Need Help 3-d ribbon

[Cyclynn]

Hello, Happy Signmakers. Can someone please advise as to how I might make a 3-d ribbon for this sign? I was thinking a flat circle for the background image, but my customer may want a full, 3-d ribbon shape. My preference would be a digital print on dibond cut to shape, and let the print give the illusion of the 3-d aspect. I quoted him for that already, but what if they want a 'real' ribbon. How would you make that?
Thanks, Lynn

 

[Cyclynn]

Sorry... I forgot to upload the image.

 

[letterman7]

I'd cut a piece of 3mm pvc and heat and cut to shape. And your prices are way low...

 

[Cyclynn]

Hello, Letterman 7, thanks for your response. I've not had good luck with 3mm pvc... brittle after a year or two. Thill will be a west facing sign. My customer approved the flat but, though, and I'll cut that shape out of epanel. Your comment on my price being too low is interesting - I use the 'blue'' category of SignCraft's pricing guide, which is almost the highest category. I found that category worked well with my costs and expenses. The other issue is that I am in a very rural, economically depressed area, and that forces my prices to be lower than what one would expect in an urban area.

 

[henryz]

Going back to the ribbon ACM is easily formable by hand using some pipes to roll the substrate. You can mock up a paper or something similar to get your shape then cut it out to for it we've done many but out of aluminum but we probably have more machinery than you. As for pricing it does seem very low no matter where you are at.

 

[rossmosh]

The cheapest and lowest skill level option is stacking pieces of material which likely won't work in this application but could work if you're able to do a design change.

Acrylic can become very workable once brought up to temperature but that takes some talent to form and there's no way $50 covers that.

If you could get a scrap piece of HDU, you could hand carve something (if you have the talent).

I think the best option is to leave the design alone and cut the ribbon out of a separate piece of material and apply it. Anything more the price simply wouldn't justify.

 

[Cyclynn]

Thank you for that! I will take your advice on pricing to heart. I try two different methods for pricing... either us the Blue in the Signcraft pricing, or I do materials + labor x 2.5. They often come out similar. How do you do your pricing?

 

[Johnny Best]

I would charge $50 just to make a mock-up sample of the ribbon. As others have said, it can be made but you would need a slip roller machine to fabricate with metal. You could use 1/4" acrylic and heat in oven till pliable. For what your getting, $50, just keep it flat and print it on.