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.
“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.
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