2k urethane paint on signfoam 4

[dakers]

This is one in progress. two one sided signfoam 4 signs with gold leaf. It will be installed between two posts. The best way to do this is make two one sided signs, run two horizontal channels on the back side of each sign where we place a metal tube that will enclose a 6ft long threaded rod that will go through the posts to hold the sign. the two signs are laminated together. this method does two things: 1. strengthen the sign 2. make it easier to remove than routing a slot in the posts. This sign we shot with a 2 stage urethane auto paint with a 2 stage urethane sealer ( not primer). This will last much longer than a latex or plain enamel sign. For the gold we used a thicker 24kt leaf rather than the 23 kt which makes it last longer.

i have about $200 in paint and approx. $600 in gold. what i like about the urethane is the stencil does not lift it ever.
the urethane sealer is not really a pure primer. it sticks better than a primer and will last longer. there is about 6 coats of blue on this. i had bought one quart of sealer and color plus the hardener and reducer. the sealer you shoot straight using about 30 more pounds on the hvlp than they recommend.
the selling price was $5,000.

this was my first use of the the paint system myself so i made some mistakes in shooting the sealer at too low a pressure (12psi at tip) plus i did not put enough reducer in the first coat of blue and the proceeding coats chased that problem to try to melt the issues i had.
overall for us this is the way to go. you can shoot everything in one day, let dry a day, then put the yellow stencil mask on and rout. we got busy and left the stencil on for about 2 weeks but the urethane is so hard the stencil did not lift anything.
One shot enamel, latex, etc is really too slow for us for any production value and we do have problems with the stencil lifting paint on the other paints. plus the cost is not bad and the durability is amazing.
you do not need a clear coat with the urethane system. this is a nason product. We do have a spray booth and a air fed mask however. Don't try this without those.

[paul_z]

Worth every penny ... and more?

Paul Z

[joe]

I gave up on Masson paints a couple of years ago and replaced it with PPG DTM's. Much safer and easier to use. And it will last as long as any paint made. Gilding is a snap also.

Joe

[dakers]

This is what we used on the Bartley sign
DuPont Top Coat

Nason^® Ful-Thane^® 2K IB Quality Single-Stage Topcoat
FUL-THANE^® 2K URETHANE
Ful-Thane^® Urethane, one of the distinct paint qualities in the versatile Ful-Base^® Multi-Leg Color System, provides an easy-to-apply, single-stage finish. Ful-Thane^® offers outstanding durability for automobiles, trucks and commercial vehicles.

The reason we use this now is faster production times. We can turn out most hdu sign in 3 days if we need to.
day one paint background, day two stencil and rout then paint paint letters. day three just some last minute touches. We have not been able to move that fast with other paints. There are many great paints and they all can suit your production needs. We have had paint failures over a decade for HDU outside because of the primers shink or do not adhere well to HDU.
Everyone will evolve their paint preference on what works for them and it would be good to see others report on success and failures with different paints.
www.signmakers.biz

[powerlsc]

Thanks for the detailed post on that awesome sign. I still struggle with pricing so it is really valuable to have the price included in your description.

A question or two. I understand the use of the threaded rods going between the panels and into the posts. Can't figure out where they go from there. Into a threaded receiver that has been inserted in post? Through the post and held with a nut on the outside of post? And how do you determine the size of rod, I'm guessing it depends on the weight and material of the panels/

Also, was the sealer prayed just on the blue paint or did you seal the entire panel once painted and gilded?

What is the approximate size of the finished panels and did your price reflect the posts and installation?

Again, thanks for the mini tutorial, Lynn

[dakers]

The bartley sign is approx. 40''x72''. price included install in yard with two wood posts covered with white vinyl sleeve and topper. We feel that the posts need to hold the sign, not the sign holding post. there will be some sakrete in each hole. the holes approx 36'' deep. The sealer is what we shoot on first. we do not use a primer. the sealer actually does a great job just one coat, no sanding. ready to coat in about 10 plus minutes, then the paint with the proper reducer and hardener, three coats as soon as tacky, can be 15 min to one hour between. used one quart paint. one quart nason 2k urethane sealer shot straight as it comes from can. no reducer. If there are any flaws in your background the sealer will not act like a primer and cover them up. i shoot the background before it goes to router, rout with yellow stencil mask. this job could be better. the angle on the router bit is too extreme preventing light from reflecting the gold towards the viewer better. Also the paint finish would have been better had i used more reducer on first coat. i shot first coat too thick so there is some orange peel but not noticeable from a few feet away. For us it is about faster production. we have all kinds of spray equipment but latex is too slow for what we need to do to keep things moving faster since we do not have alot of room. Probably a negative factor is if you need any touch up in the field it will not be hidden as easy as a satin latex. there are pluses and minuses to every paint. Tha last sign we did for Bartley was almost 20 years old shot with matthews paint and it looked good from a distance but a car hit it. The threaded rod eliminates brackets and other things i do not like plus gives strength to the hdu. we have never had a failure with this method. the size of the rod depends on the thickness of the sign. the EMT supports the rod very well. can use pvc schedule 40. I do not recommend this paint method to anyone, Joe uses DMT paints which are user friendly. We like those also. had to write this fast so i can go home.

[dakers]

[joe]

Outstanding!

The techniques are top drawer along with the layout and colors.

Here's my only suggestion. Had this sign been placed between large custom fluted posts it would be even more impressive. I've been a long time critic of skinny legs.

Joe

Joe

[dakers]

thanks for your post Joe. all your posts are great whether in ground or in the forum.
i agree, we have been usiing alot of pvc post covers but i could have used 5'' instead of 4 but one or your fluted custom posts would have made this much better.

[joe]

Dick,

I'm considering posting an article on the topic. One thing for sure, post are expensive. I've wracked my brain trying to simplify the process. The easiest way I've found is to use woodgrain siding and wrap 6X8 or 6X6 treated posts. The sign below was from 1" PVC with quarter inch DiBond panels. The posts are 6X6 treated and wrapped with half inch siding.