Hockey Arena In Ice Graphics

[Tim AFX]

Looking to see what type of printable material people are using to create team logos in arena ice. Would banner material work or does it have to be some form of perforated vinyl? Would solvent in the ice damage the vinyl? Anyone have any proven method I could use?

 

[MachServTech]

I have done this with a flag material and with a mesh banner (removable liner). The issue seems to be allowing the water to permeate the graphic and not allowing air bubbles to be trapped.

 

[CanuckSigns]

+1 to the mesh banner, never used flag material though

 

[sfr table hockey]

Looking to see what type of printable material people are using to create team logos in arena ice. Would banner material work or does it have to be some form of perforated vinyl? Would solvent in the ice damage the vinyl? Anyone have any proven method I could use?

Last year I did some for a curling rink as a test. They were using a clear almost like over head projector sheet material. So I printed some clear cling film (with solvent) and they layed them on the ice part way though the process of flooding and then painting the ice white. I think it was a couple thin layers of flooding after the white had been painted that they layed the clear cling film in. I watched him do it and the first one he used a spray bottle to wet the ice and then tried to lay the clear film but the spray dried so quick the clear film did not stick. He then dumped more water with a watering can to flood the area and then layed the clear film and it worked great. They used a paint roller to roll out the bubbles and it didn't take more than a min or two for a 3 foot by 4 foot ad to go down. After that thin layers to flood so that the clear film did not release.

The bonus to clear film is that you don't see the boarder around the graphic as you sometimes will with a white backed printed mesh. I told them mesh was the propper material but they like what they used and had no reason to try any other. I do have some photos some place.

 

[National Sign Co. - Print]

tech specs

this is what is used...

 

[Tim AFX]

Thanks for the advice.

 

[bosdub]

Just curious how the arenas get the mesh out of the ice without killing their Zamboni? I had inquired about doing ice stuff before and I got info from a guy who was using a sketch paper that basically broke down to nothing when they took the ice down to replace the graphics.

 

[sfr table hockey]

Just curious how the arenas get the mesh out of the ice without killing their Zamboni? I had inquired about doing ice stuff before and I got info from a guy who was using a sketch paper that basically broke down to nothing when they took the ice down to replace the graphics.

Don't quote me on this but I think they would grind down the ice to a point that is just above the level of the graphics and then the last 1/4 inch or so they would just add hot water to release the material.

With hockey rink graphics they would need to be placed deeper in the ice than on the curling rink due to the skate blades digging deep and not wanting to catch an edge on the vinyl so to change out a graphic without removing the entire ice, you would need to grind down quite a bit.