First real signs comming off the bot

[fozzyber]

Still need to get better at painting but not horrible for first goes....
The "sign" sign is not as bad as it looks in the photo, just the light making it look rough.


Jerry

[dhunt]

Oh you're doing all right.

Well done! Nice signs! ;)

[joe]

Jerry,

My complements on a rousing good start.

Joe Crumley
www.normansignco.com (http://www.normansignco.com)

[fozzyber]

One more we snuck in today.

[tuck]

Jerry,

What kind of paint are you using for your base coat and how are you applying it?

[joe]

Jerry.

Good to see you're moving down the road making money while you learn. Your router skills are excellent however masking and paintinting are very weak.

Gold can be weak or strong. You don't have to go 23k. On your border and banner you could use one of the Modern Masters golds right over your OneShot for a marked improvement. However a mini-storage is the wrong application for gold. It's a good learning experience anyway.

I look forward to seeing more of your work. Keep it up.

Joe Crumley
www.normansignco.com (http://www.normansignco.com)

[fozzyber]

Mark, base is design board (foam) sanded w/ 220, sprayed with a coat of slightly thinned fsb88. I think i need to move to 320 and spray more primer
Just got a critter sprayer I need to play with spraying and thinning.
The finish variance is were it was sanded with 220 to remove a slight tool mark.

Joe, You are correct painting is my weak point, and my helpers,
Not trying to deflect, but I am designing, and routing, helper and i are both finishing
The color scheme was picked by client, from a sample we were playing with.

Any advise is welcome

[fozzyber]

Joe, tell me about Modern Masters golds right, is it outdoor or indoor?
How to apply? what prep?

[tuck]

jerry,

I learned the hard way to avoid sanding flat areas of HDU if I could help it. The "cure" (sanding) was usually worse than the "disease" (tool marks), no matter which grit I used. It always showed through the paint where I was busy with the sandpaper on that HDU no matter how careful I was.

A few minor tool marks are normal and I generally let those go anymore. Really noticeable tool marks could be a problem with you Z axis if you are getting different depths on your cut across the board.

One thing that helps me is a generous step-over when I'm computing my tool paths, at least 15% of the router bit diameter. Also, you can apply that fsb88 primer at full viscosity and "build" to cover minor tool marks. The thing is, HDU really requires no priming at all unless you're gonna do gilding like gold leaf and such, so I generally avoid priming HDU unless the final finish requires.

Speaking of gold, the One-Shot "Metallic Brass" looks more gold than their "Metallic Gold" does. Very pretty paint!

You're doing great, Jerry! Keep at it!

[fozzyber]

I think the tool marks came from the hdu moving a little, I just screwed the corners down and did not run the vac, I think the foam bowed a little an caused a slight ridge, I think the dust foot was pushing it down a little at times when it came near a raised section.
Thanks for the sanding tip, just don't do it.

Jerry

[joe]

Jerry,

Tuck is spot on about OneShot brass. Do yourself a favor and dump their gold in the waste can. It will turn dark.

There are several brands of HDU to choose from. Design Board by Coastal is the least desireable. We double check on deliveries to out shop making sure our supply house doesn't sneak in some of that product. Not only is it grainy but more important it's difficult to fill. FS88 is a true waste of time. Like Tucker said you'll be wasting time and energy. I'd be texturing the heck out of this panel with little or no sanding. Try using Sign Foam or Duna. Much better products. The best thing about Design Board is their advertising.

I wrote an article on priming HDU which may help.
http://www.signtalkforum.com/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=6

I'm proud of your development and look forward to seeing more.

Joe Crumley
www.normansignco.com (http://www.normansignco.com)

[rej]

i think joe is referring to precision board from coastal. very gritty.
design board is made by jasper plastics in syracuse indiana, and we use it.
the 15 lb is very nice, the 18 lb that we use is super. we pay 330.0 for a 4x8, 1.5" thick.

[joe]

Robert,

Thanks for posting and making the correction. I've use the Jasper product and while it's better than Precision Board I think Sign Foam and Duna are better. One of the problems most CNC people have is getting a brand you prefer. Duna is near impossible in some area's.

Joe Crumley
www.normansignco.com (http://www.normansignco.com)

[rej]

you're right about preference.
i have 18 lb sign foam here, and i would'nt use it over design board.
i have never seen duna, but heard alot of good reports on it,
how much is it for 1.5", 4x8?

[fozzyber]

Well Good bad or ugly here are the first ones almost ready to go out....

[tuck]

Lookin' good, Jerry! Nice work.

[joe]

Jerry,

Good router skills.

Signs that swing need special attention. Because HDU is soft it needs even more attention. The following step by step is a good way to approach I hooks.
http://www.signtalkforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=59


Joe Crumley
www.normansignco.com (http://www.normansignco.com)

[fozzyber]

on the swinger I cheated, I glues a 1/2" piece of MDO to the back and put my eye bolts in that.

I'm having a real problem with painting, when I chuck up the brush in the router I can't seem to get my RPM low enough to stop it from throwing paint every where.:rolleyes:
The vcarve pro also did not have paint brush in their tool database so I made one...

[br928]

:) Send me the tool profile. I can use that one!

[fozzyber]

Here you stan...

[rej]

it may not paint very well, but i made a small platform for mine that will hold a quart size can of paint.
set the rpm to 10k, and it mixed the paint real well.
the 2nd time i used it i left the lid off by mistake and it made a real mess.