Extruded Street Signs

[SignShopGal]

Hello,

I certainly have stepped in it: I was hired produce street signs for a very picky county in Arizona. After a few weeks of searching, I found the right thickness and size of extruded street sign, and now it is up to me to sheet and make. We use 3M retro-reflective sheeting and overlay with EC at the time being, green on HI-White, primatic).

My questions:

Anyone have pointers on how to sheet these suckers? This is my first experience with these and I need to get them as close to AMAZING the first time around. I have made street signs on radial cornered blanks but never extruded, squared.

Any help would be spectacular.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!

 

[Billct2]

My first real sign job was in a city sign shop and we did these in a vacuum applicator with heat.
If it's the same type of blank that has a thicker edge applying by hand will be challenging with that type of material.

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

Extruded flat blades with thicker top and bottom. Or Extruded Square tube blades?

Square blades we run in the laminator the same as a sign. But we put one on the far side to keep the laminator balanced. We use a desert laminator. Just make sure to cut the EC backer and not fold it when mounting. If you fold EC backer it has a tendency to skew the EC as you roll over the fold.

Extruded flat blades with the thicker top and bottom are my nemesis. I try not to do these as much as possible. Two ways we do them.


First. faster but harder. Cut backer before hand straight down the middle (horizonal to the sign). Then place laminator roller as close to one extruded side as possible. Peel one side of backer off and roll to the edge of the extruded part. Do NOT roll over the extruded part. You will have tons of bubbles in the corner part of the extrusion. These can be removed but you get imperfections in the adhesive on the inside. So leave them flapping up. Pull it out and hand roll the corner and the top of the extrusion with a squeegee. I like the fabric blocks for this. Then put back in laminator and do the other side the same way. Then when you flip around to do the back leave the transfer tape on and tape all the edges around so the bottom doesn't get messed up as your mounting.

Second. All by hand. Easier but longer. Same thing cut backer, center on blank, tape bottom edge of whole sign. Then peel the top side off. Make sure to squeegee entire center before starting the extruded top part. Then pull tape and do the bottom part.


Either way expect to lose some EC and have to remove messed up EC a couple times. EC is some of the worst material for this job. But is almost the only exceptable material for this. Some of the other shops around here screen print these signs with very good results.



Sheeting HIP or EG would be the easy part.

 

[SignShopGal]

Extruded flat blades with thicker top and bottom. Or Extruded Square tube blades?

Square blades we run in the laminator the same as a sign. But we put one on the far side to keep the laminator balanced. We use a desert laminator. Just make sure to cut the EC backer and not fold it when mounting. If you fold EC backer it has a tendency to skew the EC as you roll over the fold.

Extruded flat blades with the thicker top and bottom are my nemesis. I try not to do these as much as possible. Two ways we do them.


First. faster but harder. Cut backer before hand straight down the middle (horizonal to the sign). Then place laminator roller as close to one extruded side as possible. Peel one side of backer off and roll to the edge of the extruded part. Do NOT roll over the extruded part. You will have tons of bubbles in the corner part of the extrusion. These can be removed but you get imperfections in the adhesive on the inside. So leave them flapping up. Pull it out and hand roll the corner and the top of the extrusion with a squeegee. I like the fabric blocks for this. Then put back in laminator and do the other side the same way. Then when you flip around to do the back leave the transfer tape on and tape all the edges around so the bottom doesn't get messed up as your mounting.

Second. All by hand. Easier but longer. Same thing cut backer, center on blank, tape bottom edge of whole sign. Then peel the top side off. Make sure to squeegee entire center before starting the extruded top part. Then pull tape and do the bottom part.


Either way expect to lose some EC and have to remove messed up EC a couple times. EC is some of the worst material for this job. But is almost the only exceptable material for this. Some of the other shops around here screen print these signs with very good results.



Sheeting HIP or EG would be the easy part.

Yes, extruded with thicker top and bottom..
Thank you for this, extremely helpful, yes, I do this all by hand, I have hand rollers even, no mangle of any sort. You gave a good concept too: only removing backing from the flat part first. I would not have thought of this otherwise.

THANK YOU!!!!