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… this is a pretty neat gadget intended to showcase a family of items for retail. It turns out, it steals the show! Okay, but seriously- it brings attention to the items draped atop it- which are blankets, quilts, and throws. I guess the ‘trick’ is to showcase these things as if they’re in the home… the home, in this case, was meant to demonstrate “southwestern” flair.
I think it turned out well, and the client thinks the same as they’re asking for more!
Every so often I get an opportunity to do something really special… this was one of those moments… this, actually, was maybe the best of those yet.
The project was a joint effort between my lil’ shop DWC-Shop210CraftWorks and 1stSgt of Marines Carl Fowler. He made the flag and let me say he knocked it out of the park. I did the insert/medal part.
This was presented today, on the 249th Birthday of our Corps.
I hope our efforts struck the mark intended.
This is the biological mother of the fallen- and if you haven’t heard the story of Jason Dunham, Corporal of Marines, and his last stand- you need to. By God, there went a Marine.
This one was a lot of fun- to get the specs out first and before I dig into ‘why’ it was fun: It’s carved from sign grade expanded PVC foam, with an inset of same but thinner material (the rays of the sun), and a bit of mirror acrylic, topped with black acrylic (the birds), and finally the cloud carved from HDU.
I was given a business card with graphics for this job, and I wasn’t going to settle for ‘close enough’. Ms. Des gave me latitude to do so understanding the difficulty in making that come to life (a drawing using pastel colors and differing line weights), but I felt this could really be done right, and stay in line with her overall theme. lock in step, in fact.
Then, there is the question of permitting in an area where sign permits are tricky- she had already likely used her square footage of sign space on the exterior of the building, but you want to know what she hadn’t used? An address plate! So, this sign, though smallish, serves primarily as an address plate and not an advertisement.
I had it all laid out and ready to go with the fabrication, but there was something missing… and then it occurred to me! The “Silver Lining” itself! And, paint wasn’t gong to get the job done- not at all… I wanted something that would POP, and the mirror did the trick!
Thanks, Ms. Des, for the opportunity to do this one!
Cut from White Cast Acrylic as a foundation and carved pockets for the compass shading, then with sign grade expanded PVC lettering for the directionals and the center letter- encased in resin.
This looks exceptionally sharp on the home owners home, as the letter’s color matches the front door and shutters color precisely. The resin was added for additional depth and gloss, but also to protect them.
Taps for attachment are found under the letters so as not to disrupt the clean appearance of the sign.
Thanks for the opportunity to do this, Ken!
Simple and elegant- multiple pieces affixed together to make crisp lines with enough contrast to be seen, but enough softness to be peaceful.
This is an example of Sign Grade Paylite expanded PVC- which can be carved and cut to just about anything you’d like.
Thank you, Ms. Carol, for the opportunity to make this for your sound front home!
Maybe you’d not expect a sign shop to be fabricators of Built In Shelves and cabinets? Well, I don’t blame you.
In this condition, though, the sign shop arrived from a wood working and carpentry shop. It is a natural progression, in other words, with this one being closer to our roots.
And then there is the ‘melding’ of the two, or three as it is, when you include graphics, intricate carvings, and locking cases actuated by RFID/NFC locking devices.
We’re not as expensive as you’d anticipate as, just like our commercial signs, we keep overhead low. You’d also have a hard time explaining to your family and friends that you didn’t have to take out a loan or second mortgage to get them! Yes, our quality is that good.
These are a lot of fun- and they are certainly a classy touch to your business’s entry.
We carve them from teak and hand paint them, finishing them up with a UV protective seal.
Generally they are 36 inches long and 14 inches tall, and at least began the carving process at one inch thick. Hangers are keyhole cut into the back eliminating the need for clumsy hardware.
Okay, this sign doesn’t fit the mold (no pun intended) for most commercial applications, nor most personal uses- it does both!
These are our popular ‘dock signs’, which are just what they sound like- to be affixed to docks and in effort to let folks know what boat resides there!
They’re made from King Color Core, a dual colored starboard, and they flat out will NOT fade, peel, or crack. The material is highly regarded and comes with the most (almost ridiculous) warranty in the world of sign material.
Of course, we put our own spin on the design 🙂 ….
This is a great example, in addition to the Shades of Color Hair and Nail Salon’s primary sign, if what can be done with King Color Core material. It simply won’t deteriorate, and it’s exceptionally hard to break.
This is a great choice of material for water-side signs. The ONLY negatives about it is it is somewhat heavy, and it’s expensive… That expense, however, is saved when there is no finish work (to speak of) and no painting involved. Translated: The price is comparable or even better than may other materials and it is a LOT more resilient than anything else we work with.
Above the signs we made and installed for Shades of Color Nail and Hair Salon was the Molly Maid of the Crystal Coast sign. They opted for printed vinyl over acrylic for their backlit sign- and update to logo and color.
We were happy to oblige, and appreciate their business!
These were not exceedingly large but they aren’t small either. Lamination of the highest quality vinyl prints to the best quality acrylic substrate wasn’t a problem for our team, and neither was installing the panel(s) to the existing backlit sign extrusion.
Thank you Molly Maid! We appreciate your business!
So once the main building sign for the Salon was made and hung, we moved on to the road signs, and which are backlit acrylic.
Now- here is where we do things different. We could have done the standard vinyl laminated to acrylic- and that would have been fine- but we wanted to do something a bit different and something that will last almost indefinitely. This is something that is unique to us (currently) to the best of my knowledge:
We machine pockets directly into the surface of sign grade cast acrylic, and then flood those pockets with a special paint that bonds to the acrylic. There is a few hours cure time, and then POOF- a sign almost as resilient as the King Star Board substrate signs, but which can be backlit!
And- the process is cheaper than laminating vinyl to acrylic!
These are “do-able” when the colors are limited- likely no more than three. They also work best with lots of neutral (white) space surrounding the graphics.
