halo lit blue l.e.d sign: steelpoint tatoo

[Richard Urquhart]

another

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[Alistair Richards]

Good Stuff Rich, nicely done. Just having a play around with my first illumated sign myself now, using Andy’s demo.

Quick question though for yours. When assembly the stainless to the clear letter, do you use any sort of sealant to stop water ingress? or is this not necessary?

Cheers mate :lol1:

[Richard Urquhart]

no sealent used on mine mate i would think only a very small amount would get in the back of the letter but as they would be damp i did go for the soldered joint and heat shrink so as not to have to go back for a dry joint and most important behind the tray

[Richard Urquhart]

just found this photo of the shop when i first went to look at it

if you look to the right of the glass at the top you can see how far the frame is out making setting the frame work harder for me when fitting .
The customer wanted the sign to try to make the window frame look correct
not a nice one !!

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[John Harding]

Congratulations M8

For the other readers of this post I popped in to Rich on Friday and saw this sign before it went up and It looked fantastic even on the workshop floor, I’m sure it looks better in place tho I haven’t seen it yet

John

P’s how was your Xmas party M8? (for the benefit of other readers Rich blagged an invite with the adjacent garage’s Xmas party!)

[Richard Urquhart]

thanks mate

blagged you say !!!!

so true

great do mate right up until the b52s started after that its a blurrrrrrrrrr

[Robert Lambie]

sign looks great rich…
as much as i dont like having a halo of vinyl on the backing board to help the spread of light its not really an option. you just have to do "something" or the result is cak! i know, ive done it and although the sign looked great, at night mine was bad. the customer still loved it but for me it was bad. i had a brown backing to the sign with white halo. the halo had no spread so just looked like a stark light on the backing board.
i had defuser plastic in the back but still you could see the odd spotting from the LED’s as a result of the board colour.

i know you used ashby led’s in this… how did you find them to work with?

do you see yourself doing more of this type of signage now you have a taste for led work mate?

[Andy Gorman]

Nice one Richyboy. I wish some of my muppets…..erm customers would dig a bit deeper for something like that. Looks good.

[Dave Bruce]

That is brilliant Rich, really bright too.

Well done.

Dave

[LeeMorris]

hi Rich

that sign looks really good very clean and bright.

Being new to this i would not know how to make something like that . Did you buy all the parts separately or does it come as kit.

What sort of price would this kind of sign cost a customer.

cheers
Lee

[Richard Urquhart]

hi
thanks for comments

this job was not a great one for earning money it was a learning job and after materials there was not enough in it ,but that was my down to me .
I loved making the sign and i think i have another customer from this job but i have priced this one with every last part in need .

as for ashbys leds there great

[Gert du Preez]

I’m tempted to print before and after pictures of this lot to show folks around here the value of good, professional signage! Before: Seedy tattoo parlour type place. After: A full wax and massage please, never mind the bill!

On a similar point – I’ve had the idea of illuminated signs next to local highways countrywide. Only problem – there is no electricity, the power lines and trunk roads dont normally follow the same route. Even if they did, you’d have to inslall transformers etc. to step down the (10 000 Volt ?) main lines. I wondered if it’s possible to build the lightbox, iluuminate (internally) with LED’s, and charge a Ni-Cad battery off a solar panel? Anyone tried this?

[D Major]

Very snazzy Richard! We did some similar signs recently, but for indoors. They had brushed stainless returns and polished faces – looked brilliant. We had plently of leds inside to avoid spotting.
There were some problems – basically the supplier (we subbed out the manufacture). One of the signs was a brushed stainless box with neon lights inside, then cut-outs bolder than the 3D letters. The cutouts had diffuser acrylic all over so the ligh shone from the box on to the back of the letters. Our supplier – who shall be nameless I suppose – cocked up 2 factors. 1. he fitted one of the letters askew and 2. he didn’t leave enough gap between the box and the letters although I gave him detailed drawings. So we had to take it down and get it sorted.
The other unit was much better – 3D letters on locators with leds in the letters shining back on a white wall. The transformer was up in the suspended roof with the wire chased into the wall so you didn’t see it.
Pics attached. I’d love to experiment with leds more – just don’t seem to get the spare time!

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[Sharon Hicks]

That’s really nice Richard. We’re doing a tray sign with the same type of letter and illumination at the moment. I’m having the tray powder coated matt finish to avoid spotting, but somebody also told me that if you do the cut outs in opal frost this diffuses the led light, but is considerably less noticeable by day. The tray we’re doing needs to span a gap of 6500mm, so it will be on a steel framework. I will post piccys, we’re hoping to install before Christmas, weather and sober staff permitting!

[Emran Shaikh]

Hi,
I read how you did your blue lit sign. I saw in your pictures that your sign was an aluminium tray painted (seemed like one) can you tell me how I would go about getting one made? I have been dumped with a sign job, but the customer has requested a similar finish to the signs at Vision express stores. The whole sign looks like one big panel foam coated. Help much appreciated. Thanks.

[Richard Urquhart]

all the trays i use are made by me from dibond which is sheet material with 2 skins of aluminium and a core of plastic

these are routed and folded to make in to a tray

[Emran Shaikh]

hi thanks for the reply. are they then painted? how do you get about folding them? also what do you use to router them? do you do that yourself or do you get it done for you?

[Andy Gorman]

quote Emran Shaikh:

Hi,
I read how you did your blue lit sign. I saw in your pictures that your sign was an aluminium tray painted (seemed like one) can you tell me how I would go about getting one made? I have been dumped with a sign job, but the customer has requested a similar finish to the signs at Vision express stores. The whole sign looks like one big panel foam coated. Help much appreciated. Thanks.

You’ve been dumped with a sign job? What does that mean? Are you a signmaker or not? Just wondered.

[Emran Shaikh]

haha, yes mate. I generally do a lot with acrylics, vinyl, banners, letters with locaters etc… and some lighting. I just have to do this job but the customer has specifically requested a more shopping centre style upmarket design like the vision express ones.

[Richard Urquhart]

if i cant get the correct colour for a job i use my mates oven in his car body repair shop and spray them

the router is just a standard hand held jobbie

if you have a look on the boards i have sent in some photos of making a tray

thanks rich

[Pryam Carter]

Great job Richard……….
I’m looking forward to someone wanting this type of sign around here, not sure what you lot think but i love it when we get to use stuff that we’ve never used before.
Word of mouth gets round and then you get another and another.

Good Stuff.

[Emran Shaikh]

thanks rich, I will take a look at the posts. Help very much appreciated.
Thanks

[Richard Urquhart]

if you need a chat feel free to drop me a line
details on my web site
rich

got 3 trays to make tomorrow for another sign company with 55 degree angles will post a few pics
rich

[Emran Shaikh]

Hi Richard,
can you give me your web details please.
Also what kind of routing system do you use for cutting out the letters?

[Richard Urquhart]

hi mate

the letters are made for me by Vince @ bespoke signs and i make the rest
I’m doing a larger sign this week same letters and blue lighting
customer design !!
will post some pics
rich

mod-edit please use pm/email buttons

[Emran Shaikh]

hi mate, i mean how did you get the letters cut out of the dibond?

[Lee Ballard]

Emran, not sure if you are asking the right question as Richard says the cut letters are supplied by Bespoke signs, he then fits the LED’s and mounts them onto flat dibond.

[Emran Shaikh]

Hi Lee,
Im sorry I’m confusing everyone. What I wanted to know was on some of the jobs the letters are cut out on the dibond and then the steel letters are placed on top with an acrylic backing. I was wondering how the lettering was cut in the dibond. Does that make sense?