Any sign people around?

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Haynie

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May 20, 2011
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Page Arizona
I need 3 sheets of translucent white 1/8 inch plexi or acrylic. The local guy quoted me $220.65 per sheet. :eek: then was offended when I laughed.

Got to be a cheaper way to do this. Do any of you order from a good online place?
 
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I need 4x8 feet and I have found prices on the net for less than half that amount but I don't know of a reputable place. They insisted on selling it to me based on square foot instead of whole sheet.

Maybe it is a god price but I have a hard time believing it.
 
Haynie said:
I need 4x8 feet and I have found prices on the net for less than half that amount but I don't know of a reputable place. They insisted on selling it to me based on square foot instead of whole sheet.

Maybe it is a god price but I have a hard time believing it.
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I don't think your UPS man will be happy on delivery day!!!
 
Haynie said:
I need 3 sheets of translucent white 1/8 inch plexi or acrylic. The local guy quoted me $220.65 per sheet. :eek: then was offended when I laughed.

Got to be a cheaper way to do this. Do any of you order from a good online place?
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The price is about the same here in Portland. Be careful with shipping if you order on line. Good places will ship it on a pallet as there is a very good chance it will get broken if shipped as a flat pack. Most places will also charge a $50 pallet fee.
 
If you have to have it shipped by truck instead of UPS because 4 x 8 is too big for UPS, the cost of shipping could be substantial. Especially if you are shipping to a residence.

I use Interstate Plastics for online purchases and have been very satisfied. But if I were sourcing 4x8 sheets, I would buy local.

How about casting your own PR sheets? It would be about 3 gallons of resin per sheet, so maybe $110 + shipping + mold expense + ???.....maybe not such a good idea. :biggrin:

Ed
 
Never heard of coroplast. I assume what we have a sign backer for the business is plexi. Any idea how Coroplast handles UV? We get a lot of it here.

Since we are not fixing boats anymore I have decided to take down all of the boat repair signage, Plus Mercury Marine Told me 2 years ago that I had to remove the signs, but I can't leave the bulbs exposed. I also need to fill in blank sign frames to protect the bulbs. The Mercury Marine Sign is 6 foot square, the Volvo Penta sign is 3 foot by 6 and I have 4, 6 foot long, store signs to fill. Lots of plastic, and I am cheap.
 
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Haynie said:
Never heard of coroplast. I assume what we have a sign backer for the business is plexi. Any idea how Coroplast handles UV? We get a lot of it here.

Since we are not fixing boats anymore I have decided to take down all of the boat repair signage, Plus Mercury Marine Told me 2 years ago that I had to remove the signs, but I can't leave the bulbs exposed. I also need to fill in blank sign frames to protect the bulbs. The Mercury Marine Sign is 6 foot square, the Volvo Penta sign is 3 foot by 6 and I have 4, 6 foot long, store signs to fill. Lots of plastic, and I am cheap.
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If you want or need a lit sign you will probably need acrylic as a backer. If you can do without the backlights it might be cheaper to just have printed or applied vinyl signs made.
 
Can you not just reverse the signs and paint the back side to match your metal framework?

At least until you can find a decent price on replacement panels.
 
Walk into your local DYI/big box and check the price.

Then be ready to call and make an apology.....what you are asking for isn't cheap.
(You get what you pay for)

I know.......I was dumb founded also, when I was looking to make a shield for safety.
 
If you are just looking for something to cover up the lights. I would check out sign companies. Many of them have bone yards out back and may be willing to sell you an old sign face. Then just spray paint it to match the building. Speaking of spray paint could you just paint the faces that you have and keep the corporate suits off your back?
 
Thought about just painting the signs but when the lights are on it would still show. I then decided I could use the space as a sign for the storage side of the business. I have found the sheets and can get them cheaper than the local guy even with the shipping. Still a high price though.
 
Ahh... Backlighting won't work with colorplast. (and most of it is good for about 2 years outside)... So your still looking at more expensive materials.
 
I want the lit sign as advertisement for storage spaces and houseboat storage. I need to quit being a cheap SOB.
 
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Haynie said:
Thought about just painting the signs but when the lights are on it would still show. I then decided I could use the space as a sign for the storage side of the business. I have found the sheets and can get them cheaper than the local guy even with the shipping. Still a high price though.
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I was in the sign business for 35 years, that's where I got hurt when the crane truck broke and sent me crashing to the ground.

There should be a breaker you can turn off, if not then there will be a box at the bottom of the pole, just unhook the wires.

I would re-think using 1/8" plex, most if not all signs are made with 3/16", 1/8" will blow out in the high winds where you live.

If the plastic in the sign is flat and not formed then your best bet would be to turn it around and disconnect the wires...at least that's what I would do.
 
Like Rick, I was in the sign business for almost 39 years. The info about polycarbonite (i.e. "Lexan") is spot-on if you are concerned about potential vandalism or high wind debris protection, but is very expensive initially. Your better grades of acrylic and Plexi will contain more UV protection properties, but again will cost more. The only way I know of to use thinner materials and resist wind blow-out is to install a back grid of wire or mesh to reinforce the face; this, of course, will not work if the sign is backlit. I might suggest, if your sign frame position is low enough and close enough to your viewer's street vantage point, to use reflective vinyl lettering on a stabilized wood or anodized aluminum sign face. These substrates are not cheap, but IMHO, comparable to high-grade plastics. The advantage is that these faces are more impact resistant, last longer, and the retro-reflective lettering will utilize other light sources, such as oncoming vehicle headlights, to "punch" out the copy for legibility without depending on an internal light source. I apologize for the length of this message, just thought it might be another way.
 
You folks have definitely given me some things to think about. I honestly never thought there was so much involved in signs. I had not thought about reflective letters on a hard substrate. That could be smart way to go. The ideas are churning and I will show folks what I come up with. I still need the 6 foot by 1 foot sections. Those are essential, but the big ones don't have to be

Now I need a source for reflective vinyl letters. Off to search the net. I think that crazy british guy who etches his pens had a suggestion on his website about such a thing.
 
As an additional comment re: reflective lettering, that form of sign copy was my mainstay system because I made mainly traffic control signs for various local gov't entities. My sources for reflective vinyl films were restricted to gov't entities per se. However, may I suggest this: go to a local sign fabrication shop, i.e. "Fastsigns" , and consult with them about this kind of copy. These shops use the same type of computer-aided letter cutting machines I did. They will assist you in proper copy layout, and quote you on cutting and pre-spacing the copy for you. This feature takes the hard stuff off your hands. All you will have to do is prep your sign blank(s) for the copy, do your alignment "tick marks", and apply your copy. You will end up with a long-life professional looking sign that does not require electrical maintenance, but will be visible to your oncoming traffic folks via their headlights.
 
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