Need info on odd shaped cabinet sign

[cgsigns_jamie]

Appreciate the post but..... umm..... huh?? What does all that mean Rick? Is there a glossary somewhere for all this lingo?

http://picasaweb.google.com/graphics.cgsd/WallSigns#5223741955470053186

Here's a cabinet we did with a router cut aluminum face and push-through acrylic letters.

The face was 1/4" Thick Aluminum
The acrylic was 1" thick and machined on the CNC router. The letters then "push through" the aluminum face. At night you get a halo from the light passing through the edge of the letters.

Unfortunately I don't have any nigh shots of this sign
I did however track down a photo of the face after it was cut.

 

[cgsigns_jamie]

So just how big is that bagel jamie? It looks at least 5' across.

I believe it's about 5' x 7'
We used polycarb in this instance to save on weight.
We typically use high strength acrylic for all our lighted signs because it won't yellow like polycarb will. However this face was covered entirely in a print so it wasn't an issue.

 

[Shovelhead]

I'm wondering why you are using lexan over acrylic. No judgement....just don't know.

Polycarbonate (Lexan) comes in "taller" sheets off of the roll....and it's not as brittle as acrylic.

 

[signmeup]

Thanks for looking that up. I knew what a push through was. What I didn't get was how do you make an aluminum retainer to hold the face on. Is it cut out of sheet aluminum and a flange welded around it or?

 

[cgsigns_jamie]

Thanks for looking that up. I knew what a push through was. What I didn't get was how do you make an aluminum retainer to hold the face on. Is it cut out of sheet aluminum and a flange welded around it or?

Pretty much. You can cut the face pieces on the router table but the guys still have to form and weld the sides on.

 

[signmeup]

Polycarbonate (Lexan) comes in "taller" sheets off of the roll....and it's not as brittle as acrylic.

Thanks.

This all looks like I might kinda like doing this sort of thing. I like the creative use of shapes and you get to use manly tools like welders and shears and stuff and then light it all up with high voltage. Neon has always facinated me. I have bent some glass tubes before..... I suspect that where I live, jobs would be extremely few and far between. We don't have quite a million people in the whole province.

 

[cgsigns_jamie]

The use of manly tools is why we got started in the electric sign business... and the cranes, those are cool too

 

[signmeup]

Cranes! (insert Tim Allen grunts here)

 

[Service Sign Co]

I would hate to make retainer for that sign. Here's one that we used the the 2'' trim cap on lexan

 

[signmeup]

Nice X!

 

[Service Sign Co]

It's just the "X" in FedEx

 

[signmeup]

I'd like to see the F 'n E!

 

[UFB Fabrication]

Trim cap is designed for use with acrylic. They bond actually melts the 2 materials together. Using trimcap with polycarbonate requires glue or epoxy which in time will fail. Polycarbonate will yellow and look bad in a few years. As far as expansion goes its often overlooked and you can tell when ignored because the face will be bowed in or out because of its increased size. We build letters and 90+ percent is trimcapped. But when we do large letters or shapes the will be spec'd with retainer by the engineer. I certainly dont claim to be a engineer BTW. As for a sign company being in business since 1938 I am impressed. I will be happy to post a picture of a pile of letters that we are making today as a result of the trimcap has failed.

 

[signmeup]

How about trimcap with three aluminum clips, one at each corner, for a "belt and suspenders" type deal for this particular sign?

 

[cgsigns_jamie]

If you put trimcap on Polycarbonate use Weld-on 40

 

[ggsigns]

Please....are we attempting to meet NASA specs?
Give me a break please!
2" trimcap.

1" or 2" trimcap, it doesn't matter. Both have the same bond area and that's just the bead of glue running around the inside edge and that glue joint is the weak link. I don't doubt you have made many signs this way and maybe with your company's long history everything is done right, every time. But the OP isn't an expert and wants to know what to look for. The safest construction, the one with the least chance of failure would be retainers.