More signs at Skallywag Bay

There were a whole lot of signs which we did for Skallywag Bay in Trinidad and I’e been itching to get them installed for quite some time. During my last visit to the site we got almost all of the larger pieces placed around the site. We did it using a 60′ zoom boom which is a very handy machine. I have my forklift licence for our little machine at the shop but the larger machine was a whole new experience! The key is to go slow and easy. Every move is amplified when the boom is fully extended and to reach these pieces we did just that most of the time.

The sign posts will have heavy rope work installed at a later point by someone who knows how to braid the rope and tie the proper knots.

The soil will be put into the planters around the base of the signs and the greenery will soften the look and make the signs blend better into the picture.

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

One Track Mine Co – Part two

I routed three copies of the little One Track Mining Co. vehicle chassis. I’ll make three different models as per the original sketches. The pieces were routed from some scraps of 1.5″ 30 lb Precision Board. Since I uses a tapered 1/8″ bit the track shoes routed just as I imagined, slightly thinner at the edges. I had routed the pieces with a 80% overlap which provided a smooth surface. I left a thin onion skin layer against the spoil board so the small pieces stayed put on the vacuum spoil board on the router.

Here’s the same there pieces pulled apart. I simply blew the dust off the pieces with an air hose before I glued them up using a five minute epoxy and five clamps.

Once the epoxy set up I used the air powered die grinder to even out the edges. The corners and back of the hood were rounded to match the radiator cover. I’ll cut and glue a little more material to the base to widen it before I start the sculpture process. 

Before I started the sculpt I did up a new rendering of the wheelbarrow vehicle based on the little scale model as the engine housing/hood wasn’t in my first renders. I’ll do my sculpt with this new drawing as a reference. The hardest part of this build is that it will have to wait two weeks before I do it as I head out of town bright and early tomorrow morning. 🙂 Stay tuned…

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

Quint Creative’s Precision Board Garden Tribe Sign

When Brian Quinter of Quint Creative Signs in Ohio was contacted by the Piqua Area Chamber of Commerce to design a logo and sign for the local intermediate school, he originally quoted them a flat sign with vinyl lettering and graphics. The idea was to keep it as economical as possible for the Schoolyard Garden project.  After the logo was designed, he strongly felt that the sign had to be three-dimensional. In order to deliver something that Brian would be proud of, he donated a complete 3D sign to the project using Precision Board HDU & Extira Panels.

quinter

“The entire sign has 3D elements and it is all hand painted and faux finished,” says Brian Quinter.  “I used PBLT-15 for the main body of the sign and Extira for the top elements of the tee pee and plants because I knew it was in an area where it could get bashed.”

You can use different substrates in combination with Precision Board depending on the potential “bash” conditions your sign will be in.  Higher densities of HDU are also a good alternative when you want to strengthen your sign.

Brian does most of his signage projects with Precision Board because they can quickly machine it with their AXYZ Automation Inc. CAMTEK Z7 CNC machine.  Most of their projects are done using two bits- an endmill router bit and a ball-nose bit.  He skips roughing and goes straight to final detail.  “Different woods and densities need a rough cut and final pass, but I just go straight to the final to save machine time,” Quinter says.  “The Precision Board allows me to plow through it pretty fast.”

To give the sign a wood look, Brian uses paints, varnishes and glazes from Nova Color Artists Acrylic Paint. Their exterior varnish knocks the gloss off and makes it look more realistic plus adds protection to the finish. The solid colors are a mix of Nova Paints and Exterior Paints from Sherwin Williams.

Total project time?  20 hours, including design time (using Vectric Aspire software), machining, fabricating, etc.

Brian has been using Precision Board off and on for about seven years, but more so in the last three or four years.  He encourages his customers to branch out and do dimensional signs instead of just flat ones and has been doing some amazing things with HDU.

Quint Creative Signs creates one of a kind signs that help set any type of business or organization apart from others. With attention to detail and knowledge of what really works in sign design, QCS signs get noticed where ever they are installed.  Give them a call at (937) 615-9332 or visit their website.

Make sure to sign up for our monthly Blog Roundup to get more content like this sent to your inbox for reading when it’s convenient for you!  Request free samples of Precision Board HDU or any of our companion products, including adhesives, primers and coatings.

One Track Mine Co. – part one

The three little One Track Mine Co. machines are so much fun I decided to build them first as some sample models. As I designed the routing reliefs I made some modifications to make them better. I’m sure more modifications will follow as we build the pieces full size as well.
I built the vector files completely in EnRoute. The track files are a lot like the tank files we built a little while ago but these sport a little more detail. The biggest change from the concept sketch was the addition of a motor hood. I built it in three sections (two sides and a front)
I started with the track backing plate. This was created as a relief 0.2″ thick. The center was then dropped by half that to effectively create the chain links between the treads.
The cleat sprockets were next and were created as separate reliefs 0.3″ tall.  I then selected the track pieces and combined them with the track shape. I could do this because they protruded outside of the track shape. The sprocket pieces were MERGED HIGHEST with the track back.
The center springs were created by modifying the track background relief.
The wheels were next and were created as separate reliefs. These were then MERGED HIGHEST with the track back.
Next the wheels were dished down by modifying the base relief using the subtract and dome tool.
And the wheel lugs were then added by modifying the base relief and using the ADD TO and dome tool.
The top portion of the track support was created as a separate relief and then merged highest with the track relief.





Last up for the track reliefs were the cleats. These were created as separate reliefs that were one inch tall. Since they were outside but overlapped the base relief I selected the cleats and the base relief and then used the combine tool to make them one relief.

The floor and hood of the little tractor was created as a separate flat relief. that was 1.2″ tall. The hood vent slots were then dropped into this relief using the subtract tool. This new piece and the track relief were then selected and combined into one relief.
The grill of the tractor was next. I first created a zero height relief.
I then used the chamfer tool to round off the front edges uniformly all the way around.
The grill and started holes were then created using the subtract tool.
I then created a zero height relief and used the merged highest command to effectively clip the bottom off the grill. I then used the slice tool to take off the zero height portion of the relief.
I then modified the track relief by adding the little circle to the base bracket. This will be used to mount all of the accessories to the tractor.
The last step was to create a dirt base for the tractor This was done as a simple flat relief which was 1.5″ tall. This new separate relief and the tractor relief were selected and combined to form one relief.

The track relief was duplicated and flipped so I could glue it to the back of the original to create the tractor. The grill will be glued to the end of the motor housing.  The piece was now ready to be tool pathed and sent off tp the MultiCam. It will be routed from a piece of 1.5: 30 lb Precision Board. Stay tuned for the next steps…

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

Sign Builder Illustrated: Mixed Media HDU Signage

If you’re curious about using Precision Board high-density urethane for signage, the November issue of Sign Builder Illustrated has a great article featuring Kevin Pirok of Pirok Design in Illinois.  HDU’s very low expansion and contraction rate has allowed Pirok to use the substrate with different materials in custom pieces for clients—mixed media, if you will.  He finds it easy to carve, easy on his machines, and easy to come up with big ideas for a small shop.  Check out these excerpts and then click on the link at the end to read the full article online.

pirok design

High-density urethane (HDU) has proven a popular substrate for shops looking to create lighter weight custom signage that mimics the appearance and textures of heavier materials.

“If you’re trying to [replicate] a stone, brick, or wood effect, HDU can simulate this very well,” says sign maker Kevin Pirok. “Most of the time, you can’t even tell the difference in which actual material was used in a finished piece.”

Pirok has utilized HDU for projects since opening his doors, as this easy-to-handle substrate allows him the flexibility and ability to custom-cut shapes and letters himself in his shop. In fact, he has been using Precision Board HDU from Coastal Enterprises ever since the product was released nearly twenty years ago.

Pirok mentions an upcoming project where his customer has requested a carved HDU monarch butterfly as part of their logo. “I’m cutting it by hand,” he says. “I’m going to layer up Precision Board to achieve the required thickness.

“From that point, I’ll go in and start carving. Working with this material is like going through butter with a hot knife at times.”

He points out that carving HDU is much easier than carving wood in a variety of ways. “When carving wood, you have to consider the grain direction,” he says, “but with HDU, there is no grain or knots.”

We profiled Kevin Pirok on our blog earlier this year and talked to him about using Precision Board to create dimensional wayfinding signs for Blackberry Farm’s tourist attractions.  You can read that blog here.  If you want to read the rest of the Sign Builder Illustrated feature piece, you can find that article here.

If you’re in the market for some amazing sign designs or other company branding, you can call Kevin at (630) 365-9870 or visit the Pirok Design website to see an extensive photo portfolio of their work. We think he’s a great guy and does beautiful work, but call to verify for yourself!

Want to use Precision Board HDU for your next project?  You can request free samples.  Sign up for our monthly Blog Roundup while you’re there.  It’s packed with tips and tricks to get the most out of your HDU project.  You can also give us a call at 800-845-0745.  We’d love to hear from you!