View Full Version : Big Ol' Drying Fan Helps Get the Job Done!
Most of us know that paint is best applied in several light coats vs. one heavy coat for best results. One of my pet peeves is waiting for paint to dry between coats. I'm impatient and want it dry NOW so I can get on to the next step!
One of the best things I have in my little shop is my drying fan, and if you do a lot of painting and don't have one, ya needs to get one. They won't do ya much good for oil-based paint, but personally I only use water-based paints (acrylics and latex enamels). I do use a good bit of the 1-shot lettering enamels (non water-based), but they dry fast enough with or without a fan.
So, I cut this plaque for a customer early this afternoon. It's a rush job. (Aren't they all?)
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f332/Superfan52/dryingfan001.jpg
I was finished a couple of hours later, thanks to the big ugly green thing you see aimed at the plaque:
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f332/Superfan52/dryingfan006.jpg
It's an old blower fan from a furnace I salvaged several years ago. I built a stand for it and put the stand on casters so I can roll it out of my way. It'll blow a door off its' hinges and has saved the day for me many times. It'll have a light coat of paint completely dry to the touch in a matter of minutes, ready for the next coat!:)
Finished product, ready to ship:
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f332/Superfan52/dryingfan007.jpg
This ain't rocket science and I don't pretend to be the first person to think of this. I'm sure most of you experienced guys and gals use fans. But to you folks new to sign making, a drying fan can REALLY speed up production in your shop!
I also used a new technique (new to me), to paint this plaque that I call "template masking", but I got so busy I forgot to take pictures of that process. Next week when I cut some more of these, I'll take pics and show y'all what I'm doing.
Cheers!
toych
04-10-2010, 11:21 PM
Cant wait to see the process. It could come in handy.
WOW! Nice plaques, Darren! VERY nice! What substrate are you using?
You are knocking them plaques out. How many have you done? Has Aurthur got one yet?:)
You are knocking them plaques out. How many have you done? Has Aurthur got one yet?:)
Yo, Gene! I've completed 8 so far, 4 more on order and it ain't even football season, lol. Aurthur ain't got one yet 'cause he can't afford one!:D
Glad you posted. You asked me about licensing (trademark logo), in my original thread about these plaques and I explained my situation with the Falcons and how it was all good. Since then, I have been informed about the New Orleans Saints logo, the Fleur De Lis, and how it is not and can not be trademarked. I didn't know about this, but when the Saints went to the Super Bowl last season, New Orleans vendors were cranking out t-shits that said "WHO DAT?" with the Fluer De Lis logo. The NFL sent them all "cease and desist" letters, threatining them with law suits and claiming that the phrase "Who Dat?" and the Fleur De Lis logos were exclusive property of the NFL. Long story short, the NFL had to back down because the logo goes back centuries (an old religious symbol), and the phrase 'Who Dat?' cannot be trademarked either. With that in mind, here is my next entry into the NFL plaque trade:
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f332/Superfan52/SaintsPlaque001.jpg
Now, here's another interesting thing: A commercial artist friend of mine told me the other day that while trademark laws are indeed laws and very enforceable, all bets are off when it comes to dealings between private parties. In other words, if I came to you and said; "Gene, will you make me a plaque that says 'Born a Falcons Fan - Die a Falcons Fan' and incorporate their logo, please. I'll pay you XXX amount!",...there's nothing illegal about your doing that for me. If, on the other hand, you cranked out just that and sold it to the masses with no license from the NFL, you could get in big trouble.
Trademark and copyright laws can be hazy sometimes and the best thing to do when in doubt is to talk to a knowledgeable attorney, but I'll tell you right now that all of the NFL logos (and most any logo), can be downloaded from the internet in a vector format,....for free! Wow. Go figure.
clueless
04-11-2010, 10:59 AM
A commercial artist friend of mine told me the other day that while trademark laws are indeed laws and very enforceable, all bets are off when it comes to dealings between private parties. In other words, if I came to you and said; "Gene, will you make me a plaque that says 'Born a Falcons Fan - Die a Falcons Fan' and incorporate their logo, please. I'll pay you XXX amount!",...there's nothing illegal about your doing that for me. If, on the other hand, you cranked out just that and sold it to the masses with no license from the NFL, you could get in big trouble.
I wouldn't bet too much money on that. If you sell a product for money that was created from trademarked work, you are breaking the law. Period. No hazy area there.
Try that with NASCAR and let me know how it works out. They are as serious as the NFL, Disney, and Harley Davidson. I don't cut any of those, nor would I, for business or pleasure.
With all due respect, many of those companies are brutal in defending their brands and you can lose you business, your home, and your life savings. There are many people out there that have lost everything because they ended up going against those big guys.
Check with a lawyer before making anything that's trademarked. I wouldn't take advice from anyone but a lawyer on something that could cost me my business.
Check with a lawyer before making anything that's trademarked. I wouldn't take advice from anyone but a lawyer on something that could cost me my business.
I absolutely agree, Steve!
toych
04-11-2010, 09:11 PM
Hey Mark, the bruins plaque is just regular MDF. I have done several of them. The Red Wings plaque was done in HDU. I find the HDU easier to finish but most folks that want these for their home cant justify the extra cost.
Your Falcons and Saints plaques look great by the way.
Hey Mark, the bruins plaque is just regular MDF. I have done several of them. The Red Wings plaque was done in HDU. I find the HDU easier to finish but most folks that want these for their home cant justify the extra cost.
Your Falcons and Saints plaques look great by the way.
Thank you sir.
I originally tried to cut the first Falcons plaque out of MDF, which would have worked very well @ $27.00 a sheet, but the router bit kept chipping out the centers of the 1" tall letters, which would get sucked up by the dust vacuum. The capital "A"'s, for instance, had no centers once cut. PVC was my next choice and has worked very well, but it's $115.00 a sheet for 3/4". Very frustrating. My experience with Exteria was exactly the same as MDF,...chip-out with small details.
HDU is indeed the easiest substrate to finish in my experience, but like you, I'm trying my best to keep material cost down and make these plaques affordable to regular folks. PVC cuts nicely (with the right bits), but doesn't sand well at all. HDU cuts like butter and finishes easily but cost a lot of clams.
I wish there was some happy marriage between HDU, PVC and MDF.
HPM, anyone?:)
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