It’s been a while since I’ve reported on the progress of my Sign Invitational entry. I’m concentrating on the base initially, working from the bottom of the road around to the front of the truck. Our name plaque is now in place. Next up I’ll build a hidden spot for the battery packs, install the wiring for the lights and sound system, and finish off the theme work of the scenery. The work can then begin on the body of the truck and the myriad of details throughout.
Staying true to the story
As we did the design for the many signs at Vala’s Pumpkin Patch it was our intent to not disrupt the original feel of the farm. They have a 35 year history and it is an awesome operation. Most of the attractions and buildings are fashioned from old barn wood and salvaged parts. It’s authentic to what they are doing there. The new signs will continue this proud tradition, adding a splash of colour and a bit of fun in the process. Many of the farm’s restaurants and attractions are named after family members. Sometime after we did the design for ‘The’ Cookie Coop sign, a family meeting was held and they decided to name the little bakery Bob’s Cookie Coop. They contacted us, requesting the change, hoping we hadn’t gotten into production quite yet. It was too late for I had already created the sign faces. But no worry and no extra charge for the change. I ground off the letters of ‘The’ and routed a couple of new pieces with ‘Bob’s’ on them. These were then fastened into place in a haphazard fashion as they would have been by Bob the farmer. They’ll be painted up to look like old weathered barn wood. Although not planned in the original design the addition looks great and helps tell the story of this farm in an authentic manner.
Instant train
We love our CNC machines as they help us do our work so much faster and with much more precision than we could possibly muster by hand. It’s my estimation that the work our wonderful machines do takes us to about half way to completion on most projects. Once the machines are done the real magic begins. That’s the part we do by hand. This afternoon I assembled the machine cut parts of the Pumpkin Creek Railroad sign onto the tree armature which we fabricated last week. Because the heavy duty bracket was also cut by a CNC machine things fit together very well. There are five layers to the railroad sign which I laminated over a welded steel interior structure which I welded to the bracket. Next week I’ll first do some final hand shaping with an airpowered die grinder before beginning the hand sculpting to add the intricate detail to the train. While I could easily have added more details with the computer model and the CNC I know it adds so much more fun and magic when done by hand. We’ll be sculpting the tree as well this week which will soon make this sign ready for paint. Stay tuned...
