My beautiful sign ruined!!

[ams]

Ugh! I now hate precision board. This was outdoors for 5 weeks (right after winter died down) and look what happened to it! It was on a post with an arm and swinging under the arm on a fixed bracket.
Somehow it managed to rip apart and crumble and it didn't even hit anything! Also on the side shown, all the black paint is screwed up with the clear coat, but not the white or maroon. However on the other side, everything is perfect.

 

[Knep]

Oh no!!! do you have all the pieces to repair it?

 

[Z SIGNS]

Would not blame that on the precision board.
Did you really expect a screw eye into a thin piece of cheap foam to hold up blowing in the wind?
Problem was not with the material.
The problem was with your choice of install technique.

 

[Kottwitz-Graphics]

Would not blame that on the precision board.
Did you really expect a screw eye into a thin piece of cheap foam to hold up blowing in the wind?
Problem was not with the material.
The problem was with your choice of install technique.

110% correct. That is why I always make a structural element in the center and make 2 single sided signs and sandwich around the structure.

 

[Gino]

Nothin' beautiful about it.

Ya designed it wrong, hung it wrong and you are the reason for the 5 week failure.

Besides, the layout was lacking.

 

[ams]

Oh no!!! do you have all the pieces to repair it?

No....... wish I did, only have the one piece in the photo.

 

[ams]

Would not blame that on the precision board.
Did you really expect a screw eye into a thin piece of cheap foam to hold up blowing in the wind?
Problem was not with the material.
The problem was with your choice of install technique.

What do you suggest? The customer installed it.

 

[rossmosh]

What do you suggest? The customer installed it.

HDU has absolutely no structural quality. You cannot put a few I bolts in it and expect it to hold. Even if you drill a hole, fill it with Gorilla glue, and stick the bolt in, it will fail. Sad to say, this is very very well documented.

With HDU you either need to glue it to MDO (which many people believe is a poor method but it does work for the most part) or add a metal frame work. Seeing as you built it out of one piece of foam, the proper way to do it would be to build a metal frame around the edge of the sign with welded flat stock. Then most people would weld the hardware to the steel. That way the HDU is just sitting there doing nothing but looking pretty.

This sign further illustrates why I prefer 1" PVC for signs. The material can actually take a bolt/screw and if it dropped like that HDU sign, it would be damaged, but not absolutely destroyed.

Also two other things. Unless you're buying high density (30lb or higher) Precision Board is the lesser brand when it comes to HDU. Duna and Sign Foam 4 are the superior products. Lastly, avoid clear coats if you can. I've been recommended Modern Master's clear coat as something that works well. Otherwise I've heard nothing but bad things unless you're talking about "automotive" paints, which I doubt you're using.

 

[signage]

Would not blame that on the precision board.
Did you really expect a screw eye into a thin piece of cheap foam to hold up blowing in the wind?
Problem was not with the material.
The problem was with your choice of install technique.

I also agree 110%, Also not the customers fault you did not design correctly for the way it was to be displayed. It was your responsibility to find out how it was to be displayed/hung!

 

[striper14]

I dont mind that sign apart from the top of the horses neck anyway...pre damage of course...at least there was time for the cheque to clear..but i guess you have to fix it anyway. I've never used that material but a small part of me would like to get involved in routing & cnc...but maybe i'll just stick with vehicles...

did the customer also give you the design & specify the material & basically tell you the price as well ? i've got a couple like that ...i usually double what they tell me then let them negotiate to the right price..its fun

 

[ams]

I dont mind that sign apart from the top of the horses neck anyway...pre damage of course...at least there was time for the cheque to clear..but i guess you have to fix it anyway. I've never used that material but a small part of me would like to get involved in routing & cnc...but maybe i'll just stick with vehicles...

did the customer also give you the design & specify the material & basically tell you the price as well ? i've got a couple like that ...i usually double what they tell me then let them negotiate to the right price..its fun

The customer gave a picture of her old photo and wanted one like it, I spiced it up a little bit from what she has. I was the one who suggested the material. Never done one out of PB before.

 

[bob]

I dont mind that sign apart from the top of the horses neck anyway...

That's the one part of the sign that's correct. The animal in the silhouette has a mane and this is a particularly nice portrayal of same. If the silhouette had an uninterrupted curve representing a neck then it would be more a symbolic horse icon than an actual animal. The rest of the sign is a typographic disaster.

 

[CanuckSigns]

The customer gave a picture of her old photo and wanted one like it, I spiced it up a little bit from what she has. I was the one who suggested the material. Never done one out of PB before.

Why would you suggest sign foam for a hanging sign without using some type of structure be added? for your application you have 2 options really:

1) use 2 pieces of foam and glue them together to make a double sided sign, but before you do, weld up a simple frame from aluminum and sandwich it between the 2 pieces of foam (you will have to hog out the back side of each piece to accommodate the metal frame) you now have a structural element to attach your eye bolts to.

2) using metal flat bar, weld a frame that goes completely around the perimeter of the sign, attach your eye bolts to this.

Option 1 looks nicer.

 

[2B]

this is entirely on you, chalk this up to a learning curve and remember what you learned from this.
There are some VERY valid ideas on how to make a sign like this.

remake the entire sign, free of charge and correctly this time, and tell the customer sorry for the hassle

 

[decalman]

Red and black are usually out of harmony with each other. I never mix red and black.
Now look whats happened.!

 

[ams]

Why would you suggest sign foam for a hanging sign without using some type of structure be added? for your application you have 2 options really:

1) use 2 pieces of foam and glue them together to make a double sided sign, but before you do, weld up a simple frame from aluminum and sandwich it between the 2 pieces of foam (you will have to hog out the back side of each piece to accommodate the metal frame) you now have a structural element to attach your eye bolts to.

2) using metal flat bar, weld a frame that goes completely around the perimeter of the sign, attach your eye bolts to this.

Option 1 looks nicer.

Because it was my first time ever doing one of these signs. You learn by your mistakes.

 

[ams]

this is entirely on you, chalk this up to a learning curve and remember what you learned from this.
There are some VERY valid ideas on how to make a sign like this.

remake the entire sign, free of charge and correctly this time, and tell the customer sorry for the hassle

My supplier of PB and the one who routed it has agreed to redo it over for free. So I will only be out of labor of painting it.
I agree that it's my fault because I didn't know how to properly mount it. However they said they wanted to help make this
a positive experience so that I keep using it in the future.

 

[Zac]

My supplier of PB and the one who routed it has agreed to redo it over for free. So I will only be out of labor of painting it.
I agree that it's my fault because I didn't know how to properly mount it. However they said they wanted to help make this
a positive experience so that I keep using it in the future.

May the sign gods continue to shine their light down upon you! Could have cost a lot more for sure.

 

[David Wright]

It is great what your supplier is doing and will take the sting out of this whole episode.
Now you have much more knowledge do go with bad experience.'

We all have these, most just don't post about them.

 

[synergy_jim]

Like this....

And we also exclusively use 30lb on any swinging sign. It takes a beating.

 

[David Wright]

Like this....

And we also exclusively use 30lb on any swinging sign. It takes a beating.

Very Nice! I wonder what color you are going to paint it.