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I'm looking at restoring some 20+ year old western red cedar signs for a development. The client does not want to shell out the bucks for new signs but the signs are in pretty sad shape.
These signs are laminated from 4x4 cedar and some of the end grain is rotted out so bad you can stick your fist in the holes. I'm thinking of taking my gun with me to the site when taking the rest of them down because tere's no tellin' what kind of critters are livin' in them holes. I thought about sandblasting the holes to remove the rotted wood and then filling it with something.....but what?
I thought about using west system epoxy mixed with sawdust but, seeing the number of signs and big holes in every one of them, it could create a nationwide shortage of west system epoxy and not to mention cost some serious bucks. Also, on one of the signs, I counted 24 carpenter bee holes in the back of it. Looks like some redneck peppered it with 00-buckshot.
I also thought about filling the big holes with spray foam. Some of the signs will probably have to be replaced.
Any Ideas? Thanks
-------------------- Wayne Webb Webb Signworks Chipley, FL 850.638.9329 wayne@webbsignworks.com Posts: 7406 | From: Chipley,Florida,United States | Registered: Oct 1999
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Holes so big you can put your fist in?! Tell these cheap SOBs to buy a new sign.
-------------------- Kimberly Zanetti Purcell www.amethystProductivity.com Folsom, CA email: Kimberly@AmethystProductivity.com
“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” AA Milne Posts: 3723 | From: Folsom, CA | Registered: Dec 2001
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Kimberly.. Now you knwo them fokes is pore..an' cain't 'ford no new signs.
Sheila, Yore welcome to brang the ribs but that there cedar'd be a mite too spicey fer me. Me an' ma boy jes cut us a big 'ol stack o' hick'ry this winter....Make them ribs fitt'n ta eat fer shore.
One of these signs here at the shop is 3'x3', is one sided, has one line of routed text and a 13'' diameter circular logo which is routed to three depths. I figure about 58.25/sq ft or $524.25 plus about $150 to $200 to rout and paint the logo.
But, they's a bunch o' signs and they ain't want'n to put out that kinda money.
-------------------- Wayne Webb Webb Signworks Chipley, FL 850.638.9329 wayne@webbsignworks.com Posts: 7406 | From: Chipley,Florida,United States | Registered: Oct 1999
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Well, there's plenty of things that I want but can't afford either.
-------------------- Kimberly Zanetti Purcell www.amethystProductivity.com Folsom, CA email: Kimberly@AmethystProductivity.com
“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” AA Milne Posts: 3723 | From: Folsom, CA | Registered: Dec 2001
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I'm with Kimberly on this one. I learned a long long time ago that its not worth it trying to save some cheap s.o.b. a few bucks and screwing yourself ultimately in the long run...
-------------------- Bob Stephens Skywatch Signs Zephyrhills, FL
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That oughta be easy... figure out what new signs would cost, then give them a price 50% higher to screw around with that nasty pile of firewood.
Seriously. You will be hating life if you take this job.
-------------------- "A wise man concerns himself with the truth, not with what people believe." - Aristotle
Cam Bortz Finest Kind Signs Pondside Iron works 256 S. Broad St. Pawcatuck, Ct. 06379 "Award winning Signs since 1988" Posts: 3051 | From: Pawcatuck,Connecticut USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Even better, send them to your worst competitor, the shop that cuts your throat on everything they price. Make sure they price this one really, really cheap, then just drop in sometime and watch the fun.
Just an aside, when someone says they "don't wanna spend that kind of money"...exactly what kind of money is it that they don't wanna spend? Giulders? Krona? Pesetos? Yen? There must be some other kind of money I don't know about. Always wondered 'bout that.
-------------------- "A wise man concerns himself with the truth, not with what people believe." - Aristotle
Cam Bortz Finest Kind Signs Pondside Iron works 256 S. Broad St. Pawcatuck, Ct. 06379 "Award winning Signs since 1988" Posts: 3051 | From: Pawcatuck,Connecticut USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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How much are you charging them extra for working around carpenter bees? Hit the house once to see if that was where they were coming in the house. Boy was that a mistake! Several stings and war was declared But they are tougher then they look. Hope to win the war soon.
-------------------- Debbie Posts: 674 | From: USA | Registered: Feb 2001
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Some people chase butterlies...I go after carpenter bees...keep a tennis racket hanging in my barn just for that purpose. Suicidal little rascals.....if you swing and miss, more often than not they buzz around eratically, make a wide orbit, and return to hover right were you swung last....as if to say: "that was fun" bet ya can't hit me this time either" Wap!
I'll go ahead and "restore" three of the signs, show them what they're getting, Charge well for it, and give them a price for new ones. If they decide to go with some other poor sap for the rest, oh well.
-------------------- Wayne Webb Webb Signworks Chipley, FL 850.638.9329 wayne@webbsignworks.com Posts: 7406 | From: Chipley,Florida,United States | Registered: Oct 1999
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-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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This is a perfect example of a situation that requires my favorite line....
"Go new or go somewhere else."
Push that point! Not only are you going to have to deal with the extra labor now, but you run the risk of more grief later if unforseen problems come up.
These jobs always seem to find a way to come back and bite you in the butt.
-------------------- Ray Rheaume Rapidfire Design 543 Brushwood Road North Haverhill, NH 03774 rapidfiredesign@hotmail.com 603-787-6803
I like my paint shaken, not stirred. Posts: 5648 | From: North Haverhill, New Hampshire | Registered: Apr 2003
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Have you ever dealt with carpenter bees before? They're tricky. We have a bunch of holes in the front porch roof from them. My hubby sprayed the holes with bee stuff and then after they were dead, gone whatever, he filled the holes with caulk. Those bastards ate through the caulk. I'm allergic to bees and hate all bees so if you want to give them a competitor's price to deal with redoing these nasty things rather than doing new, give me a call. I'd add a HUGH surcharge for dealing with bees.
-------------------- Chris Welker Wildfire Signs Indiana, Pa Posts: 4254 | From: Indiana, PA | Registered: Mar 2001
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Cam's funny. But seriously, I can't help but wonder what they paid the first time the signs were made.Maybe they were made in 1926, I dunno. If you did find a way to patch the holes, what's to stop the wood from rotting around the patch? It's about cause and effect, find the cause of the rot before thinking about repair. That's just a general principle I try to follow, I don't like the sound of this one though. Still, why aren't they calling the original sign person? There's gotta be a reason.When prices get high there's often some strategy involved. As far as bees are concerned, I've learned alot living here in East TN. Bunches of bees and wasps. It may sound kooky, but I'm learning they have definate, consistant ways of comunicating with humans. We don't dialog about Shakespear, but they let me know their intentions. We're real careful how we treat them, and they return the favor. My metal working area must have 15 carpenter bee holes (active). They buzz around us, doing their thing, but not yet have we been stung. It's like a mutual understanding that they're raising their families, and we're raising ours, which by the way just increased by one beautiful baby girl as of 11:40 pm wednesday. I could go on about the bees and wasps, but I don't want to take up too much space.
-------------------- James Donahue Donahue Sign Arts 1851 E. Union Valley Rd. Seymour TN. (865) 577-3365 brushman@nxs.net
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what's for lunch, Benjamin Franklin Posts: 2057 | From: 1033 W. Union Valley Rd. | Registered: Feb 2003
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I'm with Chris on this one! Carpenter bees will just rebore the same holes! Only way to stop them is to mix in lots of steel wool with the putty or caulk!
Any bets that those signs are pretty much hollow by now? Go along with Cam's suggestion!!!!!!
-------------------- Si Allen #562 La Mirada, CA. USA
(714) 521-4810
si.allen on Skype
siallen@dslextreme.com
"SignPainters do It with Longer Strokes!"
Never mess with your profile while in a drunken stupor!!!
Brushasaurus on Chat Posts: 8831 | From: La Mirada, CA, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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I forgot to mention the huge wooden entrance sign. Upon inspection, I noticed that termites had eaten one of the big posts off about 16'' above the ground. Someone had bolted a crosstie to one side of it and a road grader blade to the other. When that failed, they just blocked it up with two cinder blocks. How's that for engineering? BTW they had also used western red cedar for the posts. Not a good idea for this neck of the woods.
This particular sign is just across the fence from a horse paddock. On one side I noticed where the horses had been stretching their necks over the fence and cribbing on the sign. I told them that I could snap a chalkline down that side, cut it off, and cut a new radius on the corners.
Oh yea, the woodpeckers. Kelly I built them a new sign, identical to the woodpecker ravaged one, out of HDU.
-------------------- Wayne Webb Webb Signworks Chipley, FL 850.638.9329 wayne@webbsignworks.com Posts: 7406 | From: Chipley,Florida,United States | Registered: Oct 1999
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![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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How much are you charging them extra for working around carpenter bees? Hit the house once to see if that was where they were coming in the house. Boy was that a mistake! ![[Mad]](mad.gif)
But they are tougher then they look. Hope to win the war soon.![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
Wap!
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