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I have a client that wants a backlit ("halo") lit lettering. They are too small to create metal channel letters and I was wondering if I could create them out of HDU. the stroke spacing is 1.25"
Reverse route with a channel or groove for the led.
Any ideas?
-------------------- Jeff Wisdom SignWorks info@oregonsignworks.com Posts: 450 | From: Oregon | Registered: Dec 2005
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PVC works.. Don't know if you need indoors or not.
-------------------- Leaper of Tall buildings.. If you find my posts divisive or otherwise snarky please ignore them. If you do not know how then PM me about it and I will demonstrate. Posts: 5274 | From: Im a nowhere man | Registered: Jul 2001
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What about cutting the letters in solid 15mm acrylic (white, opal, or clear with translucent vinyl front).
Grooving or pocketing out the letters, routing recesses in a 3/8" or 10mm clear acrylic backing sheet - routed at half the acrylic thickness, deep. (Use an inline function in Entoute so they fit.)
Glue the letters into the holes.
Set up LED lighting as hidden edge-lighting of the whole panel. The letters should glow where the letters are glued in.
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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I know a local sign shop that did just that, they grooved out the back and installed LED's for a halo effect. I wasn't working there at the time so I don't know the depth of cut and such. However, the scrolls were probably too complex to make a standard channel letter cost effectively, and they happen to be at the shopping center right next door to my home. I can email you a picture of them lit at night if you like, just let me know.
-------------------- Rick Heller Ohio Technical College 1374 E. 51st Street Cleveland, OH 44103 IOAFS Posts: 210 | From: Cleveland, OH | Registered: Nov 2001
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Great, thanks for input. Now it seems they want metal letters, look solid so I will look into getting LED affixed to back. Rick, photo would be helpful, might go that route.
-------------------- Jeff Wisdom SignWorks info@oregonsignworks.com Posts: 450 | From: Oregon | Registered: Dec 2005
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I did that with HDU but it was a cross for a church sign. It worked very well but the cross had a width of 2.25 inches and that was just enough room for the pockets to house the LED's. But that was about 7 years ago and I've seen LED's with a much smaller profile lately so a skinnier width should work.
-------------------- Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 sherwoodsign@sbcglobal.net Posts: 5396 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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A company I used to work for made routed out reverse channel letters from Medex for an interior restaurant display I designed. About 1.25" stroke with a translucent white 1/8" plex diffuser set into the backs over the leds. The letters were pegged off the face about 1". It had a nice halo light. These letter were 1" deep. Bear in mind that if you attach leds to the backs of solid letters the light won't diffuse and you'll get hot spots and reflections on the sign face.
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