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Yesterday one of my suppliers dropped off a sample of a balsa wood product called Baltek. He said it comes 1 3/4" thick 24x96". I sandblasted it with our company logo, and it turned out really cool. Have any of you used this product? I imagine it would be great for interior signs, but wonder how it would do outdoors? Thanks for any replies.
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We have used it on a couple of exterior signs and it seems to be holding up great after 4 years. The one-shot paint needs to be recoated though.
We were told, after blasting, put one coat of Thompson's Water Seal front & back then prime & paint like normal.
We have been using alot of cedar & redwood instead. It's hard to sell the Balsa (tropical hardwood), rather than cedar or redwood. The general public knows what cedar & redwood are. When I did sell the Balsa, I just told the customer it was a sandblasted wood sign.
------------------ Justin Booher Vital Signs, Inc. Edmond, OK 405/348-7227 "Custom Hand Crafted Signage!"
Posts: 33 | From: Edmond, OK U.S.A. | Registered: May 1999
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I've tried it for carving and it's OK, but didn't see the advantage over HDU. I get a little squirrelly about substrates that are supposed to be fine outdoors "when properly sealed" (must be those Medex flashbacks... the horror, the horror...) That said, the sign I carved with it, treated with Thompson's Water Seal before painting, is good after four years. It might be more than OK in your dry Arizona climate.
------------------ "A wise man concerns himself with the truth, not with what people believe." - Aristotle
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. - Raoul Duke (Hunter S. Thompson)
Cam Finest Kind Signs 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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Hate to say it, the folks at Baltek will want to skin me, but I do not like their product at all. I suppose it would be ok for an interior sign, but outdoors, forget it. Number one, it has zero advantage over HDU; for that matter can't even compare. The main problem I have had with it is warpage. No matter how well you seal it, it warps. Also, anywhere that it touches metal, sooner or later you have a moisture problem. Just my opinion.
------------------ Steve Estes Sign Studio Calvert City, Ky 42029
Posts: 185 | From: possum trot ky usa | Registered: Apr 1999
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I used it once and it will be the last. It blasted OK but there wasn't enough figure in the grin for my taste. But the biggest problem I had with it is that the panels were not straight enough to glue up. There was no way pipe clamps were going to pull those 1/2 inch plus gaps together in the middle of the panels. I have an 8 inch long bed jointer and it was still a royal pain to get those edges straight. It was a wholsale job so I doon't know how the sign is holding up.
------------------ Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 ICQ: 21604027 sherwood@up.net
Posts: 5397 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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Used it a few years ago for a engraved sign. Lettering engraved with goldleaf. Still looks great and is not weathered at all. However it is mounted on a wall well away from the street.
------------------ Dennis Veenema The Sign Shop Dresden, Ont. "We Sign Everything"
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I checked into the Baltek balsa panels a few years back and I believe they were put together with finger joints. I definitely didn't want that. Are they still this way?
------------------ Wayne Webb Webb Sign Studio,Inc. creators of "woodesigns" "autograph your work with excellence" webbsignstudio@digitalexp.com
Posts: 7404 | From: Chipley,Florida,United States | Registered: Oct 1999
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I have used the GraphiKore often with great results. I like to use it where real wood will have a better look and feel than HDU for the application. I do use it where it is protected from direct moisture, support it as with any hardwood with tight grain it will warp and seal it well on all sides. Yes it has finger joints which have never been a problem to work around. The best part is the blanks come in 2'x8' panels which make it better for larger signs. The gaps mentioned for gluing must have been some time ago as I have never experienced this phoenomena. The panels are alsways square and come wrapped in plastice so the surface is clean and free from mars. I think it works best for those signs with close viewing range where real wood is preferred. as a hardwood it takes a finish better than redwood or cedar as it has no tanic acid and has less moisture content. For perpetually wet locations or high UV which breaks down the finish so moisture can penetrate, then I use HDU.
------------------ Kent Smith Smith Sign Studio Greeley, Colorado, USA kent@smithsignstudio.com
Posts: 1025 | From: Estes Park, CO | Registered: Nov 1998
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Hi Brad, I have used it too for blasting and I like a lot of things about it. Finished just like I would redwood or cedar, (no one hipped me to the Thompson's treatment) and have had no surprises. But I don't use it anymore - for no other reason than a 'perception of value'. It's too light in the hand to impart a sense of permanence, and too hard to sell people on the balsa heritage. It's junk in the public's eyes - but surprisingly durable and easily fabricated in reality.
Yes, there are finger joints. Probably another perception issue as these never caused any grief in actual use. As one who embraced Medex early and heavily, to my near demise, I am now gun-shy of 'new' products till they've proven themselves. So, good or bad? time will tell.
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