Not HDU Again "CRACK"

[joe]

Rick,

I'm setting on the edge of my seat. After fifteen years of no failures, you gotta show us what you're doing. What I'm interested in is dimensional signs.

Do you have a website so we can see for ourselves. What's your company name and who are you?

Joe Crumley
www.normanssignco.com

[Ajcoholic]

Rick,

I'm setting on the edge of my seat. After fifteen years of no failures, you gotta show us what you're doing. What I'm interested in is dimensional signs.

Do you have a website so we can see for ourselves. What's your company name and who are you?

Joe Crumley
www.normanssignco.com

Joe, its in his details upper right hand corner...
http://www.tamartedesign.com/

[joe]

Thanks Andrew.

Joe Crumley

[letterman7]

I'll have to drive around to see if any of my old stuff is still up, Joe. I know I have HDU out there that's been hanging for at least that long.. I might be going by a couple places today - I'll try to get some photos.

[joewino]

We've never had a HDU sign crack but have had some run over by drunks...but that doesn't count as a failure to me.

Joe, you can look at my website or at any of the articles I've written. None of those have cracked. I've had some redwood panels crack, but never HDU, especially Duna.

[letterman7]

Ok, back from my morning run. I went by several locations to check my old signs and took some photos. Since we're limited to 5 photos per post, I'll break it down a little.
Oldest carved sign I have locally, 1.5" Signfoam, kerfed and curved, then laminated with a layer of 1/2" SF on the back to keep the curve before it went on the wall. Built in '97, measuring 2' x 4' and mounted with only two hanging brackets off the back, and looks almost as good as the day it went up - a little paint deterioration, of course:
rossmore1.jpg

rossmore2.jpg

Next one I could find was built in '98, double face 1.5" Signfoam with a 3/4" MDO core in the center, all glued and screwed. Brackets are only fastened from the ends. In the time it's been up it's been painted by the homeowner's group several times (and covering the gold leaf.. good plan there), but the structure itself is holding up fine. It measures a full 4' x 8'. There is some paint peel and a little delamination of the MDO, but nothing major considering it's 5' off on a major highway:
mill creek1.jpg
mill creek2.jpg

[letterman7]

Next set. This next sign is the only "failure" of material that I noticed, and it's the MDO I used as a backer. This was built in 2000, 2' x 6' x 1.5" hdu with a 1/2" MDO backer. I can't remember what I used to glue the backer on, but I obviously didn't get enough to it, nor did I fair in the edges like I normally do (must have been trying something different). The result is a warped MDO panel, but the hdu is just fine outside of really faded paint and some landscaper rash:
whiteland1.jpg
whiteland2.jpg

This next one was also built in 2000, again, 1.5" HDU double sided with a 3/4" MDO core. Letters are plastic Gemini stuff which are peeling color on their own, but the sign itself is basically the way I hung it, save for some lichens growing on the mdo! This one measures 60" x 32" (roughly).
radnor1.jpg
radnor2.jpg

And like Raymond, I've had HDU crack by someone vandalizing it with a baseball bat, but I've never had a failure of any just on their own.

[dan_nelson]

Hdu experts, If Im using this stuff for the first time and the sign is single sided hanging inside an alcove covered by a 12 inch overhang ,northern exposier. signs 30h x 60w your saying that it has to be backed with mdo? What glue do I use to hold it together? and stainless steel screws to cut down on the bleeding?Holes elongated and epoxied in? does it make since to sandwich the mounting brackets in the mdo since it wont be seen from the front? planning on using alum L brackets let into the mdo. Any other advice except to stick to furnature and cabinets?

[letterman7]

As long as you paint both sides equally and use either 1.5" or 2" 18# or 20# (preferred) I don't think you'll need a backer of mdo. I only back my signs for impact protection - much of my stuff is in neighborhoods where there are bored children. How exactly are you hanging this? Is it meant to not swing - can you use strap down the sides? My choice for hanging something like this would be a) long - I mean long (8" or better) screw eyes drilled and screwed right into the hdu from the top, then chain or whatever if it needs to move a little. For a permanent mount, I'd use the same width aluminum strap, 3/16" thick, and countersunk 2" stainless screws every 6 or 8" up both sides. Leave enough strap at the top to add either a hole to hang by or a piece of angle welded or bolted across each one to make it stationary. Paint the aluminum to match the sign up to the point it leaves the sign face.. you'll never see it.

[dan_nelson]

Rick thats exactly what I had in mind . The sign isnt going to swing. Hdu holds lags/screws well without epoxy? Thank You Dan Nelson