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I have to refinish a sandblasted cedar sign that could be ten years old. It looks like it was originally finished with lettering enamel. No problem.
My question: the wood is 2" thick and there is a splinter about 1/4" deep, about 2" wide and about 8" long and running the direction of the grain. It looks like a snow plow or something nicked the edge of the sign. What would be a good material to use to repair this? This is way to big for bondo, I am thinking of gorilla glue, letting it cure and then carving it down to match the rest of the sign.
Might there be some other method, this does not need to be a perfect fix, but I am concerned with it holding up thru Wisconsin weather.
-------------------- Curt Stenz Graphics 700 Squirrel Lane Marathon, WI 54448 Posts: 590 | From: Marathon, WI 54448 | Registered: Dec 1998
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-------------------- Joe Crumley Norman Sign Company 2200 Research Park Blvd. Norman, OK 73069 Posts: 1428 | From: 2200 Research Park Blvd. | Registered: Sep 2001
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Curt, Is the splinter still there? If so, I would make sure it is cleaned, then mix some WestSystems epoxy, put the splinter back in, put a block of wood over it and clamp that down to the sign. Use a piece of plastic (Walmart bags work great)between the wood and the sign. This will keep your wood-block from laminating to your sign.. When cured, pull it off and sand it down evenly witn a belt sander.
If the splinter isn't present, you could rout out the hole with a straight bit, cut a piece of Western cedar to fit, then laminate that in the same way.
Or if the gouge isn't too much, you could just fill it in with epoxy, mix in a little sawdust after the epoxy is mixed completely.
[ July 10, 2009, 10:38 AM: Message edited by: Wayne Webb ]
-------------------- Wayne Webb Webb Signworks Chipley, FL 850.638.9329 wayne@webbsignworks.com Posts: 7403 | From: Chipley,Florida,United States | Registered: Oct 1999
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Assuming the sign is painted a color and not a natural cedar color.....I wouldn't have a problem filling the gouge with bondo, or fiberglass resin. Let it cure, use a Dremel or die grider to do some "graining"; and paint to match.
...done it several times.
-------------------- Dale Feicke Grafix 714 East St. Mendenhall, MS 39114
"I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." Posts: 2963 | From: Mendenhall, MS | Registered: Apr 1999
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duraglass.. Its like Bondo but mixed with fiberglass. as easy as bondo, but better.
-------------------- Brian Ooms for CVD -Custom Vinyl Designs Merrillville, In Posts: 244 | From: Merrillville, IN | Registered: Dec 1998
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Chisel out a shape that you can fashion a block of the same type wood to fit. Tight fit makes best glue joints. Titebond II is easier to take stain than gorilla snot and holds well enough. Similar woods will have the same expansion rates. Make sure the grains are going the same direction.
-------------------- The SignShop Mendocino, California
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6714 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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I wonder if you could use HDU cut to shape to fill the gap, and then use filler to hide the edges and then carve out a matching grain pattern.
-------------------- Jonathan Harvey Harvey's Signs and Designs 214 N. Main Newton,KS 67114 316-283-2424 (no telemarketers) Posts: 63 | From: Newton, KS | Registered: May 2006
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Here's an easy method we use to fill hols and cracks that have some size to them.
Mix 50% Bondo with 50% fiberglass resin and apply both hardners. Mix well then pour. After about ten minutes the solution will be of leather consistancy reasy to carve like butter. It will be in this workable for about 15 minutes. After that you can use a dremil.
Still, we need some kind of photo to tell whats going on.
-------------------- Joe Crumley Norman Sign Company 2200 Research Park Blvd. Norman, OK 73069 Posts: 1428 | From: 2200 Research Park Blvd. | Registered: Sep 2001
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We fill small gaps with "rock-hard" and make sure it gets several coats of primer and paint. Big gaps get Gorilla glue, then sanding and dremel tooling to match surrounding area.
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We just delivered a 22 year old sign on its 3rd refurb. Looks (almost) good as new, and would have looked better if they hadn't waited until it was in tatters to have us refurb it.
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