Hey everyone. How does one make a sign like this one?
Posted by Raymond Chapman (Member # 361) on :
I have no idea.
Posted by Felix Marcano (Member # 1833) on :
Geez thanks Raymond! Posted by Alicia B. Jennings (Member # 1272) on :
Okay, well the stone is stone, the main sign could be Expanded Polystyrene Foam carved by hand or with a CNC router.The letters are cut, glued on top and then given a stucco coating. Yes?
Posted by Felix Marcano (Member # 1833) on :
That might work!
Posted by Alicia B. Jennings (Member # 1272) on :
Ya know, the spacing on the letters is off. The letters just look a little sad. If you re-do it, I'd work on the font layout and the spacing.
Posted by Dave Sherby (Member # 698) on :
Felix!!!!!! Great to hear from you. I was wondering if you got through the hurricane unscathed. I agree with Alicia on the design. I certainly wouldn't wrap the letters around a curve so tight you have to walk in an arc to read it.
Yep, letters glued or studs onto the background. Looks like some sort of stucco. Banner looks hand carved to me.
Posted by John Smith (Member # 1308) on :
Hi Felix - so glad to hear you are somewhat OK !!
first of all, please delete your photo as it is over 6,000 dpi and resize and crop it to 800 dpi
are you asking this question just out of curiosity ?? or - are you going to bid on a similar project. that project would have looked much better with a flat panel cast bronze plaque-type sign mounted firmly and securely in the front of the structure. (and more historically correct). I have made a few signs for St.Thomas and St.Croix but nothing like that. If I had done that project, I would have emphatically talked them into the flat panel sign on a separate structure. (preferably cast bronze or aluminum faux bronze).
that sign is sandblasted HDU using multiple laminated layers to achieve and keep the shape. granted, the curve is a bit extreme for comfortable viewing by the public. (I bet it looked great on the architects drawing table) ((stupid *&#^%@$ architects)).
This is how I would have presented it to the Town Counsel on the first try: It would still be curved to conform to the structure - just not as much and very readable.
I have made several signs of this nature up to 7 feet in diameter. the secret is to know the radius of the substrate it will be mounted to. then make a plywood frame of those dimensions.
now to the sign - - - if you can get 3/4" HDU, sandblast your design onto that panel. clean it up, radius the edges accordingly then take a blank sheet of 3/4" oversized HDU and mold it to your wood frame and secure it firmly with tape, screws, rope, cargo straps, whatever it takes. (1/2" HDU is easier to work with). then laminate another sheet of HDU over that and wrap everything up tightly with saran wrap and let it all cure. (remove all wraps and ties after curing). last step will be to very carefully laminate your sandblasted panel to the first two panels that have now become one. (wrap it all up tightly with saran wrap and let it all cure). handle the sandblasted panel very carefully as it is very thin and fragile at this stage. after all laminations are complete and the adhesive has properly cured, cut off the excess back two panels with a coping saw, extreme care must be taken in the final steps so you don't have too many imperfections to clean up. then comes the sanding and painting. once this is done, it will never lose its shape. use your own discretion as how to mount your new panel to the substrate. this is the same process of laminated furniture with curved backs out of plywood. the price would be twice what you would charge for a flat panel because it is twice (if not more) the work involved. use the same amount of coats of primer and paint on the back as the front. I forget which meet it was, but I gave a short blurb on how to make curved HDU signs like this.
[ December 11, 2017, 12:17 PM: Message edited by: John Smith ]
Posted by Felix Marcano (Member # 1833) on :
Thanks guys. And thanks for the detailed explanation John. Yes, we're building this sign. And yes, I tried to convince them to go flat, but they absolutely want the sign right where that one is. Sorry, I can't delete the photo. When I hit the edit button it says that too much time has passed.
Posted by Ricardo Davila (Member # 3854) on :
![[Rolling On The Floor]](graemlins/rolf.gif)
