A large part of what we do is figuring out how to do spectacular things with common materials in a cost effective way. That means experimenting. Trial and error. Today we were more on the error side. Our goal was to bend some plastic wood for a project. Research on the web said a ten foot radius was possible with an eight foot board. We wanted to bend a five foot radius with a board almost double that length. And since we are good we figured it must be possible (for us). The secret is heat. Peter bought a bunch of heating pipe and we wrapped it in fireproof insulation. Four rolls of duct tape held it all in position. We rented a gas fired heater/blower and loaded up the pipe. Our first try we were a little ambitious with the heat as we melted the board badly at one end while the other end stayed too cool. The second effort was not hot enough and we snapped the board when we presses it in the jig. The third try was impressive, with all manners of fans, baffles and shields used to draw the heat down the length of the board. We even had a thermometer gun handy to keep a close eye on the temperature from a safe distance. After more than ten hours of fabricating, heating and failures we decided a five foot radius might be a little ambitious. It was time for plan 'B'. Five minutes later we had success. It was a good day for learning.
Still challenging!
Five years ago in a series of presentations and magazine articles I issued a challenge to every sign maker I had a chance to reach. Back then times were tough for many and we too had experienced a slowdown of business. Rather than simply sit and wait for the good times to return we instead used our slow times to build a new and brighter future. My challenge to my fellow sign makers was simple. I challenged everyone to create a sample sign for their showrooms in that year. This sample was to be the kind of sign they wanted to do in the future - a no holds barred work of art. The sample didn't have to be large but it had to be fancy. It had to raise the bar as high as they possible could. For me the challenge was much bigger. My goal was do do one sample each month. These samples were to be an investment in my future. It worked beyond my wildest imagination and brought us paying jobs of the same caliber and is still paying off to this day. Many who heard my presentations and read the articles I wrote have contacted me since saying it worked for them as well. It seems that challenge is still out there and is still hopefully inspiring others to do the same. I follow the stats on our web page regularly. Lately, we have been getting a steady stream of hits from a particular site in Russia. I followed the links back and came across an article which featured that same challenge. The article was written in 2011 but is still active and hopefully challenging the readers to create samples of their own.
Every one unique
Each of the eighteen name plaques is unique. Working up ideas for each name plaque wasn't too hard. Zuzana's name is quite uncommon and the 'Z's begged for a Zebra pattern. Becke's choice of various hues of metallic green took it back to the uncommon theme.
For Dana's name plaque I chose a licence plate theme. Becke again chose the colors and added the texture. The variegated gold leaf on the letters take this piece over the top.
Mark's name plaque is patterned with crazy stars. The silver stars jump pff the metallic blue background. The 99.9 pure silver letters are much brighter in real life and sparkle brightly.
