The Letterville BullBoard: cleaning or "recycling" Plexi sign faces?

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Posted by ScooterX (Member # 2023) on :

i love this job-- people keep asking me to give them prices on big jobs i have no experience with! the never ending learning curve.

for this one, the customer has an 18' high double sided illumated sign. (3 metal cabinets stacked up, white Plexi faces on all, for a total of 6 pieces of Plexi). the total is 154 sq. feet. of Plexi. the currently have big blue vinyl lettering on them.

so, does it make sense to strip off the vinyl and try to re-use the Plexi? i'm guessing the stuff has been on there for at least ten years. one side faces south, the other is north facing, if that matters. i know i can heat and scrape and use RapidClean and RapidClear. what i don't know is if there is any potential for the plasic being too old to be re-used. do i need to buff it out with a power buffer or something? is there some other possible pitfall that's waiting for me to step into it?

i was thinking that i'd quote him the price for new plastic faces, and then charge hourly for removal/refinishing. if the hourly started to become more than the new price i'd skip it and get him new stuff (and if its less, i'd give him the lower price).

if i can't reuse them for this job i thought i can probably cut the stuff down and use for smaller painted signs (for signs that wont be backlighted), so my time wont be "wasted".

Posted by Brian (Member # 39) on :

You are much better off getting new material if it is that old. Acrylic (or even Polycarbonate) gets brittle over time and you are asking for trouble trying to reuse it, unless they understand that if it breaks its not your problem. Also getting rid of "ghosting" after removing the old vinyl can be so labor intsensive you might as well start clean.

Posted by Bruce Bowers (Member # 892) on :

Hey Scooter...

Brian took the words right out of my mouth. Start with new plastic. You will be much happier in the long run. Ask me how I know.... Hahahahahahahaha!

Have a great one!

Posted by Ace (Member # 1723) on :

New and like I put in your other post I prefer Lexan if one of those 3x10 gets caught by the wind Lexan is alot more forgiving and the money you make ain't no good if you have to buy materials twice.

[ February 01, 2002: Message edited by: Ace ]

Posted by ScooterX (Member # 2023) on :

OK -- thanks guys! (its what i figured, but i wanted to be able to tell the owner "i asked three experienced sign men and they all told me not to re-use the old plastic").

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