Originally Posted by
Cgav34
Well, I was going to go the route of the 1"x12"x18" HDPE. Found some stone textured spray paint and was going to paint the letters and graphics black...kind of a faux stone marker.
Did a couple test carves on 1/2" MDF (painted with the stone texture) to get the carving depths of the graphics right. Went to carve the PVC, but some of the text barely even scratched the surface, not even enough to be seen in some spots. Since I can't change the depth of the text without resizing it, which isn't an option, any ideas what might have caused it? Dull bits maybe? Looked great on the MDF.
Since the MDF turned out pretty good, I'm rolling with that until I can get her a more permanent solution. I cut a block, that I'll liquid nails to the back of the carving, that has two holes drilled at 30 degrees that accept a couple metal stakes for placing in the ground, to keep the MDF up off the ground. I'm loading everything up with 3-4 layers of Minwax pro-series spar-urethane. Hoping it will last long enough until I can get something a little more durable for her.