The Letterville BullBoard: How to install carved sign with brackets?

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Posted by Judy Hilliker (Member # 236) on :

I might have a dilemma here. Can anyone give me some advice? I have a 2-sided carved, inch and a half thick, 18lb signfoam sign, approx 3' x 3' with NO flat edges on any sides. I ordered the 48" and 36" iron brackets to use to install this. The 48 inch on top and the 36" for the bottom to keep it from swinging. We are going to weld a piece of iron to the top bracket to secure it to the building in place of wire cable. When I designed this I wasn't thinking about the installation. can anyone give me some input. Thanks. Judy

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Judy Hilliker/owner
Hae Jude Custom Signs
Silver Creek, NY
www.haejude.com

Posted by Rick Sacks (Member # 379) on :

How about lag bolts and a squirt of silicone adhesive into the pre drilled bolt holes ?

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The SignShop
Mendocino, California
"Where the Redwoods meet the Surf"

Posted by VICTORGEORGIOU (Member # 474) on :

The sign foam does not have a great deal of mechanical strength, so you just can't screw a lag into it. You drill out a hole and put in a plug of stronger material, perhaps wood. Then lag goes into the stronger material.

It sounds like you might want to use threaded rod at four points, two top and two bottom. The principle is the same. Vic G

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Victor Georgiou
AnchorBlanks.com
Designer Sign Blanks
Clipart CD's & FONTS

Posted by Pierre St.Marie (Member # 1462) on :

IF you're going to use lags or eyescrews, you can screw directly into the HDU. You drill a hole just SLIGHTLY smaller than the thread size, squirt some PB240 into the hole, (not too much....it expands) and then lightly coat the threads with PB240. Allow a full 24 hour cure. That area will be stronger than the rest of the HDU sign. NOW.....lets talk about your mistake!

1.5" double sided in anything larger than a 2'x2' should not be suspended or installed between posts by itself. The 18lb is better than 15lb, but an impact can definitely break it in half. Consider that you've already reduce the thickness by the amount of HDU removed by carving. It may now be no more than .75" thick in many areas.

The correct way to insure a semi strong sign that size is to use TWO pieces of HDU back to back. With a sign that size, I'd have used two pieces of 1.5", or better yet, 2" HDU. Suspension from above only requires that you rout two channels down the back of both, 1/4" deep by 1/2" wide using a roundbottom end mill. Of course the two vertical channels must be perfectly aligned so that when the panels are placed back to back you have two long holes, top to bottom. Now you take two 1/2" diameter rods and weld a 2"x2" square on the bottom of each. Bend a "J" or an "eye" in the top of each. Lay a bead of PB240 into each channel, inset the rod into the two channels, crosshatch lines of PB240 across the surface of that sheet and join the two halves. Doing this will make the HDU stronger than the two halves by themselves. Lightly clamp the carving all around the edges and let it set overnight. Make SURE that the "eyes/Js" of the rods are facing the right direction for hanging.

Now your carving is stronger than when you started and ALL of the weight is supported by the two 2'x2' squares on the BOTTOM of the sign. No tie downs needed.

Class dismissed.

D'Oh! Edited for spellink!
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St.Marie Graphics
& Makin' Tracks Sound Studio
Kalispell, Montana
stmariegraphics@centurytel.net http://www.stmariegraphics.com
800 735-8026
We're chiseling every day of the week! :^)

[This message has been edited by pierre (edited September 07, 2001).]

Posted by Mike Kelly (Member # 2037) on :

Use threaded rod or cut the head off a 3.5"-4" bolt. Drill a hole SLIGHTLY larger than the bolt into the HDU about 2"-3". Mix up some West Systems epoxy and pour some into the hole and insert bolt(or rod)making sure to keep it straight. Let it sit about 6-8 hours.

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Mike"Spud"Kelly
theSignWorx
Ashburnham, MA
978.827.4439

"Your reputation is made by others; your character is made by you."

Posted by Bruce Bowers (Member # 892) on :

hey jude...

seems that an ounce of prevention would have saved you a pound of cure on this one.

have a great one!

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Bruce Bowers
DrCAS
Signtech

"how great are His signs..."
Daniel 4:3

i am a proud supporter of this website!

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