[Matt Hards]

quote Robert Lambie:

When i saw your post and the picture Matt, i did not even notice the pavement. i just thought, nice shop front and has bags of potential. Make good use of it mate.

Thanks Rob. Part of the reason i went for the shop is its location on a very busy road with backed up traffic light traffic. Great for people sat outside looking in. It was a lilac shop front and looked pretty awful to be honest. I decided to go for a matt black front. I have planned a gloss black dibond sign with just the logo. I wanted to keep it quite minimal on signage with a view to changing to a tray at some point with fret cuts and push through perspex letters. Filled with leds. Its not a huge sign but will be nice to do something a little different. As for the windows. They are pretty big and although at first id planned minimal on those as well, you have got me thinking maybe i should go a bit crazy.
What would you do if it was yours?
Although I have been doing this for 11 years. I spent some time working from home and then 7 years at a unit with no potential for exterior signage.

[Matt Hards]

quote Robert Lambie:

quote Matt Hards:

One idea was to paint the slabs only creating an almost animal print effect but this will probably need a lot of repainting.

No, seriously though… just NO! [emoji38]

I think you should keep focus on the building front and windows.
Keep it clean and professional looking, but maybe with a zany twist of colour, graphics etc.

I agree the crazy paving path is not ideal but painting it will only create more focus to it.

Yes you could put ground prints down over it, but unless you intend and commit to changing these at least once a month, you will again bring focus to the crazy paving, but now with weathered prints coming away and worn through at the edges of each of the broken slabs.
Don’t get me wrong, a ground print will certainly attract the eye and you have a spot for promoting what you can do. but unless its always neat and looking good, its not going to do you any favours.

i think if you focus on your windows and shop front on the whole, it will draw more attention that some slabing at peoples feet. just my opinion of course mate. best of luck on the new shop, hope you do great!

Excellent points indeed. Hadn’t thought of it that way around.
Maybe i will give it a clean and leave it be. Maybe in the future a proper resurfacing might be the answer.
Thankyou. I can’t wait to get it open and have lots of room again. 🙂

[Matt Hards]

quote Steve Morgan:

Who owns the pathway?

The crazy paving is part of the shop front. Then the tarmac pavement is past that.

[Matt Hards]

I’ve found the most crucial part of getting a good clean weed, is room and vinyl temperature. The room could be warm, but if the vinyl hasnt warmed up then it will still be a problem. If my workshop is hot and vinyl arrives from a delivery and its been in a cold van, no good. Have to wait for it to warm right up.

[Matt Hards]

Interesting points. I always keep it boxed until i use it to avoid damage as i know what you mean with the dinks in the edges. But it is usually when fresh. Maybe tape roller applies too much pressure when pulling out which might cause it to tear more.

Thanks hugh. Liked using your tape when i was at your place. Smells nice too. Haha. Although it is a lot thicker i think which can be a plus and a minus i guess

[Matt Hards]

quote Hugh Potter:

quote Matt Hards:

Hi Hugh. Thankyou 🙂
I contacted Summa and they sent a beta version plugin. So will test that today. Looking forward to using the new version of Corel.

Good stuff!

I was going to get it on the monthly subscription but my poor old pc is just too old and needs upgrading!

Just trying the plugin now and all seems fine.

[Matt Hards]

I just did the upgrade. £299. And if you talk to them on the live chat as an existing customer. They gave me more discount so i upgraded for £250

[Matt Hards]

Hi Hugh. Thankyou 🙂
I contacted Summa and they sent a beta version plugin. So will test that today. Looking forward to using the new version of Corel.

[Matt Hards]

I just purchased last week from grafityp too. So i can get the updates?

[Matt Hards]

grafityp do it, and very good it is too

[Matt Hards]

I used to use ukleisurewear but changed to btc as their prices are much better for lower quantities. They do a good range of stuff too. very good service, and online ordering.

[Matt Hards]

🙂 no worries, well its been quite a while, havent been posting as much these days. Been pretty busy in and out of work to be honest.

[Matt Hards]

ive had same shock too lol

[Matt Hards]

looks like a go then 🙂 but what about the signel panel without any screws in of 51×93.5cm do you think this will be ok,its a fairly small panel, if i glue it as well. Also what is the longevity of the vhb tape, is it going to last as long as the sign

[Matt Hards]

I have seen similar on a piece of white dibond i left outside, when i took of the protective film. It had been out for quite a while, a scrap piece. But this had similar marks. Must be the trapped moisture maybe. You could try using some white car polish or teacut. This will probably remove it. I use T cut on dibond if any small marks and works well.

[Matt Hards]

i cant get my flexisign 7.5 to work on vista, is it worth downgrading vista to xp to make it easier. Will Xp still support dual screen etc.

[Matt Hards]

Well i finally got my new pc, I kept surfing for the best deals, and had pretty much decided to stick with my mesh system. When along came a good friend of mine with a pc for sale, 6 months old. Hes off traveliing for 6 months and wants cash to take with him so decided to sell it.
What do you reckon on this

Intel quad core 6600 @ 2.44ghz
Asus motherboard
8gb ram
500gb seagate hard drive
nvidia geforce gtx 260 (896MB)
Windows vista 64bit home premium

plus the usual ports and dvd re writer etc etc.

All for £300

Im well chuffed with it, very fast.

And i just bought myself a samsung T220 22" and samsung T200 20" wide lcd monitors to run both 2ms refresh and 20000:1 dynamic contrast
Which im very impressed with, going to run them both together and split my screen up.

Im quite new to all this high spec pc stuff, but it certainly makes a difference.

Do you think this is a good setup for the money?

Cheers

Matt

[Matt Hards]

My unit is within a Mot & Service Centre, and they have that exact exact exact same a board, lol. I will have a look on it 2moro to see if i can see a label on it. Pretty sturdy wooden board.

[Matt Hards]

Oh and that is a hydrospace isnt it?

[Matt Hards]

I have done a lot of jetskis, all stands up, over here in the uk. I am heavily involved in the scene, (used to be national pro freestyle champion) so i started off doing them for fun, then everyone wanted them doing and they sort of became a bit of a pain to be honest. So i stopped doing them, apart from my own and my mates. That design Jason, I not sure if you know, but you should be careful as it is what looks like a replica of an exotic signs kit. They do a LOT of jetskis, especially race teams etc etc and are very well known for their graphics. I was asked to do that exact same design on a kawasaki 800 but turned it down as I didnt want to get in trouble for copying their design etc. Not criticising, just wasnt sure if you knew.
I like it though, looks good. Shame you so far away, id let you wrap my ski, I have two Im building at the moment to go riding in the surf.

[Matt Hards]

There is just tooooo much choice. My budget is really up to £750ish really. I have played around with two more setups on the mesh site. Not sure if the crossfire one is more of a gaming machine though :S
Either machine I would ask to downgrade to XP i think anyway.
Why is it so hard? lol

Matrix II Dragon £706.97

AMD Phenom™ II X4 940 Black Edition Quad Core Processor AM2+
Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium with Service Pack 1, 64-bit – English
NZXT HUSH Silent Brushed Aluminium ATX Midi Tower – Black + 700W PSU
ASUS M4A78-E – AMD 790 CrossFireX™ Phenom/Phenom II ATX Mainboard
8192MB 800MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM – (4 x 2GB)
2x 500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive with 16MB Buffer (1TB Total)
Raid 1 Configuration (Mirror)
Samsung 22x Dual Layer DVD Writer Super Format +R/-R/RW/RAM
512MB Onboard ATI Radeon HD 3300 GPU – Hybrid CrossFireX Technology
7.1 High Definition onboard sound card – for 8 Channel Cinema sound
Free Microsoft® Works® 8.5 + Limited Microsoft Office Trial
Free Cyberlink Video Editing Utility Suite – 7 titles (oem)
2x IEEE1394 Firewire (onboard)
3 Years RTB Hardware Warranty – (1st year parts & labour, years 2 & 3 labour only)
Fast Track Build – 3-5 Working Days (B)

or

Matrix Essential £575.14

AMD Phenom™ II X4 940 Black Edition Quad Core Processor AM2+
Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium with Service Pack 1, 64-bit – English
New Stylish Mini-Tower Micro ATX Chassis with 550W PSU – Piano Black
ASUS M2N68-VM – AMD HDMI-DVI Mainboard, AMD Socket AM2+ – Micro ATX
4096MB 800MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM – (2x 2GB)
500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive with 16MB Buffer
Samsung 22x Dual Layer DVD Writer Super Format +R/-R/RW/RAM
512MB ATI Radeon HD4350 (Direct X10.1, PCI Express 2.0) – PC Pro Best Value
52-in-1 Multi-format Memory Card Reader (matx)
7.1 High Definition onboard sound card – for 8 Channel Cinema sound
Logitech Cordless Keyboard & Cordless Optical Mouse
Free Microsoft® Works® 8.5 + Limited Microsoft Office Trial
Free Cyberlink Video Editing Utility Suite – 7 titles (oem)
3 Years RTB Hardware Warranty – (1st year parts & labour, years 2 & 3 labour only)
Fast Track Build – 3-5 Working Days (A)

[Matt Hards]

I also do leaflet drops every now and then, no matter if im busy or quiet. My flyer is based on the last three shops fascias i have done locally, then i drop them to every shop in my local town. I do this because I want people to put my name to my signs. I think people see a new sign, and unless they see it fitted then they may never know who did it. By doing this, it will stick in there minds(hopefully) until they need similar services.
Just my take on it.

[Matt Hards]

how would you edge seal it though, shall i just go to halfords and buy a clear lacquer spray and just spray the edges??

[Matt Hards]

are you referring to dibond dave?

[Matt Hards]

thanks george, ill give it a whirl.

[Matt Hards]

really, i didnt know that, no chance you know where i can get that at all??

[Matt Hards]

Hi, sorry, thanks for your responses, totally my fault as i havent explained properly, but i meant the plastic locators for stand off lettering, :S

[Matt Hards]

thanks for all your positive comments guys n gals, i really enjoyed the experience of moving to my own place. Its been brilliant and made me even more motivated to do well and push my business further. I feel happy with what i have created and I have a few more things to do in there, but its a good space and will hopefully take me to the next level 🙂 🙂

[Matt Hards]

im sure it wont stay that tidy for long haha, although i will try, im quite a tidy person in general and i like it to look good when people come in.

[Matt Hards]

thanks whoever put the photos in here 🙂

and by the way i also did all the graphics on the front of the building and renewed the whole of fascia boarding with aluminium composite panels instead of the old wood.

[Matt Hards]

thanks guys, yes its been a 3 year struggle working from the garage to get to having my own place. I think it has a lot of potential where it is, next to wickes and the main retail park in this area. So if I just sort my advertising out now on site. Then I should be able to draw the blank vans in 🙂 🙂

Hugh, youll have to come in and have a look when your next this way. Have a catch up.

[Matt Hards]

i like it hugh, wheres about in eastbourne is that, is it near to debenhams?? I can picture those shop fronts there???

[Matt Hards]

that seems like a good idea. although there would still be some movement along the bottom edge i would have thought?? maybe if the angle on the bottom edge was vhb taped to the metal frame?? not for any weight support but just to stop the frame moving in wind etc

[Matt Hards]

what about having chrome stand off letters made up and then sticking those with vhb tape directly onto the glass, you could black out the window from the inside to give a neat finish inside and this would provide a nice background for the letters???

[Matt Hards]

it was quite a while ago now, i wanted a replacement cutter as the original fault and the after smashing up of the machine i thought warranted a new cutter, but they wouldnt budge at all and i had no choice but to accept my cutter being repaired. Or they said i could have their old demo unit instead. didnt see why i should settle for a second hand cutter when i had paid good money for a new one, oh well, water under the bridge and all that lol.

[Matt Hards]

the firm i use for my letters hugh is smart group. Have always had good results from them, although a local supplier will be good, will they have the right materials though if they are not specifically for the signtrade?

[Matt Hards]

I wouldnt go to art systems for anything lol. I dealt with them before and they were very unhelpful in pretty much every department. And when i got my cutter back in smashed up pieces That really finished it off

[Matt Hards]

Hi Hugh,

I too use this supplier all of the time, I only order my sheet materials and colour coded screws from them, but they have been pretty good so far. I did have an issue with some sheet material, dibond in a bronze/copper metallic finish, when you pulled off the protective film it left marks all over it, they tried more in the workshop which did the same, so they offered me a roll of vinyl in nearest colour to floodcoat it in. Not toooo bad.

I have just had a similar problem with a company i use for my flat cut letters. The brushed stainless letters i ordered which they gave me about a 4-5 day delivery time, didnt turn up for 2 weeks, when i rang them the second time about them they said their watercut machine was in bits as they had aproblem with it. Which i thought ok fair enough, not really their fault, stick with it but…. when i rang the third time to see where they are a few days after they were meant to be here again, they said they had a big job on and the watercut machine was in full operation on that job. Which i thought was a terrible way to operate, as theyd taken my money 2 weeks ago and told me theyd be here in 4-5days.

I wouldnt have minded if he had just said they would have been two weeks, at least i could have told my customer, who isnt due to open for another week from now so still plenty of time. Just dont like being fed a load of lies.

grrrrrr

[Matt Hards]

im with roto signs also. good quality stuff and friendly people too.

[Matt Hards]

and how do i apply wet? lol

[Matt Hards]

Yes i agree peter, It is a wonderful place. I feel i can ask you all anything, lol. I would never have met hugh if it wasnt for the forum, and now we quite often help each other out where we can. And peter and lynn have been great with supplying me with prints and help with the artwork etc. Everyone very friendly.

[Matt Hards]

slightly off topic, but i thought id put it on the end of this post. I have some etch to fit. solid flood. I fit lots of etch bubble free and fine, with cut outs and without, but i am finding myself wondering if im gonna mess this next job up. Its a 90cm high by 3m piece of etch, and im thinking do i just fit it dry, or shall i give it a go wet, what will be easier and best result. I have never even tried fitting anything wet before. I have been taught and taught myself dry. So i feel like im going backwards by fitting wet.

[Matt Hards]

Nice work there Hugh, I like the graphic looks very cool. Did u have the graphic drawn or was it taken from a library.?

[Matt Hards]

where is the best place to buy this foam 1mm vhb tape please. As i have same type of job to do.

http://www.vikingtapes.co.uk/3m_vhb_sm.htm

any good on this site???

[Matt Hards]

use a stanley knife, easier than a scalpel

[Matt Hards]

thats nice jason, i like that more

[Matt Hards]

haha, thanks hugh, yes im definitely keeping my prices in the right areas now with my work. Im not the most expensive, but not the cheapest. But it seems to be going well and customers with bigger budgets have meant i have turned out some nice signs recently and this is really improving my name and reputation. Any news on the vans??

[Matt Hards]

thats the ones, thanks mate

[Matt Hards]

i would usually use a horizontal hinge every time, but the length of vinyl is about 2m approx. so this is a bit long for horizontal??????

[Matt Hards]

thats good then, dibond sounds like a good move, thanks for that. Do you round your corners yourself with a jigsaw??

[Matt Hards]

yes unfortunately he changes the offers every day, so he paints it on with emulsion and a brush. lol. The sign had to follow the van design unfortunately, or I think i would have done something a little more exciting with it. thanks guys

A Big thanks to Peter N and Lynn for all the prints and help along the way with them too.

[Matt Hards]

and some more….

---

Attachments:

[Matt Hards]

the black images do open if you click them

[Matt Hards]

Nicw work there Hugh, looks like u been busy, me too, sorry i havent been in touch lately, ever since xmas i been flat out, and getting ever busier.

[Matt Hards]

I too mentioned how good service and products have been up until this point. The mentioned man also told me he was gonna get his manager to ring me to get the money, funnily enough a week or so on and still no phone call from them. mmmm

[Matt Hards]

yes, i buy my panel wipe from my local spray shop, they have a spray goods shop on the side. and i get it there, £12.50 for 5 litre tin. works to clean and remove glue.

[Matt Hards]

do they read these boards??

[Matt Hards]

Yes it was 6 letters beginning with an N for N…..
Lets play hangman, literally, lol

[Matt Hards]

oh and just to say, I have never had a problem with them before, always been helpful and products have been at a very high standard.

[Matt Hards]

I too received a wrong order last week, there suggested wall brackets for a 50mm post turned up and you could have fitted two of the poles in them. Not helpful. When i rang and complained, the sales staff and people in background gave the impression of "what muppet sent them out" and were most helpful in making some custom brackets and sent them through fairly quickly. Shame when they sell you a 50mm post and bracket that they dont tell you at the time that they dont even make a 50mm bracket. Then I get a message from my secretary saying that they had rung and a certain individual, who shall be un named ( male ) not mark or byron, was very rude to them on the phone because they couldnt get through because I had phone line troubles. Then i rang them and he was also very rude on the phone to me. Trying to get me to pay for the new brackets as well as the incorrect ones. Telling me that I can even sell them to the scrap man if i want cos he wasnt bothered. Very helpful. I refused to pay and now Im awaiting a phone call from his manager. Still havent heard anything. Maybe his manager laughed at him too.

[Matt Hards]

i really like glenns, very classy

[Matt Hards]

Im a right to left also, I prefer to use a weeding hook, like a dentists hook, nice and accurate on the edges and corners and then put them between thumb and finger on left hand. I always have me music on also.

[Matt Hards]

thanks for all your help guys, i was about to cancel the order, but ill have to try your methods first. I have some flock, so ill try that, and also I’ll try less pressure, i have the largest platen for my press, so it covers a lot of the fleece though.

[Matt Hards]

lol, evil, 👿 haha

[Matt Hards]

laptops nowadays eh, their so p.c, you cant even have a few words with them without them going off in a puff. lol

[Matt Hards]

lol@ hugh, its red not pink, lol. Its my dodgy phone camera i think. Love my viewty but i dont think the camera is that impressive for a 5 million pixel jobby. Thanks for comments guys. Yes keeping well hugh, been busy still. and urself?

[Matt Hards]

thanks for that, i have had a look but cant seem to find what im after.
i will try and post a photo of what they have already

[Matt Hards]

where have you acquired this board from, is it a new type of foamex?

[Matt Hards]

very nice job, id like to have a go at wrapping soon, it looks like hard work, but fun and rewarding, not sure if i’d want to be doing it all the time though?!?!

I too am a shorts wearer of the camo variety too.

[Matt Hards]

isopropanol can be bought from?? in what form??

I tried panel wipe, but this did seem quite like hard qwork to remove it, definitely not a quick wipe.

I will pop round at some point hugh, its all gone crazy since xmas, been very busy and i know i still have your battery and gloves. will get them back to you mate, u busy???

[Matt Hards]

i have bought a fair bit of garmnet vinyl from xpres now, and also my cutter. I have never received any instructions of info in any of the boxes i have ever received either. They must not like us southerners eh hugh, lol.

but I must say i have been very happy with the products themselves, although i do agree that selling in 1m increments is a bit silly. i have tried to buy bigger rolls now to make it more sensible, but if you dont need a lot it works out un-economical to use 3 pieces.

[Matt Hards]

maybe ill check my invoice again then, thought ashby ones were a lot more than that, ill have to check, oh well these are on there way for now, they’ll get me through this job, thats the main thing. Some interesting products on those other sites though ! For future reference.

Peter… do you glue those caps on, as i have had them on indoor office furniture before and they fall off, just wondered if you stick them with anything.

[Matt Hards]

http://www.fixdirect.co.uk

found some on here, polytops, ordered them, now thinking is 10mm guage x 24mm length gonna be ok for fixing 3mm dibond. Should be ok shouldnt it, if i predrill the holes first. lol, oops, oh well, see what they like whenn they arrive.

I have bookmarked all your other suggestions, as they all have different solutions. the cap covers look very nice, i like the look of them, its only as customer has kind of specified polytops.

[Matt Hards]

looks good hugh, i like it. How long did it take you out of interest

[Matt Hards]

no just back, he doesnt want sides done yet, if he decides to then hes gonna have it on the doors only, wants it very minimal.

I think its look quite clean and classy

[Matt Hards]

nice idea. I like it, looks nice. very nice

[Matt Hards]

i have done a couple of both old and new astras, not easy, gotta find what looks best at the end of the day. I have seen a lot of interesting takes on gra[phics on these vans, driving around my area. Although i have seen a set of magnetics on the panels of a new astra. They cut them to the sahpe of the panel instead of square, and they actually look really nice. I thought Id use the idea if i ever have mags for an astra. A good solution to a bad van, lol.

[Matt Hards]

hi andy, thats exactly what i want, many thanks
matt

[Matt Hards]

looks great hugh, another good job. Havent had the chance to use that stuff yet, but i not sure if im looking fwd to it or not, lol. Could update my work van maybe, with all the yellow and blue in reflective. 🙂

[Matt Hards]

that skip took hours to get right 😛
still not sure about the stencilled font on it. haha

re the font, i put a straight line under before i cut, as it is a bitup and down, so it is spot on level with edges of tray.

thanks for your comments guys, yes was a very heavy tray.

Definitely a learning curve for me, and im glad we did it, and im glad its out the way so next time i can do it differently with the knowledge ive gained. I am proud of it though,

does look better with some paint around it, although its not the same shade as rest of shop, hes going to have the whole shop front repainted in new year, so its all freshened up, remove the dodgy wiring for the protruding lightbox, and get it working too, will post some photos of that when its lit up. that should look quite effective too.

cheers matt

[Matt Hards]

it was advised to change font, but he likes it so much, he didnt want to budge on it. so it had to stay, i have altered it slightly from original "kefka" font , to make it more ledgeable. at first the d and the a were almost identical.

[Matt Hards]

looking good hugh, i think the circus it shop front looks really good, i think it was all due to the hand, lol haha.

[Matt Hards]

I play cod3 and cod4 online, also halo3, all very good online,
cod4 is very short game, as too was halo3 i thought, but the online gaming is endless, can play for hours without getting bored. even more fun when u have a group of mates who all play together, becomes a real laugh. there are lots of games on 360 for kids, all the disney games, film games, they are usually pretty easy to pick up and play, not so good for the hardcore gamers though. my mates has a 360 and a wii, and they are both good for different things. the 360 is def the best for online gaming i think. PS3 is still trailing behind 😛

[Matt Hards]

although i agree and can see what everyone means about spacing, I personally think the last "bed co." van, looks good with the logo right up to the recesses. Makes it look quite good i think, on that occassion.

[Matt Hards]

i dont do wraps, but just from my own point of view, I like the design, but i think the yellow splashes would look better in a different shade of blues rather than yellow. I think only because the effect you have achieved is excellent, but the yellow/orange and the effect remind me of fire, but the shapes of the the splash are more like liquid. I think you should either make the shape of the design more like flicking fire, or change the colours to make it "liquid" like. Just my opinion,

[Matt Hards]

formatting seems to be the way forward, my laptop is only a year and half old, but i only really use it for internet, to keep my work pc off the internet and prevent problems. I re formatted it a month ago and its like a new laptop again, so much faster again, makes you realise how much they slow down after time with everything clogging them up. Im going to reformat every 6 months or so now. just to keep it running smoothly.

[Matt Hards]

Hey guys, yes i am back, well the wind blew me all the way up to leicester this weekend, so i didnt get on to reply, lol.

The sign is still in the workshop ready to fit, wind looks to be easing here, so should get it done this week. Will post pictures up on here.

Yes finally got to meet Hugh the other day after quite a while of on screen conversing, as he mentioned, he was fitting a couple of dibond panels. Nice job when they were up, looked very pro fo. Hopefully we’ll see some photos????

[Matt Hards]

two soldiers standing behind holding the cut outs, that should stop the little buggers nicking them 🙂

seriously, sand bags sound good to keep them standing, as for being stolen, whatever you do they’ll find a way if they are desperate enough. They probably wont bother with sand bags, too lay to lift them out.

Just an idea, on the box, make it from exterior ply, with a lid and then you could put a lock onto the lid, and then they cant lift the sand bags out, just an idea. but that will of course only work if you are permanently attaching the cut out to the box.

[Matt Hards]

Well I havent had a problem in the last two years. Fitted everything on ladders etc.

But this one is different as my first tray , and they are large panels to fit on ladders alone. Its not the equipment that bothers me, just the wind, lol. I love life and have lots to do yet, lol.
Forgot to add, I will have help with fitting also.

[Matt Hards]

I bought a new board a couple of months ago, a custard point 7’6". I had planned to do some small graphics on it, but ended up waxing it up straight away cos i couldnt wait to get on it. lol. Was thinking of de waxing it, but thought there would always now be an issue of vinyl sticking now the wax has been on there.
I also ride freestyle jetski in monster waves and in lakes, and my ski is covered in graphics, and never had a problem with vinyl failing, the only thing i have found is that if you put a graphic/sticker on and go straight in the wet stuff, it wont stay on long. If you apply it, heat it slightly, and then leave it at least a day or so before you take it out, stays on for ages, I have chrome and glitter blue cast, and suptac 7 year vinyl, and all stay on fine. have done for ages.

[Matt Hards]

they are better prices than i have found hugh, that has made me sit up and look for sure. Im not a massive fan on the exterior fixings myself also, looks more like a dotty border, lol. But the customer loves it and its fitted into his budget perfectly. What is the cheapest way to fix then without the obvious exterior screws. I guess an ali frame??

[Matt Hards]

i had prices from Ashby and sign and screenprint both prices were very similar. only £20 difference.

[Matt Hards]

yes i have his menu board to do , minus the prices, which will be written up by hand, as easier for him to change i guess. Not sure on other signage yet, but i do have all his staff uniforms to logo up on the old heat press.

[Matt Hards]

its a very successful and funky hair salon, very busy. dont think they need passing trade etc, he just wants a very funky different sign. i will post up the photos as soon as its done.

he is opening a second salon round the corner called "arc" so something more conservative there maybe.

[Matt Hards]

guys, managed to talk him out of the font, and to built up letters in a different font, but then he changed his mind again and has gone back to his font again, hes desperate to keep it, and now we are going for a 4 m long sign tray with all cut vinyls instead. I think it will look a lot nicer.
cheers

[Matt Hards]

when you say folded panels, do you mean as in sign trays, because i am also looking for prices on those too, i tried ashby so far also.

[Matt Hards]

trounce banners for me, the heavy duty banners they do are excellent quality, very tough and nice smooth and flat.

[Matt Hards]

Well the customer didnt want to go mad on price. as usual, lol, and dibond always seems a hell of a lot more expensive whenever i get prices. this is 10mm so should be ok, wouldnt use 5mm, warps too much. I used the white vinyl as i wanted a gloss finish on the letters as said.

[Matt Hards]

I use a D60 and i use manual arrows too, would be good to know if you find out how to do it though 🙂

[Matt Hards]

just an idea, why not use your own car or pop into your local scrap yard and pick up a bonnet, or curved glass screen, worth spending a few quid, and you have an ideal practice panel. You can use all you old scraps and off cuts and play around with applying to different parts etc. All good practice. Just an idea.