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Signfoam ?
Anybody know where it can be bought? I know there is a company in manchester, (Longworth Ltd) but does anyone else stock it or a similar produc?
Peter -
20 Replies
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Peter,
I dunno who stocks it, but I do know 2 other brand names:
Precision Board (they were at Stewart’s meet)
and Jasper Board.
The technical name for the stuff is HDU….high density urethane.
It also comes in different densities and thicknesses.
Some of the thicker stuff is reallllly dear, but you can get a lot of $$ for these types of signs.
It is very easy to work with and sandblast, carve, etc.
Good luck!
love….Jill -
Thanks Jill, its precision board that Longworth supply, I am still waiting for them to call me back.
Peter
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Hi Peter,
as Jill was saying
quote :The technical name for the stuff is HDU….high density urethane.You maybe be able to get this from an insulation supplier. We can get 2.4m x 1.2m in thicknesses from 25mm to 150mm. It has a paper or metal foil layer on the top and bottom faces. It may not be the same as sign foam but HDU is used as an insulation material.
Extruded polystyrene may also do, it comes in similar sizes to the HDU and would also be available from an insulation supplier. (DOW) is a product name, it has a closed cell structure and is usually blue in colour. It’s very different from expanded polystyrene.
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quote Peter Normington:Thanks Jill, its precision board that Longworth supply, I am still waiting for them to call me back.Peter
Hi Peter
Apparently this ‘Signfoam’ HDU stuff is the same material you see used as insulation in houses – usually with a shiny metal coating on two sides. There are a few densities available and with/without the silver finish. Try some of the insulation companies.
I recently saw a company building house walls out of ‘blocks’ of this material like Lego. Two skins used – internal and external and then concrete poured in between the two skins for rigidity. Sort of reversing the standard way of building houses but very warm houses! Material was available in 600 x 1200mm x 100mm thick pieces.
Hope this helps!
Cheers
Martin
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quote Martin Kennedy:quote Peter Normington:Apparently this ‘Signfoam’ HDU stuff is the same material you see used as insulation in houses – usually with a shiny metal coating on two sides.
MartinI’ve got loads of that in my garage at the moment.
Peter
if you want a sample piece to see if it’s what you want, just let me know and I’ll send you some up. -
….I’ve been using Signfoam for years and have never seen any that had foil on it.
I have seen folks do some faux rock walls and stuff like that with pink foam insulation.
I really think Peter is meaning Precision Board like he saw in Scotland.
love….Jill -
I have a sample of the precision board, it is not the same as insulation material, it has a much denser and smaller cell size. It does not absorb moisture and is temparature stable Or so I think. It is very expensive though
See attached pdf
Martin tks for the offer, I can get insulation samples from my local building supplier. I am sure this stuff is different, but at the prices asked, if it was the same that would be greatPeter
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quote Jill Marie Welsh:I really think Peter is meaning Precision Board like he saw in Scotland.
Thats what I thought he meant Jill.
Obviously similar stuff, meanwhile I’m off out to my garage with my Dremmel. 😀
Just seen your post Peter, thought it had to be much higher spec and price!
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Peter,
whilst searching for info on HDU l came across these, they may give you some inspiration.
The signfoam does seem expensive it may be worth trying a sheet of urethane insulation to practice on before you go with the expensive stuff.
Martin,
that form of construction is called ICF(insulated concrete form), popular in Jill’s country. The forms are usually made from molded polystyrene.mod-edit- uksignboards.com will not link to another sign makers forum other than letterheads. please contact admin@uksignboards.com if any questions.
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Thanks for all the input, Precision board is very expensive, probably priced so because its nearest rivals are also very expensive, in terms of material cost, and labour needed to convert to added value.
It seems to be in direct competition with good quality hard wood, and possibly stone. It is also maufactured in the states (i believe) so shipping adds to the cost.
I would need a specific job to justify buying some in. I dont think I would need to practice on insulation foam, or polystyrene first though.Peter
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you can buy HDU in the UK. i bought about ten sheets over 5 years ago, so ide expect it pretty easy to come by, by now. i know i mentioned to you i bought it from cherwell peter and that you have tried and they don’t sell it. but… something still tells me that’s were i got it. (maybe they just don’t do it anymore) who knows… i did a couple of signs using my cnc router for flat cut letters. 1 inch deep with radious. then painted and fitted. i went back to the sign 2 years later and the letters were still perfectly intact. not even any sign of the paint blistering, cracking etc
i have also used it for a spot of carving, "just for fun with my dremmel" :lol1: again it was excellent stuff… the downside is obviously price as has been said. ide say its expensive to dabble in, play around with but if you have the right customer i am sure it will really pay for itself.
again, it comes in various densities… the stuff i used was very light, kinda porous, but still a brilliant finish. the stuff i saw at the letterheads met… well actually i saw various different grades from the light stuff i have used, to the very dense stuff. were i guess, costing more. horses for courses i guess. we use low costing calander vinyl on flat panels, but will spend more getting the right cast to do , say a wrap? why, performance! -
Yes Rob, I Know it can be bought in the UK, Longworth have provided the price list, I was just trying to find an alternative and perhaps a bit cheaper than precision board, 😀
I have tried before to find a supplier, without success, looks like its not that popular in the UK
I have dealt with cherwell for 10 years, never seen them advertise hdu, When I asked about it they checked and double checked, but no, they say they have never stocked it?
I think a product called signrock is available somewhere, but I have been told its not as dense or consistant as precisionboard.
Peter
Peter
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was signrock not sold by spandex a while back?
the stuff i bought was signfoam1 or 2
still convinced it was cherwell :lol1: ok im a stubborn git! 😉
is there a sign supplier from the past called springwell?
this is going to bug me now!! 😕 -
I bought some material a few years ago from an insulations company called ‘Floormate 200’ made by Dow Corning, which I think is a Urethene foam. It’s a very dense light blue material with very tiny cells, and I remember that the 1220 x 610 x 25mm sheets I bought were about £12 each.
I use a hot wire to cut polystyrene lettering and I couldn’t run it hot enough to cut it. I’ve still got a sheet, if you want a sample I can send you a piece.
Robert is correct that Spandex sold SignRoc I’ve just looked in their catalogue and it’s no longer listed.
Steve
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springwell Rob………………
Get that bump checked mate………lol
:lol1:
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I made a couple of display ‘brick walls’ recently using the insulation material, stripped off the foil covering (what a tedious job that was), routed out the brick shapes and painted over the lot using a roller, to colour the ‘bricks’.
Worked a treat, and the ‘cement’ was exactly the right colour.
You need to wear a face mask though, it puts out a lot of dust. -
quote Tim Painter:springwell Rob………………
Get that bump checked mate………lol
:lol1:
what about wishingwell then? what bump 🙄 😉
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quote Steve Morgan:I’ve still got a sheet, if you want a sample I can send you a piece.
SteveThanks for the offer Steve,
I will check it out with my local building supplier first.
ThanksPeter
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From what I understand, the only difference between insulation board and HDU is the density. I don’t recall the volume that is measured, but it’s based on the weight of that volume. 15 lb and 18 lb are common for sign use, but if you look here…
http://www.precisionboard.com/Sign/prod … ducts.html
you’ll see that many other densities are available.
A newer manufacturer of the stuff is http://www.everwoodhdu.com/ but they don’t sell across the pond yet. I got samples from them a while back and it’s a much nicer and cleaner material to work with.
The one last thing you have to worry about with any HDU is reinforcing it after you go above a certain size. Shortly after the stuff came out, we picked up a lot of business for carved and blasted redwood signs because the larger HDU signs weren’t reinforced and they were snapping in half just from the wind.Checkers
a.k.a. Brian Born
Harrisburg, PA USA -
hi
(mod-edit) please read board rules
regards
Dr Mohab Fahmi
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