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So How's it going? Business picking up? Done anything a little different lately? Bought any new Equipment?
We are in the process of buying a great little color laser printer, Ricoh, not sure off hand of the model number, but it just came back off lease from a church, with very little use...can print up to 11x17 double sided, and very fast and economical... should save is a little bit of money on all the inks we go through here... also really thinking hard on the AGFA M4F....Fortunate to have a load of work all the time, our issue is getting it all done on time...
-------------------- "Keep Positive"
SIGNS1st. Neil Butler Paradise, NF Posts: 6277 | From: St. John's NF Canada | Registered: Mar 1999
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Beginning to pick up some, spin-off work based upon our projects done for the City of Carrabelle, Florida. I'll actually be putting my CarveWright carving machine to work on others. looks as if we will finish the holidays doing some creative, higher end stuff. I am not convinced that I do not do better with the more mundane quick stuff though.That should change as I get a better grasp of the time cost of doing dimensional jobs. Thanks for beginning this thread, Neil.
-------------------- Bob Sauls Sauls Signs & Designs Tallahassee, Fl
"Today I'll meet nice people and draw for them!" Posts: 765 | From: Tallahassee, Fl | Registered: Jun 2009
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It is always a surprise to me where the work comes from. I can't plan for what will be requested so it never gets boring around here! That is why I love what I do. Variety in this business keeps me interested and challenges me to improve and learn more. We get lots of creative jobs that mixes digital prints with painted or cutout shapes as well as simple banners, magnetics and coroplast signs. I am using my ShopBot router more and more and the 3D stuff is getting noticed. We have had a up and down year but we are surviving and keeping our overhead under control.
We are not slammed like years past this time of year, but steady so I can't complain. The jobs can get completed faster since we are not as backed up as in the past. I like this pace and we are paying the bills so all is well!
Have a great holiday season everyone.
Sign-cerely, Steve
-------------------- Steve Luck Sign Magic Inc. 2718-b Grovelin Godfrey, Illinois 62035 (618)466-9120 signmagic@sbcglobal.net Posts: 870 | From: 2718-b Grovelin Godfrey, Illinois 62035 | Registered: Dec 2004
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We have been blessed with some good paying jobs and some comitments for some larger projects in the future. Hopefully it will keep going. We did buy a 24" Canon ProGraf 6100S this year. It is for archival proofing and is a aqueous printer. Some of the paper prints can last 200yrs! they claim. We found a great deal on one that only had only printed 16 sqft before we got it. We had a mess of a time getting some proofs printed and spent a fortune for lousy service from a local printer. I decided we need to bring that in house. I have used it a bunch. It lets me print some great prints for sales presentation fast. Awesome tool.
-------------------- Douglas Hancock Sign Pro of North Florida, Inc, P.O. Box 1315 Alachua, Fl 32616 352-359-7059 Posts: 17 | From: Alachua, Florida | Registered: Sep 2012
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I bought a couple new quills and fitches, and some Nova acrylic paints. Trying to get a handle on using the acrylics might not happen for me. Every time I try them I hope I have enough old lettering color to usher me into retirement. They are nasty to letter with.
[ November 23, 2012, 10:33 AM: Message edited by: Rick Sacks ]
-------------------- The SignShop Mendocino, California
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6712 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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New building all consuming, 8000 sq/ft x 20 high. Warehousing with industrial loading docks. Did excavation and prep work for second building of same size while I was at it. Jeez, dirt is expensive... I'll never use the expression "cheap as dirt" again. Excavation and fill over 100,000 so far.
It's slower than anticipated, everything causing delays; Foundation water and sewer are all installed, waiting for steel, but it is moving along. Hopefully ready for occupancy end of February. Phase II will go much faster, knowing the hurdles.
It will free up about 2000 sq/ft in the shop, who knows what toys the additional space will bring.
Neil, now you have a printer the next toy you need is a paper shear You can get a good used one for about 4k to 6k... will open up a world of possibilities.
[ November 23, 2012, 11:04 AM: Message edited by: Mike O'Neill ]
-------------------- Mike O'Neill
It has yet to be proven that intelligence has any survival value. - Arthur C. Clarke
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I have two jobs currently. One that is a fussy sandblasted oval glass piece and one that is a 4x5 directory for a doctors building. I got all excited from a call Wed for 38 12x18 mag signs for a recycler to label bins (changeable). I sometimes get stuff over Dec...but usually not. If I wasn't working in someone else's shop I'd go nutz with the quiet. I guess I'll be working at home a lot before 13. It's all good... Jer/Artworx whose e-mail is artworx@turlocksigns.com
-------------------- Gerald Barlow Artworx Turlock, CA
95380 artworx@bigvalley.net Posts: 198 | From: Turlock, CA 95380, USA | Registered: Dec 2002
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I think this was the best year we've had in the past five, I recently sold the sandblasting system and have been using the money to buy parts for a CNC hotwire foam cutter. I have the framing built, the stepper motors and mounts, drivers, the breakout board, linear bearings, drive components, software, power supplies and am now waiting on the linear slides so I can attach the y axis. The slides won't be here until the end of December so I can be assembling the electronics while I wait for that. I have also set up with a supplier to order my first shipment of foam. My minimum order will be $1k.
After the foam cutter, I intend to build a CNC milling machine with a removable T-slot bed, ballscrew and stepper motor drive. Then I will be out of the "sandblaster" money. I am designing the z axis on the mill to triple purpose so that it can be fitted with either a watercooled spindle, a laser, or a plasma cutter. The capacity will be about 50"x 40"y and 16"z and with 1200 oz/inch non-geared hybrid stepper motors, it should have plenty of power and adequate speed. This is to be used to cut out metal letters as well as make precision parts for more CNC machines. Ultimately, I hope to use the mill to build some of the components for a fast servo and rack-driven 4x8 router. I'm also itching to build a reprap machine which is a much less expensive hobby but something I don't need for the shop right now..
As to business, we are finishing up a monument sign, a semi trailer with all-painted graphics, and just started another job for the "tree farm" program making six 4x4's and three 1x3's vinyl and metal signs. Another job waiting in the wings is a 2' x 57' metal sign and a 3' x24' metal sign to installon an auto parts store. I tried to sell him on Gemini letters but he didn't want to have to paint his facade before installing those.
I am quite happy with my latest business cards and have also designed some coordinating brochures but am waiting until the monument sign is completed so that I can include a photo of it on those before sending the files in to my printer. For 2013, I'm expecting a very good year!
[ November 23, 2012, 11:42 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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Right now, right now, I have a fire truck in the shop that I just did a little face lift to, plus some quickie flames. As for pending jobs,,,,a van partial wrap/graphics, two rubbish trucks, menu sign, indoor painted sign, semi truck,hummm what else? I think that's about it. I have a few lines of prospect that I hope will come through, not to mention waiting for some new places to be built in the spring.
-------------------- Signs by Alicia Jennings (Mudflap Girl) Tacoma, WA Since 1987 Have Lipstick, will travel. Posts: 3812 | From: Tacoma, WA. U.S.A. | Registered: Dec 1999
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This year has brought me great adventures to Arcola ILL. wow as a result I'm making changes like bought new water base brushes & paints, plus I'm going after pinstriping fully, also now buying carving tools now. I don't have any real work like in the 80s & 90s so I'm doing changes so I get alot more sooner or later as long as it it is hand painted, carved, crafted.
Just don't have the interest in designing or sticking vinyl on stuff, but still learning the software in hopes of doing some.
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2012 has been a very good year. A lot of wholesale routering and fabricating for other sign shops. Right now it's dimensional letter and logo madness.
We have about 10 jobs scattered around the shop in various stages of completion...
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We are busy here. The house is now at drywall stage and there will be LOTS for me to do when that is done as we are custom routing most of the trim and other details. Out in the shop we are slammed with some pretty cool jobs. It looks like we are pretty much booked solid until early summer so there is no complaining here.
-grampa dan
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8738 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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Main signs for 5 apartments...I love my apartment people...they give me free creative license and let me work at my own pace...I also just got a call about signs in Davy Crockett State Park...do not know yet what that might be...so for a little one man operation out of my house...I booked up.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
You can get a good used one for about 4k to 6k... will open up a world of possibilities.
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