Sculpted Concrete Stone and Precision Board Plaque

Coastal Enterprises, manufacturers of Precision Board HDU, is proud to host guest blogs written by some of the signage industry’s biggest movers and shakers, posted to the Precision Board Blog.  This guest blog is written by Jim Dawson with Synergy Sign & Graphics, based in Strasburg, Ohio.  Jim shows us how he created a memorial plaque out of steel, concrete and Precision Board that looks so much like one piece that you can’t tell where the rock ends and the urethane foam begins!  Read on to see how he crafted this masterpiece of mixed media!

plaque

In Jim’s own words…

In the fall of 2019, I was contacted by Kent State University Tuscarawas to come up with a memorial plaque to be placed near their walking path on the campus. They wanted to honor John Demuth for his service to the campus. They also mentioned they liked one of our previous sculptures that was produced for the owners of a local Harley Davidson dealership.

plaque

With that in mind, we developed a design that would use the same basic construction for the stone and embedded plaque. Once the proofs were submitted and approved, we started construction. The base plate and ribs that make up the framework were cut on our Multicam V-Series Plasma. We then assembled them using our Miller 212 Autoset Mig Welder. The framework was then wrapped in 1/4” pencil rod to frame out all of the stone geometry.

The plaque was programmed in Enroute Pro 6 software and then sent to our Multicam 3000 series router. The X-Edge XV2006 60º V groove bit handled all of the carving into the 2” thick PBLT-30 Precision Board HDU. The plaque was then mounted to the steel plate using PB Bond 240 urethane adhesive and stainless steel screws.

With the framework and plaque mounting complete, it was time to wrap the frame with galvanized metal lath in preparation for application of the fiberglass reinforced concrete.

Concrete application was next. We troweled on our special mix of fiberglass reinforced concrete and the waiting game began. Wait time was roughly 3 hours before we began to carve. As you can see from the pic, we leave the application very rough on purpose. It’s not until the carving stage that the details really start to show.

Once carving is complete, we allow the piece to dry for several days. It all depends on temperature and humidity.

We then paint the piece with three coats of exterior grade latex paint and allow it to completely dry between each coat. Once the base coats are dry, we apple a series of glazes that deposit colors into the cracks and pits in the piece. This step is when the pieces truly come alive.

Once special thing we did on this piece was add sand to the paint to blend the area where the plaque is. It worked beautifully!

We think that Jim Dawson and his team do some really excellent work. Synergy Sign & Graphics has a highly experienced staff whose backgrounds include graphic design, marketing, trade-show design, print media, branding, point of purchase design, fulfillment, and more. Check out their website or give them a call at (330) 878-7646 to see about your next project!

Coastal Enterprises offers free samples of Precision Board HDU.  Already have a project in mind for our material?  Request a quote and get started today.  Sign up for our monthly blog roundup so you don’t miss any of our informative blogs.  Have a special project fabricated with Precision Board HDU and want to know if it could be featured in a blog on our website?  Give us a call at 800-845-0745 or drop us an email with details.  We’d love to hear from you!

Sandblasting Precision Board HDU: Tips from SignCraft Readers

Sandblasting Precision Board HDU can allow for many more interesting and subtle textures than a wood sign.  In addition to sandblasting much faster 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.  Dave Showalter of David Design and Danny Dean of Dynamic Signs Design recently wrote into SignCraft Magazine with their tips for sandblasting HDU.  They also sent us photos of some of their signs, fabricated from Precision Board high-density urethane foam, manufactured by Coastal Enterprises.

Danny Dean, Dynamic Signs Design, Rice Lake, Wisconsin:

Sandblasted effects on HDU
“I like to mix textures when sandblasting a high density urethane sign. I may blast the background through the Grain-Fraim [www.grainfraim.com] to get a wood grain effect, then blast the border or a panel directly to get a stucco or stone effect.
I like the contrast of the stucco finish against the woodgrain.
I sometimes make a template with a slot in it that lets me blast faux mortar joints for a brick or stone look. You can create a stone effect that way by monkeying around with the sandblast to get an irregular surface.”

David Showalter, David Design, Bryan, Ohio:

Make sandblasted HDU woodgrain look even more realistic
“I often sandblast high-density urethane through the Grain-Fraim to simulate sandblasted woodgrain backgrounds. Over the years, I’ve found that a couple of tweaks during the blasting process that make the effect look even more realistic.
First, my sandblaster does an initial blast through the Grain Fraim. Next, he moves the Grain Fraim about an eighth of an inch up or down and continues blasting. This really creates a great look.
Finally, we remove the Grain-Fraim and continue blasting. It deepens everything. It just adds to the effect and makes it look more realistic.”

sandblasting

Both of these gentlemen used Precision Board HDU in their sandblasting tips for SignCraft Magazine.  You can check out our SignCraft Magazine page on the website HERE to see all the articles where Precision Board and Companion Products (adhesives, primers & fillers, textures & coatings) from Coastal Enterprises are mentioned.

We offer more detailed tips on sandblasting Precision Board high-density urethane HERE as well as in this blog post from Kendal Signs in Florida who not only replaced several cedar signs with Precision Board HDU, but also sandblasted them and let us in on their process.

Not sandblasting, but still want to get that wood grain effect on Precision Board?  Coastal Enterprises’ TSF-45 Texture Coating is perfect for adding grain to HDU.  Call us for samples!

Coastal Enterprises manufactures Precision Board HDU, a versatile, cost-effective and eco-friendly urethane sign material that is particularly effective for making professional-looking indoor and outdoor dimensional signs.  It is a closed-cell rigid substrate that does not rot, warp or crack.  You can request free samplesget a quote or sign up for periodic newsletters packed with helpful information.

The Hotel Settles Gets An Incredibly Detailed Architectural Model

Tom Pantuso with B&T Model Railroad Building and Design Works LLC used Precision Board high-density urethane to fabricate an incredibly detailed replica of the historic Hotel Settles in Texas.  At almost six feet tall, the model replicates the hotel’s 150 rooms, restaurant and pharmacy.  Pantuso went with Precision Board because he knew it would be able to handle the intricate details required while also holding up to the elements.  Read on to see how his team completed this monumental undertaking.

Tom used PBLT-15 Precision Board HDU to make the castings and molds for the door frame and window molds. It was also used for the exterior of the building.

“I used Precision Board on the CNC machine to make the original casting for the rubber molds that I would then cast the windows and doors from using plastic resins from Smooth Cast,” said Pantuso. He added, “most of the actual model was constructed using SketchUp and Blender.”

 

They began to break the overall model apart into different sections to make it easier to build.  They did it in sections and put them all together using a plexiglass interior.  The brick work was done using either a 1/64th bit or 1/32nd bit.

“Once we had a 3d model in place, we got to work cutting the Precision Board.  Because we had so many intricate pieces to cut, it took us about four months on the CNC alone,” Tom said.  “We used several different router bit sizes, including 1/4″, 1/2″ and 3/8″ on the urethane foam.”

The main reason Pantuso chose to use Precision Board HDU was that wood was too hard, and hardware store foam wasn’t high enough density.

“Precision Board cut like butter and held the shapes well,” said Tom.  He added, “with 250 windows and doors to fabricate, the only product out there that would allow us to not go through thousands of bits and be fast enough to get the model produced in a short period of time was Coastal Enterprises’ Precision Board.”

The Art Deco routing took Pantuso’s team four to five months to rout, mostly because of the precision of detail needed and the fact that Tom didn’t want to rush the cutting process.  They tried MDF and other substrates, but nothing worked as well as Precision Board.

Pantuso’s team painted the urethane foam using regular primer and then hand-painted all the details over several months.

The model was commissioned in February and installed in November.  The modeling took three months and then it was an additional three to four months routing all the material 24/7 to get it done in time.

According to Tom, there was an unintended side effect from adding the model of the Hotel Settles to the TrainTopia display.

“The hotel looks so good that it’s making the other buildings look like cardboard boxes, so we’ll be going back and upgrading some of the other buildings using Precision Board.”

You can find out more information on the project from the joint Press Release:

hotel settles

The Museum of the American Railroad, located in Frisco, Texas, is pleased to announce the latest addition to TrainTopia, The Hotel Settles.

Designed and built by B&T Model Railroad Building and Design Works of Keller, Texas, the beautifully detailed G-Scale model rises majestically almost six feet above the busy streetscape of TrainTopia.

hotel settles

TrainTopia is a million dollar permanent year-round model train exhibit donated by the Sanders family and made possible by the current hotel owners, Brint and Amanda Ryan.

Hotel Settles opened in 1930. It boasted 150 rooms, and included a restaurant and a pharmacy. At the time, it was the tallest building between El Paso and Fort Worth.

After 75 years of decay and decline, Brint Ryan and his wife Amanda set about renovating and fully restoring the iconic hotels rich history and beautiful 19th century Art Deco facade and interior opulence.

The scale model of Hotel Settles will be a permanent feature at the 2,500 sq. ft. operating model train exhibit in Frisco.

B&T Model Railroad is owned and operated by partners Bob Nunn and Tom Pantuso. They are joined by Tom’s son, Jeremy Pantuso, who worked tirelessly to engineer and assemble the final structure. The model itself was constructed using SLS 3D printing, mold and resin casting, CNC machining, and old fashion craftsmanship. Fort Worth artist Angie Glover provided the finishing touches, with exacting hand-painted detailing on the six-foot tall 1/32 scale model.

In February 2019 Bob LaPrelle, President and CEO of the Museum, reach out to B&T Model Railroad to commission the development and construction of the hotel model. Tom and his team began the long journey, scaling down the iconic West Texas hotel using the original architecture plans, on-site surveys, and Tom’s skills in creating exacting 3D models from sight.

Detailed designs and fabrication of the substrate, walls, and façade were accomplished using high-density foam, called Precision Board, from Coastal Enterprises.

A CNC machine from BOBSCNC accurately cut the nearly 500+ pieces required to duplicate the incredibly detailed Art Deco, brick walls, and ornamental features of the hotel.

Tom also incorporated the use of mold making and resin casting to create the more than 300 windows and doors that encompass the hotel.

Fort Worth artist Angie Glover brought her talents to the B&T family. She painted the entire building by hand, bringing to life each individual brick, hundreds of Art Deco panels and blocks, and capturing the beauty of the historic 1930’s building and all its glory.

hotel settles

LED lighting, combined with relays and independent power supplies, bring life to the Hotel Settles’ interior and exterior windows, floodlights, ceiling lamps, and wall sconces. The models lighting system works both independently and in conjunction with the exhibits own state-of-the-art lighting system.

After nearly ten months of research, design, fabrication, and detailing, the creative team at B&T Model Railroad, delivered the Hotel Settles in early November, where it will remain a permanent feature of the 2,500 sq. ft. TrainTopia Exhibit.

hotel settles

The Museum of the American Railroad is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization incorporated in the state of Texas in 1962. The Museums mission is to enrich the lives of others through meaningful, relevant programs and exhibits that relate the history and technology of the railroad, and its profound impact on American life and culture.

B&T Model Railroad Building and Design Works LLC, in addition to working with the American Railroad Museum, has been commissioned by The Texas State Railroad Society, Texas & Pacific Railroad historian, author, and model railroader Michael Coyne and others because of B&T’s attention to detail and their creative 3D modeling capabilities.  You can call them at (817) 301-8786 or send them an email.

Coastal Enterprises manufactures Precision Board HDU, a versatile, cost-effective and eco-friendly urethane sign material that is particularly effective for making professional-looking indoor and outdoor dimensional signs.  It is a closed-cell rigid substrate that does not rot, warp or crack.  You can request free samplesget a quote or sign up for periodic newsletters packed with helpful information.

Sawatzky Blog: Adding Texture to Precision Board with a Die Grinder

Coastal Enterprises, manufacturers of Precision Board HDU, is proud to announce a series of guest blogs written by Dan Sawatzky of Imagination Corporation, which will be posted on the Precision Board Blog each month. This month Dan Sawatzky shows us how he quickly adds a hand-chiseled texture to Precision Board projects using an air-powered die grinder.  He says it adds value to their work while actually saving fabricating time!

In Dan’s own words…

One of the things we are renowned for is texture. We incorporate textures into almost everything we do. Texture creates a wonderful look and in our opinion is a way to add value to our work while actually saving us time in fabricating our creations. Even though we often use modern machines and tools, our work looks and feels hand-made.

A while back we created a sign for a chiropractor. I textured the good sized project using the method I describe below. On a whim I timed the process as I worked. The six foot by four foot sign took me about 18 minutes to accomplish the texture using an air-powered die grinder. When I delivered the sign the customer was extremely impressed I had textured the sides and back of the sign. As he gently rubbed his hand over the beautifully textured surface he commented to me that it must have taken FOREVER to accomplish the task. I smiled at him and said ‘You have no idea!’ He happily accepted his sign and paid his bill knowing he had received excellent value.

Most sign makers finish the sides and backs of their signs by sanding out every imperfection, filling any holes or dings and sanding some more as necessary. That’s perfectly fine as Precision Board sands easily. We take a different tact on most projects. Rather than sand things smooth, we instead deliberately introduce texture to these surfaces. I love the hand-chiseled look but I do it with a die grinder. It is a whole lot faster!

We are currently creating an order for a mini golf that had forty signs in all. With forty signs and three layers of Precision Board in each sign it made an impressive stack.

We routed the top 1” thick layer of Precision Board with a woodgrain texture and raised lettering and edges. The centre layer was 3/4″ thick PBLT-30 Precision Board HDU with a hole in the centre. We inserted a piece of 3/4″ plywood into these centre holes so we had something secure for our mounting screws (from the back). The third layer was another piece of 3/4″ 30lb Precision Board. I glued these layers together using PB Fast Set glue. To keep things together while the glue set up I used lots of clamps and a couple of screws in the corners to keep things aligned.

Once the glue was set I took off the clamps and fired up the die grinder. I did the top outer border first using random strokes to quickly take off just enough material to leave a texture.  Then I did the side edges before adding small quick 45 degree bevel to the top corner.

The backs of the signs were then textured and another small bevel on the back corner edge at a 45 degree angle. In less than two minutes this sign was ready for paint.

Sawatzky’s Imagination Corporation is a small family company that specializes in the design and creation of dimensional signs and environments. They tackle projects of any size from small signs to entire theme parks. Their work has garnered numerous national and international awards.

Dan Sawatzky is best described as a creative force and visual storyteller extraordinaire. His art career spans almost fifty years of magic. Dan’s passion is to design and create imaginative places that take people from the normal world to a setting of delight and wonder.

Coastal Enterprises manufactures Precision Board HDU, a versatile, cost-effective and eco-friendly urethane sign material that is particularly effective for making professional-looking indoor and outdoor dimensional signs.  It is a closed-cell rigid substrate that does not rot, warp or crack.  You can request free samplesget a quote or sign up for periodic newsletters packed with helpful information.

WARDJet: Waterjet Cutting of Precision Board HDU

Coastal Enterprises, manufacturer of Precision Board HDU, partnered with WARDJet to create a new sign for their corporate office.  The results are spectacular and were documented in a blog on their website, including settings information for their Z-Series waterjet.  Check out an excerpt and video below and then head to their website to read the full article.

Precision Board High Density Urethane (HDU), also known as Foam Board, is a popular material with many applications. In the video below, our Z-Series waterjet can be seen cutting a sign out of PBLT-34 Precision Board. This sign was then primed, painted, and mounted in the WARDJet boardroom.

Machine Settings

We used a .010” orifice and a .030” nozzle to cut the Precision Board. Additionally, we used 80 mesh GMA abrasive with an abrasive feed rate of ¾ lb/min. The sign was pre-pierced using a low-pressure, circular piercing method in order to reduce the likelihood of damage to the material. Full pressure (60,000 psi) was then used to cut the sign at a maximum speed of just 11ipm in order to maximize edge quality.

Visit precisionboard.com for additional details on this durable material, including inspiration for more waterjet cutting ideas.

You can read the full blog post on the WARDJet website HERE.

WARDJet is an Ohio-based designer and vertically integrated manufacturer of tailored waterjet cutting solutions that are used to cut materials ranging from tinfoil to titanium.  You can call them at 1-844-WARDJET or email them at sales@wardjet.com.

Coastal Enterprises manufactures Precision Board, a versatile, cost-effective and eco-friendly urethane material used extensively in the tooling industry.  It is a closed-cell, rigid, dimensionally-stable substrate that is ideal for use in a number of different tooling applications.

Request free samplesget a quote or sign up for weekly e-blasts packed with helpful information.  You can view our waterjet cutting playlist on our YouTube Channel.