I'm retired now after 35 years as a signmaker and I'm mentoring a student at a local college in making sandblasted signs. The college wants to use cypress. I've used many different substrates over the years but never cypress. Does anyone know of the durability of cypress? And what is the grain like?
Posted by bill riedel (Member # 607) on :
Sorry Mary, no clue, but so good to see your name after so many years meeting you in Belvedere with your late companion. I always believed that any wood will work if prepared,primed and finished with good materials will work.
Posted by Dale Feicke (Member # 767) on :
Hi Mary, Cypress would probably work, but I doubt it's your best candidate for sandblasting. It's a good bit harder than the traditional redwood/cedar norm that's been used.
It does hold up well outdoors, and has been widely used in outdoor furniture, shingles, and some landscaping treatments. It tends to turn a grey color as it ages, if a clear finish is applied.
I don't believe I'd use it for sandblasted signage, particularly for training purposes. You usually want to make things as easy as possible for newcomers into the craft.
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
our house in sarasota was all cypress. termites dont like it, wont eat it. something bout a chemical in it that other woods dont have. also it dont rot like other woods. its really a stringy type of wood almost like a corn stalk.....ive seen some routed signs made of cypress as names of camps/cabins/boats......but not sandblasted. Cypress is extremely resistant to harsh weather conditions, insects and fungus. Since Cypress wood lacks sap and doesn't bleed, it takes well to sealers, stains and paints. Its color varies in shades of light to dark honey and with some knots for a nice rustic look. If left outdoors unfinished in its natural state, the appearance of the wood will become a light pewter color over time. Cypress is lightweight, scarce of knots, medium textured, and dimensionally stable with a closed straight grain, resists splitting, warping, checking, splintering and cracking. http://www.lcisigns.com/wood_types.shtml
[ August 10, 2014, 11:47 AM: Message edited by: old paint ]
Posted by Wayne Webb (Member # 1124) on :
I have made blasted and routed signs with it. It can be a little stringy as has been mentioned. It is oily and not as ''brittle'' as redwood or western cedar, so silica sand does nit shatter it as well. Another thing I found was that the oils prevented Recorcinol and weldwood from laminating well, but that was before I began using WestSystems epoxy. I rarely do any blasted wood anymore as I prefer HDU.
Posted by Rodger MacMunn (Member # 4316) on :
Mary, I've blasted many cypress signs. It is quite a bit harder than cedar or redwood, but you'll get some awesome grain patterns from vertical grain. Buying vertical grain may be difficult though. I've never blasted on flat grain, & wouldn't. The biggest issue I've had with lamination is your vertical grain needs to be almost perfectly vertical. I can't explain in print what the issue will be. As for longevity, I did a lot of cypress signs in 2001 or so. Other than moss growing on the north-facing ones, they're fine.
Posted by Mary Soyenova (Member # 590) on :
Thanks, folks, for the help and info. I'll tell the college, and I'm sure that they will want to use their cypress---we'll see how it turns out! Always an adventure, eh?
Bill-didn't you once say, "Retire? That's what they do to cars!"
Posted by Jean Shimp (Member # 198) on :
The shop I used to work for used a lot of cypress to make routed signs. One of the issues was the wood had a high moisture content. We used to let it sit and dry out before working with it.
Posted by Rodger MacMunn (Member # 4316) on :
Mary, Jean is correct .... it takes a while to dry out & you should try to get kiln-dried. White Timber Co. in Pamplico SC ( just SE of Florence) has a kiln & will sell you full 2" rough-sawn.
