• I want to thank all the members that have upgraded your accounts. I truly appreciate your support of the site monetarily. Supporting the site keeps this site up and running as a lot of work daily goes on behind the scenes. Click to Support Signs101 ...

Decorative routing into ACS? Does it work?

soundhound

New Member
So we are doing a 1 sided brushed Aluminum 1/8" thick ACS sign with raised letters. Sign is a 3' x 8' oval.

Client needs us to add an inline (like 1/4" or 1/8") about an inch in from the outer edge of the oval.

We are thinking that we could rout away the aluminum to leave the black core showing. Has anyone done this and does it look ok? If so- how does it weather?

Also wondering how deep I can go (assuming flat end mill) without weakening the edge of the material, which is out of reach, but raised off its back ground.

Needless to say, we will try this out before we do it, but I am hoping someone else out there has already invented this.

Thanks- and happy holiday to all!
 

henryz

New Member
Once you score the panel it will mark the score on the backside making it prone to bend easily. I would put an accent piece or vinyl overlay instead.
 

letterman7

New Member
1/8" is too thin to attempt something like that. It will bend or distort - there's no way around it. Use a thicker piece or simply rout your border in the same material you're doing the letters and apply... assuming you're applying letters and not just routing them from the surface.
 

Jean Shimp

New Member
So we are doing a 1 sided brushed Aluminum 1/8" thick ACS sign with raised letters. Sign is a 3' x 8' oval.

Client needs us to add an inline (like 1/4" or 1/8") about an inch in from the outer edge of the oval.

We are thinking that we could rout away the aluminum to leave the black core showing. Has anyone done this and does it look ok? If so- how does it weather?

Also wondering how deep I can go (assuming flat end mill) without weakening the edge of the material, which is out of reach, but raised off its back ground.

Needless to say, we will try this out before we do it, but I am hoping someone else out there has already invented this.

Thanks- and happy holiday to all!
Is your router accurate enough to do this? Sometimes the routed material will be inconsistent in the routed depths. If your material is thinner in places or your router table is not perfectly level it could cause these inconsistencies. Most of the time this issue is minute and not noticeable but on 1/8" brushed ACM it could be a challenge. Also, the black plastic inner core may "fray" and require cleanup. I would bite the bullet and cut out the border separately, maybe in two sections, and glue to face. Ovals can be challenging to work with.
 

soundhound

New Member
I did this for a customer for years just 42 inch circles with a 1/8 groove 1 inch in


What did you use for an endmill? Flat or v-groove... and how deep did you go? Did it weaken the material noticeably... because the big 3 x 8 oval is going to be raised up on standoffs?
Thanks
 
Top