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Flat Cut Back Lit Letter Help Please
We have a job to do before we break up for Xmas and i need a bit of advice.
We have ordered an illumninated sign box with Kestrel signs. I am routing the text from a 3mm dibond panel that will be the face of the box. On the inside of that 3mm dibond panel we are going to fix a 5 mm opal acrylic panel with VHB tape so that the letters are backlit.
I am then router cutting out the text in 10mm acrylic (clear) to sit within the same text cut out of the dibond. The clear acrylic will then be vinyl coated with a deep red transparent to allow the light through.My question to you all is……….what is the best fixing for the 10mm clear acrylic letters to the 5mm opal.
I’m worried that the glue / tape will be seen through the light. -
5 Replies
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If I understand this correctly. You are coating the clear in red.
I wouldn’t bother with OPAL – just use clear for the back panel too.
I’d do this… fix clear to di-bond coated in a translucent red (side nearest lamps!!) – VHB tape or Evostik "serious stuff"… Then glue with say Tensol, the clear 10mm letters to the clear panel (acrylic to acrylic).
The glue dries pretty much clear – and if you can compress the parts together as they set (big, flat weight) there will be a minimum amount of distortion.
(Using chloroform gives a better clear-on-clear result – but try getting a hold of it these days!!)ps. It would look stunning if you polish the edges of the 10mm – day & night as the red backing will refract & give a nice edge glow.
Dave
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Cheers Dave……
Having the red on the inide of the clear means that the colour is set back 15mm from the leading edge of the clear 10mm. Will this look right?
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If you can get a good clear on clear result & polished edges it will ‘look’ red to all intent & purposes…well it is clear.
Will look ‘unique / unusual’. You could play it safe & put red on the outside too.
DAve
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You’re probably better off using a single layer of 18mm acrylic.
Router your letters to a depth of 12mm or so, then cut out the letters another 10 or 12mm larger, allowing you to push them thru the routed letter openings in the dibond. You can use silicone or a similar adhesive to bond the letters to the back of the dibond panel.
Use your translucent red vinyl on the front face of the acrylic letter, and translucent white vinyl on the back surface to diffuse the light. Your letters will be red with a glowing white bevel/reveal.
This avoids any glue or adhesive mucking up the appearance. We’ve learned this the hard way. There’s no clear VHB or methylene chloride that will bod the 2 surfaces so perfectly that you won’t see splotches or glue stains.
Maybe this will help:
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Thanks for the help lads.
I think i’m going to go with the two clear acrylics and put the red vinyl on the inside.
I’ll post a few shots for you when completed next week.
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