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Production
1) Cutting 2) Finishing 3) Installing
1) Cutting
If you have your own CNC Router, Waterjet or Laser, you've no doubt already learned a lot - maybe even some tricks of your own! However, you've probably also known frustration. We will limit our advice to CNC Routers since that is where our expertise lies.
We can divide Cutting into four aspects:
The Material we are cutting.
The Tools (Bits) we are using. (Some of the bits we use have been specially made to our specifications. Click here to see a list of custom bits available for sale.)
The Cutting Parameters (Spindle Speed, Feed Rate and Depth of Cut).
And finally, the Method Used to Hold the Material Down to the Table.
2) Finishing
When it comes to finishing, there are also several aspects. One of the most obvious, though, is painting. To do a good job here requires knowlege of the materials you are painting as well as a good working knowlege of the paint you are using. When we have to paint, we usually use Matthews' Acrylic Polyurethane. Luckily, Matthews FREE classes. In these classes, you not only learn how to get a good paint job, you learn how to do it safely. Some of our staff have taken these classes (usually two days) and they LOVED it! Besides the obvious benefits, they even got some good food out of the experience! Here's a link to their website:
Info on Classes with Links to 2009 Schedule and Sign-up Sheet
If you are having trouble painting some specific material (XPVC, Acrylic or HDU Foam for example) you can take some samples to the class and they'll help you out!
3) Installation
Personally, I like using studs. I would much rather use perfectly positioned studs than to try top "eyeball" an installation. (Here at Letra-Tek, we use the computer to both drill the stud holes and make the installation pattern. This makes for perfect positioning of the letters. Of course, if you buy your letters from some outfit that doesn't do their studs and patterns this way, then all bets are off!). However, some people think studs are too much work, too messy, too expensive or too difficult. When used correctly, though, the truth is exactly the opposite. Let's consider these issues one at a time.
Too Much Work? The truth is that there are some times when drilling stud holes can be a real challenge. For example, drilling into a stacked stone or a brick wall. It seems like the studs always want to be right on the edge of a stone or brick. But the fact is that in these difficult situations, studs are the only thing that will work. There are, however, some situations where the effort required to drill stud holes is not worth it. An example would be applying letters to a smooth or polished granite wall. In this case. foam tape will work so well, and drilling would be so difficult that studs probably would not make sense. (They may not want holes in their nice granite wall anyway.) But in most cases, the time spent drilling stud holes is more than made up for by the ease of applying the letters and the time saved by not having call-backs (due to letters slipping out of alignment or falling off the wall, or having to go back to remove the tape you temporarily held the letters in place with).
Too Messy? Of course, the only time this would be an issue is when installing an Interior sign. Here's a trick one of my customers used years ago that we have passed on. If you are installing stud-mounted letters on dry-wall, tape you pattern up (double-checking for position and level) and instead of drilling holes for the studs just tap in a nail and pull it out. If you use the right size nail (a little smaller than the studs) you can then simply press the letters into the holes. They often fit tightly enough that glue is unnecessary (although a little bit of foam tape on the back of the letter makes for a very secure installation).
Too Expensive? It's true that there is a cost for studs. Here at Letra-Tek, we charge from $1.00 to $1.50 per stud. This includes the cost of: Artwork (laying out the position of the studs in the sign and making sure all similar letters have exactly the same stud pattern); Drilling the stud holes in the backs of the letters; Tapping (cutting threads in) the holes; Making the installation pattern (which is saved as a digital file and can be used at a later date. Replacement letters will fit in the original stud holes or the sign can be re-installed in another location using the existing studs.); and finally, the cost of the stud itself. So our charge for studs may be justified, but the real question is - Does it make sense financially to order studs on a sign? The answer is almost always, "Yes". Even foam tape will add expense to the letters so right away we are talking about less than $1.00 per stud. Then when you add in your time (to apply the tape and make your own pattern) the difference in cost is even smaller. And finally, there is the additional expense (difficult to quantify but substantial) that is incurred when, after finishing your installation, your customer looks at the sign and asks, "Why are the letters crooked?"
Too Difficult? If you had to put the studs in yourself (i.e. Layout, Drill, Tap, Make the Pattern etc.), then yes, it would be too difficult for most people. But, when those things are done for you at a modest cost and all you have to do is put the holes in the wall, then it's not difficult. That said, though, having the right tools can help a lot when working on more challenging installations. A good hammer drill, compressor and generator are obvious. But don't forget to pay attention to the bits you use. Get some advice from your vendors as to which bit would be best for drilling into any particular material.
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