Standoff letters and logo adhesive for mounts?

[npcsignworx]

Hi all!
what adhesive should i use for 12mm Makrolon water jet cut, vinyl backed letters. I backed the letters with 3M 80 series. I'm using standard locators (see image). It the male fixing to the vinyl on the back of the letter i need to sort. It's an outside sign. 3M vhb tape? Hot glue gun? or another?...
Thanks in advance!

 

[John Butto]

OK

Had to look up 12mm and that would be .5" thick material, I am assuming that it is the thickness and not the height, which is going to make a weighty letter. What kind of material are these attaching to on the outside. Are these letters clear and that is why you backed them with the 3m as you mentioned and they cannot be tapped. Hot glue, if you are a major scrape booker and have some new stuff that is stronger than what I am use to, no. VHB tape, do not know how much surface area of the attached pic but you would need a fair amount of surface for that to work plus some adhesive with them would help if you have the area. Epoxy, and not the consumer kind they sell in Home Depot, might be your ticket and there might be someone else on the forum to give you a better idea. More pics of the actual letter and size and what they are adhering on to is also helpful.

 

[SignProPlus-Alex]

All depend how big is the letters. If they more than 12" tall I would make 1/8 thick acrylic pads with bigger surface area and glue them to the standoffs with weld on 4 and then silicone them to the letters.

 

[John Butto]

my understanding

Weld On 4.

If he is putting 3m vinyl on the backs of those letters, would not the weld on melt the vinyl since it is a solvent.

 

[J Hill Designs]

If he is putting 3m vinyl on the backs of those letters, would not the weld on melt the vinyl since it is a solvent.

yes. yes it would.

and as for this:

Hot glue gun?

you CANT be serious.



For exterior applications you should be using weld-on 4 with ACRYLIC letters (no backing) to ACRYLIC pads

 

[Jester1167]

I wouldn't mount to second surface vinyl. The vinyl adhesive will be the weakest link and over time the acrylic will slide down the vinyl and/or the vinyl will pull away from the plex where the pads are glued. The adhesive is fluid. The warmer it gets the faster it will flow. Been there done that, you need to paint the back of the acrylic with a paint that will bond with the acrylic.

 

[J Hill Designs]

I wouldn't mount to second surface vinyl. The vinyl adhesive will be the weakest link and over time the acrylic will slide down the vinyl and/or the vinyl will pull away from the plex where the pads are glued. The adhesive is fluid. The warmer it gets the faster it will flow. Been there done that, you need to paint the back of the acrylic with a paint that will bond with the acrylic.

good advise, except he is using polycarbonate

 

[SignProPlus-Alex]

What I am talking is to a attach bigger surface acrylics or polycarbonate pads with silicone and then glue standoffs to them.

 

[Jester1167]

I'm telling you, you will regret this method in the long run. I have tried several methods with vinyl on the back and had problems with both.

Method 1: approx. 12" x 12" x 1/16" plex with a second surface digital print mounted to 1/8" plex with full double sided adhesive. Faces slid off the vinyl approx. 1/8 in a year.

Method 2: approx. 12" x 12" x 1/16" plex with assorted vinyl shapes second surface and painted with latex, then attached to a 1/8 plex backing. Every where the tape touched the painted vinyl it pulled a bubble in the adhesive.

1/16" thick plex weighs nothing but that weight over time and when it warms up or sun shines on it will slide. It's not worth it in my opinion, but good luck.

 

[SignProPlus-Alex]

I am trying to suggest way of mounting not a way of construction.

 

[John Butto]

I have used .5" thick clear 3'x6' acrylic and "lexan" with oil based painted backs, let dry for 2 or 3 days, mounted cast or calendared vinyl over entire back, (using a color similar to the color of the paint). Then silicone and VHB mounted french cleats to backs to install, but this was interior, not on the outside where water and what not will build up and break down components.
Those hangers he is showing in the OP look like the ones they give you from those sign shops on the web that sells signs like that to the consumer to install themselves.

 

[Moze]

Glad you're installing these and not me. Kind of a tough spot.

 

[npcsignworx]

Great info

Thanks for the replies! Heaps of info!
Checked a bit online too. It was the locator sticking to the vinyl i wasn't sure on. Anyway gone with more locators now and 3M tape (the strong expensive sh*t, can't remember the code name). The letters were 12mm thick and 400mm high. Not too heavy though.
It's a job that's close by and not a problem to make changes to if i notice stuff happening down the line.

 

[John Butto]

wrong install post