Ron,
I mean the Geritol Generation with all loving respect. I learned my wood working and other skills from a Prisoner at the Colorado State Pen and Thats what I called him.. No I wasn't in Prison. in the mid 70s I grew up on a campground in the middle of nowhere and the Prison Farm was across the street. So I went over there all the time and they taught me alot of woodworking, metal working,Leather working and Counterfieting
William, I'm glad you listened to me, at least the part on the counterfieting, I see you didn't get caught, Good boy. Now an a serious note Gerald and Ron I knew there was someting about you two, Just Youngsters!!!!!!!!! any way guys I'm Back!!!!! just got back from Idaho after saying a sadfull goodbye to my beloved shopbot. oh well I guess I'll just have to watch the forum and cry for awhile till I buy my next one. William what part of Colorado did you live in My home town is Canon City right where all the 6 prisons are and I lived in Montrose just down from Delta where the one honor farm is.David in Wyoming. P.S. no guys I didn't live in the big house.
David... Thats a trip.. Canon City is my home town too. Thats where I learned everything.. You know the Campground 1 mile west on hwy 50 By The prison gardens ( Now its the college and quarry)..
IF you were there through the 70s and 80s you probly knew my dad. He was the Sheriff for 12 years. Same Name.. But now there are 18 Prisons.I just left there a year ago. My is wife is trying to get a job in Chaffee county and we will move back around the Salida area.(She works for the Park service) Hence Nebraska... Email Me I would like to talk to you more about Home..
I use HDU on 95% of my exterior work, 15lb strength. I laminate it to exterior plywood with polyurethane glue and coat the edges in epoxy. There is no waste with this product, the paint lasts far longer, and there is no movement. Its expensive, but relative to prep time for a wooden panel, there is no comparison. Check our work @ WWW.WECARVE.COM
Senior Member
William,
Just wanted to comment on your sign post on letterheads. Stuff looks great. Especially the Cattle sign. You should post here too.
Bill
Ok Bill I will Do that. Ill start a new thread
Ok I cant figure out how to put photos in on this BB. So here's the link to my online storage of photos More will be comming soon and eventually my web site hopefully by the end of the June... (yea right)
http://incolor.inetnebr.com/debekker/
Just click on the file to veiw picture.
Thanks for the complement Bill,
Couple trivial points about other materials.
If your lucky enough to have a local Owens Corning supply house using series 400 / 600 you can pick up sheets for the $20 range. Density is analagous to 8-10lb HDU. Not bad for the customer that needs the cheapest option - not really req. for exterior but I have a set thats still up after 2 years. Make sure you study up on your coatings tho, almost all of the fails I have seen are due to coating / adhesive reactions.
Call GE plastics in your area - they carry a sign foam substitute. Precision Board i think... More than likely you have at least 3 options from various manufacturers - just make some calls.
I use the HDU for letters - but my favorite material is .5 pvc. Handles the required beveled or rounded edge better than HDU to avoid paint fail with a crisper look. The handling time is faster IMO as well. I can cut, prep and put my first coat of finish on a PVC letter in half the time than an HDU. I may be just set up different than others. When making exterior signs I always back the pvc with aluminum for rigidity but so far the pvc outperforms hdu IMO. Lil more expensive but much less hassle.
The biggest time savings I experience is my finishing time. By finishing the letters seperate from the sign everything gets done faster - no worry about spills or drips.
The other item I use is 2lb - 6lb extruded foam blocks. I get them cut down in 2" slabs - they run about $16 a sheet on average. Route like butter and really grab the finish. They have less flex than the owens corning when hot. We use this foam for our California letters at malls.
Senior Member
Hi Laff. I'm also a big fan of PVC (komatex, sintra etc). Where do you get the 2-6 lb extruded foam blocks? Thanks....D
I tracked down my supplier by calling a movie prop shop. I need to visit them soon to get a fiberglass hard coat formula and I will ask them what keywords you can search with.
Theres a new expanding spray system as well. You get a two part liquid and gun and spray out the amount you need into a form. The supplier made it sound easier than falling off a log. I'll let ya know what the reality is when I get my sample kit. Probably will give me a 12th toe.
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