Silver Creek Signworks Serene Signage Setting

Dick Bohrer, owner of Silver Creek Signworks and member of the elite “Walldogs” group of mural artists recently sent us pictures of some great signs he made for a resort last Fall using Precision Board Plus HDU.

Dick’s signs spends their days in the serene setting of the Leech Lake Resort Lodge in Walker, MN. Renowned for its hunting, fishing and hiking, Leech Lake experiences harsh weather during the winter so the signs needed to be able to resist moisture and withstand extreme temperatures. To guard against these elements, Dick chose to use Precision Board Plus PBLT-15 HDU, the proven Cold Weather Warrior.

The Precision Board was cut using what Dick calls the “BAR” technique (Brain Assisted handheld Router). After routing, the finished touches were added to the larger sign by a light sandblasting with a wire frame to create an authentic wood look.

pLmB5t

To additionally protect them from high winds or other acts of nature, Dick sanded a sheet of Di-Bond with a coarse sandpaper and attached it to the Precision Board using PB Bond-240. The hand-carved paddles are also each backed with Di-Bond as a precaution. To add texture to the directional and trading post signs, a v-gouge and spoon gouge were used to add a hand carved look. Dick wrapped up the job with several coats of Nova Color paint, which is one of his favorites because of the high pigment content.

Trapper's on-site directional Sign_lowres

An additional sign Dick made for the lodge:

Trappers trading post

Dick also sent over this group of pictures showing how one can quickly and easily add a wood -grain finish to Precision Board Plus HDU by using a wire brush.

WOOD

Dick Bohrer has been making signs since 1976 and Silver Creek Signworks is a full-serivice sign shop ready to tackle any signage project you can dream of! Be sure to visit his website for more information: http://silvercreeksignworks.com.

Industry Forecast: A Spike In Green Signage

Recently, sign shops have been increasingly interested in the Certified Green aspect of Precision Board Plus HDU. Essentially what we have been hearing is that more and more of their customers are wanting to know what exactly their “green options” are when choosing their sign. We see this as an indicator of the change coming to the sign industry.

With the US economy also starting to improve, a rise in new building construction is on the horizon. State and Federal incentives ensure that building planners have good reason to build an earth-friendly, LEED certified building, (See our previous blog to see why LEED is so important) and naturally, green signs will be the specified standard.

Coastal Enterprises is proud to offer a certified green sign substrate, Precision Board Plus HDU, which assists in meeting LEED requirements for obtaining USGBC and ICC 700 building credits.

Our Green Certifications include:

Certified Carbon Footprint of 3:1 – For every one carbon that it takes to produce Precision Board Plus, 3 carbons are saved throughout its product life.

Certified Rapidly Renewable Resource Content of 23.9% – Roughly a quarter of each sheet of Precision Board Plus HDU is made up of a rapidly renewable resource.

With the way the industry is moving, green signage is fast becoming the standard and not the option. Simply put, providing a green substrate can help to reduce waste, reduce greenhouse gas, conserve energy and assist in meeting LEED requirements necessary for tax rebates and incentives for new buildings & homes.

If you have any additional questions about the green aspect of Precision Board Plus, please call: (800) 845-0745.

Take a look at the world’s first LEED certified parking garage at the Santa Monica Civic Center:

leedgarage1

 

 

 

 

 

 

PBLT-15 HDU Is Going To The X Games!

Check out the sneak preview of an upcoming project currently underway by Art Sign Works! Owner Enrique Valenzuela sent us in process pictures of a Red Bull sign he’s constructing for the X Games.

This project is rather large, and the sign will measure 12′ x 20′ x 18″ thick once complete! Enrique is using PBLT-15 HDU cut on his ShopBot CNC for this massive sign and as you can see from the pics, this will be an awesome project to watch unfold! Be sure to check in for updates! (You’ll also be seeing it soon at one of the upcoming X-Games!)

Screen Shot 2013-04-29 at 2.50.25 PM

Enrique Valenzuela crouching by the sign’s massive support structure.

Unknown-4

Unknown-5

Screen Shot 2013-04-29 at 3.00.05 PM

 IMG_2624

Corvette Conversion: Bringing A Corvette Back To The Good Old Days!

Classic Reflections Coachworks specializes in completely transforming a new Corvette into a classic, retro Corvette. As you can imagine, this is quite a labor-intensive process (the first “retro” car took 6 years and 5000 hours). Working with our friend Ron Marsden, General Manager at CRC, we’re able to show you some insight into this innovative process.

So how are these unbelievable retro Corvette’s made?

Step 1: All fiberglass panels are removed. A computerized measuring system checks the understructure and frame alignment to make sure its within its factory specs.

Step 2: The composite shop handles the lay up process for each composite “retro” body panel. Each panel is vacuum bagged and cured at controlled temperature cycles. Precision Board Plus HDU is used as a master mold to manufacture composite tools, which are used to create the carbon fiber body panels.

Step 3: Individual panels are attached to backing structures using vacuum assisted gluing jigs to ensure accuracy.

Step 4: Each car is placed on its own cart and moved to the fitting room where all exterior panels are aligned and attached.

Step 5: The car is then moved to the paint room for a coating of special primer.

Step 6: Several blockings produce a quality surface, then its back to the paint room for the final color matched primer.

Step 7: Final sanding before painting.

Step 8: Finish painting. Each car is then hand sanded and buffed before delivery.

Step 9: Interior assembly. Carpet matched to interior color is added to trunk, new matching extensions are added to the top of the door panels and a new soft top is installed. CRC also offers custom seats and color trade-outs.

Screen Shot 2013-04-19 at 12.41.26 PM

Be sure to visit http://www.crcoachworks.com for more pictures and info.

Coming up next Wednesday we will offer an inside look at the newest addition to the CRC lineup, the infamous 1967 Stingray conversion. Be sure to check back in!

Some of the fabulous completed Corvette’s:

DSC_0544

DSC_0900

DSC_0556

7

Here are some pics of CNC machined Precision Board Plus  PBLT-4 prior to being used as a mold for body panels on a retro Corvette:

DSC_0975

 

Front.Buck1.20lb

 

photo.1.000

 

photo.3

 

Why PBLT-30? Ask Dan Sawatzky!

As many of you know, Dan is a much respected signmaker in the industry, well known for his 3-D and CNC expertise. Dan owns Imagination Corporation, in Yarrow, BC. and is quite fond of Precision Board Plus HDU, specifically PBLT-30.

Dan explains just what it is he likes about Precision Board Plus PBLT-30 HDU in a post on his blog:

http://precisionboard.blogspot.com/2010/03/why-30-lb-precision-board.html

We’ll send you a free sample of PBLT-30! Visit: https://precisionboard.com/services/request-a-sample/

dn with truck

 Dan standing next to his truck at our booth last week at ISA.