Mike Brown
Forum Replies Created
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alloy and composite bodies?…except for the back door of a Land Rover – that’s steel…I think
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Hi Martin,
If there’s a small set on the back too…probably about the £400 mark…
…that would include colour drawings and the repro on their logo first of all.
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Nice one Martin – though the thick Blue line stops quite abruptly – like it wants to carry on…no matter though…it’s easy to see such things afterwards eh!
Is the logo digi or cut vinyl?….and how much did you charge to do this van – I’m just being nosey…tell me via a Personal Message if you like…if not – no matter…
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Oreo,
what’s different – how – if you can explain or post a typed/printed sample maybe I can match it…as I said there are loads of variations and many similar fonts too…
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Welcome Mick…to the UKSG boards.
I hope you’ll decide to become a regular and join in the fun here…
anything you wanna know – simple or advanced…just ask!
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Oreo,
This is what I have listed as Antique Olive Bold – well actually it’s listed as ‘AntOl-K’ – but I think it’s what you want. There are so many variations on this font (dozens) that I would suggest you cross reference this with another source too before cutting!…good luck
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A great, and generous, idea Steve…nice one!
I’ve given a few bits away to the schools in my time – often the off-cuts of magnetic…they cut ’em into little squares or rectangles with scissors and then decorate them to make fridge-magnets!
everyone should do this…vinyl, magnetic etc. as Steve says the schools are stretched enough, in many villages the schools have gone altogether…a real shame
and we don’t even have any children! 8)
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Hi David…
Welcome to UKSG – you’re very welcome and your input is as valuable as everyone elses…
Just ask, advise, comment or even disagree – always be respectful and courteous and before you know it they’ll be calling you a regular (which basically means they see you as a dried up old prune like me 😉 )
welcome David, maker of signs – and enjoy!
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Nice work Martin…should be proud of that.
Never easy doing big box vans, you have to use the space without using dozens of metres of vinyl…this is not the first piece of work of yours that I’ve seen and liked – you definately have an eye for such things…
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Hi Oreo – welcome back …hope you had a good time, and made some money eh!
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Phill,
What I normally say is something like this…
" There are two major types of computer image. First there are bitmaps which, if you look close enough, are made up of thousands of tiny dots just like the photographs in a newspaper or the pictures on your TV screen. The problem with these images is that, generally, the larger you make them, the more ‘bitty’ they appear – just like looking at that same newspaper photo through a magnifying glass!
Secondly, there are vector images. Imagine a rubber band stretched around pegs set into a board. By repositioning the pegs you can change the shape of the rubber band to make letters or logos and it doesn’t matter how big or how small you make the shape, the rubber band will expand or contract to give you a perfectly neat outline every time…these are the sort required by signmakers!…"
any good?
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Hi Lorraine,
I did – yeah – I was once asked to review their professional vector art CD – it was pretty good actually…and I said so!
Of course the limitation with that or any other clipart is that once you’ve used it ‘in your local area’ then you’ve got to be clever to disguise any future use of the same item…one reason why, if I’m gunna use some clipart, I’ll just use a wee-bit of it and merge it into the rest of the design…
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Nice one Robthesign!…hehehe
I like the shadow to the frog and the wrought swirl too…overall a very pleasant sign, nice to look at as Oreo said…
nice one mate…
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Welcom to you tteveris, CMYanko and all those of the ‘Cubical Clan?’ 😕 are these people who daub graffitti on toilet walls? – British Humour eh!
Speak to you all soon
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I had a service contract on my Graphtec FC2100-50 originally…after about five years @£400 a year I decided enough was enough. It did have a fault in the early days but it’s been working fine for more than eight years since…
Continuing with the contract would have meant that, by now, I would have paid out more than it would have cost me to buy a new one. So if it’s a ‘normal’ plotter we’re talking about then I’d get a maintenance contract after the first year warranty runs out but maybe only for three or four years thereafter!
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…all’s well that ends well….
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I’m a bit of a night owl myself…no phones, no noise, no distractions…quality time!
Working from a home studio (that’s a garden shed) we sort of ‘do our own thing’ for most of the day. So, whilst we are always around we probably only ‘work’ at signmaking for 3-4 hours a day. Don’t get me wrong, we’re not lazy – but we simply set a target each month that will give us a more than comfortable income which, in turn, gives us a general goal each week. It’s then upto us how fast or slow we achieve that goal. Believe me, and not meaning to preach but, if you get rid of all the crap that is ‘trying to be a big business’ or ‘building an empire’ then earning a good living from your own work can be achieved with a lot less stress…anyway, I’m off at a tangent again… 😉 …if anyone new to all this wants to read more about how we run a small business then just say…
Anyway, normally finish at 5-6pm for tea and then later in the evening do other stuff like design work, UKSG and playing on-line gaming over the internet! – from perhaps 11pm – 2am…and so on…
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…sorry Gavin -no!…but it’s great to hear from ya’
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Thanks for filling in more of your profile and, again, welcome to our site. Perhaps I just caught you earlier when you were still updating it. 😉
Not everyone here is familiar with your product but now I’ve visited your website I understand what you meant by just ‘OMEGA’.
Rest assured if anyone should happen to ask about it we’ll shout loud!
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You’re welcome Curt, I think – but you’d be even more welcome if you’d fill in a little more of your personal profile?…makes you less of a ghost! 😉
and, at the cost of looking silly, OMEGA what?…
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what you see is what you get…Lock, Stock and Barrel.
My being part of UKSG is not just a ‘flash in the pan’…
and I rarely go off ‘half cocked’ about any subject on the boards!
hehehe 😉
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I agree Phill, good layout can be taught…
Just give me one day with anyone who’s not sure and I’ll change the way they layout and design signs forever. It’s a process, a mechanism – and the trick is knowing how it works! I’m self taught, and so teach my own system but although I’ve never read Mike’s book, I’ve no doubt we would have come to similar conclusions on some, if not many, things.
By the way, Your CD will be on it’s way this week Phill. Thank you.
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…nice to see ya, Sharon, to see ya nice!
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I agree Rob – the node edit control on 4.95 was probably the best I have ever used – far better (IMHO) then V5 etc.
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Nice to see ya’…and great to know your busy.
Get stuck in when you can and don’t forget that every Thursday night around 9.00 pm we have a live chat (follow the link on the Homepage) which is a scream to say the least…
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well thank god your here – what would we have done without ya’! 😉
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I was going to ask if you knew someone who could pin-stripe me’ car…but on second thoughts… 😕
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Hi Rosemary!
A big hello from UKSG and all who sail in her…
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Hi Bob…read your post with interest and a lot of nodding too! 😉
I couldn’t agree more then with the points you make in the last paragraph.
look forward to chewing the fat with you on occasions…
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yes – yes…that’s all lovely jubbly and you seem like one hell of anice guy too…but are we alone in the universe? 😉
‘VP’? – is that ‘Vinyl put-er-on-a’…
Well, you know Gray told me you were a very talented sign guy and we’re just pleased to have ya’ here…
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Hi Glenn, and welcome to the UKSG…where are you from?, what line of work are you in?, are we alone in the universe?…tell us more – cus’ if you don’t then we’ll get it from Gray and you know what he’s like for gossip 😉
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…nice reply Rob…but, (like the guy who stumbles back into the cabin in the film Jaws and says "we’re gunna need a bigger boat!")…"I think we’re gunna need a bigger web-site" 😉
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yeah – I suppose there are four things I could say are a little ‘unecessary’ about this one…one hell of a nice sign though eh!…
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Hi Rholee – great to see you here at the UKSG and, from me, thanks for putting something about yourself on your sign-up file (it’s just a little crusade of mine – getting people to do just that! 😕 )
Have a great time and welcome to the mad house!…
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…there are quite a few of us would like to aim something at Rob…come on them Lambie – let’s hear it…(you’ll probably need your universal translater on to read it though Andy)…hehehe
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[heavy breathing into karaokee microphone] "…the force is strong in this one too…" [more heavy breathing into karaokee microphone]
nice one Andy – -watch out Gray this could be a rival (to your router-on-a-stick thing) as the most useful post of the week!… 😉 -
Just for my part…I keep about 30-40 vinlys in stock, though only about 20 of these are kept in any qty. As Lorraine said I too usually put my order together and then add a couple of 10-20 metre rolls of something a little fringe or different! This way I build up the diversity of my stock and don’t tend to miss the extra cost. As I like to do decorative work, often with variations of the same colour, these little ‘order add-ons’ help me to give variety in my designs.
I suppose for most vinyl work I try to make sure that the cost of the materials is no more than 5% of the value of the work so , whilst I’m not going to refuse a discount when it’s offered, the actual meterage price shouldn’t matter too much!
So far – I’m very pleased with 751 – it’s very……adaptable! (wish I could say the same for Europoint!)
I keep some matts – some banner and a few odd-balls like chrome silver and gold, flourescents, reflectives etc.
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I agree Steve – we could certainly do with more talk on IT topics…even some of the really nitty-gritty stuff…
let’s see what everyone else thinks…
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I can see why now – you didn’t put this piccie in for the ‘shop vans’ posting, I mean look at those wheels man – they’re a disgrace!
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…in contrast to your points Steve (well some anyway), I don’t necessarily want corporate colour schemes for my vinyl because I don’t want all my customers signs having the same ‘flavour’ as the latest high street names…and surely these would then end up changing from year to year and we’d end up with everyone else having to change likewise – it’d be a bit like those football teams that keep changing kit just to rake in the money… 😉
I’m not disagreeing – it’s just another point of view…personally I’d like to see more ‘earth’ colours, that is, colours that look a little less vivid and a little less ‘plastic’ – I know that vinyl is a form of plastic but I think a great many signs would look so much nicer if they were created using slightly softer hues and more ‘organic’ colours. Reds that were a little more ‘brick’ than ‘blood’ and Greens that were more ‘Olive Grove’ and less ‘larger can’…
I suppose that’s the problem…so many signmakers want so many different things from their vinyl. It’s like the old saying ‘you can’t be all things to all people’, we have larger sign companies reproducing pre-specified corporate identities and also smaller signmakers creating individual first generation designs… hmmm…In light of this I do agree that there should be more ‘effect’ and ‘speciality’ vinyls but didn’t they used to have these across the trade but dropped them because they didn’t sell?…
you can’t win mate…but, like you, I’d still like to get the person who chooses the colours alone in a studio for a minute or two… 😉
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…I read Phil’s post with interest – some great tips!…I would add that I normally try to go and see the van (or ‘suggest’ it comes to me) so I can have a good look all round.
I then take digital photos – not because I don’t trust the drawings but because experience has taught me that it’s the detailing like badges, side bumper strips and handles that seem to change from season to season and from one production run to the next…so long as I have the photos to refer to when I’m laying up the design, there shouldn’t be any little surprises in that department!
Usually I do take a measurement of the actual vehicle – but only one or two just as a ‘check’ that the drawing agrees. I don’t seem to have trouble with odd panel sizes – it’s more a case of sometimes the whole vehicle seems to be ‘out’ by the same small percentage over all.
Furthermore, it depends how you measure a panel. When I lay a tape on a van it’s often a case of measuring to the nearest inch (rounding down) but what does the line on the drawing actually represent?, the top of the curved edge of a panel, the bottom of the curve or something in between?’
At the end of the day, these CD’s are invaluable in helping us to ‘sign’ vehicles, but that’s all they are – a help – it’s up to each of us to ensure that what we cut – fits!
[I use a variety of vehicle CD’s – primarily Impacts’ V2000, Impact’s 1200 vehicle library, Creative Collection’s ‘Car-Special’ – a comprehensive europe-wide reference work, Ingrams vehicle collection and even Cadlink’s original V5 collection which I still reckon had the best ever packaging!…]
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I did say this would be fun! 😉
so far – Steve B’s post gets the most votes I think…hehehe
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me neither..never had one Phil – but if the SignChat tonight was anything to go by…this ‘thread’ should be worth watchin’ over the next few days… 😕
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I remember many years ago reading an article that suggested some University or other had actually done a study on this and other advertising phenomena and concluded that the figure for the number of times a telehone number was used directly from a vehicle livery was in the region of 15000:1 …strange but (apparently) true!…I’ve never forgotten that figure…
I must admit as a signmaker – and we all know what that means when it comes to commenting on other people’s signwork we’ve seen! – I simply can not remember the last time I used a number after seeing it on a vehicle.
But I would say – I regularly use web addresses seen in the same way!
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Gray!
I’ve looked into your observation about the colour descriptions that won’t update and I think I’ve worked out how to do it…seems to work…
When you’ve created your new colour palette do this…
1 ) In Signlab go to [options] then [palette] then [edit palette]…
2 ) from the pop-up window that appears [load] your new palette file…
3 ) click once on one of the little colour blocks (down the left hand side)…
4 ) then enter the name you wish to give this colour, plus any other details, using the boxes provided…
5 ) straight away click once on [change]…
6 ) do this for every colour in the palette…
7 ) when you’ve done them all – then click on [save as] and save your palette (now with descriptions etc.) under the same or a new name…that should do it… 😉
Don’t forget – if you do use a new palette name then you’ll have to update this in the [options/signlab setup/general preferences] section too – so that Signlab loads the right palette at startup etc.
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…like the music!!!
I just left it running in the background…hehehe
nice one Paul – look forward to seeing more of your work as time goes on.
mikethesign
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Gray…geta grip and calm down…
look – it’s simple…
say you keep 40 colours in your vinyl stock that you also want Signlab to show as your default palette – here’s what you do.
1 ) Open Signlab
2 ) Set your computer screen to ‘normal’ brightness, contrast etc.
3 ) draw 40 identical squares on screen in a line – left to right.
4 ) number the squares 1 to 40
**************** now repeat the following sequence *****************
5 ) select the first (or next) numbered square
6 ) using the magnifying tool, zoom in so that it fills the entire screen
7 ) double click on the first (or next) colour on the default signlab palette
8 ) A pop-up window will appear from which you can use the sliders to achieve the best representation of your first (or next) chosen vinyl colour
9 ) click on [ok] to apply the new colour to both the square and the corresponding section of the palette
*************repeat steps 5 to 9 to create palette****************When all the squares and the sections of the palette are coloured to match your vinyl stock/swatch in the sequence you prefer, then do this:
a ) Save the Signlab picture file you have just created – but DON’T CLOSE SIGNLAB!
b ) carefully click just once on the first colour in your new palette (not the coloured square on screen but the actual palette!)
c ) select [TRUNCATE PALETTE] from the [PALETTE] section of the [OPTIONS] drop down menu – and click on [YES] to the question screen that follows…(this will remove any old or unwanted colours ‘left-over’ from the original palette)
d ) Save the Signlab picture file AGAIN – but DON’T CLOSE SIGNLAB!
e ) select [EDIT PALETTE] from the [PALETTE] section of the [OPTIONS] drop down menu.
f ) from the pop-up menu that appears (titled ‘Edit Palette’) click once on each of your new colours in turn and then enter a description in the field entitled ‘colour name’. You can also enter the suppliers name, their material code and other details as you wish.
g ) when all this has been done then click on [SAVE AS] – choose a name for your palette (perhaps CAMRIVER1.pal), select a folder and click on [SAVE].You have now created a custom palette that is representative of the colours you stock (and in the order you prefer) so your drawings will look more like your finished signs and vice-versa. Furthermore, if you entered details against the colours – they will be shown as you hover over the palette with the mouse pointer!
There remains only one final thing to do – we have to instruct Signlab to load this ‘custom’ palette every single time it starts or when you open a new file. To do this select [GENERAL PREFERENCES] from the [SIGNLAB SETUP] section of the [OPTIONS] drop down menu.
In the ‘Palette’ section of the new pop-up window that appears (titled ‘General Preferences’) enter the path of your new CAMRIVER1.pal file or use the ‘browse’ option to locate it. Click on the box next to ‘Load Palette at Startup’ – a tick will appear in it – and click on the large [OK] button to close the pop-up window.
…and that’s it!…when you next start Signlab or open a new file your prayers will be answered…and you’ll never need to raise your fist at the Signlab palette again…hopefully…
of course…you can also print out this Signlab picture file to see how your colours will look when they’re printed – but that’s another kettle of fish!
if you knew any or all of this already then please excuse the sermon – but maybe it’ll be useful to someone else anyway…
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I can’t wait to see what sort of replies this post gets Paul!
What I mean is that most signmakers have enough trouble getting their english spelling right 😛
I live in the sticks and there are virtually no ethnic communities here, otherwise I’d pop round to one of ‘um and ask….
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When I first got into all this we used to do quite a lot of panel and post stuff.
As Paul says allow about 1 third underground two-thirds above.
One thing I’ve discovered is that, in most cases, where you are fixing into undisturbed ground there is nothing quite so hard as the ground itself, specially a foot or so down. So, we normally use a deep small hole (say a 10" diam hole for a 3" diam post) which uses less concrete and then ‘tamp’ it down really hard. It’s then not so much a case of whether the wind will dislodge the concrete footing but whether it can physically prise the posts from the ground itself!
Once, when we had a flat panel sign (6 or 8 foot square if I recall) on two legs in a particularly exposed location, very windy most of the time, Spandex actually supplied the sign set but advised that their calculations suggested there was a small possibility that the type of legs we had ordered might ‘fold’ in extreme gale conditions.
I happened to mention this to a mate, who was a builder, and he said "…no problem, once you’ve fitted the sign, remove the post caps and, using a plastic funnel, fill the posts with fine sand and nothing will ever bend that post again.." we did – he was right – it’s still there eleven years later!
always thought it was a clever tip and that I’d pass it on…
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surely Corel 9 comes with about 1100 fonts!!! including those you mention…aren’t they on disc 4?…or one of the four discs anyway…
any TTF’s can be utilised by Corel so long as they are installed on the system. See what you have bundled with other windows software like ‘Word’, ‘Excel’ ‘Publisher’ and others…failing that visit some of the font links on this site…
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Hi Eddie!…
Agfa also make a nice range of scanners. You can buy them at most big electrical stores, again for around £100.
For cut vinyl work an A4 size scanner is fine. Most logos for this type of work are scanned in at around 300 dpi (dots per inch). You will need a scanner that can scan in three ‘modes’; line art (that’s black and white only), Greyscale and colour too – though most scanners will do all three – it pays to check.
Although many scanners will offer 1200 or even 2400 dpi – you will rarely need this level of resolution unless you are going to be doing digital printed work etc. as the images created using these resolutions can be gigantic in size and will quickly have your computer grinding to a halt.
Another thing that lets down some cheap scanners is the colour balance – that is, they sometimes produce images that do not have the same overall tone as the original (a bit like looking though tinted glass). Such imbalances can often be overcome by altering the image in a ‘paint’ program and for the vast majority of logo work (again, if it’s cut vinyl work you are doing) black and white is often the preferred scan setting anyway.
Digitising is simply the name given to the process of converting printed bitmap images (that’s like ‘dotty’ newspaper photos up close) into vector images (like those you use to cut vinyl from) which I usuallu describe as like ‘rubber bands stretched around nails’.
In the old days you would lay out your photo or printed logo and then move a ‘digitiser’ over it (bit like a computer mouse with a bomb-sight on it) and click the button each time you targetted a corner or point on that image. In this way you transferred the logo to the screen one ‘node’ at a time, a bit like dot-to-dot.
These days most signmaking software allows you to semi-automate this process by bringing-in a scanned image to the screen at which point it can analyse the image and identify corners, edges and the like – building up a vector image for you as it goes. The accuracy and tolerances can be changed to give various results.
Most scanners use a language called ‘twain’ which is simply a universal language that all manner of programs understand too – allowing them all to communicate freely with your scanner. Finally, make sure the scanner is compatible with the ‘port’ or connector you have spare on the back of the computer. The most common these days are USB connectors – again a kind of universal ‘plug’ but you may need a parallel or ‘D’ type connector.
If you already knew all this then forgive the sermon and maybe someone else will benefit from it…
anything else…just ask.
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couldn’t agree more with the ‘heat three times’ thing – works everytime!
I’ve used 5-year vinyls in shallow gulleys too – then warmed it followed by the ‘burn’ (as we call it) and it’s sat in there quite happily for years afterwards. I think of it as heating it to the point where it starts to change and break down on a molecular level and so ‘forgets’ its original form…
…and for those new to the game – no, were not cheating or getting away with using cheaper materials – it’s just that sometimes lesser grade vinyls have certain other characteristics that are perfect for the job in hand but you need a little conformity too…
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Good idea…hey! – Tell Brian H., their next CD could include a Sherman tank, the Titanic and the Batmobile too! 😆
no seriously though – very clever idea Paul. 😉
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…Banner Box too…
just receiver their new catalogue (as Lor’ said) and was well impressed – pity it has all the prices in though, it’d be nice to be able to show customers all the fixings they can choose from without giving everything away…
Trounce have always done me proud, but I don’t actually use more than a few a year…
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Sally! – it’s the best thing invented since ‘welding’ in software packages…
don’t knock it – it is aweful stuff to tear/handle as it expands in the heat and crinkles in the cold but once you start using it to align multi-colour work you’ll never go back…
that and silicone impregnated squeegee covers – luv ’em…
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just a stab in the dark Martin…but perhaps you could cut a sandblast mask on the plotter and then have them sandblasted…sorry…I don’t do blasting but it just struck me as a possibility…might depend on how many and how deep a relief is wanted for the image?
I’m sure someone else will take this up or suggest otherwise…or tell me to shut up!
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Don’t worry about Portsmouth – as I said before It’s only just above sea-level anyway so come the great thawing of the polar ice-caps, it’ll be one of the first places to go!
By the way, my studio is only 16′ x 12′ – very small but because it’s compact I keep it nice and warm through the winter and I have crammed it with all manner of signs over the walls and even the ceiling so that it has a really colourful ‘grotto’ effect designed to overwhelm customers who visit…and it works too – you can see them look all round and even up when they first step in! I’m trying to impress ’em – sure – but I also want them to expand their ideas about what they could have on their own sign or vehicle – I want them to feel like the preverbial ‘kid in a sweet shop’!
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: mikethesign on 2002-03-30 23:51 ]</font>
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Sorry Gray – coming in on this one a little late in the day – but – as I understand it if you estimate a cost – you can then charge upto 60% more than that without breaking the law! Shows just how ‘loose’ an estimate really is. but that’s what also makes it a good tool. I often give estimates, or, I give a price for the sign or graphics and then estimate the cost of fitting.
Regarding the ‘whose terms are relevant’ question, well, as far as I’m concerned it is the person selling the goods that has moral high ground here – that’s you!. Chances are it was the customer that started the whole process off by asking you for something and as such they are asking for your price, spec, terms etc. So, as someone else has said I believe, if they throw all this 90 day crap at ya’ then simply get them to confirm that they will abide by your terms.
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mikethesign -
I work from home Gray…a mid-terraced cottage though it is at the end of a quiet lane as it opens out into meadows.
I’ve had premises in the past but, to be honest, I’m happiest working from home as I do now. I have a small timber studio in the garden. I’ve never found it a problem to work by myself though some days are easier than others to get motivated. I find rockin’ loud music helps to revitalise me when I’m flagging. The thing that most frustrates me is having too many jobs on the go at any one time – I prefer to finish one thing before I start another. Working on my own also makes trips to other signmakers shops more special – a chance to chat, swap ideas and generally socialise.
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hey Rob!
I’d be interested too – for ‘the secrets’ CD? – would you be able to help?
email me and let me know…
mikethesign
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Hi Jim! ? Sorry to hear about your redundancy ? but pleased that you going to give it a go and try something for yourself.
Personally, I would suggest that you start your own sign business, so long as your confident enough and are not going to slap yourself right on someone else?s doorstep ? you should be at least one street away!?lol
There is little doubt that good fitters are worth good money and really good fitters are gold dust! I see little reason why you could not forge a business doing sub-contract fitting but as Rob said ? a day rate or more preferably a price for the ?job? (regardless of what that entails) is a must, else those you are working for can?t cover the cost of your work with certainty. The more you work for someone the easier this all becomes.
I think trust is probably the single most important issue here, followed closely by the quality of your work. Your asking a sign company to trust that you will not simply get to know all their clients and then do ?the dirty? on them. Sorry, I?m not being impersonal but it?s good business to protect your assets and we have to imagine the worst possible scenarios before we consider the benefits. You might decide to jack it all in after 6months because it?s not going too well and go work for someone else with all this knowledge at your fingertips. You may prove so good that one of your best customers may make you an offer you?d be mad to refuse?and so you might have to enter into an informal but reassuring contract with those you work for? Then there?s the question of whether you will represent people in a suitable manner and, something not discussed so far, whether you have the resources to cover damages, loss or liability through your work ? which you will be liable for!? so the trust thing takes some chewing?Quality of work is a two-edged sword. Some will want high quality and some will not be willing to pay for it ? it?s a fact of business?that needs addressing too?
So, on the one hand ? I, as well as others would love to have someone like yourself ?in the wings? but on the other hand ? wouldn?t you be better off just becoming an independent signmaker (what with the liability, time, effort, outlay etc?) When I first started I couldn?t afford any equipment for more than a year and so just bought cut vinyl in and asked others for help?
Anyway ? just a few thoughts – here endeth’ the lesson for today?bloomin good luck to ya? and let us know what you decide?
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…who is this masked uploader?…
where ever dodgy digis’ threaten the unsuspecting signmaker, the ‘masked uploader’ will save the day! hoorah!
hi-ho silver-vinyl…away!!!!
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hey Robin…
nice to see you posting mate – the more the merrier. Why not paste a link to that forum here so we can all drop in and say hello…that’d scare ‘um 😆
post a pic to Robert so we can see you…
more soon
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interesting stuff Stuart…bought both types of gold a few months back, the ‘tip’ and size etc. – haven’t even got round to trying it yet, but I will…perhaps I can give you a call if I loose me bottle’! 😆
and as for that ‘charging it from your head’ – just try and remember that Robert reads all this stuff too and if he tries that it’s just gunna end up covered in grey fluff!!!…or even worse, black heads… uurrgghhh!! 😆
love to all
thought for the day!…"the only cheap vinyl is the stuff that falls off the back of a lorry!"
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it’s the censoring guardian on this and other websites joe…
it reads the word as t i t and then ‘led’ so it replaces the first piece with ‘oh I swore’ – i tried to use exactly the same word recently and hit his problem…
…is it AI or is it a paint in the a r s e ?
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thanks moon’
only ‘saying how I find’…and I found it was good!
thanks for the offer – I hope others will see that not only is it a good deal but the people concerned are right here with an ear…and probably a few other bits too! 😆
thanks again…
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Not totaly my bag this sort of thing Eddie…
but I’ve used a number of ‘banner’ vinyls over the years and found most to be less than perfect, most of ’em grip and twist but hate any real abuse…
In the past what I have done is used the vinyl paintmask instead and then bought the colours I need and painted the detail on using curtain-sider lorry signwriters paint and thinners. These are specially formulated to do the job and are virtually indestructable as a way of lettering banners and the like. With the special thinners the paint sets off in only 5-10 minutes and is cured over night.
I know I’m probably going up the wrong tree here but hope it helps.
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mikethesign"…we who paint pictures in the minds of passers-by, we who with temptation hold the eye…"
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: mikethesign on 2002-02-05 19:53 ]</font>
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Couldn’t agree with you more Subaru…
I use a Graphtec FC2100-50 610mm wide plotter. I bought it with my first ever Cadlink system (then called ‘Sign Studio’)that must be about 10 years ago…and the same machine is still going strong – I couldn’t imagine how many thousands of miles of vinyl it has cut…I only ever had a head break on me – that’s the black plastic cylinder that holds the blade bearings, blade etc. which was replaced under warranty. It still has the same rollers, drive belts and all.
For the first few years I had an extended service/warranty cover on it but it just never went wrong…and seeing as the service contract was something like £400 a year I simply cancelled it!
Everything I cut is done on this 610mm friction feed plotter – including full size graphics on 40′ tankers etc…it’s all on my web-site.
When this ‘ol girl finally pops her sprockets then I will just pick up the phone and get something similar in the latest model. I think the cost today would be about £3500-£4500 but just this week I prepared four identical sets of vehicle graphics (as kits only) with a total value of £1280 in the course of two days – to me the cost of the plotter is almost irrelevant over time…
sorry – what? – oh OK, I’ll shut up now…
anyway – you’ll gather that I like my Graphtec… 🙂
more soon
mikethesign
P.S. ‘They’ say that a car driven by only one person will run better for longer than one used by numerous people…I wonder if the same is true for plotters – what do you think???
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: mikethesign on 2002-01-09 14:25 ]</font>
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just off the top o’ me head…
what about low temp aluminium welding the rails to the back of the plate, I’m not up on aly welding perhaps it woould distort the plate but it’s just a thought…or perhaps an epoxy resin bond instead…
I too have use VHB tapes for all sorts of things – it’s great stuff – recently we used it on the back of an 8′ x 4′ heavy metal plate sign to fix it to a wooden fascia while we drilled and screwed the plate more permanently…I honestly reckon that plate would not have moved without the screws – it was solid!
as Rachel said, it depends on the size, weight, position and danger posed by the components.
more soon
mikethesign
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: mikethesign on 2002-01-07 22:55 ]</font>
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Must admit – after umteen years using the same ranges of colour you do tend to wish for something more…must admit though I was taken with a few of the new colours in the Europoint range…yeah, I know that sounds like a ‘can I do you know sir? – ooohh!’ sort of thing but no! – honestly – if you havn’t got their info thru yet then get it – some of their stuff’s a bit diff’…
The other thing I suppose you have to look out for when you use a ‘set’ range of colours is that (like only having ten fonts on your machine)you can end up in a bit of a rut, thinking only in terms of those colours and not experimenting with new ideas and combinations…then again I suppose it’d be OK if we all had a Gerber Edge II – d’ya think you could arrange a group discount on that one then Rob? 🙂
more soon
mikethesign
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Hi Sally,
I think Victory Design used to offer an application tape dispenser for this very purpose – though I couldn’t see it on their site at: http://www.victory-design.co.uk
Different models varied between £120 and £200 (or so) and consisted of a platform that clamped to the end of your bench and has spindles etc. to hold the rolls whilst you pull the tape out over the weeded vinyl, anchoring it to the bench at the ‘far end’ and then rub down – working back towards the platform….sort of…I never used one but it always sounded like a good idea!
There are other devices which have come and gone – and others may have (or have used) them and advise accordingly…over to them!
best regards
mikethesign
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Hi Sally,
well, try to keep the vinyl warm till you use it – if your on-site then put the vinyl in a cardboard box in the footwell of your motor with the heaters on it and pull out each piece just prior to fitting.
If it’s an option, you could warm the van your decorating from the insode out – put a small heat source inside…this also works well with big vans and lorries using a small space heater…
You could heat gun the panel in question for a minute or so prior to decorating…
Turn the vehicle into the sun for a while prior to decorating that side…
You could arrange to get the vehicle inside (of course) 🙂
or…you could move from Scotland to somewhere warmer – like the Seychelles! 🙂
I’m sure others will have other ideas – hope this helps.
mikethesign
P.S. Oh! – and when you’ve finished the job go round with a hot air gun and ‘well-warm’ all the vinyl to help ‘activate’ or ‘gee-up’ the adhesive….
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Hi ‘G’…
slowing things down here too..always try to hit the holidays with everything done and dusted…we normally close from week before xmas right through till first week of Jan and do lots of celebrating and even some quality sign time. Try new things, sort out the entire work shop, that sort of thing…also try to get together with other local signmakers for a drink etc.
December doesn’t earn that well for me partly ‘cus it’s a short month but partly because I still see xmas as special and try to wind down, shut off and enjoy, reckon I’ve earned it and if I haven’t then it’s too late in the year to do much about it anyway..’course I’ll still be ‘ere on UKSG most days and gettin’ the next demo ready! 🙂
mikethesign