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Factory Signs : British Steel
Hi all – I thought that in light of the news that Corus could be closing one of their remaining sites in the uk I would show you the signs I made and fitted at Shotton Steel works (Deeside, North Wales) which could be the unlucky one which has to close it’s doors.
The signs were all hand cut (by me and a jig saw) out of 3mm Aluminium sheet (56 off 8’x4′ in all). They were then powder coated in the relevant RAL colours and lifted into position in pieces by ropes and shackles.
They were rested on temporary ledges made from 3/4″ ply with strips of ali screwed to the front, (overlapping the top edge), as an anti-slip device.
The sign pieces were then fixed into place using 4.8mm (100% aluminium) rivets – the positioning of the signs individual pieces was done purely by using measurements from scaled up drawings and transfering them to the side of the building, (plus a great deal of prayer).
The rivet heads, (many thousand of them), were then touched in with the matching paint.The total height of the sign was 120ft from the floor – we were working on lightweight aluminium scaffolding standing on the shed roof below which reduced the height to about 70ft.
The red tape involved with working on a site like this meant that up to 2 hours a day were spent chasing invisible site managers trying to get your permit to work signed (in and out) – given that we had 3 weeks in total to manufacture and fit the signs you can guess the mood I was in most mornings after sitting in an office, (resembling the Marie Celeste dining room), waiting for a sighting of the lesser spotted shift manager to beg him to sign the afore mentioned paperwork.
Add to this that the time of year was Jan / Feb and very very cold – you could say that we were glad when we finished………….
………The British Steel signs were up for approx. 2 years then we were we asked to remove them and fit the Corus signs – how could we refuse?.Anyway – have a look at the picture below
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14 Replies
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…Gordon Bennett!!! – I shouldn’t think anything phases you now regarding fitting eh! 😉
Probably one of those tasks where the sheer management of the work outweighs the actual signwork…but then again, from what you’ve said, the signwork was enormous too!
…you must be able to retire now with a double paycheck from such works! 😎
thanks for sharing this…it really puts into perspective what many of us do on an average day.
more soon
mikethesign
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I notice that Corus are in a bad way, must have been the cost of that sign. 🙂
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wow if work gets a bit slow for you may be you could be a standin ,in the next cliffhanger film
well done mate top job -
Just a little job you had to get of the way before the weekend!!! 😆 😆 😆
Stroll on! I’m still catching my breath and I dare not look down 😮 😮
Just a thought (-)
Did you say it was scaffolding throughout or were you working from towers (?) (?)John
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Youve got my applause for a job well done,i get sick just watching fred dibnah
that sort of work must be a nightmare to cost -
excellent work mate… my stomouch churns looking at it..
i have to say i “hate” large scaffold towers.. that one would turn my legs to jelly 😆 😆
i mean that and i regulary work on our cherry picker boucing up and down on it and thats up about 50 foot.. nothing compared to this work of yours. 😮im glad you fitted the corus and not british steel, asi t looks off centre. 😮 😆 😆
constructive critisism: your kerning is off.. kidding mate, kidding 😆 😆
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So how many times did you reach the top of the scaffolding tower to discover you had forgotten to pick up your applicator or ruler 😕
Brilliant work – a very proud achievement I’m sure, and a great monument for your business 😀
Actualy, this reminds me of a little story:-
Old Jock McCavvity was taking a walk with his grandson one day when he spotted a few landmarks that he had been involved in over the years.
“See the big Ravenscraig Steelworks sign – I helped to put that up,… do the people around here say “There goes jock the signmaker” – do they nowt”
“See the large mural handpainted onto the stadium wall – I did that,…. do the people around here say “There goes Jock the signmaker” – do they nowt”
“See the big illuminated sign outside the carpet warehouse – I did that….do the people around here say “There goes Jock the signmaker” – do they nowt”
Sigh…. but see if you shag just one sheep 🙄 ….
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😆 😆 😆
that’s just like the story of the old sign maker and his apprentice of many years.
They are sitting eating their lunch when the old guy says.. Im just thinking Tommy. Do you remember when I was hand picked to letter the 4 old chimney towers in fife. 300ft and 7 weeks work. Right along side me you were all the way.
Then there was the 50 trains we had to letter for British rail. Again I was hand picked with my trustee apprentice
Next came the banners we both had to fix to some of the huge cranes in Clyde banks “john brown ship yard” 200 feet up. Sheer madness!
Now we sit here eating our lunch together midway through re-lettering the signs above the busy M8 motorway..
Do you know something Tommy? You’re a f****ng JINX !
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Nice work, but rather you than me.
I helped a mate out one Sunday Morning doing some repair work in the City, tall building damaged by the Baltic Exchange bomb a few years back. Lashed into a cradle but on a corner hence only one runner. Every time the wind blew we moved about 4ft from the building . After 10 minutes we decided it was too risky and the site manager said ‘last time it was windy like this it took the cradle out about 15ft round the corner and back through the windows!! Now he tells us!
I do everything off of a chair now!
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Nice work Colin, like Gray I am not bothered by heights at all but I wouldn’t have been able to get Jon who works with me onto the roof let alone up the tower !!
Where do you start trying to price a job like this ? -
Well, Robert, we actually did both signs;
The British steel (I’ts not off centre by the way – it’s a trick of the light- honest) AND Corus .
The initial job was done 2 years before Corus bought them out so we had to remove the Brit Steel one and put up 3 Corus signs.
Costing it was not as bad as you would think, suprisingly, but we got more for taking it down than we did for putting it up (and what a weigh in – exactly 1 ton of aluminium).
The entire area was scaffolded – but it was very bouncy up there and took a bit of getting used to – especially after we all got food poisoning from the BritSteel canteen – LOOK OUT BELOW! 😳 .
Col -
sorting some old posts out getting things in order at the moment. lots to get through this week.
heres one of my old favourites.. bloody high signs! 😉
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wow!! 😮 😮 nippy sweeties there!! that’s high, fab work (brave) 😆
nik
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No wonder Corus are in trouble!!! all that ALI!!!!!
Brilliant job mate,thanks for sharing.
I’d be proud of that one.
Darryl
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