ISA Sign Expo 2016: Free Passes!

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Visit Coastal Enterprises at Booth 272!

In just 5 short weeks, we will be shipping out to Orlando, Florida to host our booth at the ISA International Sign Expo 2016. This is one of the most prestigious gatherings of sign and graphics professionals in the world, and has been for nearly 70 years. The best part is, we are offering FREE PASSES to anyone who would like to attend! That’s right, free admission to one of the largest sign and display conventions in the world! Just click here, fill out your information, and receive your free pass. The expo will be held April 20-23, in the South Building of the Orange County Convention Center. Don’t forget to visit Coastal Enterprises at Booth 272, where you can see this incredible display piece from Dan Sawatzky, up close and in person.

display piece

In addition to the Coastal Enterprises booth, be sure to check out the 2016 Sign Invitational at Booth C16. Here, some of the most talented sign makers in the country will go head to head to find out which displays will reign supreme! Some of our favorite sign makers will be competing this year, like Imagination Corporation, Synergy Sign and Graphics, and Xpressive GraphiX. This is a can’t miss event, so be sure to stop by the Sign Invitational booth at the Expo.

For a behind-the-scenes look at how the masters make their pieces, don’t forget to check out MultiCam Inc. at Booth 525 and SA International Enroute at Booth 2527. The high quality CNC routers and mapping software made by these companies are indispensable for modern sign makers, who rely on high-tech tools to push their designs to the limit!

And just to reiterate…CLICK HERE FOR FREE PASSES!

Five more and the painting begins

The name plaques are all making their way through the painting process now. Craig’s is the last one raw off the router. Because we use 30 lb Precision Board priming isn’t necessary.
Over the next while I’ll be posting some progress shots of how the name plaques come alive through the painting steps. Even though pricing is not necessary we still do it to ad some subtle texture. The secret of course is to use Coastal Enterprises thick bodied FSC-88 WB primer. WB stands for water base. We brush it on. Generally we have two gallons of primer on the go. As we work our way down into the first gallon it tends to get real thick – like sour cream. This is perfect for adding texture with a brush. The second gallon is a fresh one, which brushes out nice and smooth when we need it.

Those small bumps and ridges on the edges of your CNC cuts are easily smoothed out with the primer. They recommend (and we do too) that we put the pieces under a fan for a couple of hours to drive out the moisture.

Then when the primer has cured it is time for the base colours. We always triple coat and use a top quality acrylic house paint. We allow it to dry between coats, most often with a fan blowing on the piece.

Stay tuned for more progress shots as the glazes go on.

Published with permission from precisionboard.blogspot.com. Source.

Four more name plaques

With the first Sculpting Magic Workshop now only four and a half weeks away we are in full get ready mode. Most of the name plaques are routed and sample boards are almost done. About one third of the name plaques are making their way through the painting department with more to follow soon.

I thought a picture update of a few more of the plaques would be of interest. It is fun to come up with endless new ideas.

Published with permission from precisionboard.blogspot.com. Source.

Instant age

The rules of the Sign Challenge competition require that our pieces be shipped in a two foot by two foot box and then be pulled out and displayed on top. Rather than drape the box I decided to make it a part of the display. To maximize the size of the centre piece it meant the walls of the box needed to be as thin as possible. Steel construction was the obvious answer and with our MultiCam CNC plasma  handy the job was easy.

The files for the box were designed using EnRoute. The stars were drawn using the star creator. Nothing could be easier. I decided to use quarter sections of pipe for the corners with the radius to the inside.  The cutting of the steel plate took less than a half an hour. To weld all of the pieces together and grind it all smooth took about sixteen hours. It looked great already but the magic was yet to come.

Once the box was finished I carefully brushed on four coats of bright yellow paint. I let it cure and then broke out my orbital sander and proceeded to destroy the fancy paint and expose bare metal. I scratched things up randomly and even banged it around with my hammer. I wanted to add the look of age and hard use to match the tank displayed above it. I then judiciously applied the same ‘swamp’ glaze to create some appropriate grunge.As I added the antique look I imagined the kinds of knocks it might get in daily use.


Published with permission from precisionboard.blogspot.com. Source.

The magic is in the paint

No matter how one’s dimensional work is done, whether by using software and a router or if it is done by hand the real magic happens with the paint. The current Sign Challenge piece is a good example.

The routed tracks and hand sculpted vehicle body and character look great un painted. Even so the painting process was where the piece came alive. As I painted I thought of the story I wanted to tell, then set to work.

The tank is well used and dirty from miles on the road and in outback conditions. The driver is intent on going wherever he wants and so the tank has definite wear and bumps and scrapes. He’s also not much for maintenance and so the tank engine is grimy and dirty. The commander of the vehicle is persnickety about his own image and so the brass on his uniform is well polished.

The paint was put on in multiple coats, starting with the yellow, then the silver (bare metal) followed by two colours of rust. Then I applied a glaze we call SWAMP over the whole piece to dirty things up. Judicious removal of the glaze with a soft terry towel rag created the magic of age and grime.

Tomorrow the painting will be complete and the box/base finished as well. With the full reveal the theme/story of the piece will become evident. The clue is in the licence late. Stay tuned…

Published with permission from precisionboard.blogspot.com. Source.