Suggestions Installation need ideas

[Chuck Peterson]

I hope to quote on a job with an unusual installation.
It is for a museum gift shop interior. Customer wants letters 12" high, probably 2" thick. they may be foam with an acrylic face, or possibly solid PVC. Helvetica Medium all caps. Just a few words, probably 40-50 letters total. They want them sitting on top of a fiberglass I-beam that is probably 10 feet above the floor. I will probably rout the round letters so they have a flat spot on the bottom edge.

How to install them? By the way, this is designed by an architect who didn't think about how they would be installed, but insists on this look.

Screws up into the bottoms is their first idea. Maybe, but this will be shipped and installed by a local contractor, hopefully an experienced sign person, but I don't know that.

I'm thinking maybe fabricate a clear acrylic piece, angled, like angle iron, maybe 3" high the letters could be Attached to at the lower part of the back, then screw the entire word, or maybe in two section to the top of the I-beam.

I need a better idea. I don't want to turn down a good customer but am kind of stuck.

Ideas?

 

[TimToad]

The simplest way would be some VHB tape and a couple dabs of LEXEL on the bottoms. If they are foam, they'll be light enough to not worry about them tipping over once the LEXEL sets.

 

[Chuck Peterson]

The simplest way would be some VHB tape and a couple dabs of LEXEL on the bottoms. If they are foam, they'll be light enough to not worry about them tipping over once the LEXEL sets.

The simplest way would be some VHB tape and a couple dabs of LEXEL on the bottoms. If they are foam, they'll be light enough to not worry about them tipping over once the LEXEL sets.

I hope to quote on a job with an unusual installation.
It is for a museum gift shop interior. Customer wants letters 12" high, probably 2" thick. they may be foam with an acrylic face, or possibly solid PVC. Helvetica Medium all caps. Just a few words, probably 40-50 letters total. They want them sitting on top of a fiberglass I-beam that is probably 10 feet above the floor. I will probably rout the round letters so they have a flat spot on the bottom edge.

How to install them? By the way, this is designed by an architect who didn't think about how they would be installed, but insists on this look.

Screws up into the bottoms is their first idea. Maybe, but this will be shipped and installed by a local contractor, hopefully an experienced sign person, but I don't know that.

I'm thinking maybe fabricate a clear acrylic piece, angled, like angle iron, maybe 3" high the letters could be Attached to at the lower part of the back, then screw the entire word, or maybe in two section to the top of the I-beam.

I need a better idea. I don't want to turn down a good customer but am kind of stuck.

Ideas?

 

[Chuck Peterson]

That may be the best way. That is probably what I'll suggest. How about a pattern? I should have put that in my post. Probably a strip of paper with vertical lines showing where to place the letters taped to the top edge of the beam. If I was installing it would be no brainer but I need to make this idiot proof.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

We used Loctite Pro version for this I beam. We only taped them up to hold them for an hour or two while the adhesive held. This stuff is crazy good.

 

[Chuck Peterson]

Thanks. I like your pattern method. Mine will be 2" thick letters projecting up, sitting on top of the beam. Indoors.

 

[signbrad]

The angled material attached to the backs of the letters is a good idea. It can control letter spacing making the installation easier for a non-sign person. And remember, the angle does not need to be permanent. The installers can simply clamp the angle to the top of the beam temporarily. The letters can then be fastened from the bottom with screws if they are PVC. If the letters are foam, the angle can hold them in place while glue sets up. Either way, the angle can be removed as the last step, leaving the letters free standing. The angle would not only eliminate the need for a pattern to control the spacing, but would ensure that the letters are all installed perfectly facing forward.

You could figure into the cost a lightweight stick of aluminum angle and pre-attach the letters to it in sections for shipping
Or make an angle out of 1x lumber, using a nail gun or screw gun. This is actually what I would probably do since we have tons of 1x4 crating lumber lying around.

If there is a chance that the installer can't easily access behind the letters with a screw gun to remove the angle from the back sides, you can attach the angle to the letters with small hanger bolts and nuts, instead of screws. The nuts can be easily removed by hand. In which case, the hanger bolts can remain in the letters if they are unseen.

Brad in Kansas City

 

[Martin Denton]

I hope to quote on a job with an unusual installation.
It is for a museum gift shop interior. Customer wants letters 12" high, probably 2" thick. they may be foam with an acrylic face, or possibly solid PVC. Helvetica Medium all caps. Just a few words, probably 40-50 letters total. They want them sitting on top of a fiberglass I-beam that is probably 10 feet above the floor. I will probably rout the round letters so they have a flat spot on the bottom edge.

How to install them? By the way, this is designed by an architect who didn't think about how they would be installed, but insists on this look.

Screws up into the bottoms is their first idea. Maybe, but this will be shipped and installed by a local contractor, hopefully an experienced sign person, but I don't know that.

I'm thinking maybe fabricate a clear acrylic piece, angled, like angle iron, maybe 3" high the letters could be Attached to at the lower part of the back, then screw the entire word, or maybe in two section to the top of the I-beam.

I need a better idea. I don't want to turn down a good customer but am kind of stuck.

Ideas?

Why not use clear plastic sign stands offs that you would use on the rear but mount to the bottoms of the letters the small ones are in 10 mm high so wouldn’t show that much. Or you could drill holes in to the bottom of the letters so the fixings are recessed ?

 

[Johnny Best]

I would fabricate a clear .25" thickness angle to have letters pre attached to. So you just have to lift up in sections and glue / tape to beam. They would be easy to install for anyone because they are already spaced.

 

[Jester1167]

Glue and tape will probably be more than enough, but I am a big fan of having a mechanical attachment as well when you have signs over head. In todays society even a foam letter falling a few feet can spell P A Y D A Y, I mean lawsuit.

You will also need some way to pre-space the lettering as well as make sure they are all facing the same direction, up, down, left, right. I would lay the letters out on a template in your shop and then attach flat stock as a base to the bottom of the letters. This can be anything somewhat ridged, metal, plex, pvc, diabond, and it can be painted to match the beam if desired. You can attach them permanently or not, that will depend on shipping. You can also use several pieces that butt up against each other with several letters on each. That way shipping is easier and they are pre registered in smaller sections that are easy to deal with. If you don't permanently mount them on the flat stock, make sure you mark each letter and mounting point including the front and top of the flat stock clearly like Gemini, I am sure you will have several of the same letters.

I would also include instructions for the installers with verbiage to the affect - "Mechanically mount through the base using the best method for onsite conditions. Glue and/or tape can be used in addition to mechanical fasteners" or something like that.

 

[Sandman]

I'm sure you are going to have to go the foam route. I searched high and low for PVC just 1 1/2 inches thick. I finally found some but it was crazy expensive, like $1000 a sheet. 2" thick PVC would break the bank for sure.

 

[Rick]

I design signs for projects all over the country so they usually get shipped and no-one knows who's going to attach it. I barely trust sign installers to space letters correctly let alone sign muggles. I think there are too many things that can go wrong when that many letters need to be spaced, no matter how good your patterns are. I have done quite a few signs that sit on an I-Beam but almost all of them are pinned away from beam... My method is very similar to Johnny Best's...

If it were me, I would make it as easy to install as possible... here is one I did using a pre-spaced attachment bar, all the had to do was fasten it to the beam.

 

[Chuck Peterson]

I design signs for projects all over the country so they usually get shipped and no-one knows who's going to attach it. I barely trust sign installers to space letters correctly let alone sign muggles. I think there are too many things that can go wrong when that many letters need to be spaced, no matter how good your patterns are. I have done quite a few signs that sit on an I-Beam but almost all of them are pinned away from beam... My method is very similar to Johnny Best's...

If it were me, I would make it as easy to install as possible... here is one I did using a pre-spaced attachment bar, all the had to do was fasten it to the beam.

Thanks for all the replies. I've got it figured out. Sort of a combination of some of your replies. Small metal brackets at the bottom of each letter made of angle aluminum, VHB tape, screws and silicone. A skilled handyman type should be able to install it with my pattern taped on the beam just below the letters.

 

[visual800]

if you order foam silicone is all you need. if some is applied on bottom edge of letter where it is squeezing out the side, it should suffice. that will save you alot of drilling, screwing and taping.

 

[signbrad]

I searched high and low for PVC just 1 1/2 inches thick.

You're right, Sandman. PVC is hard to find and expensive in thicknesses greater than 25mm. We are not often asked to produce cutout graphics in 1-1/2" or greater, but when we are, we laminate panels together. 1-1/2" would be about the equivalent of three 12mm sheets.

We also frequently use thick insulation foam and then face-laminate with 3mm PVC, or some other laminate material. We cut out the graphics after laminating. We have even used the foam sheets that are pre-scored with cuts for builders to be able to break the 4x8s into small pieces easily. The cut lines in the edges are somewhat visible even after painting, but usually not objectionable on such things as temporary displays at convention center events.
If you give the foam edges two coats of latex primer, you can easily topcoat with Matthews Polyurethane or some other aggressive paint that would normally attack the foam.

Brad in Kansas City

 

[Chuck Peterson]

OK. Updated with a fresh mind. I was making this more difficult than it needed to be. We will use Gatorfoam. I am just going to instruct them to just use silicone, as stated above. I did a test and it holds fine, even an uppercase P that is heavier on one side. If they had VHB tape they would probably stick one on crooked and ruin it trying to move it. No reason to put screws into foam.with silicone they can adjust. I can make a pattern with vertical lines to tape below the letters.

Thanks.