posted
I need to mount some cut-out and guilded 1/2" thic kHDU letters to a HDU panel. I do not want to have any fasteners on the faces. They will be mounted flat to the background, not stood off.
Should I insert some studs into the letter backs, or just glue them on flat or what? What is a good glue? I have heard Gorilla Glue reccomended for this sort of thing.
Thanks, Curt Stenz
-------------------- Curt Stenz Graphics 700 Squirrel Lane Marathon, WI 54448 Posts: 590 | From: Marathon, WI 54448 | Registered: Dec 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
I just completed a job where I used Stainless welding rod as stud mounts. I just stabbed them into the back HDU after I had marked a layout with tape tabs. I then cut them off with sidecutters and with a clear silicone adhesive have a double anchor. Works slick, fast and easy the stainless wire is about the diameter of a large paper clip stock. I think most of the answers you will recieve with be with silicone II .... good luck, Jack
-------------------- "Don't change horses in midstream, unless you spot one with longer legs" bronzeo oti Jack Davis 1410 Main St Joplin, MO 64801 www.imagemakerart.com jack@imagemakerart.com Posts: 1549 | From: Joplin, MO | Registered: Mar 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
I would probably use silicone and maybe some finish nails driven into either the letters or the back ground and cut off to push into the other part. The only trouble with Gorilla glue for this use is that it expands and will ooze out from under the letters and have to be cleaned off.
-------------------- Dennis Goddard
Gibsonton Fl Posts: 1050 | From: Tampa Fl USA | Registered: Apr 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
Double sided VHB (very high bond) foam tape and silicone. We've been using this method for over 10 years with excellant success, never had any fall off, and because we make signs for an amusement park we occasionally get a bratty kid that wants a souvenir try to remove something and they either give up or end up destroying the letters or background in the process.
-------------------- Rich Litzenberger Dorney Park Allentown,PA rlitzenberger@dorneypark.com rlitzenberger@enter.net "There are People, then there are some that just look like people" Posts: 29 | From: Allentown PA | Registered: Oct 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
I drill half inch holes in the letter backs and fill with west system epoxy, while the epoxy is setting up I set in small #6 x 1 1/2" machine screws. once dry I trace out where the studs will go drill holes in the background panel and set the letters in. the oversized holes filled with epoxy allow you to tweak the letter a bit when setting them in. Also on the letters I would set the studs in before I finished them, gives you nice little handles to hold while gilding.
-------------------- Ken McTague, Concept Signs 57 Bridge St. (route 107) Salem MA 01970 1-978-745-5800 conceptsign@yahoo.com http://www.pinheadlounge.com/CaptainKen
---------------------------------
"A wise man once said that, or was it a wise guy?" Posts: 2425 | From: Salem, MA | Registered: Apr 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'll throw this in... A while back I posted a pic of some HDU letters that I had backed with 3mil Dibond before even cutting them out. Why? Two reasons. One, they had very thin parts that would have surely broken from the process of getting them shaped and finished. And two, the Dibond gave us a great way to mount them - by screwing an alum stud in from behind to handle the cantilevered, 'flying' mount.
The 1/8" aluminum threaded rods were 'screwed' into a slightly smaller hole drilled through the dibond backing. we predrilled the holes 3/32' then put the stud into the jaws of our cordless drill and spiraled them into the holes. Without any adhesive needed, you cannot pull one of those suckers out even with plyers! You can twist it and bend it but not pull it out. For a more rigid mount go ahead and smear the threads with epoxy or adhesive of choice before screwing in.
Here's a hot tip I was planning to make a post about - For single-faced signs, Dibond backing gives us an even a cooler way to 'stud' mount in cases where letters must be raised above the main panel surface. FORGET THE STUD! Yup. locate the stud placements, predrill through the backing panel, then screw in from behind the sign with long stainless screws. (This takes two people on large signs). Let the screw come through to the height you need the stand-off, then have the helper press the dibond-backed letter onto the screw point while you continue turning with the driver. The screw will bite right through the dibond backing and embed itself into the hdu invisibly. Again, no adhesive needed and makes a VERY strong standoff!! Here's a pic of a 'no-stud' stud. You can even see the painted edge of the dibond if you look closely.
This saves us a lot of time and has worked great on many projects. Initially we were using PVC blocks behind as spacers, but found we didn't really need them. Of course, screw length is critical. Something we found out the hard way - just because a box of screws says 2" doesn't mean there is not a 2.5" screw in there. Ouch! No, it wasn't through a hand, (thank God) but caused a nice hole in our finished letter once. Watch out for that.
SONGPAINTER Original Sign Music by Sign People NOW AVAILABLE on CD and the proceeds go to Letterville's favorite charity! Click Here for Sound Clips! Posts: 1974 | From: Orleans, MA, Cape Cod, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
Curt, I know your post wasn't for stand-off letters. This same process works just a well for surface mounting. I just got carried away with my description. I wouldn't normally use Dibond backing for sufrace mounting unless they needed to be removed at some future point or had very fragile elements like the top example. For raw HDU letters I would leave the backs unprimed and unpainted, and mount them to the background with PL400 polyurethane adhesive in a caulking cartrige. Just don't try to ever take them back off after they've dried.
SONGPAINTER Original Sign Music by Sign People NOW AVAILABLE on CD and the proceeds go to Letterville's favorite charity! Click Here for Sound Clips! Posts: 1974 | From: Orleans, MA, Cape Cod, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic