Andy Thorne
Forum Replies Created
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And if you want to hide your fixings you could paint a strip (or preferably a piece of aluminium box for rigidity) and fit with 3M dual lock dots so can be removed if needed.
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Unfortunately this trend has been growing over the last 10 years or so. We are a trade only supplier and have been for 35 years this year but have always refused to do vinyl, printing or installation (except organising Hiabs for monoliths but you would still need your fitters on site) as we have always felt this makes us a sign company if we do. There are at least two metal suppliers that offer the services you mention (and for that reason we will not buy from them unless there are no other alternatives) and many “trade only” suppliers who will do the graphics and fit (i’ve been told of at least one that does so for end user too!). I suspect these services have been requested over the years by sign makers that either don’t have the facilities to do themselves, don’t want to or are happy to work this way.
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Hi Mark,
the brass locators and the bridge (or strap) they sit on are all soft-soldered in place.
This solder will melt at 180-190c and allow you to take either the brass locator off or the locator and the strap out. Best done with a traditional copper solder iron heated over a high-heat flame, you may be able to do it with an electric soldering iron but generally, the tip is too small and often not hot enough. You can use a blow torch but care needs to be taken. Try to concentrate the point of the flame on the brass locator.
This will get hot quickly, melting the solder under and around it. Using a pair of pliers lift the locator and put it on something heat-resistant (it will hold its heat for a while!). If you wish to remove the bridges then do the same. Please ensure you don’t get the letter too hot and in particular avoid the flame near the solder holding the return to the face. Too much heat may also burn the return but should polish back out with some Aerosol polish or similar (assuming it is polished or brushed as it looks). Putting the bridges back where you want will be a bit more problematic as you will need a good soldering iron, tinman’s solder and stainless steel flux.
The letters don’t look very big so as an alternative you could bond long Bighead studs to the inside face.
Hope that helps. -
Hi Dave,
If it’s just round, hollow tube you could try some of these suppliers…
( If it is a specific sign system you will need to put a photo of the extrusion on for help identifying it. )Although you would need to check with your local branch for stock as sometimes they need to bring them in from overseas branches.
Hope that helps. -
Not used them before but you could also try these guys…
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Difficult to tell from the photo if it is roadside (i.e. on a highway) or in a park (for example) but I thought all these signs (certainly roadside) had to be CE marked and as such made to certain standards so as fit for purpose.
We don’t get involved in these sort of signs but if you do would be worth ensuring your supplier makes to this standard at least I would suggest?
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Could be Octopus?
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Thanks Rob
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Hi Rob,
when the company started 35 years ago it was only sign boxes – Universal at the time! Then we got involved with Spandex and the Slatz days began!
When I joined 25 years ago (!) I came from a sign fabrication background and over the years Simplex has evolved more to that side (as much as because lightboxes were falling out of fashion at the time and so was a very competitive market). We still do sign systems like our Pole & Plank and LOOK but we have earned a reputation for doing the tricky stuff! (even though we still really like just making simple ali trays!). 95% of our deliveries as such are done door to door which can add to the cost but this tricky (and normal!) stuff needs looking after.
Thanks for thinking of us though. This link shows some of our work of late… (but remember, we like the simple stuff too peeps! 😉)
https://www.linkedin.com/company/simplex-trade-signs/?viewAsMember=true
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Thanks Hugh. We know we are certainly not the cheapest out there but we do pride ourselves in providing high quality and long lasting signs and it’s great to hear you testify to this.
You’re more than welcome to pay us another visit to refresh yourself what we can do for you, to talk through a project face to face or just say hello for a coffee if you’re passing (i’m sure the coffee hasn’t improved mind!)
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we certainly do Peter! 😊
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No, not at all but it does depend on the usage.
Aluminium posts are fine for most applications but it is really more determined by the sail area (or face size) of the sign. The larger the sail area the more the wind will batter it (the location is a determining factor too if it is an exposed area).
Would happily stick a 500mm square panel on a 6000mm tall 100mm diameter aluminium posts but a 2000mm x 2000mm square panel on 3000mm posts and just a 50mm diameter is a different matter! The weak point of course is where the post enters the ground and mostly likely to snap under pressure. If you can use an aluminium post with a steel insert in (which is how I designed our sign system) then this will strengthen the outer aluminium post (if reasonably snug).
That said, steel posts certainly have a place where strength is the main requirement but this comes at the expense of the chance of corrosion. Grass strimmers are a particular problem around post bottoms, taking off the paint over time and leaving the bare steel exposed to the elements and the start of rusting if the post is not maintained regularly.
Hope that helps?
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You’re welcome. Guessing you will be just applying these panels directly to walls, doors etc but if you need them to be changeable we have a sign system that they can slide into (at set sizes) if required. Good luck with the project!
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Hi Mark, yes we used to make them out of offcuts too! Will work exactly the same but with the advantages of the stiffness of the aluminium extrusion and of course the angled leading edge when you come to slide the panels together.
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Hi Gary,
the extrusions are made of aluminium for rigidity. This also means if you are putting them on aluminium trays you can fix them (using high temperature double sided tape or glue) before painting. This gets the tongue part painted the same colour so if you panel joint is not 100% perfect on site at least the tongue is the same colour. The tongue has a line on both sides so whether you apply from the face or back you can ensure that you finish it in line with the end of the panel (although tolerance for mis placement is built in anyway). The groove is fixed so that the start of the leading angle finishes in line with the end of the panel too.
The extrusions are supplied in 2000mm lengths for you to cut down to the size you require. If you need a joint over 2000mm you can stagger the joints from one panel to the next (would also suggest another piece of tongue spanning either side of the joint on the inside to stiffen this).
The extrusions are sold in packs of 10. The tongue (our stock code XT) is £7.30 per 2m length and the groove (XG) is £8.10 per 2m length (plus VAT and carriage (currently £37.50 to cover the weight of them and packing (or you may collect if you are near to us?)). No tape/adhesive is supplied as obviously varies depending on the substrate you are using.
This is our own extrusion that we designed initially for our own use in aluminium and ACM panels before offering out to the trade. Some companies buy 10 at a time and we have others that buy 50 or 100 off of each if they have rollouts, just depends on your needs. Works equally well for panels in frames too. If you would like a small sample please let me know and can pop in the post for you to see.
Hope this helps.
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This is also designed specifically for the back of aluminium and ACM trays for ease of fitting to panels and with a leading edge for easy alignment on site when fitting…
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Thanks for the clarification Rob. Unfortunately the “race to the bottom” culture some companies have to win the work at any cost (and then make to said cost) is the main problem here I think. Signs should be upsold on the merits they bring to your company (or estate) not undersold to win the work and then scratch your head as to how to make for the price. Maybe just my opinion but I would rather sleep well at night and over engineer then under?
