Oversize Signs

[thecustomsignshop]

Just thought you might be interested in this.

This sign is about 12'x6' made on a 96x48 Alpha. Each face has about 11 sections and we welded up a custom cage made from 1" .125 steel tubing to support the weight.

This is one of about 6 signs we are making for the site. The molding is 3D w/2.5D letters. The gold is a paint we mixup here in the shop. My cell phone shows it as yellow, but it is gold...

To join the sections, we used pocket screws and biscuits. We estimate the sign to weight about 300lbs when completed.

At this stage we just mounted the faces and will begin hiding the mounts later today. The cage will be covered later.

The core sign is made from Trupan 1.5" thick. The ribbing is exterra and steel.

The sign will be put up using a small crane on 20' high posts and have overhead electric fixtures for lighting.

The picture was taken in my house/shops garage. In scale, the garage door is a double wide so you can get an idea of scale.

Was a fun project overall....



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[thecustomsignshop]

Here is another photo...
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[thecustomsignshop]

This is the overall layout....
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[jhicks]

Very nice work. interesting choice of Trupan for an outdoor sign face and Exteria for structure. Can you fill me in on the finishing materials? My experience has driven me to use post catalysed polyurethane on medex based on manufacturers recommendations and the fear of any moisture intrusion. We now use it on almost every material for great adhesion, superior finish, and excellent durability. Trupan would scare me but if it can be used and sealed effectively, I would love to ear the specific technique.

[thecustomsignshop]

Hey Jerry

We used 2 coats of brushed Shellac, light sanding, 4 coats sprayed MAS epoxy, 2 coats sanding sealler, 4 color coats, mostly sprayed, 4 coats Clear Jet clear coating, except in the areas where the gold is located.

The reason we went with Trupan is;

-Signfoam was costly and I was not sure it would be suitable for this type of application based on the conversation with the company.

-Trupan is to heavy and I do not like working with the product on big jobs such as this.


To date we have about 30+ Trupan based signs up for a few years and have had no real issues. Hopefully it will stay that way.

[jhicks]

Thanks Jim, I get it. Lots of steps and lots of sealing. I was worried for a minute all the work would be battered by weather but looks like plenty of sealing. When we use Medex, we use 2 coats of clear post catalysed polyurethane to seal and 2 coats of color so I'm impressed with your multiple coats but wonder if they are all realy required. You know best but there definately should not be any failures with this baby.
This truly points out the effort, expense, and process to make it rock solid. Router time is incidental compared to design,prep, and finish so this may help the folks who focus on machine time for costing realize where the real labor expense comes in.

[thecustomsignshop]

Thanks Jerry. I honestly think it might be overkill also and I'm running some tests in the shop to confirm that now, but, I would hate to have to hire a crain twice if the sign really failed...

Since I am spraying the MAS product, my concern is application. The folks at MAS also tend to think sprayed 4 coats are equal to 2 brushed, but my test should confirm it...

Your correct, the CNC / routing part is really incidential compaired to the finishing work. I was not a fan of painting but I learned to enjoy it...

Happy Routing!