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  • Aluminium 2mm flat cut letters with snap fix locator problem

    Posted by Jamie Palmer on August 1, 2019 at 7:01 am

    Good day, I have recently upgraded a shop fascia and re-installed some flat cut lettering. The original ‘balls & cups’ were past it and so removed these and installed new with snap fix plastic fixings and used there two part glue. Two letters have dropped and so visited yesterday and simply pulled the letters off leaving ball and cup in place! I will call snapfix today but any advice would be great. These are 2mm aluminium not composite. Thanks

    Jamie Palmer replied 4 years, 8 months ago 4 Members · 4 Replies
  • 4 Replies
  • Simon Worrall

    Member
    August 1, 2019 at 8:11 am

    There are a lot of products claiming to be able to glue small surface area locators to metals.
    Personally I would never trust them in a million years, no matter what the claims or the reviews say – specially if the letters were mounted where the heavy letter could conceivably fall on a person.
    Better to weld your tags on, or drill right through, or anything else but glue.
    Maybe thats just me?
    But so far no dropsies (touches wood)

  • David Rogers

    Member
    August 1, 2019 at 8:16 am

    Had a few from suppliers delivered with a square acrylic pad 2mm thick bonded to the clean metal with (automotive) VHB – then a std locator glued to the acrylic.

  • Andy Thorne Andy Thorne

    Member
    August 1, 2019 at 9:31 am

    Hi Jamie, a few factors at play here. Firstly the colour and location of the letters. If they are a dark colour (especially black!) they will soak up the sun, heating up causing the aluminium to expand. More so if the letters face south (or SE,SW). Then depending on the type of adhesive you have used will determine if the letter faces will break off the locators when they "grow". If you have used a strong flexible adhesive this will usually allow for this expansion (and contraction in cold winter months) but if you have used a rigid glue this will not. Alternatively, as David says if you bond the locators to a small acrylic pad and use a 1mm+ foam tape this usually allows for the different expansion and contraction rates. Of course all this is also dependant on the height of the letter where a bigger one will obviously expand a lot more than a smaller one.
    Hope that helps?

  • Jamie Palmer

    Member
    August 1, 2019 at 11:11 am

    Thank you all for your responses, the letters are 200mm tall polished stainless (1mm). I am sorting out a cowboys disaster by the looks of things. The acrylic idea sounds good I have 3m primer and fhb tape so will try that out. I have also done a test with some Sikaflex as this claims to be suitable and allows expansion. Thanks Again.

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