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Gregg Parkes posted a beautiful sign a while back that he used corrugated perspex on. In the last few years there seems to be a number of new sign substrates introduced to the market. It doesn't take long for them to become common.
I'm always on the look out for different and unusual materials and ways to use them. Anyone have any interesting ideas that they have thought of or seen?
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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I'm also trying out new materials all the time. Some come back to bite. One which was a big disappointment was Medex. However I'm still testing and working with different products. Last year I found HDO. The only problem for most people, it can be hard to find. It's like MDO except it has 18 to 20 layers and had an extra smooth surfaces.
I've been experimenting with vertical grain yellow pine for my sandblasted work. The largest sign so far was 30"X7'. It's about six months old and is looking good. I buy mine it at Lowe's but others around the country don't seem to have good selection. A 2"X8"X8' is around $6.00. The main drawback is, you must have a router to reduce the sandblasted area down. It doesn't sandblast easily. The material turns out beautiful.
-------------------- 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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Joe,HDO High Density Overlay. A customer had me make a sign for him,this was 25-30 yrs.ago.
Paint would not dry at all. Maybe this product has changed but it was made for the poured concrete foundation industry. It has some sort of oil inbeded into it so the concrete will not stick 2 it,so they can keep reusing the forms. Check w/manuf.
I have had good luck w/Medex in the past, hand carved yrs. ago by 1st priming 2 coats of yellow ext. carpenters glue then reg.prime & paint,silicon any screw holes. I'll have 2 check out how the sign is holding up, did the sign about 8 yrs. ago w/ paint,enamel & gold leaf.Was looking good 2 or 3 yrs.ago.
Kent Moss
-------------------- Kent Moss Greg Moss Signs Posts: 363 | From: Wilbraham, MA / Charleston,SC | Registered: Nov 2003
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I've seen really nicely done signs created out of kitchen cupboard doors of all things. The nice wood trim is already there. A little antiquing to suit and it's a great background if square dimensions will work.
I'm always on the lookout for a unique background. If you want a beach looking sign pointing one way, pickets are kinda cool. I've also sighted a directional type of sign painted on a wooden ski.
Incidently, I scooped up a kid's wooden easle to hold an eventual sign I have in mind. The double sided easle holds up a chalkboard on one side and a metal board on the other. Right now it's holding up a bulletin board in a room that doesn't have wall space for one, but the sky's the limit for this little bit of funky junk.
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Wooooopee, What an interesting post about the history of HDO. I don't know about it twenty or thirty years ago, but we've been using it for a couple of years without any problems. It costs a little more than MDO. It looks to me like a furniture grade product.
HDO is still the choice for the concrete industry because it remains flat and won't come apart. It comes very smooth,with formica like, surfaces and needs to be lightly sanded and primed.
I have a friend in Taos NM, who also uses Medex, but that's a very dry climate. For us, here in Okla. it doesn't last very long. We now use Extira as a substitute.
-------------------- 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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HDO is used by the highway departments. Most of those big green interstate and federal highway signs are made from HDO. I've heard that painting can be a little tricky since the surface is so hard and smooth.
-------------------- Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 sherwoodsign@sbcglobal.net Posts: 5397 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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Hey Joe, we used to use HDO for many of our signs. But it was hard to find at times. I haven't used it for years...can't find it at all here in Mississippi.
The coating is almost like a fiberglass resin. It has to be very clean and well sanded. We had a couple of occasions over the years where the paint peeled (where we used tape on a line or border). On basically every case, it was where the board wasn't sanded well enough when primed. I think we got to where we were sanding it with 80 grit on a palm sander.
That got it roughed up well, without really deep scratches. Never had a failure after that. Due to the ever-changing quality of MDO, HDO is far and away better.
We experimented with Scooter Board, but its finish won't hold any kind of paint we used; and after talking to the manufacturer, it's only made for outdoor longevity of a year and a half anyway. They made some of the best quality tempered masonite I've ever seen.....would hold up outdoors for years. This stuff is junk by comparison. Only good thing is the white finish.
-------------------- 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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There is a product called Homasote, that has been on the market since the 1950's...It's sold as a insulation board in the northeast US, maybe elsewhere. It's made from recyled newsprint, and magazines. it's basically digested paper pulp, and it has a gray color...kinda soft feeling. It comes in various thicknesses from 1/2" up to 2", I believe. They sold it to use as underdecking for floors and roofs, as it had a high insulation value. At one time an Antartic station was built with the stuff, and it held up well without paint, directly exposed to the weather.
Anyhow, when I lived in NJ, my father and I used to make signs out of the stuff. We cut out homasote letters, and glued them on homasote backgrounds. The letters, background, etc, were all painted with latex, which was also kinda new back then. The latex "hardens the Homasote...and those early signs are still around
-------------------- Jeff Ogden 8727 NE 68 Terr. Gainesville FL, 32609 Posts: 2138 | From: 8827 NE 68 Terr Gainesville Fl 32609 | Registered: Aug 2002
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Homasote is also used in stained glass work for soldering...doesn't catch on fire....easily!
-------------------- Nikki Goral Image Advantage Signs 4050 Champeau Road New Franken, WI 54229 920-465-4500 "Finish every day and be done with it. Tomorrow is a new day."-Ralph Waldo Emerson Posts: 928 | From: New Franken, WI (East Green Bay) | Registered: Jun 2007
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Here is a couple of new Products My Rep brought down from Regal Plastics which looked promising and Interesting. It's part of their New GREEN Line of materials. All recycled Materials.
The Black is Over Extruded ABS Plastic. Has a real neat texture to it.. Would be good for cutout letters or a Background. (Still need to find out what the best paint will be. I'm thinking Acrylic urethane)
The next one is recycled Carpet Resin impregnated fibers. This looks very Promising as an HDU replacement.. It's very Ridged and Dense with no Voids, sands and paints like a dream. I am ordering a 4x8 x1" piece in the next few weeks to play with. Its priced about the same as PVC. Around $150 Down Side it only goes up to 1"
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With HDO we would clean it with Xylol first, then wash with Bon-Ami and coat it with XIM 300 clear. Worked fine and still standing. The good side was it was 2 side material. Just one coat of XIM on the back.
Jack
-------------------- 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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It's evident what works for one company is a disaster for others. When I first started working with Extira, it was a disaster. However, with a little work it has become part of our options.
What I now know about Medex, may be an opening to add it to our material list. Although the Medex surfaces are water resistant the core is much like MDF and has little if any water resistance. It can be used but need extra protection.
Like Jack says, HDO has it's place. You've just got to find the right steps in order to take advantage of it's qualities.
Joe
-------------------- 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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Been doing some simple work using Scooter board with Hard Lam Digital Prints and getting a lot of call for more.
HPL panels have been a big part of the last three years here. I use Fossil or Izone for them.
I have committed to a project for Next September 2010 and I will be using Solid Surface, Formica and Romark Engraving Stock.
I will be asking for some assistance in the future on it from Dennis Raap & Hopefully Duncan.
This is the first they will read about it!
-------------------- Sam Staffan Mackinaw Art & Sign 721 S. Nokomis St. Mackinaw City, MI dstaffan@sbcglobal.net Posts: 1694 | From: Mackinaw City, MI | Registered: Mar 2004
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