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Hi Guys, I have a show car sign I'm doing that I have an idea for the base for that I need your help in figuring out how to make. here's the plan, the car is a 39 chevy called blue ice, I have the steel already made for the sign,(oval shaped, angled flat on the bottom side so when it sits in the base it'll be at an alngle to the side)
I want the base to look like big chunks of ice, I want to make it out of some sort of acrylic, my plan was to carve the rough buck out of sign foam then make a rubber mold off of it, then take the sign foam out and them use some the mold with layers of the stuff till I got kind of pourable acrylic and coat the inside of something like an ice shell, (kinda like a chocolate easter rabbit) then I was going to frost the inside to make it not transparent but still glossy on the outside. then I was going to use some inexpensive blue twinkle Christmas lights to give the base a neat frosted blue look. now I need the base to be strurdy but not bullet proof. am I on the right track? I'm trying to keep this simple and not get into melting plastic over anything because I don't have the facility for that sort of operation. have any of you done anything remotely close to this? thanks, Mike
-------------------- Work like you don't need the money, Love like you've never been hurt, And Dance like no one's watching. :) Mike Lavallee Mike Lavallee's Pinstriping & Airbrush Art Everett, WA Posts: 449 | From: Everett, WA | Registered: Dec 1998
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Sorry, no experience there, but it sounds awesome! I can see it in my mind. I was thinking something that used fiberglass resin, but on second thought, it's probably too yellow-ish.
I saw this post, and I wondered HE'S asking for help?? I'd expect it the other way around. You do nice work.
-------------------- James Donahue Donahue Sign Arts 1851 E. Union Valley Rd. Seymour TN. (865) 577-3365 brushman@nxs.net
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what's for lunch, Benjamin Franklin Posts: 2057 | From: 1033 W. Union Valley Rd. | Registered: Feb 2003
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Did a bit of digging from my past fascination with model railroads and the artificial lakes used in the scenery. That search led me to taxidermy products leading to this...
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I was thinking along the same lines as Mark, or another thought would be the stuff used for Doming, but I believe that would be MUCh more expensive than the casting resin method. $34.00 per gallon for casting resin is actually not that bad in the whole scheme of things
-------------------- Harris Kohen K-Man Pinstriping and Graphix Trenton, NJ "Showing the world that even I can strategically place the pigment where its got to go." Posts: 1739 | From: Trenton, NJ, USA | Registered: Jun 2001
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Try this... Using white acrylic sheeting, dump a solvent like acetone or laquer thinner onto it and bag it. It should give you the texture you want, similar to how paint would look. Backlighting it would look cool.
Just a thought... Rapid
-------------------- Ray Rheaume Rapidfire Design 543 Brushwood Road North Haverhill, NH 03774 rapidfiredesign@hotmail.com 603-787-6803
I like my paint shaken, not stirred. Posts: 5648 | From: North Haverhill, New Hampshire | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
Hi Mike, the first thing that comes to mind is a block or blocks of clear acrylic. You could rough up the edges to look like ice and they would be heavy enough to carry the weight.
Good luck.
-------------------- Bill Riedel Riedel Sign Co., Inc. 15 Warren Street Little Ferry, N.J. 07643 billsr@riedelsignco.com Posts: 2953 | From: Little Ferry, New Jersey, USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6713 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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No ideas for the cubes, Mike, but try to procure a bit of dry ice or a small fog machine for the show to make things look REALLY chilly! Love....Jill
-------------------- That is like a Mr. Potato Head with all the pieces in the wrong place. -Russ McMullin Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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ARRRGHHH...I can't believe I typed for 10 minutes only to have the computer disconnect and loose the following...oh well!
At any rate...Years ago we had a call for "ice"...here's what we did...cut pieces of plexiglass into squares (not perfect) some 1/8" some 1/4" then arrange them on a cookie sheet lined with mylar...fill the sheet (over the top of the mass) with methylene Chloride...let it all melt to the configuration you want then poke a hole in the cookie sheet and let the "meth" drain out.
Let the piece set over nite...also the night before shred some white plexiglass into a container and melt it down with "meth" we applied this concoction with ketchup bottles (with the piece standing on edge) so we could control the flow over the cubes...but it ocurrs to me now that you could thin this white material and possibly spray it on with an airbrush (don't use your good one) you can clean it out with Methylene chloride later but will likely be tough on the seals.
At the time we also used some of the "rattle can" frostings available at the craft stores but had to clear over it to make it hold up.
A little blue and green transparent basecoat highlights and shades with the air brush and I'll bet you'll have it.
Let us know what you do and please post some pics of the finished product.
Hope this all made sense...good luck!
[ December 01, 2004, 10:09 AM: Message edited by: Monte Jumper ]
-------------------- "Werks fer me...it'll werk fer you"
-------------------- Jack Wills Studio Design Works 1465 E.Hidalgo Circle Nye Beach / Newport, OR Posts: 2914 | From: Rocklin, CA. USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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Build an acrylic box for the main support to take the weight, then make the blocks just more of a facade that don't carry any weight but their own.
Skip the sign foam (unless you have it on-hand). Glue up sheets of styrofoam to make the blocks then either carve them or spray with acetone to melt it.
Apply a soft brushable mold rubber, doesn't have to be thick because you can add a plaster or fiberglass support shell once the rubber has cured, which will help hold the shape.
Use a clear casting resin. Polyester is cheap, Urethane is nice (and UV stable) although $130 for 2 gallons mixed. Using a resin with a short pot life, you could mix up a big batch in a shallow container, then pour it into the mold and "slosh" it around to coat all the sides. You'll have to do a few applications like this to build up the thickness.
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Mike, Sometimes it's faster to draw a picture. Here's an idea for you.
One of our plastic suppliers had made some shelves like this out of thick acrylic and chipped the edges up. They flame polished it then took a grinder to the back and gouged it all up. This left the acrylic shiny on the front and and milky white with the grinder marks looking like cracks and such. It really looked like ice with the light coming through it although not clear.
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thanks guys, I think i can take it from here! I'll let you know how it works out. Mike
-------------------- Work like you don't need the money, Love like you've never been hurt, And Dance like no one's watching. :) Mike Lavallee Mike Lavallee's Pinstriping & Airbrush Art Everett, WA Posts: 449 | From: Everett, WA | Registered: Dec 1998
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Bobbie uses the "blocks" of glass that can be purchased at any HQ,Lowes,etc used in building walss in bathrooms! Looks like cubes and is paintable
Hope this helps
-------------------- PKing is Pat King The Professor of SIGNOLOGY Posts: 3113 | From: Pompano Beach, FL. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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![[Thanks]](graemlins/thanks.gif)
I was going to frost the inside to make it not transparent but still glossy on the outside. then I was going to use some inexpensive blue twinkle Christmas lights to give the base a neat frosted blue look.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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