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I carved this HDU sign on the CNC as well as the individual letters which are gilded and applied with studs. Light bronze smalts background, Porter paint, mounted to the wall with french cleats.
This HDU sign is two sided. We sandwiched 2 one and a half inch panels with one inch square tube in between. We threaded the steel tube to bolt on the steel brackets. Background is black smalts, gilded Gemini letters, and the cremation copy is on a separate 1 inch thick panel to bring it out to a similar depth to the Gemini Letters. V groove copy is also gilded. The gilded tree was our first attempt at using Gorilla Glue to build up the tree's depth and create texture. It took about 5 minutes to apply the glue.
This sign was carved on the router in two pieces. The ribbon was router carved, then the wrap around part was hand carved and attached with epoxy. Ruby and green smalts background, painted letters with ribbon SignGold on the borders.
[ August 24, 2009, 12:30 AM: Message edited by: Dave Sherby ]
-------------------- Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 sherwoodsign@sbcglobal.net Posts: 5397 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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Great use of smalts, as if it were made just for this sign. I know I don't post much Dave, but this is really classy and with the smalts it really looks authentic like rock.
-------------------- Deb Fowler
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible - Walt Disney (1901-1966) Posts: 5373 | From: Loves Park, Illinois | Registered: Aug 1999
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-------------------- Sam Staffan Mackinaw Art & Sign 721 S. Nokomis St. Mackinaw City, MI dstaffan@sbcglobal.net Posts: 1694 | From: Mackinaw City, MI | Registered: Mar 2004
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Letterhead Sign Supply has some great colors from their new supplier. And with the way paint is now a days, my customers like the fact that their background color will hold for many, many years.
-------------------- Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 sherwoodsign@sbcglobal.net Posts: 5397 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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Dave, you weren't repainting a billboard between Iron Mountain and Crystal Falls on the 6th of August? Saw some scaffold and a truck out there on our way to Bewabic...
-------------------- Nikki Goral Image Advantage Signs 4050 Champeau Road New Franken, WI 54229 920-465-4500 "Finish every day and be done with it. Tomorrow is a new day."-Ralph Waldo Emerson Posts: 928 | From: New Franken, WI (East Green Bay) | Registered: Jun 2007
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DrCAS Custom Lettering and Design Saint Cloud, Minnesota
"Things work out best for the people who make the best of the way things work out." - Art Linkletter Posts: 6451 | From: Saint Cloud, Minnesota | Registered: Jun 1999
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I have switched to epoxy. I use PB Resin from Coastal Enterprises because of it's longer set time and anti UV additives. With the epoxy I can lay the smalts on an entire sign faster than I could paint half the sign with One Shot and Smiths Cream, so cost of materials is a little higher but labor time is greatly reduced.
The hardest part is figuring out how much epoxy to mix. Color the epoxy to match the smalts with a little One Shot. We fill squeeze bottles with the long spout and trace the edges of the raised areas with a thin bead. I cut the spout down on one bottle so it has a bigger hole to lay the epoxy even faster in the wide open areas. Then I use a squeegee to spread the epoxy in those areas, and even it out near the letters and borders with a cheap disposable paint brush. We lay the smalts on heavy, and even pat it down into the epoxy. Always have more smalts than you normally use to get complete coverage. We lay down a couple strips of 24" paper and dump the excess onto the paper the next day and pour it back into the container.
The other nice thing with the epoxy is that it is totally solid and set within 24 hours.
-------------------- Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 sherwoodsign@sbcglobal.net Posts: 5397 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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Here you go Scott. This isn't the tree on the sign. This is one I did in the shop as a test. It came out so good it's now on my shop wall. We poured some gorilla glue into a cup, mixed in just a little water, then spread it quickly on the tree. Randomly leave some areas thicker than others. We left the middle thicker so it would expand more. As it starts to rise you can work it a little with a small stick but don't work it too much.
-------------------- Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 sherwoodsign@sbcglobal.net Posts: 5397 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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"...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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Yeah Rusty, I've been lucky. We've been booked up all summer. We're almost caught up on the big projects. A dentist came in today to finalize his sign. 4x8 two sided hdu carved with gold leaf letters and I still have 36 tee signs to do for a golf course, but now all of a sudden I'm getting a bunch of 2D work, signs and trucks.
The gorilla glue worked great. When I textured the tree trunk, I left it alone until it just barely started to firm up. On my test pieces I found of you work it too soon it just continues to expand and it buries the detail within itself. Wait until it is about done expanding, but work it before it forms it's hard crust.
-------------------- Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 sherwoodsign@sbcglobal.net Posts: 5397 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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Some great signs and some great tips! I regret I just bought one little gorilla glue bottle when I was in Canada last february.... Now I will be even more shy to use it.
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Cremation services/ Kingsford? Bwahahahaha. I'm sorry, I know I'm a sick puppy, lol.
-------------------- Terry Baird Baird Signs 3484 West Lake Rd. Canandaigua, NY 14424 Posts: 790 | From: Canandaigua, New York | Registered: Dec 2002
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Not so sick. We could have had a tag line, "only Kingsford Charcoal is used in our crematory" since the town was named after a huge Kingsford Charcoal plant that used to be located there many moons ago. Very observant Terry.
-------------------- Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 sherwoodsign@sbcglobal.net Posts: 5397 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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I've done a lot with black but I really liked the MIM sign using the bronze smalts. Letterhead Sign Supply has a new supplier that has a whole lot of new great colors.
-------------------- Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 sherwoodsign@sbcglobal.net Posts: 5397 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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