Still in a rush but doing well.

Every time I got a break in my schedule I would spend a few minutes on the next step of the project. The edges got my attention first. I used my trusty die grinder to whip some woodgrain texture into the sides and ends of the signs. It didn't take long.

Then a quick coat of primer and two coats of base color was applied to the sign. I kept the shop fan on the work to speed up drying times. The deadline was quickly approaching... Once the base coats were dry I mixed up some light acrylic glaze. This was brushed on in sections...

...then wiped off carefully. Once this was dry a darker glaze was applied.

Then I painted the round sun graphic in the same manner, working from dark to light. Last up was the lettering - applied with a small brush. I finished the sign late Friday night after I had gotten home from the trade show. I was to meet my client on the way to the trade show Sunday morning. The extra day would be for the paint to harden.

My MultiCam had allowed me to once again tackle a project I would have previously simply had to pass on. The machine had done in mere hours what would have taken me days to accomplish all by hand.

-dan

RUSH project.

Every once in a while I get the opportunity to take on a project I really should say no to. There is just too much going on and the deadline should be impossible. Last week a new customer came to me wanting a simple dimensional sign. The sign was to be presented to a retiring colleague. The deadline was four days away. We were busy getting ready for a trade show. Even so I knew our MultiCam would take care of the bulk of the work on the project. It would do it while I was busy with other things too!

I whipped up a design which my customer approved instantly. He paid the deposit and we started work. Creating the file in EnRoute only took minutes and I sent it off to the MultiCam while I got busy with other tasks once more.

The sign was to be single sided (at least the writing) the back side featured the same woodgrain and texture as the front. The two center layers of 1" thick Precision Board were simple cutouts.

When the MultiCam was done I glued up the pieces, complete with some structural steel inside. This sign would never fall down.

-dan

Little progress...

The last week has been crazy in our shop as the last minute preparations for a trade show were made. In between those preparations a little progress was made on the restaurant sign.

The first order of business was to clean up the glue lines between the eight layers of sign that has been glued together. I used a die grinder and while I was at it I quickly added a little texture to the edges. Next I did a little shaping on the scroll ends and then spent some time carving the mountain. The die grinder whips through the precision Board pretty quick so a light tough is necessary.

Then it was time for a little sculpting using an epoxy medium. I used this to create the foreground trees on the lower mountain and the rows of plants in the field. Those didn't take long. At this stage the pictorial is pretty bland but it will come alive as the paint goes on.

Stay tuned...

-dan

Making the machine do the hard part in a hurry

Once the design was approved I created the lettering vectors in Illustrator, then imported them to EnRoute to finish creating the file.

This would be a simple 3D file compared to many we make. There would be four different routing files, each would be done twice on the MultiCam to make a double sided sign. The inside layers were simple cutouts, something the MultiCam handles in minutes. The oval with the lettering was roughed out with a 3/8" bit and then a final detailed pass with 1/8" bit. The lettering was cut with a v-groove. I'm sure glad I had the automatic tool changer as it made things real easy and quick.

While the MultiCam happily worked I was busy out in the shop fabricating the steel work for the sign. I wished I had one of MultiCam's CNC plasma cutters but my hand unit would have to do...

Once the MultiCam was done I set about assembling the pieces. First I used my die grinder to cut the grooves for the structural steel. It didn't take long.

Then the gluing and clamping started. I used Coastal Enterprises one part urethane glue PB Bond-240 to make things permanent.

Once everything was secure I lifted the two layers into place and welded the sign to the post. It would be far too heavy to handle with all the layers in place. While I was at it I welded on the motorcycle cutout and other pieces of the bracket.

In the morning I glued on the rest of the layers. Things were looking pretty snazzy already. I could easily visualize the finished sign. Up to this point my hand work was minimal as the MultiCam had done the bulk of the grunt work. I'd get to start my hand work soon.

Stay tuned...

-dan

Brackets and holes

I've long advocated that our signs should be so much more than simply boards with lettering on them. Signs should tell the story of the business they represent. Our signs should include the method of which they are fastened to the building, the landscaping and beyond.

Our latest project is a sign for just a half a block down the road from our place. A local restaurant wanted a new sign and I was happy to be of service. I first asked for a meeting so I could listen to their story in order for me to get the sign and image right for their business. The business is called Vedder Mountain Grille. They serve great food too! By the time I left I had a pretty good idea of what the sign would look like. It featured the same mountain I admire from the studio windows each day. I decided to route a hole in the sign allowing the real sky to show through on top of the mountain. The signs would be double sided and hanging.

I presented the idea to my client and they asked for one small addition... they asked that I include a motorcycle and rider somewhere on the sign as he rides the mountain often... hence the name of the restaurant. I struggled with the idea for a few days before I came up with a solution that included the motorcycle image but didn't mess up the design. The motorcycle would be featured in the bracket that held up the sign.

I presented the finished idea to my client and they happily signed off on the design. Now its on to the fabrication - using our MultiCam router of course!

-dan

FLYING HIGH!

Once the sign was done I could hardly wait to drag it out into the sunshine to photograph. The 23K gold leaf letters absolutely sparkled, jumping to prominence as was right. In spite of being small in relation to the sign they instantly became the focal point. The natural light played on the textured surfaces of the sign, the shadows adding even more dimension.

The little red plane, complete with pilot roared through the center in dramatic fashion. The sign will be a great centerpiece in our trade show display. The back of the sign is just as fun, detailed and interesting. In this view you can better see the sturdy steel rod that holds the plane firmly in place.

The sign another great example of how our MultiCam router helped us craft a sign that would have taken many times longer than by hand. Even though it was largely made by a state of the art, automated machine it still looks very much hand crafted. Once again the MultiCam did the grunt work, saving the fun parts for me.

I could now cross one more of my 'one-of-these-days projects' off my list. No worry though, I have plenty more of these type imaginative and fun projects still there...

-dan

Basics of gold leaf - PART TWO

Once the size has tacked up it's time to lay down some gold at last. Make sure there isn't a strong draft draft or a fan blowing when you do the gold. It is so thin it will blow around wasting it unnecessarily. Take a sheet of gold (still on the tissue paper) from the book and gently lay it into the size. Press it down, burnishing it by rubbing through the paper gently. Lift off the paper leaving the gold stuck to the sign. Move to a new section of the lettering and repeat.

The gold will be a little ragged and uneven but not to worry. Once you have finished a section take a large, very soft brush and go over the letters, gently knocking off the excess gold. The brush actually scratches the surface of the gold and these minute scratches make the gold catch the light and sparkle. The effect is dramatic and amazing. Tiny flakes of gold will fall like snow to the floor. Don't sweat it.

The reality is that the gold isn't a big number in the scheme of things. This sign with all its lettering only used 32 sheets of gold. In the quantities I buy (by the box) it worked out to be only about $50 worth of gold in total. A second coat of paint on the lettering (if I had done it with paint instead of gold) would have cost the same or more if you include my labor at my shop rate. With the dollars we can fetch for gold leafing I make a lot more profit for less cost. The gold work also sets our work into a class of its own as so very few sign shops offer gilding these days.

Next installment I'll show the finished signs - sparking out in the sun...

-dan