How To Make A Sandblasted Precision Board HDU Sign

Sandblasting HDU can allow for many more interesting and subtle textures than a wood sign. In addition to sandblasting much quicker 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.

This sign was sandblasted and finished by Insignia, a full service sign shop based in Anaheim, CA. Having sandblasted signs for over 20 years, they are sandblasting experts!

Step 1: Masking the Precision Board

Sandblasting HDU is done by applying a vinyl mask weeded from digital coordinates that are input into a plotter, or weeded by hand. All parts of the sign that will be sandblasted are cut from the mask, protecting any smooth surfaces you wish to keep.

Several different types of sandblast mask are available, from low, medium and high tack. Use a medium tack mask for pre-primed HDU, and a high-tack mask for unprimed HDU.

Step 2: Sandblasting Precision Board

Sandblasting Precision Board is just like sandblasting a lightweight wood. Recommended blasting pressure must be approximately 60 psi max. at the pot. This will allow for the unique textures only available with HDU.

Since the blasting pressure is low, the grit moves slower and takes out small pieces of the background instead of pulverizing the surface. This also means that a smaller compressor can be used, allowing almost anyone to make their own sandblasted sign.

Popular types of sandblast grit include clay sand and aluminum oxide. The density of the grit depends on which type of texture you desire. A larger grit will allow for a rougher texture, and finer grit allows for a smoother texture. Joseph Westbrook, owner of Insignia, specified that this sign was sandblasted using a 60/90 blend of Red Ruby Garnet, which is a great media to blast with because it is sharp, cuts nicely and is uniform in size. Background texture largely depends on the size of the medium.

Step 3: Priming the Precision Board:

Since not all paints adhere to raw HDU for the long term, it is necessary to prime Precision Board prior to painting. Coastal Enterprises manufactures FSC-88WB, a single component water based primer/filler. Any primer that is made for HDU will also work. FSC-88WB is a high build primer, able to be used on materials other than HDU and can be sprayed, brushed or rolled. We also have an excellent step-by-step video on priming Precision Board.

Step 4: Finishing the Precision Board

Any type of paint can be used on Precision Board once it is primed with FSC-88WB. Many of our customers use 1-Shot Paints. Coastal Enterprises also offers a complete line of applicable textures and coatings that allow the priming step to be skipped.

This is an example of a sandblasted Precision Board HDU sign:

Step 5: Send Us Photos Of Your Project!

If you send us pictures of your Precision Board project, we would love to feature your company in a blog or a newsletter! You can submit your work here.

Additional Tips:

Practice on test sheets. Request a free sample here.
Move the nozzle as evenly as possible.
Re-using old sandblast media can allow for better control and more detail

These are all Precision Board HDU sandblasted signs by the experts at Insignia:

Another great way to use Precision Board Plus!

Check out this impressive sign, courtesy of Gary Johnson, on the cover of Sign Builder Illustrated. Gary is the owner of The Great American Sign Company, in Basking Ridge, NJ.

Gary used Precision Board Plus PBLT-30, “due to the tight cell structure, increased durability, and reduced priming time.” You can view his website here for additional pictures and info.

Click here for a free sample of any of our products, or call us at: (800) 845-0745.

More details on the sign can be viewed on page 26 in the November issue of Sign Builder Illustrated.

Sign design in a different light

When most sign makers think of a sign their thinking is limited to the flat substrate and what they might stick onto it. At our shop we think of a sign as anything that attracts attention to our customer’s business, product or service.

In the entry hall of the Fox & Hounds Pub we have a project that closely resembles a sign under most definitions. The sign is dimensional of course for that is our style. We take it further than that however. The base of the sign, a large barrel tied the sign into the theme of the restaurant and helps tell the story. The brick wall behind the sign also was part of our work. It is actually the back of a seating booth in the pub. The curved brickwork mirrors the extensive carved concrete brickwork we did elsewhere in the restaurant. The large beams overhead also are part of our contract.

But there is more to the ‘sign’ we are creating. My design also included the fancy tile work on the floor. The work was to be done by another subcontractor but is an important part of the design. The lighting above is placed and focused to show the sign in the best possible light. Everything works together to bring attention to our customer’s brand. This is an effective and memorable sign.

-dan

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

Sign hanger in Precision Board sign

It has been a while since I showed how we fasten eye bolts into our hanging signs. Everyone knows that high density urethane does not hold eye bolts especially well. I’ve heard some sign makers drill out an oversized hole and then uses epoxy to fasten the eye bolts into the sign. This may be strong enough for them but I want to sleep soundly at night and not worry about a possible failure down the road. I figure there may be someone stupid enough to attempt a chin-up on one of my signs. And with my luck they just might be a real good lawyer who weighs in at four hundred pounds.

The solution is to glue some solid steel into the center of the signs we intend to hang. Since we finish the back of our signs it isn’t a whole lot more work. I welded the eye bolts securely to a steel bar. then I laid it on the sign. Once things are all measured up and marked it is a simple matter of using a die grinder to hollow out a void in the back and front halves of the sign. Then it is a matter of spreading the one part Coastal Enterprises glue onto the sign, spritzing it with water and then clamping the two halves together until dry. The extra glue that pools in the grooves will expand and fill in the voids making things good and tight.