[Glenn Sharp]

Andrew,

I did a web search and the only mention of a 2607 was a reflective green engineering grade vinyl – don’t know if that means anything to you.

[Glenn Sharp]

I like the colour scheme of the second one (but would keep the dropped shadow from the first one)

It was the bubbles in the first one that made it look like an aquatics shop, not so much the fish

Lose the bubbles bring back the fish 😛

[Glenn Sharp]

Lamby,

Who supplies flexiface?

Would appreciate any links you may have for further information.

Thanks in advance

[Glenn Sharp]

Certainly looks the part – nice sign

What are the bennefits of flexiface signs compared to normal acrylic – is it just a size thing?

[Glenn Sharp]

Not sure about Oracle but Cox Plastics in Bolden (not too far from you) supply the full range of Avery 0191 5377000

We’ve had no problems at all with them 🙂

[Glenn Sharp]

The construction guide for making Eurotrim frames states that: –

“for signs with two or more panels with both ends of the frame fixed, cut 35mm of the overall height & 45mm of the overall length ( not forgetting the loss on the half lap joints)”

we however cut 30mm of the overall height & 40 mm of the overall length to make a safer sign – this still allows the panels to be put in place with both ends of the frame fixed.

It is extremely important though, when you are making front loading frames to remember to put the springs in the two end sections whist you are constructing the frame as they can’t be added once the frame is made up. These springs allow for the expansion in the hot weather, then push the panels back when they contract.

Another tip which has worked for us, is to cut two 5mm wide by 5mm thick pieces of acrylic to the height of the frame less the frames profile. So in this case the height of the facia is approx 700mm – if the profile of the frame is 30mm make your strips 60mm less than the overall height(hope that makes sense) the two strips of acrylic (the same colour as the facia panels) are then bonded to the inside edge of the frame (not the panels) These strips are fitted on site after the panels have been put in, effectivley giving you 10mm less of a gap for the panels to blow out. 😮

I know that sounds long winded but it is a really simple way of making it a safer sign. 🙂
🙂

[Glenn Sharp]

This thread has been a perfect example of peoples differing opinions on “what makes a good sign?”

For me, the main reason that particular sign is going to be displayed, is to pass on the necessary information to it’s reader and I think a tidied up version of the original would do just that.

I agree that a sign like that should look visually pleasing, but does every sign have to be an opportunity for the designer to showcase their artistic flair or does simple design & standard text layout not have a place in modern sign design 😕

If I was viewing this sign from a distance, say from accross the road or on a bus, I think I would get more immediate information from the original design than I would from Big g’s or Steves sign (nothing personal lads).

So if you are dependant on being on top of the sign to gain its information – is the sign doing it’s job?

I think a sign like this, that has information to pass on does not have to be overly artistic or look expensive to fulfill it’s job – it just has to be easy to read and for me that is what the original does 😉

[Glenn Sharp]

Cox plastics – part of the Robert Horne group

My local branch No is 0191 537 7000 & they will obviously tell you where the nearest branch to you is

[Glenn Sharp]

Sorry Big G but I disagree with you on this one.

I can’t download the original image but if it is exactly as you have shown on the left hand side, I personally do not think there is too much wrong with it.

A few little tweaks here & there wouldn’t go a miss but in general I think the layout is pretty good & easy to read.

I would just have the telephone No in the main light blue background colour, coming out of the darker blue & maybe make the silhouettes a more subtle colour. Use a more interesting font for the main text & Bobs your uncle. :lol1:

I think in Big G’s design, it does show more artistic flair but the impact of what the sign is saying is lost – I think the cropping of the images & placement of the text over the body builders arm are too subtle & you are dependant on reading the main text to tell you what the sign is for.

[Glenn Sharp]

I know this dosn’t answer your question but another alternative would be to wrap the trim with vinyl.

It’s a bit fiddly at first but you soon get the hang of it.

We cover each length with two seperate strips of vinyl – one to cover the front face & overlap the top edge & then a second strip (overlapping the first by about 2mm) to cover the top & over onto the back.

The advantage of this is obviously you can exactly match the trim to any vinyl you use on the fascia.

Please ignore my ramblings if this isn’t relevant to your situation :lol1:

[Glenn Sharp]

Give Trimite A ring & ask them for their paint swatch with the ral colours on – cost you nothing more than the phone call 😛

0189 525 1234

[Glenn Sharp]

Pete,

There are a few things to consider when taking on estate agents work.

You have to consider how many instructions a day you will get from the estate agent, to work out if it is going to be worthwhile – the last thing you want is to be doing a round trip of 20 or 30 mile to visit one sign a day – remembering that you will have to make that trip 3 times for your £14/16 – the ideal solution would be you do 40 or 50 instructions a day all in the same street as you – but that is obviously not going to happen.

You also have to be prepared to lose about 20% of your boards & posts – estate agents will generally want the sign left in situ reading “sold” for at least six weeks – this gives them positive advertising – but in that time the new owner could have moved into the property & the first thing they do is take down the sign & ditch it.

be careful who owns the boards – the last thing you want is to be left with a load of stock boards you can do nothing with when the estate agent decides to move on to another contractor.

Most estate agents want a next day service – could you cope with that?

You effectively go from being self employed to being “employed” by the estate agent & they are a difficult breed at the best of times. 👿

Their office might be local to you now but could you cope if they opened a new office in a neighbouring town?

Could your vehicle carry a 2.1m post? Escorts or the like will need a top box.

I realise this post sounds extemely negative – bit to sum it up – estate agent work can be profitable but you need to be doing a lot of instructions every day to really make it pay.

best of luck 😮

[Glenn Sharp]

Lovely job – really eyecatching – but who is the little man standing on the settee in the top photo?? 😮

[Glenn Sharp]

Rob,

What preperation do you do before sticking dry on windows?

Is your approach the same for all conditions (soaking wet from condensation or baking hot south facing windows)?

Do you tape the vinyl off or apply straight from the backing sheet?

So many questions 😮

[Glenn Sharp]

Paul,

I realise this post dosn’t give you a solution, but until you get one,
would it not be quicker for you to export your text from Corel in ‘chunks’ then manipulate them in Signlab Shortcut rather than node editing every letter in Corel.

Have you tried all the export filters, DXF for example. (?)

Regards

[Glenn Sharp]

Gav,

I would be wary of covering clear acrylic with vinyl.

Because clear acrylic does not diffuse the light, you can sometimes see the lamps behind the vinyl. It might not be too bad with dark colours but I would do some tests before commiting yourself.

Opal acrylic would be my suggestion covered in a translucent vinyl 😆

Regards, Glenn

[Glenn Sharp]

Keith,

If I understand you correctly & your location plan is a full size plot, you could cut out the plotted letters by hand out of the paper (you can stiffen the paper up by covering it in clear vinyl)

Then lay the plan on the base acrylic, in position & fix the letters through the hand cut apertures.

Hope this helps
😆

[Glenn Sharp]

John

Banner vinyl is much more flexible & forgiving than normal vinyl.

If you need to apply wet it grips the banner much quicker than other vinyls. (less time squegeeing).

Its flexibility allows the vinyl to ‘flow’ with the movement of the banner on site & will not crease or crack over time.

Banner vinyl every time for me. 😀

[Glenn Sharp]

Tim,

I assume you are using banner vinyl.

It depends on the size of image you are sticking really.

We’ve done some biggies with 4ft high lettering, where you can only stick a couple of characters at a time.

Putting banner vinyl down wet is really quick & easy because it allows you to easily squeegee out any bubbles but it gets a quick grip on the banner to allow you to get the application tape off straight away.

Best of luck, Glenn

[Glenn Sharp]

Rodney,

Re Diamond polishing – We use a German made machine called the AF110 Diamond Edge Polisher from a company called AF Acryl.

In simple terms the acrylic is fed along a track gripped and held at the right height to pass over the cutting head.

The cutting head is a rotating unit which houses a synthetic diamond responsible for material take- off & a natural diamond which does the polishing.

The machine can take material upto 25mm thick x any length. The 25 mm can be made up of any thickness acrylic eg:- 12 x 2mm thick acrylic sheets.

The benefits of diamond polishing are that it DOES get rid of saw marks and polishes to a much higher standard than flame polishing.

The down side is the cost – £9,000 – £10,000 per unit. A lot considering all it does is polish acrylic edges.

Regards,

Glenn

[Glenn Sharp]

Leeroy,

With all due respect to Rodneys post I think he’s made flame polishing sound a lot more daunting than it actually is. I saw Rodneys award / trophy that he made and can understand that he probably requires near perfect results but for standard acrylic signs flame polishing is quite straight forward.

Although we now use one of awltechs flame polishing units we managed for a few years on the most basic kit which comprised of butane gas canister, air canister and a simple pencil torch.

Using 5 or 6mm cast acrylic with a 20 gauge nozzle in the torch, we achieved very good results. It does depend on the quality of the cut of the material because you will never get rid of deep saw marks or chips. We’ve found that getting a good neat cut on the marerial is also important because if the protective film is intact with no raggy edges you can flame polish with the film on – which obviously protects the acrylic against the flare marks you can get if your not carefull. This is a technique which allows us to polish frosted acrylic aswell, which is very unforgiving as far as the flare marks are concerned.

I personally think flame polishing transforms a simple acrylic sign alltough we diamond polish aswell which gives excellent results on straight edges we have to rely on the flame polisher for curves and other odd shapes

I think you’ll be surprised how easy it is to get good results.

Best of luck,

Glenn

[Glenn Sharp]

Mark,

Cox Plastics part of the Robert Horne group. I’m pretty sure there’s one in your neck of the woods.

Regards, Glenn

[Glenn Sharp]

Phil,

I forgot to say, the location of the sign is quite important in your decision to letter front or back. reverse cut letters can look good in some cases but depending on colour of vinyl etc. you can get too much glare from the acrylic and can’t read the detail.

Regards, Glenn

[Glenn Sharp]

Phil,

I would recommend you go for 5 or 6mm cast acrylic & flame polish the edges.
The most basic flame polishers are relativley cheap (gas cannister, oxygen cannister & torch)
and dramatically improves the look of the finished sign. Polishing also softens the edges so no cut fingers

Regards, Glenn

[Glenn Sharp]

Jaybee

You could try Getset Design uk Ltd.

I haven’t used them before but they were exhibiting at Sign UK.
They can do lettering & backgrounds in stone & marble effect etc. so it might be worth
a chat

tel 01271 814444
E-mail enquiries@getsetdesign.co.uk

Good luck

[Glenn Sharp]

We would use a timber subframe.

Nothing spectacular, just 2″ x 1″ with the outside edge painted to match the sign.

It’s a cheap way of adding depth to a sign thats being viewed from a distance.

the timber frame takes up the expansion and contraction of the foamex

[Glenn Sharp]

Jom,

As a user of the Roland PC60 for a few years now (I know you said it was too big for your needs but second hand models are good value for money) I would think this machine would be ideal for your needs.
If your choice of machine is strongly based on budget the PC60 probably isn’t the best choice in terms of running costs & replacement print heads, although we have had our machine for about 3 years and replaced the head once. We have used the printer for a variety of different uses over the years including large format stuff but I’ve always thought it’s real strengths were for the profile cut badge sort of designs. It’s ability to print & cut with the minimum of hassle is great & I’ve always found it really reliable, If half way through the job it runs out of cartridge it will sit patiently waiting for you to replace it & then happily carry on priting once replaced.
It,s also a half decent stand alone cutter if your needs ever changed

Good Luck for the future.

Glenn.