Garden Railroad Magic – Rainbow Ridge Kits with Precision Board Plus!

Quickly becoming legends in the model railroad industry, Ross and Sue Piper of Rainbow Ridge Kits in Lakeside, CA have been in business for six and a half years now.

Rainbow Ridge specializes in making highly detailed, high end railroad buildings and structures.

By John and Lorrie Rockey – Glen Ellyn, Illinois

Using their ShopBot CNC router, Ross and Sue purchase Precision Board Plus HDU in 4′ x 8′ sheets, 3/4″ thick, typically densities of PBLT-15, PBLT-18 and PBLT-20, and cut them into small pieces. They then CNC patterns into them, such as wood plank, wood shingle, stone, siding and logs. They also offer custom patterns by request. The high level of detail they achieve using their ShopBot CNC Router is well known, and they recently were spotlighted by ShopBot’s website in a review you can see here.

By Dick Dale – El Cajon, CA

In addition to offering pre-cut  “Scratch Build” Precision Board Plus sheets, they also build complete structures, ready for priming and painting, and even offer completely finished (primed, painted and assembled) buildings.

By Gary Martin – Tucson, AZ

Before Ross and Sue got involved in the industry, many garden railroaders had trouble with available materials not being able to stand extreme temperatures, especially in states such as Nevada and Arizona. Previously, many garden railroad buildings were constructed out of plastic, wood or resin and were apt to become waterlogged or damaged by the sun. Precision Board Plus has proven to be the material of choice for a long-lasting model railroad structure because it will not absorb water and is unaffected by extreme temperatures (it has been tested from -425˚F to +300˚F with no degradation or breakdown).

By Andreas Walchner – Beavercreek, OH

Check out many more pictures at: http://www.rainbowridgekits.com.

Here is one of the latest offerings available through Rainbow Ridge Kits:



These pictures are from Ross and Sue’s personal garden railroad (more pictures on their website):

Time Saving Tip for Sandblasted Signs: Art Sign Works

There’s something very interesting going on in Murrieta, CA. Art Sign Works has an ingenious way of saving time and money when working with Precision Board Plus.
They’re a very busy wholesale sign shop and though their company is small, it’s run like a well-oiled machine. Enrique, the Big Cheese, believes that to utilize his employees the best way possible, he lets the machinery do a lot of the work.

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When they get a sandblasted job, such as the sign featuring the Aztec Calendar, they first CNC route PBLT-15 to the desired depth of the background, before sandblasting. This allows the sandblaster to be used for a shorter period of time, freeing up an employee to work on another paying sign. After routing, the sign will get a quick sandblast to get the required texture.

After priming and painting, Kevin the lead designer says they use 1-Shot lettering enamels “because of its vibrancy”. In the case of the Aztec Calendar, a vinyl appliqué was applied under a separate piece of PBLT-15, to not only save time on hand painting, but to create a 3-D effect as well. As with all their signs, it was then coated with 2 coats of clear coat to preserve the quality and luster of the paint.

Art Sign Works ships their signs all over the country and if you’d like to find out how they can help you, give them a call at (951) 698-8484. If you’re lucky, Christie will answer the phone. Besides being really nice, she’s very knowledgeable!

How To Make A Sandblasted Precision Board HDU Sign

Sandblasting HDU can allow for many more interesting and subtle textures than a wood sign. In addition to sandblasting much quicker than wood, it allows the sandblaster to move much closer to the surface. Because of the low blasting pressure, the detail and shapes can be much more subtle.

This sign was sandblasted and finished by Insignia, a full service sign shop based in Anaheim, CA. Having sandblasted signs for over 20 years, they are sandblasting experts!

Step 1: Masking the Precision Board

Sandblasting HDU is done by applying a vinyl mask weeded from digital coordinates that are input into a plotter, or weeded by hand. All parts of the sign that will be sandblasted are cut from the mask, protecting any smooth surfaces you wish to keep.

Several different types of sandblast mask are available, from low, medium and high tack. Use a medium tack mask for pre-primed HDU, and a high-tack mask for unprimed HDU.


Step 2: Sandblasting Precision Board

Sandblasting Precision Board is just like sandblasting a lightweight wood. Recommended blasting pressure must be approximately 60 psi max. at the pot. This will allow for the unique textures only available with HDU.

Since the blasting pressure is low, the grit moves slower and takes out small pieces of the background instead of pulverizing the surface. This also means that a smaller compressor can be used, allowing almost anyone to make their own sandblasted sign.

Popular types of sandblast grit include clay sand and aluminum oxide. The density of the grit depends on which type of texture you desire. A larger grit will allow for a rougher texture, and finer grit allows for a smoother texture. Joseph Westbrook, owner of Insignia, specified that this sign was sandblasted using a 60/90 blend of Red Ruby Garnet, which is a great media to blast with because it is sharp, cuts nicely and is uniform in size. Background texture largely depends on the size of the medium.

Step 3: Priming the Precision Board:

Since not all paints adhere to raw HDU for the long term, it is necessary to prime Precision Board prior to painting. Coastal Enterprises manufactures FSC-88WB, a single component water based primer/filler. Any primer that is made for HDU will also work. FSC-88WB is a high build primer, able to be used on materials other than HDU and can be sprayed, brushed or rolled. We also have an excellent step-by-step video on priming Precision Board.

Step 4: Finishing the Precision Board

Any type of paint can be used on Precision Board once it is primed with FSC-88WB. Many of our customers use 1-Shot Paints. Coastal Enterprises also offers a complete line of applicable textures and coatings that allow the priming step to be skipped.

This is an example of a sandblasted Precision Board HDU sign:

Step 5: Send Us Photos Of Your Project!

If you send us pictures of your Precision Board project, we would love to feature your company in a blog or a newsletter! You can submit your work here.

Additional Tips:

  • Practice on test sheets. Request a free sample here.
  • Move the nozzle as evenly as possible.
  • Re-using old sandblast media can allow for better control and more detail
These are all Precision Board HDU sandblasted signs by the experts at Insignia:

Quality Meets Innovation: M&M Signs & Graphics

M & M Signs and Graphics in Chantilly, VA, is a full-service sign company that uses Precision Board Plus for many 3-dimensional signs. Originally started over 20 years ago by Mehdi Amirgholi, the business is now run by his son, Paymahn.

 

The most recent sign project was for a sandwich shop aptly named “Sandwich Republic”. Routed Precision Board Plus PBLT-15 was used, and it was coated with Ronan Aquacote and One Shot Paint. A careful look at the pictures really shows their years of experience working with HDU. M & M Signs also sent pictures of the first documented use of Precision Board Plus for backlit channel letters, which you can see on our blog: PBLT-15 Exterior Channel Letters.

Paymahn has no formal art training and is entirely self-taught. From the moment his father introduced him to sign making, he was fascinated by both the mechanical and artistic aspects. After his father passed, Paymahn went to work in his shop and has currently been making signs for over 18 years. Time flies when you’re making signs!

Many more pictures can be seen on M & M Signs and Graphics website.

From Vinyl To HDU: A Smooth Transition

Julie Starling of Moore Copies & Computers in Southern Pines, NC, just finished her very first sandblasted Precision Board Plus sign!

This sandblasted 4′ x 4′ PBLT-15 sign was made for Curt’s Cucina, a local Italian restaurant. With 9 years of experience using a vinyl plotter, and after watching Coastal Enterprises instructional videos, Julie says that fabricating her first sandblasted sign out of Precision Board Plus was easy and fun to make. Curt, the owner of Curt’s Cucina, liked the sign so much that he’s already having Julie make another even larger sign for them. So if you happen to be in the Southern Pines, NC area be sure to stop by to check out the beautiful sign and enjoy some authentic Italian food!

Moore Copies & Computers specializes in all types of signage including vinyl, three dimensional and printing. A very talented artist, Julie also makes stained glass windows and does glass etching. You can see their website here.