Need Help I'm looking for a pan face fabricator

[Cyclynn]

Hello, Good and Helpful People; Happy New Year! I need to replace an old pan face with a new one. My experience has shown that you cannot replace a pan face with flat faced lexan - the lamps show through. Can anyone recommend a company that makes pan faces? Sure... there are many hits on an internet search, but I would rather trust your experiences. I am in North East Washington state (for shipping purposes). Thank you, Lynn

 

[MikePro]

you're talking the vacuum-formed polycarb faces? yup, if you decrease the distance from the light source to the face of the plastic, then you'll likely see the hot spots from the bulbs/diodes.

Piedmont Plastics have always done well by us. Nearest location to you is in Portland, Oregon.

 

[Cyclynn]

Thank you! In the interim, my customer has decided we will drape a banner over it. I'll get in touch with Piedmont. I wouldn't even mind driving down to pick it up - I've got a granddaughter in Portland.

 

[MikePro]

we have also been known to do a "cheap/quick-fix", by routing-out the square face of the existing thermoformed plastic and bonding a new piece of lexan over the top (weld-on has an 2part epoxy designed for polycarbonate). We then framed the new plastic in opaque vinyl to hide the glue'd portion.

 

[Cyclynn]

Oh! That is an interesting solution! Thank you. I'd like to try it, although I haven't had great luck with plastic adhesives.

 

[Modern Ink Signs]

Don't know if they are in your area but check out WORLD WIDE SIGNS. They have done many blank pan faces for me over the years.

 

[Cyclynn]

Thank you! That helps alot!

 

[Sign consultant]

Check out h.adam@apollosignsmarketing.com
They are also good at pan formed faces

 

[Cyclynn]

Thank you! I will!

 

[brentjosker]

Ive have delt wirh alot of pan formers and the cheapest one that I have found is a company called commercial Plastics Co in Republic Montana their phone number is +1-800-642-4087
just so you just so you know you can use a flat face if it's under 4 by 10 and you have a minimum of 5 in between the lighting source and the sign face
if you if you have a pan face and it has first surface graphics on it and you want to strip it you can chemically clean it if it is back sprayed then you cannot
the the chemical I used to strip it is acetone you take a little on a rag and wipe it across the face it will take the sun fade and the yellow off the first couple surfaces
also also when you call Commercial Plastics you have three choices of material you can use acrylic you can use modified acrylic or you use polycarbonate I would not recommend acrylic for cold applications but the modified acrylic works great good luck

 

[unclebun]

Talk to the sign supply houses which service your area with delivery trucks. Focus on the ones which sell components for electric signs. They will usually have a supplier for pan faces, and then will deliver the faces to you without your having to pay a freight charge.

 

[Gino]

Talk to the sign supply houses which service your area with delivery trucks. Focus on the ones which sell components for electric signs. They will usually have a supplier for pan faces, and then will deliver the faces to you without your having to pay a freight charge.

You really think so ?? Try again.

Any company, regardless of who they are, are gonna put the freight on top, unless you go and pick it up. Any one of them. One of the companies I was getting our pan faces from stopped using their supplier, so he gave me their name to go direct. The cost was almost cut in half. For us, the company is about an hour away and they gave us the choice of picking up and not paying any delivery fee or adding an extra $175. Even adding the extra $175, it was still much cheaper going direct, as now we cut the middleman out of the equation with their added markups.​

 

[Cyclynn]

Ive have delt wirh alot of pan formers and the cheapest one that I have found is a company called commercial Plastics Co in Republic Montana their phone number is +1-800-642-4087
just so you just so you know you can use a flat face if it's under 4 by 10 and you have a minimum of 5 in between the lighting source and the sign face
if you if you have a pan face and it has first surface graphics on it and you want to strip it you can chemically clean it if it is back sprayed then you cannot
the the chemical I used to strip it is acetone you take a little on a rag and wipe it across the face it will take the sun fade and the yellow off the first couple surfaces
also also when you call Commercial Plastics you have three choices of material you can use acrylic you can use modified acrylic or you use polycarbonate I would not recommend acrylic for cold applications but the modified acrylic works great good luck

Whoa! That is a lot of very useful information! I'm going to have to copy that down and file it on paper - I tend to lose electronic after a while, and my customer wants to wait now. Thank you very much for your time and knowledge! Lynn

 

[Cyclynn]

You really think so ?? Try again.

Any company, regardless of who they are, are gonna put the freight on top, unless you go and pick it up. Any one of them. One of the companies I was getting our pan faces from stopped using their supplier, so he gave me their name to go direct. The cost was almost cut in half. For us, the company is about an hour away and they gave us the choice of picking up and not paying any delivery fee or adding an extra $175. Even adding the extra $175, it was still much cheaper going direct, as now we cut the middleman out of the equation with their added markups.​

Yes, freight is an issue. I am very rural (75 miles north of Spokane) and there is only one trucking company that comes up here. So freight always stops in Spokane and has to get transferred, and that adds up. I'm willing to go certain distances to pick things up, and I've got an appropriate trailer. This sign is 2-faced, 12'x5'. I did contact one fella at a sign company in Spokane, and he sent me on to his supplier. Thank for all your help! Lynn

 

[unclebun]

You really think so ?? Try again.

Any company, regardless of who they are, are gonna put the freight on top, unless you go and pick it up. Any one of them. One of the companies I was getting our pan faces from stopped using their supplier, so he gave me their name to go direct. The cost was almost cut in half. For us, the company is about an hour away and they gave us the choice of picking up and not paying any delivery fee or adding an extra $175. Even adding the extra $175, it was still much cheaper going direct, as now we cut the middleman out of the equation with their added markups.​

Gino

Sorry your suppliers do that to you. Ours don't. Maybe it helps if the pan face maker is in the same town as the supply company (as ours is). We pay the same whether we drive 3 hours to get it ourselves or they deliver to us.

 

[Gino]

Gino

Sorry your suppliers do that to you. Ours don't. Maybe it helps if the pan face maker is in the same town as the supply company (as ours is). We pay the same whether we drive 3 hours to get it ourselves or they deliver to us.

What the heck kinda answer is that ?? If the fabricator AND distributor are in your own town, there wouldn't be any freight costs, because there is no distance to travel. The OP has stated she is in the middle of nowhere..... everything has a cost where she's located and you tell her to look for someone next door ?? What kinda goofy help is that ??

Your situation is very unique,.... and not very common. One shouldn't base answers off of your kinda scenario. It just doesn't fit most cases.

 

[Sign consultant]

Agree with Gino....everything costs to .....

 

[fresh]

One of the companies I was getting our pan faces from stopped using their supplier, so he gave me their name to go direct.

Hi Gino, would you mind sharing that supplier's info? thanks.