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Hey guys, i don't get to slip in here very often, unfortunately, so I'm sure I've missed where you've went over this stuff - but anyway...............
I haven't done a sandblasted sign for probably 8-10 years - not a lot of demand right where I'm at - but I've got one now. I'm using western red cedar. What I'm wondering is, what is the Optimum Method? Do you guys paint what you can first, then mask and blast; or prime with SignLife, mask and blast then paint all later; or mask bare wood, blast and prime & paint everything later?
Thanks for your help.
-------------------- Patrick Wedel North Country Signs Barron, Wisconsin Posts: 72 | From: Barron, WI | Registered: Dec 2004
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Masking bare wood adds too much work. The mask that is strong enough to blast bare wood always pulls wood up with it and then requires a lot of sanding.
We prime with SignLife First Step, then paint, (2 coats) then apply medium tack stencil, blast, stain background while stencil is still on, (dab off excess stain from the stencil as you go), remove stencil when stain is almost dry. Don't rush the dry time between coats of paint to avoid potential problems.
If you want to do more sandblasted signs, just show them more. Make up some samples. In my area, there was no demand for sandblasted signs because no one was making them. 3D signs is 40% of my sign sales now.
-------------------- Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 sherwoodsign@sbcglobal.net Posts: 5400 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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Two more quick/cheap vinyl shops recently moved into our town and another one or two in the next town. My vinyl and vehicle sales slowed down to a trickle. So if it wasn't for sandlbasted signs, I would be in trouble. And I'm going to use some of Dave's advice and make up some gold leaf samples for the showroom.
I do it just like Dave described. The high tack stencil pulls up the bare wood in splinters. I use Anchor #153 computer cut stencil for all my sandblasted HDU and redwood signs. It works the same with cedar.
One other thing to remember; let the paint cure for about 5 days before applying stencil and blasting. Here's a step by step. The only difference, is you use FirstStep primer for wood, like Dave said. http://www.letterville.com/steps/wayne/index.htm
-------------------- Wayne Webb Webb Signworks Chipley, FL 850.638.9329 wayne@webbsignworks.com Posts: 7404 | From: Chipley,Florida,United States | Registered: Oct 1999
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I do it on the raw wood...Hartco mask. I have a little trouble with the grain pulling up, but nothing I can't sand out in 3 minutes. My reasoning......I want a continuous, unbroken coat of primer over the entire sign. We average 60 sandblasted & carved signs every year. Most have a detailed pictorial of something on them, so a little extra time painting in the individual colours really doesn't matter much at the end. Dave & Wayne are right about not rushing it. I just don't have the space to have a bunch of signs taking a 5 day sabbatical.
-------------------- Rodger MacMunn T.R. MacMunn & Sons C.P.207, Sharbot Lake, ON 613-279-1230 trmac@frontenac.net Posts: 475 | From: Sharbot Lake, Ontario | Registered: Nov 2003
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Rarely do we have a call for redwood anymore...mainly because I discorage it due to the unavailablity in our area. Most of our dimensional work is HDU.
Whenever we do use redwood (or any wood) we don't prime it first. We've just never had that much luck with doing it that way and I like the look of the continuous paint film...and I think they last longer that way.
I'll echo the remarks of others - if you want to sell more dimensional stuff, you have to do more dimensional stuff...even if it is for you and samples for the showroom. There were very few sandblasted signs in our area until we started doing them and now they are the majority of our work.
Mike Jackson gave us all some very good advice a long time ago. He said that you should only have photos and samples of the work that you want to do.
-------------------- Chapman Sign Studio Temple, Texas chapmanstudio@sbcglobal.net Posts: 6306 | From: Temple, Texas, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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I don't pre prime or paint my sand blasted signs either. I never realy have any problems. I have planers, joiners, etc. and get my wood blank as perfect and as close to a finished peice before laying on the rubber. This makes for a lot less work later. Everthing I can do before hand makes for a smoother process later.
Also, my portfolio is filled with all hand done work, the kind I want to do. There are a few pictures of some vinyl work in the back just to show I also have those capabilities. I don't want my clients ordering everything except the vinyl work from me, I want all of thier work. By the time they see all the nice custom work the vinyl pales in comparison anyway.
[ June 03, 2008, 10:54 PM: Message edited by: Jerry Berg ]
-------------------- Jerry Berg South Paw Sign Washington State Posts: 87 | From: Washington State | Registered: Jun 2007
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I also appreciate your suggestions on getting more dimensional work. i guess I have been too busy with whatever my customers throw at me to seriously push it. Maybe its time to change that.
-------------------- Patrick Wedel North Country Signs Barron, Wisconsin Posts: 72 | From: Barron, WI | Registered: Dec 2004
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