Coastal Enterprises Free Services: Let us help you create!

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There are no natural limitations on creativity. Anyone with the inspiration to conceive something new should have the means to follow that spark through to its completion. At Coastal Enterprises, we are fully committed to helping your creativity flourish and take shape. One of our driving philosophies here at Coastal Enterprises is the concept of open-source knowledge: providing the materials and technical know-how so you can create something incredible. Precision Board Plus isn’t just for commercial tooling operations or professional signage contractors either; it’s for everyone with a bright new idea and the drive to make it a reality. We offer a range of free services to help individuals and businesses get the most out of their Precision Board, and to make something they can truly be proud of.

Technical Support: Coastal Enterprises is entirely unique in the way we operate and go about our business. We manufacture all of our material in the same facility that we sell and ship it from, something that no other high-density urethane company can claim. This makes us the absolute primary source of information about Precision Board, and it shows through our expert technical support team. We have a full staff of Precision Board experts available from 8AM-5PM PST, Monday through Friday to answer any questions you might have about our material and its applications. Even if we’re stumped by a question, we can literally walk out to the production floor, pick up a piece of material, and find out for ourselves. What other manufacturer can do that? It pays to go right to the source, and it doesn’t get any closer than Coastal.

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Sample Program: There’s only one way to really understand how Precision Board can work for you, and that is to see it in person. You need to hold it in your hands, route it, carve it, run a lay up mold with it, heat test it, even smash it to bits. Those are the kind of in-depth tests that give you a total understand of the material. Lucky for you, it’s never been easier to get Precision Board for testing, and all for free. Just ask! Coastal has a robust sample program designed to put sample-sized material in your hands very quickly. We provide the Precision Board, we typically pay the shipping, and all you have to do is request the sample. What are you waiting for? Click here to request your free samples today!

Dist Registry

Click here to visit our distributor listings!

Distributor Registry: Coastal has an expansive network of trusted distributors that stretches all across the US, Canada and areas of Asia, Australia, and the Middle East. Our distributors are an integral part of our mission at Coastal, and we work closely with them to ensure that our orders arrive on time, every time. This means that no matter where you are, you’re never far away from Precision Board. In addition, all of our distributors carry thousands of other products that can probably meet your needs in other areas. Each and every one is a versatile one-stop shop for both industrial and signage applications. Our detailed Trade Resources Directory can help you instantly locate your nearest distributor and source the material for your next project.

 

 

Endless inspiration

Even if you aren’t a fan of Disney theme parks I would highly recommend a visit. You don’t have to ride the rides – just bring a camera to record endless inspiration at every turn. You even get to claim the trip as a business expense!

We like to attend at least one Disney park every year. So far we’ve been to Florida’s Disney World (four theme parks), California’s Disneyland (two theme parks), Disneyland Tokyo (two theme parks), Disneyland Paris (two theme parks – although I’ve only seen one)  plus there’s one theme park in Hong Kong and a new one in China that opens in mid-June. (Those last two are still on my list) Add in all of the themed resorts and restaurants plus the water parks in Disney World and there is enough inspiration to last a lifetime.

Each time we go I take a ton of pictures, make some sketches and just generally get inspired. The signs and theme work is second to none. Some might argue that they don’t do much of this kind of signs in their market…  and I would ask why not?

I include a picture of only one sign (of the thousands of great signs I saw) for this blog entry…  it’s a low key sign that identifies the hotel building we are staying at. The sign features laser or water jet cut metal bracket, sandblasted wood (although I would just as easily make it from routed Precision Board) and some shaped sheet metal for lighting. This site also featured a small digital print for the bird logo (I would hand paint it).

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

Rusted beauty

The recent plasma cut gates have been given an initial sports of mild acid and set outside to start their patina. Once they are in place we’ll further chemically add different value colours (subtle shades of brown) to the different layers to further differentiate them from each other. In only a couple of days outside the rust colour evened out on the metal and it now looks vastly different than when we pulled them from the shop.

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

Gibbs Graphics: The Weatherproof Sign Experts

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It’s no big secret that some sign makers have it harder than others. It’s one thing to construct a sign for sunny, mild southern California, and quite another to make a sign that can stand up to harsh weather conditions and extreme temperatures. So many more factors come into play: Will it resist moisture? Will the added weight from a more durable material make the mounting process harder? Will it need upkeep in the event of weather damage? Luckily, true signage experts know the right techniques and the right material for any job, no matter the weather. Gibbs Graphics is one such team, a full-service marketing source that began as a dimensional sign maker. Founders Rusty and Amanda Gibbs have a stellar track record of crafting signs that are equal parts form and function: Not only are their signs artistically inspired, but they have the structural backbone to weather the snow, sleet, and bitter cold of Northern Washington. Using Precision Board Plus gives them the freedom to design anything they want and still have the assurance that it will last for years. Click here to learn more about Gibbs Graphics and commission your own dimensional masterpiece.

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The last few months have been busy for Gibbs Graphics. The word is out that they’re making the best weatherproof signs in town, so they’ve had ample opportunity to use Precision Board in their dimensional sign projects. One is this sign for Tamarack Public House, a new restaurant in Spokane. The owner knew the Gibbs’ reputation for high-quality signs and murals, and turned to them to make an eye-catching display for his new eatery.

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The Gibbs Graphics team used two 1” sheets of PBLT-18 for the double-sided sign, glued to either side of a 3’ diameter glue laminate. Using their CNC router in conjunction with meticulous hand carving, they shaped a highly detailed silhouetted tree design, along with raised lettering at the top and a sweeping crescent moon motif. They wet out the surfaces with our FSC-88 WB primer, painted it with both latex and Ronan metallic gold paints, then mounted with a custom metal bracket.

pre finished fresh coffee

Another one of the Gibbs’ recent projects is “Fresh Coffee”, a single sided sign for a local coffee lounge. They chose 2” thick PBLT-15 for the 14” diameter sign, and routed out bold raised lettering along with a jagged starburst background.

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They used Ronan sign paint for the cool shades of green and black, along with Modern Masters metallic for the bright silver border.

let is snow sign

A sign that really meshes with Gibbs Graphics’ expertise in weatherproof signage is their “Let it Snow” display. For this project they used 2 layers of 1” PBLT-15 in conjunction with Plexiglas, vinyl lettering, and expanded PVC. The red ornament was made from the leftover PBLT from the hole in the snowflake, a creative repurposing of extra material.

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Winter is far from over, but don’t let the cold get you down. Gibbs Graphics is standing by to make you a sign that can shrug off the bad weather year after year. They’re more than just a sign maker, however: Gibbs Graphics is a full-service marketing conglomerate that designs logos, websites, email marketing, banners, and more. Anyone in the Pacific Northwest looking for a one-stop shop for all their marketing needs should contact Gibbs Graphics at mail@gibbsgraphicsart.com, or click here to see their extensive signage portfolio. Want to make your own weatherproof dimensional signs? Click here for a free sample of Precision Board and get ready to carve those winter blues away.

Final pics of the Sign Odyssey piece – Sign Challenge

We also took some studio pictures of the Sign Odyssey piece for your enjoyment. I sure am looking forward to seeing fourteen of these crazy creations lined up in a row in Orlando at the ISA show in a few short months!

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