Need Help Issue with trim-cap installation results

[roborizino]

Currently, I am making lenses for 34 (18") channel letters. I was able to make an exact tracing of each letter from the faded acrylic ones that I am replacing. So I installed the Jewelite on all of letters and brought them down to install them and there are too tight. Seems that the upward facet of the edgetrim is not 90 degrees. So tight, they cringe inward, making the lense too small to fit. Is there a way that I can heat them up or at lest get them out to the 90 degrees? I noticed that the trhreshold of the edgetrim definitely is not made with a 90 degree "shelf" to hold onto the 1/8" material. Is there a better edgetrim? Perhaps the F type? Or other? I'm beside myself because the customer is derservedly irate because of this delay. I'm new to edgetrimming, they make it look like a cakewalk on Youtube. So I'm stuck. Any suggestions would be vastly appreciated. Rob Orizino in NY

 

[Billct2]

Wow, that is a painful problem. You have learned on lesson about those types of faces, better to be a little loose than too tight. Was every one tight?
Not sure what your solution will be, you can try removing and reinstalling the trimcap. I might have tried slightly bending the edge of the can.
It would be an expensive lesson to remake them completely. Hopefully someone has a good suggestion.

 

[ggsigns]

There aren't any good options only less bad.
1 Retrace the letters with the existing trimcap on so you cut them looser
2 If you used 1" jewelite, pull it off and use 3/4". it's thinner and more flexible
3 make 1/2" snips along the edge of the can and bend the edges inward

 

[MikePro]

+1 remove trim of ones that won't fit, and re-trim "looser". however, this only works if your acrylic survives the demo AND you know for certain that they're still cut to the right size.

trim cap as a metallic layer sandwich'd between the plastic, it won't really stretch enough to save you here.
another option would be to bend a ~2" strip of .040 metal and fasten to inner-portion of the channel letter, for your acrylic to cap-onto....still a headache, but less expensive that re-fabbing letter faces entirely.

 

[GaSouthpaw]

I'm wondering how the people that made the original faces got them on if your tracing them resulted in faces that were too small... As others have mentioned, you have limited options. Good luck.

 

[Westcoast Sign Guy]

Our Trim doesn't have the flange at the top of the trim extrusion and it's much easier to bend and corner (not to mention easier on your fingers) where you won't get split ends using the 1" Jewelite, the 3/4" Plasco also has the same mechanical clearance as the 1" Jewelite so why spend the extra money on 1"?

You also won't get that ugly bulky face appearance from their arrow trim which I'm just not fond of.

Don't know how you made your patterns but it's easier to use white butcher paper and tape it across a few letter at a time and use the side of your kids crayons and do a rubbing of the letter return edge, then use them spray and lay these on a sheet of acrylic and cut 1/16" outside the line, and whalaa....done!

Channel Letter Trim Cap - PLASCO

Channel Letter Trim Cap - PLASCO