In downtown Minneapolis, there is a vibrant local theater called Roxy’s Cabaret with a giant red stiletto on the roof. Their logo uses two red high-heeled shoes to make the “X” in Roxy, so they were interested in some eye-catching shoe signage to go along with it. And how did they get such a fabulous sculpture? Precision Board, of course!
Marty Orensten was called to help bring this unique creation to life. His long experience with sign company In-Signity made him the perfect person to work on this spectacular piece. After doing a bit of research for the shape and some initial drawings that everyone was happy with, Marty needed to come up with the foundation for the shoe. “I had to draw the framework since it had to be structurally sound,” he says. For something this large, the foundation has to be rock solid.
After the framework was built, Marty started attaching pieces of PBLT-10, 3-inch thick Precision Board to build up the shape of the shoe. For the heel area, Marty used 1-1/2-inch PBLT-15 and added multiple layers until he had a solid base to work with. “I used West Systems epoxy to glue the layers together, until I built up enough to start carving.”
Marty and his employee, Ryan (as seen above sitting in the shoe), both sat and carved to get the right shape for the piece. “The whole thing was carved using a reciprocating saw and a small chainsaw, and then with hand rasps and a lot of sanding!”
The shoe was then primed with 2–3 coats of Coastal Enterprise’s FSC-88 WB HDU Primer. Afterwards, Marty carefully double checked the shape and surface of the shoe. He used Bondo in some spots and built up primer in other areas to smooth everything out. “I probably did this at least four times so I could see any places that needed more work,” says Marty.
The final paint for the shoe was a Matthews red, topped with three coats of high-gloss clear with metal flakes and lots of sparkle. The perfect finish for advertising a cabaret!
To learn more about Marty Orensten, and to see additional examples of his work, visit his website at www.in-signity.com.
If you have any questions regarding Precision Board, please call Coastal Enterprises at (800) 845-0745 or via email at hdu@precisionboard.com.