Stick-on Letters

[3Dsigns]

No, not them kind of stick on letters. I drilled holes in the main panel and the backs of these HDU letters with a 1/8'' bit on the CNC, then cut the studs out of some 1/4'' pop rivets, They were a very snug fit so the letters are aligned perfectly. I sprayed Sherwyn Williams Industrial acrylic on the letters and panel. Now I want to glue them on. Would you use gorilla glue? I thought about silicone but would GG hold better and last longer? Thanks

 

[unclebun]

With studs you usually use silicone so that the letter can be removed if necessary to repair a damaged letter or to repaint.

 

[MikePro]

GG should be fine, but use wisely as it will expand and foam-out from the bottom of the letter if you put too much on, while also making sure you put some weight on the letters while it cures to make sure it doesn't pop-out the letter while its expanding.

i love using silicone for adhesive at times, but when you smoosh it flat it loses all its strength. which is why i usually only pair silicone with vhb which allows for a slight gap for the silicone to be a "thicker pickle" of adhesive.

 

[Gino]

Looks nice.

 

[gnubler]

It does look nice. Beautiful work there.
With my nightmare HDU project last year I used studs along with Loctite PL Premium construction adhesive. I did a bunch of research and this was the type of adhesive recommended to use on HDU. (I was gluing the HDU to a wood backer)

The Youtube channel Signs By Van has a lot of helpful videos about putting HDU signs together.

 

[Billct2]

I'd use Lexel

 

[JBurton]

Lexel or GE silicone II
Are these steel rivets? Next time, just buy some threaded studs. You get a whole lot more grip with threads, you can order Westrim 2"x3/16" studs from tons of distributors, precut, and aluminum for corrosion resistance.

 

[3Dsigns]

Ok, I did it with some Lexel. I figured GG would do fine but, the thought of that stuff expanding out from the sides was gripping my heart with fear.

 

[JBurton]

the thought of that stuff expanding out from the sides was gripping my heart with fear.

As it should, expanding adhesives are the worst! Nothing beats a clear adhesive, but pro tip, if you get some where you don't want it, don't panic, let it dry, then it will come off with a little bit of force, potentially pulling a paint chip or two. That is much better to the alternative of grabbing a rag and rubbing it while it's still wet, which rubs the silicone (lexel, what have ya) into a thin film that will distort the finish on a typical painted drywall, and it will never come off without a sand and repaint, much worse than a little touch up on small areas.

 

[3Dsigns]

Ok, I see the warning about steel rivets. Too late. I do have a bunch of the threaded studs left over from Gemini letter jobs. I'll do the other side with those. Dang.

 

[JBurton]

Ok, I see the warning about steel rivets. Too late. I do have a bunch of the threaded studs left over from Gemini letter jobs. I'll do the other side with those. Dang.

You should be fine if they are stainless, or at least if you gobbed enough lexel around them. It'll take quite a while for zinc coated to start rusting unless you accidentally made the letters act like a 'bath' to keep them wet for an extended duration, but in that case I'd be more concerned about it freezing and popping the letters off. FL probably has different concerns...

 

[3Dsigns]

As it should, expanding adhesives are the worst! Nothing beats a clear adhesive, but pro tip, if you get some where you don't want it, don't panic, let it dry, then it will come off with a little bit of force, potentially pulling a paint chip or two. That is much better to the alternative of grabbing a rag and rubbing it while it's still wet, which rubs the silicone (lexel, what have ya) into a thin film that will distort the finish on a typical painted drywall, and it will never come off without a sand and repaint, much worse than a little touch up on small areas.

Ok, that makes sense. What about my stupid mistake on the rivets. I could just about cry. They said "aluminum" on the box, but I checked one of the stems with a magnet and they're steel. I used a double row of adhesive on all the letters except the "I's" and the smaller "Inc" at the bottom. So the rivets are enclosed by adhesive on most of the letters. But am I going to have a problem of them rusting and streaking this sign sooner or later? I tried pulling up a couple of letters bet they are stuck fast. That stuff works quick.

 

[JBurton]

But am I going to have a problem of them rusting and streaking this sign sooner or later?

Later. I wouldn't tear it down or toss it over some embedded steel, at most I'd take a close look along the seams where the letters flush to the panel and see if you spot any gaps, take an exact or small spudger tool of sorts and kindly work some lexel in there, and don't sweat it. If the lexel is too different a finish from the paint, just use some paint to do the sealing. But really, the hardest part of any 'big' exterior project is letting the little things go.
If you really want an idea of how long it will take to fail, take a piece of scrap foam, mount it to another just like you did here with the rivets and lexel, and keep it outside your shop facing South. If you see it start to streak rust, you may want to swing by the sign location, but in all likelihood, you'll get tired of it and toss it in a year or two without ever seeing rust.

 

[3Dsigns]

Later. I wouldn't tear it down or toss it over some embedded steel, at most I'd take a close look along the seams where the letters flush to the panel and see if you spot any gaps, take an exact or small spudger tool of sorts and kindly work some lexel in there, and don't sweat it. If the lexel is too different a finish from the paint, just use some paint to do the sealing. But really, the hardest part of any 'big' exterior project is letting the little things go.
If you really want an idea of how long it will take to fail, take a piece of scrap foam, mount it to another just like you did here with the rivets and lexel, and keep it outside your shop facing South. If you see it start to streak rust, you may want to swing by the sign location, but in all likelihood, you'll get tired of it and toss it in a year or two without ever seeing rust.

Thank you, that will help me sleep better tonight. But I'm using the Gemini threaded studs on the other side tomorrow.