engraving signage: pts ltd

[Peter Normington]

Looks good Rob.
was the original done in copper?
And just a comment, how come with the services they offer, they didnt make the sign in house?
Peter

[Robert Lambie]

it was made in some sort of cast metal peter, weighed two ton… i hated sitting it on table for fear of catching my fingers under it banging down.
they made the original many years ago i think…

[Nicola McIntosh]

nice work rob 😀

do you buy in your wooden backing or make-up from scratch?

nik

[Robert Lambie]

we just make it up nik, nothing fancy… just some 3/4 inch ply and some beading from b&q or jewsons… stained and varnished.
i hardly do engraving in brass… its not hard but i absolutely hate the back filling process, i don’t have the patients. 😕

[Nicola McIntosh]

just wondered if you had a supplier for those, as ed makes his own up too, but i find they are getting a bit time consuming 😀

nik

[Lynn Normington]

I will not have to go away again Rob I see you have become a doctor while have been gone 🙄

Lynn

[Hugh Potter]

the brasswork looks great Rob,

i know what ya mean about painting in the letters etc, i occasionally engrave (freehand) marble, and it’s always the painting i hate !!

i would only question the wooden backing, by making it that way (ply with beading), how do you find it will hold up against the elements (ie water getting in the back and swelling it ?

i only ask out of interest, having a reasonable background in working with timber, both supply and part time work), i would’ve been tempted to have used a solid hardwood, maybe tounge and grooved planks a solid section not available (or got a local chippy to knock it up), but a hardwood for it’s durability (specially up there in suny scotland ! 😉 ), i’ve found that even marine ply can swell in time, more so the soft wood beading,

i think i’d also be tempted to router cut the edging rather than attack beading, less areas for water to get in, can your flatbed router do this ?

i know you’ve been at this alot longer than I, but if this is the prefered method, i’d certainly look into getting hardwood beading from your local timber merchant,

just mho !

[Rodney Gold]

Here’s a small tutorial on paint filling.
1) If you can engrave thru a mask like vinyl , do so as it aids cleanup hugely. Problem is the glues on the vinyl tend to clog cutters and you often dont get a clean edge on the vinyl , paper application tape works well. If using vinyl , a good strategy is to sandblast the plaque after engraving as this sharpens the vinyls at the edges and also provides a better roughened surface for paint to adhere to. S mask is almost essential for marble as its generally pourous and paint filling without a mask can lead to surface staining that is impossible to remove (depends on the fill)

2) Always use engravers brass , it cuts clean without lubes or coolants and the extra price is well worth it in terms of deburring etc , it also tends to have a much better surface finish than 1/2 hard brass and you can use almost the same speeds and feeds as you would use in plastics , cutting thru thick engravers is a snap.

3) Fill using automotive ducos , the best way is to cut a piece of card with a straight edge and flood fill the engraving and then use the card to scrape away any excess on the surface that is not to be filled , key to this is to try get the surface as paint free as possible , allow time to dry before cleanup

4) Cleanup is best accomplished by stretching thin t-shirt material (lint free – not fluffy) over a wood block and use METHS , NOT thinners on it.
Moisten it and rub it over the unfilled surfaces.
The meths removes excess but doesnt affect the gloss in the filled areas as thinners will , it will also be less likely that you scoop out the paint in large engraved areas.

The best fill however is to use powder based enamel and then stove the item after the engraved areas are filled with the powders – a bit of a mission , but better for resistance and clean ups etc.