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I have used a length of half-inch threaded rod. Get the liner started around the rod, chuck it into a half-inch cordless drill on the slow setting, the strong setting. Then pull the trigger. It's so fast it's scary. And it's fun! Be careful with thin sheets like 1/8-inch. Have someone hold the...

The store-bought systems are easy and look great, and can be disassembled. They cost more than fabbing this in the shop, but if you lack metal-working tools, it's the way to go. The sign in the picture looks shop-made to me. The faces are commonly attached to an internal frame made of channel...

True. We all benefit when others share design ideas and tweaks here. It adds to the fun of designing to see what others do. And many here have offered some kick-butt design examples during the short time I've been coming here. I hope my comments aren't seen as discouraging anyone from giving...

This is a good point. If you want the sign work to help explain what the company's activities are, simply add some secondary information. The logo itself does not need to tell the story. The logo does not need to contain visual clues describing a business. It can, but it does not need to...

I prefer this method over the store-bought cleats. It is easy and quick. And if you don't want a 2-inch standoff, use 1-1/2" angle. Use heavy angle such as 1/4-inch wall. A middle cleat may not be necessary, especially since a .090" backer is being glued to the back of the HDU, stiffening it...

I also use a dark gray gradient. For the gradient colors I have sampled from bitmaps. I have also clipped from actual window photos if they lend themselves well, resizing them for the drawing. I keep a file of nothing but window fills. To help a client understand, I can point across the street...

Another piece of information that would be good to post, if you know it, is the paint manufacturer, and the product line. If others run into problems with a particular product from a specific maker, it could point to the paint as the culprit. Most manufacturers make an extensive array of...

Have you ruled out an issue with the finish on the drywall? Paint formulations are changing constantly, especially in these days of low VOC. https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/1193341O/install-prep-for-low-voc-painted-walls.pdf Brad in Kansas City

Some manhole covers may have more coolness than others. This one is in London. I think it's near Westminster Abbey. Thomas Crapper is often erroneously credited with inventing the flush toilet. He didn't invent it but he came up with a number of innovations for it. And he was for a time the...

Bob, You bring up a good point. It is true that design work created by a federal employee in the US is automatically in the public domain as long as the work is done as part of the person's job. However, this does not apply at the state or local level. Here's a reference from Richard Stim, an...

An image that is in the public domain is free for anyone to copy or use. It doesn't matter who the original artist was. If a shirt maker uses the image to make money, they are free to do so. Of course, anyone else may use the same image on shirts and sell them. The first printer cannot print...

Travroy, what is the pencil you are using? Is it the German-made All-Stabilo? It was the go-to layout pencil in the years I was coming up through the sign painting trade and Stabilo marks usually didn't interfere with painted lettering unless you made the lines too heavy. But certain colors...

3M product bulletins can be invaluable. Installers sometimes blame the product for a failed install. "We got some bad vinyl (or adhesive)," you'll hear them say on occasion. Or, "It has ALWAYS stuck in the past." But paint formulations are changing constantly, especially in these days of low...

A template that allows you to see your hole placement before you drill is a great idea. And though I have always simply eyeballed the letters to keep them on an even plane (viewing them from the side or from below), I can see that using a level would do a better job. A problem with stone...

I turn the letter can upside down on pattern paper, or paper-covered acrylic, and trace the contour of the letter can with pencil. Cut the acrylic with a saber saw, or jig saw, by hand, and then add trim cap.This assumes, of course, that I have the letter in the shop. Tracing a letter on...

GALLING Jim, I am guessing that the screws are stainless steel and they are threaded into aluminum? Galling is common with both stainless and aluminum. The metals actually fuse together from heat caused by friction. Another word for it is "cold welding." An over tightened screw can get this way...

That's a Quaker, Johnny, not a shaker.

No, it isn't a silly question. Those who ridicule others for their questions are rarely effective as teachers, because ridicule stifles curiosity and learning. Never stop asking questions. "The people who don't ask questions remain clueless throughout their lives." —Neil deGrasse Tyson...

Does anyone know of a dry-erase material that holds up outside for any length of time? Brad in Kansas City