Acrylic Monument Sign - Can it be done?

[brainbucket]

Hi All,

So I have an electrician client who is looking for a monument sign. I pitched an idea that I thought wouldn't be too big of a deal, but am now having a really difficult time finding someone to make it work. I'll attach some images.

The long and the short of it. Looking for a 4' tall x 38" wide sign made from acrylic. From what I'm gathering we're looking at (2) 3/4" thick sheets. From one sheet I'm looking to 2nd surface route/laser etch the logo, from the second sheet I'm looking to face route/laser etch their "power wheel". We would then mount the two routed/laser etched surfaces to one another and sink them into a monument base. The idea here is to separately light each sheet with LEDs from the base to allow each sheet to be a different color or intensity. Being an electrician they are more than capable of the LED portion, I'm merely providing the acrylic and design. Well I've been to 3 or 4 different companies and I'm striking out. So I come to the infinite wisdom of the Signs101 forum... am I dreaming or is this easier than people are telling me it is?

I'm attaching a sketch of what I'm thinking the side view would look like as well as a quick rendering of what it could look like from the front... It turns out this is a hard project to convey to people, so maybe I'm messing up my language or explanation...

Thanks for any help, and if anyone is up to the challenge please message me!

 

[stoliker]

Seems doable. I have just started routing and will be watching this thread closely as I would love to do something similar.

 

[Bigdawg]

So how exactly are you going to mount the sign into the ground? That would be my main concern - structural integrity. I would think the actual sign design would work, but the engineering portion would be a little tricky. I don't know what code requires in your area, but around here we would have to have footers and pipe/posts for a monument sign like this to get permitted.

 

[brainbucket]

The idea is to have a monument sign base with footers etc. with a removable top that you could access the LEDs via. The acrylic would then be attached to the monument base lid via an angle iron style "clamp" or some such device. I'm not super concerned with that portion at this point, but just trying to be sure i can even achieve the results I'm after.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[rossmosh]

I have no idea if your idea will work. I have my doubts to be honest. I think you'd be way better off cutting/engraving the face and mounting it to a backer board that is opaque. Then using vinyl you create that second graphic. But if you're looking for someone to cut and engrave 3/4" acrylic contact these guys: http://www.glassmith2.com/. You could also contact Gemini and they'll do that job for you, no problem.

I'm sure there are others and likely someone within 2 hours of you. Contacting the local plastic supply company and finding out who has a 4x8 high power CO2 laser is a great place to start.

My other recommendation is not to have the one dimension 48". Bringing it down to 46" makes life way easier. Acrylic, especially the thick stuff, is cut very close to 4x8 and sometimes the edge isn't all that great.

 

[ams]

It can be done a certain way, I am a bit limited on engineering but my guy Jon can make anything. He is off for the labor day weekend tho.
I understand what you are trying to achieve, but your drawing don't match up for a structure point of view. Keep in mind that being outdoors,
you need to ensure it's water tight, and if not, add weep holes or a drain out area.

Water freezing into ice and breaking the acrylic is my main fear.