sign-blog

Copeland Institute coming together

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:26:25 +0100

A retreat center outside of Estes Park approached us several months ago about a sign... and after addressing the sign code in Boulder County (!) and the required red tape, this sign has been coming along exactly as planned. The sign will be installed by the customer, so all we have to do is build, assemble and deliver!

Our favorite part- building!

We should be delivering this sign tomorrow (5/16)- this is how it's been developing:

In the rough cut stage of routing, this sign was a little longer than our router bed (which is 60" x 60"). That's no problem though, we'll just set up a registration tab and pull the material through when it's half complete.

Now half completed, the material has been moved off of the table to line up the small tabs you can see at the edge of the routed area. The second file will now be run and will joint the two halves in one continuous piece.

A close up of the outline of the tab that was added to the edge of the sign (and later removed). This shows the .01 deep cut into the waste board that gives us the correct location to pull the sign material through, to. Confusing? It always makes me scratch my head as I triple check measurements and the overall plan- since at this stage of pull through, we have about $650 on the line and about 7 hours of routing complete so far. Even 1/4" off could cause us to start over.

Success! Yes, it is dark outside... sometimes these projects take all day and into the night.

On to paint: It's hard to imagine that this panel will actually finish quite dark; the plum background will enrich the black as it's finished and decorated with copper. Wait and see!

Finishing a large panel is a two-man operation, as Trevor applies a coat of paint wash that will give depth and enhance the texture of the face, and I follow along and remove most but not all of that coat. The result is a scheme that brings out the character of the sign and changes a plain-jane-single-color finish to an artistic spectacle.

Next, we'll finish with the 4th coat of paint and fabricate the steel frame (today!) anticipating the delivery of this sign tomorrow....

Ah, the schedule is working

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:43:19 +0100

Out with the old - a 4" thick sandblasted panel (heavy load!)...

..and in with the new Feed Store signs

So for 20 years, I have calculated delivery dates by estimating how long it would take me to get through the stack of projects in Production. For about 19 years I have thought that a new scheduling approach would be good, and finally, it is!

Last week was the first week of working off of the master schedule, which sets specific days and time frames for completing work, and allows specific delivery dates (or pretty close) for customers.

I like deadlines, and I think this approach is going to work. So last week, staring with the Generations Salon delivery last Friday, we hammered out work on the Copeland Institute (series of images coming soon), VOWS wedding store, Estes Park Feed Supply and a handful of small projects sprinkled in. Great sense of accomplishment as many signs went out the door, and the work inside moved along smoothly.

Anything but normal, the Feed Store bathroom signs will not only meet ADA with Braille lettering, but have a cool 'wood' frame (it's really HDU). Angela is taking that store First Class all the way.

Meila is by far my number one family helper. She always wants to paint, and priming is a good stage for her to help with that... so we're priming the Feed Store bathroom signs.

With a couple of paint coats, the signs begin to take on some character. Next, silver rivet heads, then the ADA compliant sign faces.

The schedule did have me in the shop over the weekend applying multiple quick paint coats, but I look at it as if I gained 2 days for a small amount of time to paint.

This morning I laid the 23kt gold on the star that represents the Fairy Godmother-touch of the wedding store owner- a classy gold final touch! (That sign will deliver tomorrow)

Now, back to the schedule- Mondays are for admin and estimates....

Plotting the installation of the Big Gem on the VOWS sign. It'll be the biggest rock in town

Laying down 23kt gold on the sign face- sparkle factor 10.

Another marathon routing session

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:47:44 +0100

Just 30 minutes into the project, the router is roughing out the design.

The fire radio went off at 430am the other morning, then we were canceled just after I got dressed- so then the decision: Get undressed and back in bed and think about what there is to do today and not get back to sleep? ... or just get started on the day?

I sat down at the 'Nerve Center' to finalize the router programming for the Vows wedding store sign, and then started up the trusty MultiCam router. By 630am the router was cutting away at the sign, and would keep going until 10pm. The machine makes 2 passes essentially, the first with a 1/4" wide bit that removes most of the material that will reveal the design- then the 1/8" ball nose bit that takes the remaining material away and shows the finely detailed 3D design. The first bit overlaps 10%, and moves pretty quickly- the second bit overlaps each pass by 85%, and takes-- a long time to get it's job done.

In the end, the sign is revealed, and next we'll create the oversized ring that will support the giant gem, and we can start painting.

The lettering magically appears as the router passes back and forth over the surface, this is the rough stage with the ridges visible around the face of the sign.

Getting a 2 pound diamond to fit into a sign

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:24:00 +0100

That is a big Diamond. We'll fit the sign around it.

If it was really a diamond that weighed 2 pounds, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation! The business owner provided a glass gem to fit her Wedding Store sign, that will be carved Sign Foam (HDU). The ring will jut out of the face of the sign, and it will be another showcase sign project.....

For this project, we'll fit the stone that was provided into the ring setting and bring some bling to this storefront- this is one of many favorite parts of building a sign- expressing what's in my head via the EnRoute software that will translate ideas into 3D carving on the MultiCam router.

The store is already open, so we're hustling to get this sign carved, painted and on the wall... stay tuned

This is where you'll find me so many hours every day- from book keeping to setting up the CNC router, you could call it the nerve center...

The best view of a sign

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 21:00:55 +0100

... is the one we see, as the sign is being installed!

Although I'm sad to have it leave the shop (we sold a couple of jobs by showing off the finish of this sign in the shop), it's time to get pushed out of the nest and fly by itself... The Generations Salon sign is up and working hard- the silver text face was a perfect choice for this generally shady spot, as the metallic letter face now takes the light from the sky and results in brilliant, easy to read message from the street several hundred feet away. Close up it's detailed and 'arty'.

Nice sign. Nice customer- the story of my life (and we appreciate that every day).

On to the next chapter!

The right way to start a Monday morning:

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 14:01:27 +0100

With the second coat of lettering being painted today, the steel frame complete this week, we should have this sign on the wall by Friday!

Paint a set of letters. Second coat, on the home stretch, should be on the wall this week.

Spring has sprung, and the sign market is hopping. Can't wait for the truck to deliver on Thursday (our small town gets one delivery a week of sign supplies), so I'm headed to Denver today on a supply run, and back for soccer late this afternoon, then back to work after dinner.... I once heard someone describe being self employed this way:

"Unlimited wealth potential, make your own schedule, and work half days- every day".

He was mostly right, except that part about the income & schedule... and we can choose which half day to work- the first 12 hours, or the second 12 hours. Ha!

Simple House Sign?

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 17:19:30 +0100

Nothing is simple.

Take for instance when someone calls up and asks: "How much for a sign with our name on it that is about 20" wide?"

That generally translates into 2 hours of discussion through multiple phone calls and emails, and a budget of $50. No disrespect intended to potential house name customers, but we just can't make a sign for $50 that will be outdoor durable, look exactly the way you imagine it, consult for a couple of hours and meet your budget constraints.

A couple of weeks ago a gentleman called and said that he needed a house sign, looked at examples of signs we had previously made, considered the cost of those signs and offered a couple of things that he would like to see on the sign, then said "Go ahead". That was it.

I emailed a layout for his review the next week, he made one change: make it 2" smaller, and the sign went into production.

Sometimes the simplest concepts are the hardest, and the potentially difficult projects turn out to flow the smoothest.

We have a handful of house signs in the works right now, so we don't think they are evil, as long as customers come in with realistic expectations... Maybe I'm just getting older and don't want to rout a single line of text on a plain piece of pine then slap a coat of polyurethane on the face to 'keep it nice'.

I think we're safe to say we just want to make nice signs, and go with that plan.

Our Multicam CNC router is the perfect employee: works long hours, doesn't make mistakes on it's own (those are my programming mistakes when they happen), and doesn't take breaks. This view is after the rough pass that begins to reveal the shape of the dimensional house sign that I mentioned above. Setup and rough cutting took about 45 minutes so far.

...after the finish pass (and 6 hours later) the sign is ready to be glued up with the sides and backer that will give us a place to attach the welded bracket. From raw material to a paintable sign (thanks to the CNC router) can be accomplished in about 2 days with drying time.

We base our schedule on the Colorado weather

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 20:25:35 +0100

The wind picked up, so this inside school bus job was well timed (shorts on for warm weather outside).

We don't have cable or satellite TV... haven't since Trevor was a wee lad, about 16 years ago... so we get a weather forecast if we go out looking for it, but generally start the day with a look outside to see what we'll be doing that day- work wise.

There's always plenty to do inside and outside, but I'm more careful about planning things outside since so many aspects are temperature sensitive (paint, vinyl application, my attitude, etc).

Last week Friday came along and panned out to be a great day to do some outside work- completed a fire truck and school bus, then moved inside for another layer of paint on the Generations Salon sign- which we hope to deliver this week.

What will we do today? Check the weather, then check the list of 'outside jobs' if the sun is on our side. Today, it's nice to have inside work, but my shorts are ready to come out full time. Soon.

No sweating, no freezing- just perfect. And no tourists affecting my quick trips into town and to see customers. In just a few weeks we'll be planning trips carefully to avoid traffic jams and be able to park street-side for installations.

Second coat of latex paint, moving onto washes and some real depth for this artistic beauty.

Read between the lines to see the beauty

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 03:58:53 +0100

Standing tall among the other auction lots, the Dodge D400 'tow truck' was admired by many, but would be driven home by one man and his children (with wife following just in case)

Ah, an auction in the big city.

The sweet smell of the Platte River, the rumble of an occasional coal train rolling by, the chatter of the auctioneer. The temptation of a once-in-a-lifetime deal keeps us around for the entire auction. A couple of things caught our eye, although they will probably be the last 2 things to sell. Always happens that way.

We bought an air hockey table - as part of a master plan to create an attractive place for kids to hang out... Our secret agenda is to attract their friends, and in turn, trick our kids to be where we know they are making good decisions, and having fun. There was no way that the air hockey table would fit into the van, and would get more expensive if we left it there to pick up another day (storage fees). I joked with Kelly that we should bid on a truck that would be able to haul the air hockey table home....

Well, there was this one truck that caught my eye when I was browsing the brochure online before we made the trip to Denver- and we would end up driving it home.

With an air hockey table strapped to the back.

This 1970 Dodge truck looks like a distant cousin to the Cars-famed tow truck: Tow-Mater, but isn't quite that cool. It is, very nice.

Look past the tow hoist on the back end. Pay attention to the 8' x 10' flatbed, or the 360ci motor, or the dual rear wheels, the heavy duty suspension, the sharp paint job..... One day this will represent us well as a delivery truck- but I'm getting ahead of myself.

First, we must get it home to Estes Park ( about 70 miles).

Then, we'll have to remove and sell the tow hoist.

Finally, the transformation will begin, and one day it will graduate to a sign truck?

Stay tuned.

Hm, what should we name this beauty?

Preparing to be loaded with the air hockey table via a fork lift, the truck is now on our side: a new family, a new life.

Business Inspiration thanks to Harry Potter

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 14:02:57 +0100

Ethan has a project to report on his latest read for language arts at the middle school, and he has chosen the 'News Report' project. He'll report on a few key points from the Harry Potter book he just completed.

We could take a shot with the beautiful evergreen trees in the back yard, or go across the street and use the Continental Divide as a backdrop- or even paint a scene from the book as a backdrop and then edit in MovieMaker... but wait!

A little light comes on that reminds us that our friends that own the local newspaper (The Estes Park News) do a cool 5 minute news report every week on their website, and have developed a studio in their office to make it look great. They use blue screen technology to utilize any backdrop on earth, right from their little studio.

Gary adjusts the HD camera and checks the teleprompter that Ethan will read from while looking right at the camera.

While Ethan sits in front of the blue screen, Gary checks the sound from the wireless mic, and Kris prepares to roll the script on the teleprompter screen. In editing, the image of choice will be combined with Ethan's video, and will take the place of the blue background. His collar was pretty close in color to the background, so if you look closely, you can see grass showing through around Ethan's neck during the playback.

Gary walks us through the entire editing process, saving, converting, importing and finishing this story with well-practiced finesse.

Gary was nice enough not to hang up on me when I called to make Ethan's case for some studio time with a related backdrop.

Not only did Kris and Gary set record Ethan giving his newscast, but Kris typed and edited the script with Ethan, Gary took time out of the middle of the day to edit with Ethan, and VOILA! The finished report is ready to go to school- and it's ON TIME!

I tell the kids that it's better to be a leader and set an example for others. Not to complain, to be positive and if others see what you're doing they will follow along and the world will be a better place, right?

The Hazelton's have a pretty good grasp of this concept, and it was refreshing for me too, to see what it means to lead by example. They took a couple of hours out of their busy day to lend Ethan a hand, and that gesture will hopefully go beyond a cool newscast on a flash drive. By working together our community can raise our children, and this was a perfect example of just that.

Thanks, Kris and Gary for the life lesson, and for leading by example in your business and lives. We notice, and continue to appreciate it.

** Copy these links to your address bar and check out the videos:

Watch Ethan's video news report:
http://youtu.be/6lBNLIvX6tM

Check out the Estes Park News for this week:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfK4AydedNI&list=UUEMzVQ9Bb9_grHEfQNQeQhA&index=1&feature=plcp