Sign Foam/Board

[valensign]

Ron
True point. I think when they made these statements about HDU they were comparing it Wood. I look at HDU as a great alternative to wood. Especially when you start pricing pre-Made Cedar or Redwood blanks of the same size. You can buy the HDU in 2x4 peices also from
http://www.signweb.com/richardsdist/
it is the 15# but its reasonable enough to get your feet wet with it and to form your own opinion.
I'll be honest also about it. If I am sandblasting the sign I would only use redwood, Cedar or Graphicore just cause you cant beat the look of sandblasted wood.

[rgbrown@itexas.net]

William,

I won't get in an argument of material X that has a 4000 year record with Material Y that has a 20 year track record and tell you with a straight face this will make your girlfriend/wife/both more amorous, your children/future children/unplanned accidental children smarter and you will be a richer man and have a better life if you use material Y.

I will state salesmen will tell you the brown stuff is shoe-polish. Funny, it doesn't smell like shoe-polish to me. BUT, if one wants to call it shoe-polish and use it.... I'm not going to stop them. I'm not required to use it. If you ask me what it is, I'll have a different opinion than the salesman.

My only point is I can compare Hackberry to Rosewood.... or Cork to Live Oak. Both hackberry and rosewood are wood, aren't they? Both Cork and Live oak are Oaks, aren't they? If half a tree is quarter-sawn and the other half is flat - or plain-sawn, there will be a vast difference in the workability, stability and durability of the material.

I owned a Corvette once. I lived on a plastic boat for a few years. If I want to get into plastic, I'll buy another one or two. But, I'd rather have my tools, home and toys built of things that have a solid track record.

Ron Brown

Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. - Will Rogers

[gerald_d]

Er, Ron, what adhesives do you use to hold your beloved wooden tools/home/toys together?

Would you agree that the use of wood has had a revival since new "plastic" (epoxies, polyurethanes, etc) adhesives have come along? Also with new paints and sealers?

Or do you really use boiled bones for adhesives and beeswax/whale oil for surface protection??

[rgbrown@itexas.net]

Gerald,

Sometimes I use urethanes, sometimes epoxy, most times I use a true structural joint and peg it. And yes, the "NEW" adhesives and coatings have brought a revival in the use of wood and have changed HOW wood is used. Some of the uses are an advance, some are retarded.

And for your last sarcastic remark, yes I do use hide and/or bone glue for certain projects and I do use "traditional" finishes when it is the proper finish. But, the supply of fresh-water whales is low here and I use more bug poop and spirits or vegetable and nut oils with the waxes, bee and vegetable based.

It is my belief many have never seen or used the traditional finishes and/or adhesives. If one has never used them and only believes what the sales brochure says, the furniture produced and called "classic" will have fallen apart by now. For some odd reason, they are still here.

I also build things of aluminum, bronze and steel. There is a method using heat that tends to "glue" these things together. It is called welding. Or, one can use a method similar to doweling called "rivets" to attach them. At times I use that new invention "threaded fasteners". They have become quite "standardized" now except for the foreign stuff. It is called "metric" or something like that.

Ron Brown

Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. - Will Rogers

[logical@gmi.net]

I have two small children and because of this I have come to the conclusion that there is no stronger glue than a mixture of cereal and milk, especially when dried to porcelain or any type bowl for that matter.

The bond between the bowl and the cereal is fantastic! It takes up to 30 minutes of soaking to get the cereal to release.

All kidding aside, I would like to see some chemist derive some glue out of this combination.

[rgbrown@itexas.net]

Wes,

That would be a filled "Casin Glue". When cooked a little it does become highly water-resistant. Thr modern derivatives are called "Plastic Resin" glues.

These were the glues early aircraft used.

[gerald_d]

Now that I have climbed back into my chair after rolling on the floor with laughter - what was this thread about again?? Aha, Sign Foam / Board. Did you get that Ron? Now please stop distracting us with your stories of how you told Noah to build his ark.

[valensign]

Ron,
Just for the record.. I love wood and I use it about 80% of the time. Especially Black Walnut and Purple-Heart. There is nothing in the world that can compare to finished beauty of wood. But there are alternitives.. Why would I want to waste nice wood when the customer wants painted Raised letters with Scooby next to it.. And by the way.. Hide Glue is a fantastic medium if your going to do "Glue Chiped Glass" See I know some Noah Building techniques also...
Wes maybe we can start a market for some of these new/old glues another fantastic glue is Egg Whites and water.. (I have used it for gold leaf when I ran out Gelitian Size)
I'm One of the younger Generations trying to learn about all the old world techniques so we can keep it alive when the Geritol Generation passes

[rgbrown@itexas.net]

" so we can keep it alive when the Geritol Generation passes"

DAMN, the years creap up....

At 53, I'm just beginning to feel I know much about wood and working it. Plain gelitan, "Knox", is a good glue. The bad thing is the real "old Timers" didn't have access to the knowledge base we have now. Many would know "how" but few would know "why?"

The main reason the "old timers" didn't use epoxy/urethane/resin glues and finishes we do is they didn't have them. Many of the "new and improved" things of my childhood were only "new" and caused more problems than they cured.

It will be a few years before we know if "Sign Board" is a miracle product or just something to sell (sign board is in the post to keep Gerald happy). If the time decay/destruction exceeds the time most businesses are active, it is the right product for the job.

[gerald_d]

Crikey Ron, only 53 and you sound like my grandfather! (I am a young 48 this year). Yeah, even paper maché sign boards will outlast most companies and corporations these days . . . . . provided that you seal them with plastic of course.