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Dibond Corrosion?
- Thread starter cre8tivedave
- Start date
SignosaurusRex
Active Member
Those have been clear-coated and the clear is failing. It's not the composite.
Johnny Best
Active Member
I have seen it happen like SignnosaurusRex said. So help him by making a whole new set of letters. Buy them from Gemini.
Bradley Signs
Bradley Signs
Yes, looks like clear coat is failing.....
cre8tivedave
New Member
Why would they clear coat brushed silver DiBond?
Bradley Signs
Bradley Signs
Over the years, I worked in a number of large sign shops, and I had to clear coat many substrates. I can only guess it was to make it look more appealing (see what I did there? Peeling?) to the customer. Burnished aluminum, nickel..... The pay was good, so why argue. Proper preparation is the key, and when they realize what the extra works cost to etch the metal or sand it or whatever you needed to do, to whatever material you were working with, this was the easy way out. We sprayed clear on indoor prints mounted to foam board back in the day too.... it lasted because it was inside many grocery chains, where the temperature didn't fluctuate much.... I burnished a large outdoor monument sign by hand one time, and I told them it didn't need clear on it because it would yellow over time. Guess what? It yellowed. Get up there and get a close look to be sure.... Impress the guy, and I bet the job is yours, at your price, if he really wants it done right.
Right printhog, everyone calls it alucabond or dibond, but yet their is a million and one other ACM no name brands that everyone is using even us. Matter is we get what we pay for and at $55 a sheet why not, we just finished a project and the material that was spec out was more than triple the cost. In this case how long have they been up?
Yep, that's the right answer, turns out not all silver brushed ACP is created equal. I know for sure that you can get good exterior sheets from Glantz.
Stella_FB700
New Member
Yup looks like either crap dibond or the clear coat failed.
Why dont people just spend extra on an automotive clear coat or a high brand dibond.
ANGER
Why dont people just spend extra on an automotive clear coat or a high brand dibond.
ANGER
CanuckSigns
Active Member
Most of the specialty finishes in ACM are not rated for outdoor use, I'm not sure about dibond brand as our supplier doesn't carry it, but I know alupanel brand says their brushed finishes are for interior use only.
signbrad
New Member
There are several grades of Dibond brand ACM. One has an anodized aluminum finish that would presumably hold up better outdoors. I don't know any shops in our area that actually use Dibond. The low pricing of the competing brands is too attractive.
An automotive polyurethane clear would, again presumably, allow an aluminum finish to weather longer. A catalyzed polyurethane gets harder, and is more resistant to moisture and sunlight, than most any non-catalyzed clear.
One word about Chinese manufacturers. Generally, they make what they are asked to make. Their manufacturing capabilities are the equal of any in the world. But when a buyer tells them to make something cheaper, they will do that, too.
There are codes that no longer allow the use of some of these ACM products for fascias and building cladding. They are a fire hazard. Dibond has a version with a fire retardant in the plastic core. But it's not cheap.
It's just like anything else. What we get is what we pay for.
And a lower price is not always about cheaper materials.
The Chinese have an advantage in regard to their labor force. Workers have lower wages, work longer hours, and may even live in dorms at manufacturing plants. All this allows them to make a product with a lower price tag, as well as respond to market demands quicker, even though the quality of the product may be high. This is why iPhones are made in China.
......................
Regarding cre8tivedave's peeling letters, my first thought was, "Could that be a clear plastic covering that is now coming off?" But I quickly dismissed the idea. I think it would be very difficult to make a mistake like that. But I do remember a screen printer who once printed a butt load of real estate signs and a number of them still had the protective plastic covering them. The mistake was discovered later by the bewildered customer.
Brad in Kansas City
An automotive polyurethane clear would, again presumably, allow an aluminum finish to weather longer. A catalyzed polyurethane gets harder, and is more resistant to moisture and sunlight, than most any non-catalyzed clear.
One word about Chinese manufacturers. Generally, they make what they are asked to make. Their manufacturing capabilities are the equal of any in the world. But when a buyer tells them to make something cheaper, they will do that, too.
There are codes that no longer allow the use of some of these ACM products for fascias and building cladding. They are a fire hazard. Dibond has a version with a fire retardant in the plastic core. But it's not cheap.
It's just like anything else. What we get is what we pay for.
And a lower price is not always about cheaper materials.
The Chinese have an advantage in regard to their labor force. Workers have lower wages, work longer hours, and may even live in dorms at manufacturing plants. All this allows them to make a product with a lower price tag, as well as respond to market demands quicker, even though the quality of the product may be high. This is why iPhones are made in China.
......................
Regarding cre8tivedave's peeling letters, my first thought was, "Could that be a clear plastic covering that is now coming off?" But I quickly dismissed the idea. I think it would be very difficult to make a mistake like that. But I do remember a screen printer who once printed a butt load of real estate signs and a number of them still had the protective plastic covering them. The mistake was discovered later by the bewildered customer.
Brad in Kansas City
Vish
New Member
We've experienced the same with Di-Bond in South Africa. Di-Bond would deteriorate to this point after about 3 years in a coastal region.
oldgoatroper
Roper of Goats. Old ones.
Izzat comma on upside-down?
bannertime
Active Member
If that font is Futura, then the comma is for sure upside down. Nice catch!