hand carved and painted sign(pics)

[all_things_art]

i don't post on here much,...mostly read and learn,i'm 25 and been sign painting/airbrushing for about 7 years now,i'm really proud of this sign,so i thought that i would share.....i carved all the letters out of foam,using a hot wire i built,hand painted the rest ....the only vinyl used was some mirror gold which i cut out by hand
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f114/all_things_art/IMG_1518.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f114/all_things_art/IMG_1528.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f114/all_things_art/IMG_1523.jpg.

[Ken]

Very nice!
I find the white letters are too contrasty against that dark background. And perhaps they are a little too thick for the size of the sign.
Please tell us about the hotwire cutter you built.
Cheers!
Ken

[mladams7259]

Very Nice Work!

[Creative_Lance]

Great work!

[Rich]

Very nice. Keep up the great work!

[k.a.s.]

Wow, looks great.

Kevin

[Jillbeans]

Nice work. Very graceful.
If you're worried about the white being too harsh it's not too late to dry-brush on an Ivory fade...but I actually like it as it is.
I know I want my dentures to look nice and white!
Love....Jill

[imaSIGNr]

I like it....White is a good color for dentures, but then maybe the background could have been a bit lighter....Yes, I'd also like to know more about the hot wire set up...

[Ruddbow]

Beautiful stuff. I never get tired of looking at those works of art.

[Billct2]

Yeh, I think the letters really say "Nice White Choppers Here"

[StreetGrafix]

very nice!

[bevets]

Very nice work indeed! That's talent right there

steveb

[all_things_art]

thanks all!....the customer was very particular over the the colors ,he wanted the sign to match all the colors in his window awnings,the plan was to paint the letters gold ....as soon as i painted the first coat of white,i was like....yeah,plus now instead of reading the sign at lets say 100ft, you can read it at 150 ft,and white goes with white teeth,this sign isn't even up yet and i already picked up 2 more signs to carve,(got deposits)one for a steak house and other for a pizza shop,they are all on the same street.there are lots of bylaws on this street,u have to go through the historical society,they like em all,so i'm hyped!


as for the hot wire ,it's basicly like a scroll saw for foam but instead of a saw blade it's a wire that heats up and cuts the foam let butter ,the key is to find a good transformer to run it.i'll post some pics,....its a hurting looking unit but it works great

[THATgirl]

Nice looking sign!

[imaSIGNr]

thanks all!....the customer was very particular over the the colors ,he wanted the sign to match all the colors in his window awnings,the plan was to paint the letters gold ....as soon as i painted the first coat of white,i was like....yeah,plus now instead of reading the sign at lets say 100ft, you can read it at 150 ft,and white goes with white teeth,this sign isn't even up yet and i already picked up 2 more signs to carve,(got deposits)one for a steak house and other for a pizza shop,they are all on the same street.there are lots of bylaws on this street,u have to go through the historical society,they like em all,so i'm hyped!


as for the hot wire ,it's basicly like a scroll saw for foam but instead of a saw blade it's a wire that heats up and cuts the foam let butter ,the key is to find a good transformer to run it.i'll post some pics,....its a hurting looking unit but it works great
In another thread in archives someone used a battery charger as the heat unit.

[imaSIGNr]

I'd like to remind posters that when you post photos using photobucket that they are time sensitive and will expire. So these photos will not be in the archives later.

[all_things_art]

In another thread in archives someone used a battery charger as the heat unit.



that might work as long as u hook up ,something along the lines of a dimmer switch so u can adjust the volt going into the wire ,too much and the wire will snap ,to little and the foam with just smoke,

i'm using a power supply ,that was used to run one of those giant outdoor model trains(a g-series i think)....it's kind of over kill,..... you want to run around 3 volts through the wire ,whick draws about 1.75 amps on a 6 inch wire ....oh you need special wire , called NICHORME

[imaSIGNr]

that might work as long as u hook up ,something along the lines of a dimmer switch so u can adjust the volt going into the wire ,too much and the wire will snap ,to little and the foam with just smoke,

i'm using a power supply ,that was used to run one of those giant outdoor model trains(a g-series i think)....it's kind of over kill,..... you want to run around 3 volts through the wire ,whick draws about 1.75 amps on a 6 inch wire ....oh you need special wire , called NICHOME
This is good info....Thanx

[Jackpine]

Good work! You are on the right track. Is the foam builders foam painted?

[all_things_art]

Good work! You are on the right track. Is the foam builders foam painted?


yeah it's just pink r7.5 foam works great,sealed with a smooth parge

[all_things_art]

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f114/all_things_art/HPIM2369.jpg



your best bet is to go into a model train/hobby store and ask questions

[imaSIGNr]

Thanks for the drawing.....Not sure if I would call it hand carved though..Hand cut, hand made, hand crafted yes,but the terminology hand carved refers to something else. Don't get me wrong though. I like it....

[weaselboogie]

EPS foam? What did you use for coating?

I've done a bit of this myself. I made a bow, but your 'bandsaw' is infinitely more accurate.

[njsigns]

That's a nice looking sign! Thanks for the technical drawing of your "hot wire cutter"! If I ever aquire more space, I'll be building one of these! Very cool.

Gene

[all_things_art]

finally installed this week....
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f114/all_things_art/HPIM2421.jpg

[wsteely7]

I just wanted to ask a couple question:
first, what did you seal the foam with?
second, is the fine white stripe around the outside edge vinyl or paint?
I like the finished piece very much, it inspires me to do some of this, very nice work.

[all_things_art]

the foam was sealed with a smooth spray-on truck bed liner,
the white pinstripe is done with one shot paint and a 00 dagger brush

[Derf]

Nice to see paint again! looks good!

[chopper]

awesome lookin' sign very cleaver way of building it,
I have never heard of smooth truck bed liner is this something available at the local auto supply store?
it there a certain brand that it used?
thanks for sharing //chopper

[all_things_art]

awesome lookin' sign very cleaver way of building it,
I have never heard of smooth truck bed liner is this something available at the local auto supply store?
it there a certain brand that it used?
thanks for sharing //chopper


there is a bunch of different brands out there,it's a polyurethane coating also used on floors too....i went to a place that applies the coatings and got the hook up through them

[SignosaurusRex]

:thumb:

[imaSIGNr]

Great looking sign and placement for installation....It'll be interesting to know what the longevity of this piece is and how it weathers.
Now talk them into a double sided hanging sign for the front of the bld.

[all_things_art]

Great looking sign and placement for installation....It'll be interesting to know what the longevity of this piece is and how it weathers.
Now talk them into a double sided hanging sign for the front of the bld.




it should wheather fine, i made a sign when i was 17. using foam and latex paint, that lasted 7 years outside,the only reason it's not there now is the la cafe move locations,it even went through hurricane Juan,which rocked nova scotia hard.

the only thing i'm worried about is the maroon burning off. do to the sun ,but i rolled 2 coats and brushed one for insurance

[imaSIGNr]

I guess I was mostly thinking about the spray on bed liner stuff when I referred to the longevity and weathering. It would seem to work in theory, but will it stay adhered to the foam ?

[iSign]

awesome work!
thanks for sharing the hot wire tool drawings

[Holeshotrob]

I really like your work! It's unorthodox and interesting, as far as materials and methods used. Neet to see someone experimenting with other ideas. I think I might start playing around with some ideas I've had and see if they work.

Also, thanks for the hot wire table plans.