of a leaf; it's green with white letters. I'm investigating the products "Extira" and, of course, "Sign Foam". I can't use aluminum or similar because it has to be that thick.
What should I use? How do I install brackets? Should I use vinyl or paint?
If need be, I'll give a link to my drawing.
Thanks for your input.
Posted by W. R. Pickett (Member # 3842) on :
...The longest lasting material I can think of would be cast aluminum, painted with acrylic paint. Ot maybe porcelain enamel on steel.
Posted by Doug Allan (Member # 2247) on :
sounds like a steep learning curve if you don't at least have most of the solution worked out for those materials mentioned.
I'm still learning about all those questions & what I know already is way more then I would have time to type... yet still not enough to think I could give you all the help you would need...
How about gluing up some redwood?
what do you mean "It is flat, but has the silhouette of a leaf" ? Is it flat or not? I mean "silhouette" wouldn't mean something not flat, but since you said "It is flat, BUT..." it sounds like you have a raised or recessed leaf. Can you sandblast this sign?
Also, "non-profit" and "last long" sounds like they would also want "cheap"... when I get that I suggest an affordable sign that may need sprucing up in 3 to 5 years... or paying triple today, to get it to last twice as long!
Posted by Mark Bachman (Member # 802) on :
I'll email you the preliminary of my sign. It's going to be a hanging sign, for a Tree Preservation company.
Posted by Dave Sherby (Member # 698) on :
I guess they wouldn't want a wood sign then.
Posted by Mark Bachman (Member # 802) on :
Not a wooden sign. Perhaps a synthetic, such as Sign Foam, or aluminum?
Posted by Deri Russell (Member # 119) on :
Mark? How come a guy who has been a letterhead chat channel member since 1999 is asking these questions? Did you join and then decide to become a pharmacist for a while and then realized that signs really was your calling?
Just kiddin'ya Mark. Sign Foam will probably get you about 5 - 7 years with lots of coats of paint. So I guess it comes down to- how many years is a long time? I would use exterior latex paints. And I would hang it like you would a wood sign. Don't overscrew.
Edited cause I realized I really hadn't answered any of your questions, so I did.
Edited again to say I would put a byline at the bottom "No trees were harmed in the making of this sign, however, ecologically speaking I don't know what they are going to do with this "darn ol' polyurethane after they don't want this sign anymore.
[ June 25, 2010, 05:13 PM: Message edited by: Deri Russell ]
Posted by Ray Rheaume (Member # 3794) on :
At that scale and thickness, you could make it from a single sheet of PVC.
Cut the sheet into 3 sections and PVC prime and cement them together. Dries in minutes.
Cut a chunk of vinyl in the shape you need, apply and cut with a jig saw.The vinyl will help keep the material from"slagging" while you cut and give you clean edges.
Remove the vinyl and sand the edges as needed. You should get an almost invisible seam and a 1 1/2" thickness.
Prep it with an adhesion promoter and paint the base color you need. A good quality aerosol auto paint would be a good choice. Clearing it is also an option.
Add graphics.
Lightweight and durable, it won't need a heavy mounting system and the total material costs would be around $150-$200.
Just thinking out loud... Rapid
[ June 25, 2010, 09:30 PM: Message edited by: Ray Rheaume ]
Posted by Michael Boone (Member # 308) on :
contact a wholesale sign company.
Posted by Sonny Franks (Member # 588) on :
Mark, you could sandwich aluminum, HDU, or MDO to a treated wood frame for a simple, yet durable sign. Sturdy eye hooks should work fine for hanging.
edited to ask: what did you make the Okerstrom-Lang sign with on your website? nice work, btw.......
[ June 26, 2010, 12:29 AM: Message edited by: Sonny Franks ]
Posted by W. R. Pickett (Member # 3842) on :
if you put clear on it, forget about it lasting very long.
Posted by Dale Feicke (Member # 767) on :
I'd say Ray's idea was very doable. I'd sandwich some stainless steel hanger rods into the middle layer of PVC. Just rout out 2 grooves in an L shape (one forward, one backward) into the top of the sign; then bend the stainless rods to match. Lay them in the grooves with some good epoxy, and add the other layer of the sandwich.
Instead of spray paint, I'd either go to Sherwin-Williams and get some industrial epoxy; or take it to a body shop and have them spray it with a basecoat/clearcoat urethane. It'll hold up well.
You might even experiment with having the basecoat put on, let it cure, apply the vinyl graphics, then clearcoat. That's the experiment....some clears go over vinyl easy, others don't. But if it will, it'll make a very slick job. Don't mis-spell anything, though.
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