Temporary cut out letters.

[Wes Phifer]

I need some letters that will be used inside one day. Cut out 1/2" to 1" thick. Any suggestions? Suppliers?

 

[signage]

Pink or blue foamboard from home supply chain!

 

[Spud Murphy]

If you are a man use the blue and if you are a woman use the pink.

 

[TyrantDesigner]

I need some letters that will be used inside one day. Cut out 1/2" to 1" thick. Any suggestions? Suppliers?

You can always go the pink foam route ... Back in the day we did a small dimensional lettering job for someone out of that pink foam you get at home despot and used a hot foam cutting tool to shape the letters out of, covered in a coating of fiberglass resin to give a slightly sandable/paintable surface and bobs your uncle, done in a day, lived for a couple days, then the customer threw out the next .. looked pretty decent too ... not going to lie, cnc'd plywood letters that are primed, sanded and painted look better though. Could be an option considering the short lifespan needed.

 

[Spud Murphy]

Back in the old country we used a jig saw instead of a hot wire for cutting styrofoam lettering, then a light sanding. More control for the inexperienced hand...painted with latex to required color.

 

[Wes Phifer]

I was thinking someone might want to route them out for me. No router here. The plywood or foam would work for me.

 

[Wes Phifer]

I need 72 - 6" letters cut. For easier install a foam would be great. Can anybody do that for me.

 

[TyrantDesigner]

I need 72 - 6" letters cut. For easier install a foam would be great. Can anybody do that for me.

Do it yourself, make a template, trace the template onto pink foam from home despot, carve with one of those craft hot wire foam cutters (looks like a card board tube and a wire) and you are ready to paint or resin coat and paint.

 

[Wes Phifer]

I could do it but it would take me a while. I would rather outsource.
Thanks for the input guys.

 

[SignosaurusRex]

Slap some vinyl on some pink or blue insulfoam, cutout on a bandsaw or jigsaw and spray edges with desired color of latex craft spray paint and call it good. Couple hours tops to produce.

 

[TyrantDesigner]

Slap some vinyl on some pink or blue insulfoam, cutout on a bandsaw or jigsaw and spray edges with desired color of latex craft spray paint and call it good. Couple hours tops to produce.

Maybe a couple hours ... Last time I did this ... took me about an hour to produce 20 characters after I made my stencil. maybe 20 minutes to paint them if you use spray paint.

 

[signmeup]

72 letters in 2 hours would be 1.72 minutes per letter. I see it taking closer to 6 or 7 minutes per letter. More like 7 or 8 hours for the job.

 

[klemgraphics]

72 letters in 2 hours would be 1.72 minutes per letter. I see it taking closer to 6 or 7 minutes per letter. More like 7 or 8 hours for the job.

Exactly what I was thinking, unless they are all the same letter which I highly doubt.

 

[Sign-Man Signs]

Call Gemini. May be cheaper than you think.

 

[SignosaurusRex]

Maybe a couple hours ... Last time I did this ... took me about an hour to produce 20 characters after I made my stencil. maybe 20 minutes to paint them if you use spray paint.

Okay, A couple hours is a bit of a stretch depending on the size. Dimensional cutout letters happens to be one of my forte's so it's not fair for me to expect everyone to be able to crank them out at that rate. Regardless....I stand by my suggestion. It's the fastest and most cost effective for a project like this, if one has any reasonable level of comfort and skill with a bandsaw or jigsaw. If they don't...farm the cutting out to someone else who does.

 

[signmeup]

Okay, A couple hours is a bit of a stretch depending on the size. Dimensional cutout letters happens to be one of my forte's so it's not fair for me to expect everyone to be able to crank them out at that rate. Regardless....I stand by my suggestion. It's the fastest and most cost effective for a project like this, if one has any reasonable level of comfort and skill with a bandsaw or jigsaw. If they don't...farm the cutting out to someone else who does.

I have hundreds of hours on a bandsaw. (maybe thousands) The bandsaw would take way too long because you would have to keep cutting and welding the blade back together for the insides of letters like O's and A's. A scroll saw would be better as it has a removable blade system for just this purpose. A jigsaw would work if you had a really good one that didn't suffer from blade skewing.

I still say it would take all day to plot, cut and paint 72 6" letters. (A week if you used a bandsaw.)

 

[TyrantDesigner]

He's going to be hard pressed to find anyone who will sub out a pink foam job. It would probably be easier to just get all CNC'd out of nudo or mdo ... can't remember if mdo is paintable though. At the very least, there is always melamie lined ply at your home despot you could take to your cnc guy. That way you know that what you send is what you will get back.

edit: OH DUH! gator foam. completely forgot about that. would probably be perfect at an inch thick.

 

[James Burke]

According to the customer, these types of things automatically roll out of some nifty machine you keep in the back room somewhere...don't they?


JB