-
Shop Fascia Sign : My Own Shop
Since I started working on, no doubt regulars here at uksignboards will be just about sick to death hearing about ‘Dewi’s shop’ 😉
Well, just to rub it in 😀 today I started work on the frontage. I decided on the colour before I even started work on the shop, I wanted something bright and colourful. Also something that would be a complete change from before, so I chose a bright blue 😮
Anyway, its actually all painted bar from the sign area now. I haven’t taken any piccies because it was dark, but below is a piccy of the beginnings of me erecting my first big sign, aptly my own! 😀
Cheers, Dewi
Attachments:
-
38 Replies
-
And here is the offending bits I removed 😕
Cheers, Dewi
Attachments:
-
After a swift trip down the road to the local hardware store, I picked up a couple of lengths of timber and cut them to size. I then undercoated them the way Steve B. has described, using a small roller and giving them a couple of coats.
Cheers, Dewi
Attachments:
-
Is that a bookies next door?
All you need is a pub the other side and a curry house across the road.
no need to ever go home then!
-
Once this was dry I was then free to splash some colour on. 😀
This is as far as I have got. Tomorrow I hope to attach the letters (kindly shown by Nigel @ creativesign in a recent demo) and then erect the sign. Hopefully it’ll all going to plan, if not, least I’ll have some nicely painted firewood 😉
Cheers, Dewi
Attachments:
-
Funnily enough Chris, there is a pub called The Foundry directly opposite, a pizza parlour about 4 doors down and an indian takeaway in the next block 😀 On top of that, there is a hardware store less than 1/4 of a mile away, a sandwich shop and a newsagent… everything a growing lad needs 😉
Cheers, Dewi
-
Looking good so far Dewi, can’t wait to see what youve done with the lettering 😉
Just a thought though, that wood you got for the facia, it looks awful thin stuff – may be the photo I guess ? Even if it is thin I’m sure it’ll do the job, so don’t pay too much attention to me, I always try and over specify things anyway !!show us some more when you’ve done 😀
Nigel
-
You’re right Nigel, it is a very thin material. I just matched the material I tore off, and banked on it being right 😕 The paint I’m using is the WeatherShield which is supposed to really protect the wood, and I have undercoated it, so I’m hoping it will at least last a couple of years. My intention was to get built up brass letters to begin with, but unfortunately I’ve spent that much money elsewhere, there simply isn’t enough left to do this 🙁
The other factor was the roller shutter box that sits beneath this sign board is very flimsey. I had a really good look at how it was attached and decided that I didn’t want to risk too much additional weight. I could have gone with a plastic or foam material to reduce the weight, but the problem with that was time. I’m already a week behind as I intended to open this last Monday, so I plumped for the local shop. 😕
Time will tell if it is going to last, but the plus side is that its my own sign, so I could replace it in 6 months if I notice any defects. I doubt a customer would be very happy if I made them a sign that fell to bits after 6 months though so I better start learning some more! 😉
Cheers, Dewi
-
Good on you Dewi.
The new Fluid Edge Sign has gone up in 5mm foamex, vhb taped to the old plywood sign, trimmed and held round with aluminium.
Reason being its TEMPORARY, just like yours.
We’re planning to replace it in the very near future with a same-size lightbox, and have already had the sparky accomodate for it.
Same as you, too much month left at the end of the money with this move going on.
Just laid out wages to a builder and a plasterer. 80 quid a day to the builder, 75 quid a day to the plasterer. Begrudgingly, because both of them earned more than me and Col this week!
Just wait till they want some signs doing. Grrr.
-
£75 a day for a Plasterer! I’d lock him in the cupboard and hire him out!
I’m paying £210 including materials, probably 2 bags of muck at most to go flatten an artex ceiling! One days work max.
That’s daaaarn saaarth for yer I suppose! 🙁
I should add that this plasterer is excellent. 3 metre worktops in the kitchen, pushed to the wall, no more than 0.5mm out along the length! (angel)
-
Darn it, Dewi!
I was all excited thinking you were gonna try a bit of hand-lettering.
Have fun working on your new shop. I am about to go out to my garage
to repair the havoc wrought there last night by my 20-yr-old son & his pals. Just spent 2 hours cleaning it last week, and he’s trashed it again.
There’s a defunt Bronco & a defunct snowmobile with their innards puked out, cig butts, beer cans, a stereo thrown on my sign table, tools tossed haphazardly about, and several CDs that I wouldn’t listen to if ya paid me.
It’s a shame you can’t divorce your kids.
Love…JILL 😉 -
Thank you Jill and Kev 😀 I know what you’re saying Kev, its just I seem to have a fetish over certain shades of blue 😉 Hopefully it’ll look great when its done, but as they say, one man’s meat is anothers poison. Jill, tend to agree with Kev. How strict are your gun laws in PA? 😉
Around dinner time today I whizzed some vinyl through the plotter and produced the cut vinyl pictured below. Side note here, but I ran the plotter at half speed (30) and it went like a dream, I’ll boost it up further tomorrow 🙂
Cheers, Dewi
Attachments:
-
I then applied the vinyl to some 8-10mm foam board (can’t remember which it was now 😕 )
I didn’t take any piccies of me applying the vinyl, but it took about 20 minutes. Being fairly new to this, I’m still concentrating fully when laying vinyl, so I didn’t want to stop and grab a camera half way through.
Anyway, I left the application tape on, whipped out the jigsaw (with a fine-toothed metal blade) and started to cut each letter out)
Cheers, Dewi
Attachments:
-
By the end of the day I’d cut them all out (pictured below), added the spacers as shown in Nigel’s demo (went brilliantly btw, just followed the step-by-step and other than me using a syringe instead of an applicator bottle, did exactly as Nigel said), then finally gave them a quick sand and polish (thank you to Joe for the tips on that one 😀 )
I also attached the new shop sign board onto the front and sealed it all. I would’ve taken a picture of it, but it was dark by the time I’d done. Besides which, it’ll look better in the morning when I attach the letters 😀 Oh, I pre-drilled the signboard ready for fitting the letters in the morning, so it should all go to plan fingers crossed.
Cheers, Dewi
Attachments:
-
you are doing a fab job dewi!! 😛 😛
good you are cutting letters out yourself! and they look nice!
seen a guy do it once and they looked a bit wiggly! (you know what i mean) anyway looking forward to seeing the finished sign!!Nik
-
great to see it all coming together Dewi – it’s all great practice too for the old learning curve 😀
It should look great when you get them up – if you keep the letter cut file at exactly the right size on your system you can always add any twiddly bits/highlights etc if you fancy having a play later on – just a thought.
keep up the good work mate,
Nigel
-
Looking very good Dewi
Once i get a bit more confidence i’ll tackle something like that.
-
Thank you Nik 🙂 Mrs Dewi deserves alot of credit with the general finish as she got a block and some sandpaper, got stuck into getting those edges nice and smooth. I was surprised at the quality of finish as I expected wavy lines also.
😀 Nigel, really enjoyed it. I did save the cut file as I thought along similar lines, I may be able to add something to it or if anything gets damaged, I can replicate the letters. Thank you again though for your help with this. Hopefully I’ll have a piccy of the results tomorrow 🙂
Mort, I think thats all it is, confidence. I was nervous on my first letter, hence the photo (I was smoking a cigarette at the time, trying to get my hand to stop shaking 😕 ) I don’t think there is anything wrong with being nervous over something that the more experienced signmaker takes for granted, after all, everyone started somewhere. It’s all very strange to begin with, but with 16 letters to do, you forget the nerves after the 4th and just concentrate on the job. Cunning plan though, change your business name or only take on jobs that require two or three letters 😉 As far as attaching the sign, follow Nigel’s demo on the raised locators and you’ll be fine. 🙂 Leaving the app tape on is an obvious step but the jigsaw blade was the only one available that had ultra fine teeth on it, it worked a treat though. I was hoping to get the one for kitchen worktops, but I doubt I would’ve got as good a finish even if I had got that blade instead.
Cheers, Dewi
-
All done 😀 I still have a little work left on the shop front (I ran out of timber 🙁 ) but I can do that in the morning. The letters went up without a problem, but because I’m opening tomorrow and had alot to do, I forgot all about taking a piccy. Hence, one photo, taken in a hurry whilst I was closing the shutters.
Thank you again to everyone who has helped and advised me with this. It is my first big signage job, and at least ppl will know what my business is called now 😉 I’m half considering doing this type of thing for a living you know 😉
Cheers, Dewi
Attachments:
-
things are going great mate. not only are you coming along with the vinyls your also dabbling in the jig cut & raised letters now. well done mate and best of luck to you.. 😉
ok its dark and at a funny angle but it looks top notch mate (hot)
-
good luck for tomorrow dewi! 😛 😛
have a wee cup of tea on me!! (hot)
nik
-
Very impressed Dewi 😀
A job well done!
Dab hand at the jig saw as well – letters look well formed
John 😀
-
Looks Great Dewi
All the best on monday and far far into the future for you
-
Thank you for the well wishes and support 😀 I may need it! 😉
John, its a miracle really. I’m usually Mr Wavey when it comes to using a jigsaw, but the foam board I was using just seem to cut so easily, I couldn’t make a mistake if I’d tied a large ribbon to my forehead, blindfolded my left eye and jumped up and down on the spot whilst jigging! 😉
There’s something about doing it yourself as well. The whole satisfaction when you press that last letter onto the front of the shop. Looking across the road at the little old lady who is squinting to see what it says. Its just fantastic. One of the main things I’ve learnt doing this sign is that anything is possible, you’ve just got to get on with it. Hesitating or doubting your own abilities is a pretty pointless exercise. Uksignboards as a whole is an example of this. We’re a community of ppl who just get stuck in and have a go, and if it doesn’t work out, we get back on the horse and try again.
I’ve said this quite recently to a jolly decent chap, but to you all, I raise my glass to you all and Cheers! I told you that signmaker would be me though John 😉
Cheers, Dewi
-
Good Luck Dewi!
I wish you all the best!
Love…JILL
(colours) -
Hi Dewi
*drink*
As you open up officially for the first time, I would like to wish you all the very best.
(hot)
You have the skills, the equipment, the space and the tenacity to make it a blooming marvellous sucess!
(:) (:) (:) (:) (:) (:) (:)
Kind regards
Alan
-
Good Luck Dewi
You’ve had the b*lls to go and do it, hope you make it a success.
See you down there soon….
Fozzie
-
Hi Dewi!
How is it going?
Has Balloon Man returned?
Has the Little Old Lady from Pasadena stopped in for race car lettering?
Gotta go out to the garage & clean it AGAIN. PA does have gun laws,
but I don’t own one. And I can’t aim anyway because I returned 1 of my eyes to Mrs. Dewi! She needed it to scan those letters for ruffage.
Please give us an update on the Sign Biz!
Love…JILL (<( -
The shop is going well. I got some van lettering and a window splash job today 😀 I’ve still got loads to do on the front shop but….
I managed to get the window splash done!!!! (Thanks to Terry’s designs 😀 ) I’ve altered Terry’s design slightly, changing the odd colour and adding in some arrows, but basically it’s the same. I still have to add the ‘NOW OPEN FOR’ text at the top (ran out of vinyl 😕 typical!) but thats on order so I should have it all finished tomorrow. The photograph below really doesn’t do it justice, the colours are much more vibrant irl.
I enjoyed every minute of doing it, I did everything but the large blue panels dry (which I’d never have done a week ago) and I got a new customer through it as well. You should have seen the looks on ppl’s faces when I plonked Fido Dido in my window 😉 Perhaps plonk is the wrong word, the whole job has taken me 6 hours, which considering this is the biggest signage job I’ve ever undertaken, I very pleased with. Hopefully I’ve learned alot (like shop windows are not always completely square 👿 and a certain amount of ‘by eye’ cutting with a scalpel was involved to get the vinyl to fit) and next time I’ll be a little quicker. The one I got today is for a hairdresser, so at least I can get a haircut while I’m there 😀 Has anyone got a rough idea on how much I should have charged had my own window splash been a job?
Next on the agenda is a real eye-catching (no pun intended Jill 🙂 ) A Board, and some of those vertical banner thingies (tut, I have much to learn, I can’t even remember the name of ’em!!!). Its bizarre, but just getting my own signage sorted is kind of a challenge, but I’m enjoying it no end, so thats a definate bonus 😀
Thank you to everyone who has helped by sending me ideas on things to sell, helping me sort out my prices (still not totally sure with this, but getting there) and obviously again, a big thank you to Terry. That design sure has blown a few frocks up today!!!! 😉
Cheers, Dewi
Attachments:
-
Looks cool Dewi
Not to overpowering and short and to the point.
Where are u located again as i’m off to Glasgow next week and if it’s on my way back i may just pop in and nick some of your buscuits 🙂
Also off topic but have u recieved your tickets for the sign show yet? as all i have got is an aplication through the post but i filled that out online.
-
Dewi that is looking fantastic, well done, it is great to be amongst go getters like yourself, I wish you all the luck in the world, but looks like you have the gift so you don’t really need it.
I’ll have a cup of earl grey on your behalf.
Cheers
Dave
-
That look the business Dewi, you sure got that cut and stuck fast 😎
I don’t know about cost for that sort of job, but I guess if you had to do just the supply+fitting (not the idea/design) I would be charging itro £150-175+vat but I normally get told off for doing things too cheap so there you go !
Mort, I havn’t had my show tickets yet either, just loads of application forms from other companies I visited last year ! Think they leave sending them out till much nearer the time from memory.It’s a refreshing change to see someone new in the business who actually wants to do things properly and takes a pride in getting it right not one of the fly by night bodge merchants that there seem to be around all too often 😀 Keep up the good work mate.
Nigel
-
Nice to see the finished product Dewi 😀
It looks great! 🙂
I’m sure you will do very well Dewi in your new enterprise
All the best!
John 😀
-
Nice one Dewi, well done. I gotta say after reading your posts that you’ve got as much enthusiasm as anybody I’ve ever come across. With respect though, don’t forget that loads of enthusiasm is not the only quality which is going to make the business successful. We all love being creative signmakers but don’t forget, paying those bills is all that really counts. That might sound a little down in the mouth but after all we’re all in it for the money, that is the cold stone fact of the matter.
Think of this. I don’t know if you are in this on your own or with an employee / buddy / partner but what is going to happen to the shop if you have to be out fitting. At this stage you are going to need every single sale you can make and if your shop aint’ manned (by somebody that can sell your wares) then you’re going to miss jobs. That really is something you may need to address coz very often you can be out all day and that will mean no fresh sales.
My two biggest tips to you at this early stage are :
1. Never go cheaper on a job than you want to just to win it. By doing that you’re competing with the fly-by-nights and therefore you will simply be diluting the quality of your work which will reflect badly on your name. Alternatively, you will still give good quality but for a low price. The only winner then is the customer. Don’t be afraid to let them walk if they don’t want to pay what you want. This is not nice but true : Customers are not always nice people 👿
2. Never do a job without a good sized deposit. Do not be afraid to ask for as bigger deposit as you can get. Some people will not want to pay deposits and in my experience, these are the guys who will pick your work after the event in the hope of not paying. This rule obviously will not apply if you feel comfortable with repeat customers or if you’re working for big companies where deposits are simply out of the question. Be careful coz if you’re in this game long enough, you will be stung, guaranteed. Just try and make sure it don’t happen too often.
I wish you well mate and look forward to a full update at Sign UK. If I can help at all, don’t be afraid to drop me a line. 😉
-
I’m taking it I’m going in the right direction then 😀 Thank you 😀
I’ll whizz together a diddy map Mort and get a generous stock of biccies in 😀 And I haven’t recieved my tickets yet, maybe they’re trying to make us all sweat 😉
Dave, thank you 😀
Nigel, the figure £250 was in my head, so £175 plus VAT isn’t that far off what I was thinking. I’ve been asked to do 2 windows so far, one in Widnes, one is a town local to my own. The Widnes one is etch though 🙁 I’ve enjoyed working with all those colours, so I’m looking forward to the hairdresser’s window local to me. I am trying to do things the right way, but I have good examples here of professional signmakers at work and I have had so much help and advice, just need a shed load of customers coming in when I have the work I have atm done. 😀
Thanks John 😀 In one of my early posts we were discussing how I would like to have applied a logo I designed to a customer’s window. I know I haven’t got there quite yet, but near as 😀
Gary, I do have alot of enthusiasum, its true. I’m really enjoying designing and making stuff, but as you say, the proof of the pudding is when I have to do it for an awkward customer who at the end of the job just doesn’t pay. 👿 I will be taking deposits depending on the job size. Under £50 I might ask for £10, but anything over I’d want quite a bit more. Basically the more I have to spend on materials, the higher a deposit I’ll need. I pretty well versed with awkward customers and no payers as I run another business that is chocked full of these types of ppl.
Luckily I have Mrs Dewi to stand in the odd time when I do go out fitting during the week, but I’m only running the shop Mon-Fri, so I’m free over the weekend for the odd fitting job. Not an ideal scenario, but I think the benefits of having the shop will outweigh these things. The van I’m lettering will be in a parking bay at the back of the shop, so I can easily put a “Back in 10minutes” sign in the window or “I’m round the back”, somthing like that anyway 😀
Very much looking forward to SignUK now. Being the designated driver, I doubt I’ll be sampling much of the local alcohol whilst there, but it will be great to meet so many of you in person! 😀
Cheers, Dewi
P.S. Just scrolled back, Jill, Alan and David, thank you for the well wishes, sorry I missed your replies 😕 Too many things going on in my brain sometimes 😉
-
Having Mrs Dewi on board will prove to a blessing mate!
Lots of guys here have this arrangement going and it works well
Especially when you are going to be out on site, just someone who can take the call and a few vital details as to what the customer is after.
what type of sign, what size, text and stuff
She’s going to be a boon I’m sure
And I think that since she’ll be with you in this venture its appropriate to say:
WELCOME MRS DEWI………… to the boards 😀
John
-
That window looks cool mate……………..
I agree with many of the comments from all the boys and girls on this post. I know you have striven for a good window sign on your shop and designing does takes time. When it comes to designing for vans, shop fascias, window signs etc there is only so much time you can spend. Remember that you have bills to pay, rent to find. I still find myself spending too much time on designing the signs when l should be doing over things.
C U at Sign UK? -
John, Mrs Dewi is just one big blessing 🙂 She’s helped me every single day since I opened, organising my office, helping me put displays in the shop, offering a helping hand when I’ve needed help when applying and when she’s not doing all that, she’s making me cups of coffee, supplying me with food and when needed, some moral support when I’m starting to get frustrated with the tasks I’ve undertaken. She’s a star! 😀
Billy, I know exactly what you’re saying. I worked for a couple of years as a freelance graphic designer before I decided to make the jump to the sign industry (Bizarre really as it was John (above) who helped me make the decision to go for it! 😀 ) Working to deadlines has been common place for sometime, my biggest learning curve is the design aspect. I can’t use fancy techniques or slick gradients like I used to. Neither can I use photographic images as readily, so its been quite a ride getting used to designing solely for cut vinyl. On top of that the application side, even after decent training for it, is still something I need lots of practise with. 😕
Like anything else, I have a certain skillset, I have all the tools etc. but I need the experience that only comes with running the business day by day. As I was told quite recently, ‘Theory is all well and good, but without putting it into practise, it remains theory!’… I was slightly inebriated at the time, so it probably sounded more profound than it does now 😉
Cheers, Dewi
-
D’oh!! Forgot…. yep, I’ll be at SignUK on the Wednesday, with a car full of other UKsignboard members! 😉 Should I cut some warning stickers to warn other motorists? 😀
Cheers, Dewi
Log in to reply.
