Fox and Hounds sign install

The morning dawned bright and clear- perfect for a delivery. I checked the straps on the load, made sure the lights were working on the trailer and we were off!
We pulled into the parking lot just as John backed into place with the crane. Harold’s crew were busy putting their needed tools into the attic. As John leveled his truck and set his outriggers Sarah and I untied the load and set up the ladders. Then it was time to hook up the chain at last. Clearance was tight as the crane head needed to fit under the eaves of the gable. We went without a hook, instead tying the sign to the end of the boom. John, ever the professional was smooth as silk as he guided the sign into position. Sarah was on the guide rope, Benji was on the ladder talking to the guys inside who would screw the fasterers into the sign from the attic. I was John’s eyes inside the courtyard, guilding him on the truck controls.
It took a little finesse and pushing to get the 1,435 lb sign into place and a few tries to grab it from behind with the lag bolts. In the end we were forced to do four bolts through the face of the sign to get it to tighten securely to the wall face as the was was not perfectly flat. I patched and painted the holes while the guys fastened the rest of the fasteners from behind – as per the engineer’s instructions. We used a few extra bolts to be sure.
Then it was time to lift the decorative chimney into place. It would fancy up an old kitchen vent that was no longer in service.
Colin and Benji fastened the chimney in place while Sarah and  I headed into the pub to do a little other work on a handrail.
The busy crew had everything tidied up before lunch and we headed back to the house to resume work there. It had been a productive morning that went smoothly – a good thing on install days!
As quick as that this phase of the Fox and Hounds Pub project was at last complete.
-dan

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

Fox sign ready for transport

After waiting almost twelve weeks for a permit to install the Fox and Hounds Pub sign it is at last time to do the install. Todays task was to first build a giant easel on the flat bed trailer. We used welded steel for maximum strength.
I used my neighbor’s trusty little forklift to ease all 2,450 lbs of it onto the cradle. 
While Sarah painted the areas previously covered (and unfinished) I cinched it to the trailer good and tight.
It will sit in the yard one more night before it’s journey home.
 I’ll post some pictures tomorrow of the lift in progress as well as some shots of the sign in it’s new home.
-dan

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

Fox gets some color

Today we got to the color on the large Fox and Hounds Pub sign. The whole sign was primed with Coastal Enterprises’ FSC-88 WB primer. Then we started in on the base coats. Since the fox would be relieving some glazes he was the first to get painted. We double or triple coat all of our paints for longevity. The blend on his fur was went into wet, done with a 3″ brush. 
Once he was good and dry I applied a dark brown glaze and wiped him down good with a soft terry towel. The dark glaze stayed in the deeper parts defining his fur and details in an instant. Then we began the base coats around the fox. We’ll start in on the colors tomorrow, working from the top of the sign downwards.
By tomorrow evening this sign should be almost done and ready to roll out the door next week after the paint has a chance to cure a bit. Stay tuned…
-dan

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

Productive day

Today we kept real busy and got a lot accomplished too. We finished sculpting the head of the fox today. It is much bigger than it looks. We used almost a hundred pounds of sculpting epoxy to finish the fox.  
We also got the LOGIX sign assembled and ready to paint.
-dan

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

Feeling foxy!

Today was the day we were to play with sculpting epoxy – the whole day. Sarah and Hailey did the mixing while I did the sculpting. I first pressed on a quick scratch coat and then crumpled up a heavy duty tinfoil to add bulk to the shape, getting it within 3/8″ of the final shape. I then pressed on another coat of Abracadabra Sculpt to form the skin. If necessary more tinfoil was added to bring things out further. Once I was happy with the shape I could go back and begin adding the final layer of sculpting epoxy and then used a sharpened paint stick to carve in the hair detail.
 We had a few interruptions but most of the day was spent on this project. By the end of the ladies time in the shop we had finished the fox’s head. Tomorrow the neck will be completed as well, making the sign ready for paint.
The fox is a little better than eight inches thick providing for lots of relief that will work great in the sunlight. The overall depth of the sign is a little more than twelve inches in total.
 The sign just looks bigger all the time. I know however from plenty of experience that once we get it out of the shop and hoist it up onto the building it will shrink dramatically.
Stay tuned for the finish of the sculpt tomorrow.
-dan

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