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- 429
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- Encinitas, CA
We have been working with a new healthcare client providing art, framing and installation services. The project manager asked if I could install a sign for them that was originally up at a prior location. Since it is well within my capabilities - and is really no different than installing a complex piece of sculpture, I agreed. My goal is to be the "go to" resource for this firm.
The original sign was fabricated from 1/4" Aluminum and painted a metallic gold. The sign had been installed using aluminum studs that were bent when removing the old sign and some were missing. To "float" the letters off the wall, the original installer used large blobs of silicone, that when dry, provided a firm support.
To me, the original method was way too messy so I tapped out the old stud holes using a "bottoming tap" since the holes were not drilled all the way through. A conventional tap would not allow me to cut enough threads in a shallow hole. I used 10-24 x 1-1/4" set screws as "studs" and used nylon standoffs that were 3/8" diameter and 1/4" tall. That way all of the letters would be the same distance off the wall and there was a surface area for small dabs of silicone to hold.
Here is one of the letters showing the "bottom tap" and the threaded hole for the stud.
Then we added the set screw we used as a stud. I like being able to drive the screw with an allen wrench.
The standoff is added.
The first challenge was to create a "pounce" pattern so I would know where to put the holes for the standoffs. This was done by carefully lining up all the letters in the correct orientation while lying on a piece of drafting tracing paper. Then each letter was carefully traced in the exact position. The letters were then reversed and the location of the center of hole on the back of each letter was referenced. Now I had a layout of the whole sign, plus the location of all the holes for the studs.
Once the client approved the location of the sign, we carefully aligned the drawing to the wall and began punching holes through the tissue corresponding to the stud locations.
We drilled the proper diameter hole for the studs, applied a small dab of silicone to each stud and pressed them into the wall. The "registration" symbol was made from plastic letters painted to match the sign. We used a sheet of UHB adhesive, applied it to the back of the symbol and traced around the symbol inside and out with a very sharp, pointed x-acto knife. This left a perfectly applied amount of non-oozing but very aggressive adhesive on the symbol.
When dry, we cleaned up the sign.
The original sign was fabricated from 1/4" Aluminum and painted a metallic gold. The sign had been installed using aluminum studs that were bent when removing the old sign and some were missing. To "float" the letters off the wall, the original installer used large blobs of silicone, that when dry, provided a firm support.
To me, the original method was way too messy so I tapped out the old stud holes using a "bottoming tap" since the holes were not drilled all the way through. A conventional tap would not allow me to cut enough threads in a shallow hole. I used 10-24 x 1-1/4" set screws as "studs" and used nylon standoffs that were 3/8" diameter and 1/4" tall. That way all of the letters would be the same distance off the wall and there was a surface area for small dabs of silicone to hold.
Here is one of the letters showing the "bottom tap" and the threaded hole for the stud.
Then we added the set screw we used as a stud. I like being able to drive the screw with an allen wrench.
The standoff is added.
The first challenge was to create a "pounce" pattern so I would know where to put the holes for the standoffs. This was done by carefully lining up all the letters in the correct orientation while lying on a piece of drafting tracing paper. Then each letter was carefully traced in the exact position. The letters were then reversed and the location of the center of hole on the back of each letter was referenced. Now I had a layout of the whole sign, plus the location of all the holes for the studs.
Once the client approved the location of the sign, we carefully aligned the drawing to the wall and began punching holes through the tissue corresponding to the stud locations.
We drilled the proper diameter hole for the studs, applied a small dab of silicone to each stud and pressed them into the wall. The "registration" symbol was made from plastic letters painted to match the sign. We used a sheet of UHB adhesive, applied it to the back of the symbol and traced around the symbol inside and out with a very sharp, pointed x-acto knife. This left a perfectly applied amount of non-oozing but very aggressive adhesive on the symbol.
When dry, we cleaned up the sign.
