Sign painting help

[CraigR]

I just took on a big job re-doing all the signs in a campground. They will be all done using centerline and a 90deg bit on pine. I did one and painted it then painted the lettering by hand and it took forever to do so my question is: Is there a fast way to paint lettering? I read someplace to use clear shelf paper and stick it to a board then cut, then paint the lettering then pull it off well that didn't work so well. The paper got chewed on a few parts and then the paint bled under it. Any ideas??

[ChrisAlb]

The easiest way I know is carve it, paint the letters then sand the surface to clean off any slop. The apply stain (if you are) with a rag so it doesn't get in the letters. I do one clear coat, then touch up the letters if needed then finish clear coats.

I don't think there's any really "fast" way but that's the easiest for me.

[CraigR]

Sure would be nice to have a planer to run them through after painting the letters.

[Ken Massingale]

The clear shelf paper works 'good' for me.
I use the clear adhesive backed shelf paper from Walmart and use as follows.

Paint the board with the foreground color and let dry completely

Apply the shelf paper, start at the center and use a hard rubber roller and roll outward from the center to the sides and ends. make certain that there are no air pockets. then roll some more with good pressure.

Carve

Remove from Carvewright and roll again, check around letters for raised paper.

Used an rattle can (aerosol) primer, interior or exterior as needed, let dry. I like Rustoleum.

Use Rustolem rattle can paint and paint the letters. (Applying liquid paint is more likely to get under the adhesive.) and let dry, apply coats as needed.

When absolutely dry, peel off the shelf paper.


This pic is of a 24 by 14 sign with no hand detailing dome. It's not perfect from 3" away, but almost ready to install.

Edit: Your stock must be smooth. If it is rough the paper is obviously not going to seal tightly. So this method is not suitable for rustic signs. If the foreground is to be natural, as Chris said, carve, paint the letters as sloppy as you want, then sand or plane the board slightly to remove the paint outside the carvings,

14154

[ChrisAlb]

That's great tip Ken Thanks! Does it work well for small letters too? That sign seem rather large.

Yea, I wish I had a planner too...lol Belt and palm sander for me. Al has a thickness sander he says works great.

[CraigR]

That might work Ken except they want special (mixed) colors for them and I can't get it in a spray can. For any small detail like the dot over the I the paper twisted up for me.

[Ken Massingale]

That's great tip Ken Thanks! Does it work well for small letters too? That sign seem rather large.

Yea, I wish I had a planner too...lol Belt and palm sander for me. Al has a thickness sander he says works great.
Hey Chris,
The tips of the letters in Nancy King are 1/16-1/8" wide, and actually I've had less under flow there than on the wider parts of the letters.
The keys are roll, roll and roll hard and that the initial foreground paint is fairly smooth.

You're not so bad off with out a planer or drum sander, my friend. Unless it's a large piece I reach for the reliable Dewalt ROS.

[ChrisAlb]

WOW...lol...BIG picture then...lol. I'll have to try that for sure! THANKS!

[Ken Massingale]

That might work Ken except they want special (mixed) colors for them and I can't get it in a spray can. For any small detail like the dot over the I the paper twisted up for me.
Craig,
For those cases (the foreground color in the pic I posted is a special SW mix) I highly recommend this:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/photos/44600-44699/44677.gif


from Harbor Freight (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=44677)

and here's a 15% off coupon (http://www.harborfreightusa.com/html/reconfirmation/coupon3.html) to make it sweeter. The HVLP sprayer is easier to use than a rattle can.

I had issues with the first 2 rolls of shelf paper. I now use Con-tact brand clear Decorative Treatment from Walmart. It's stickier and thicker than the paper type. this stuff is very thick and sticky like fly paper.

[CraigR]

Thats cool, I have a Harbor Freight store in town. I was thinking of using my Wagner power sprayer but I hate that thing. I did one better (I think) I just ordered a roll of clear sign vinyl off eBay I think this might stick better. Here is a link to what I'm talking about.
http://cgi.ebay.com/12-CLEAR-Sign-Vinyl-Cutter-PLOTTER-Laminate-LOGOs_W0QQitemZ180268631311QQihZ008QQcategoryZ4674 1QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Ken Massingale]

Thats cool, I have a Harbor Freight store in town. I was thinking of using my Wagner power sprayer but I hate that thing. I did one better (I think) I just ordered a roll of clear sign vinyl off eBay I think this might stick better. Here is a link to what I'm talking about.
http://cgi.ebay.com/12-CLEAR-Sign-Vinyl-Cutter-PLOTTER-Laminate-LOGOs_W0QQitemZ180268631311QQihZ008QQcategoryZ4674 1QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
That looks like it should work good. The thickness is about the same as the Con-tact brand. BTW, the Con-tact at Walmart is around $2.

[cnsranch]

I tried shelf paper - didn't adhere. Used some 2" clear packing tape on poplar, held well, stayed well when carved with C Line - tape's pretty thin. I'd recommend it.

[Ken Massingale]

CNS, the paper stuff didn't work for me either. I did try packing tape after seeing that it worked for you in a previous post. But when using it on a painted surface it wanted to pull the paint off in places. The clear stuff seems to work best for me.
If the foreground is to be natural I don't use anything, just sand off any slop, then clear finish.

[CraigR]

tried sanding but it seems with soft pine the paint really soaked in. Is there a product that maybe seals the wood a little before painting and is clear? That way it would not soak in.

[ChrisAlb]

What type of paint did you use? Enamel will soak in. Latex or acyclic is better. I use acrylic and I almost always use pine.

Beyond that, a light coat of sanding sealer will help.

[CraigR]

I am using Latex. Is that sealer clear?

[ChrisAlb]

Yes it's clear but obviously just because it will wet the wood it may darken it just a bit.

[Ken Massingale]

tried sanding but it seems with soft pine the paint really soaked in. Is there a product that maybe seals the wood a little before painting and is clear? That way it would not soak in.
I only use Zinnser Sealcoat for sealing. be sure to get the Sealcoat, not regular shellac. The Sealcoat is dewaxed. Regular shellac has wax and some finishes/paints won't adhere well to it.

[CraigR]

Thanks guys I will be sure to get some and give it a try.

[SandBuoy]

Ken, thanks for the tip on using clear contact shelf paper. I been using mashing tape over the painted board and it usually peels away during the carve. So I been either finishing the lettering with a small brush or just clear coating it. That contact paper sound like a real advantage over the masking tape as I can then spray the lettering instead of doing it by hand.

[Jeff_Birt]

The clear shelf paper works 'good' for me.
I use the clear adhesive backed shelf paper from Walmart and use as follows.

I had issues with the first 2 rolls of shelf paper. I now use Con-tact brand clear Decorative Treatment from Walmart. It's stickier and thicker than the paper type. this stuff is very thick and sticky like fly paper


Thanks for the tip Ken. I picked up a 18" x 24' roll at Wal-Mart yesterday for about $5. The top line of the UPC gives the product #: 999800 Clear. I tried a quick test on some 2.5" wide pre-finished oak strips that I have laying around. The center-line text cut out great and it was very quick to paint with this mask on.

[ChrisAlb]

I'm gonna have to give this a try. Sounds like a much better/faster way than hand painting and sanding like I have been. Thanks Ken & Jeff!

[Rocky]

While waiting for my CarveWright to be delivered I've been reading various threads. This one, about sign making, interests me. Are you folks applying the clear plastic to bare wood before carving, then do your carve, and then paint (spray) letters before you remove plastic?

Thanks,

[Ken Massingale]

While waiting for my CarveWright to be delivered I've been reading various threads. This one, about sign making, interests me. Are you folks applying the clear plastic to bare wood before carving, then do your carve, and then paint (spray) letters before you remove plastic?

Thanks,
Yes, apply it to bare wood or painted wood, carve, paint the letters.

[Ken Massingale]

Thanks for the tip Ken. I picked up a 18" x 24' roll at Wal-Mart yesterday for about $5. The top line of the UPC gives the product #: 999800 Clear. I tried a quick test on some 2.5" wide pre-finished oak strips that I have laying around. The center-line text cut out great and it was very quick to paint with this mask on.
$5, wow. I running back to WM this morning to get more at ~$2 unless the $2 was another of the local stores very frequent pricing errors, although usually the error is not in the customers favor.

[Jeff_Birt]

Yeah, $5/roll. Was not sure if the size of the roll was the same as yours though. Even at $5 it is a much better buy than the laser mask material I was looking at online...

[luckettg]

I use the 1 inch foam brushes to apply paint into the lettering, mostly by dapping and then quickly wiping up any slop. I then touch up the edges if needed, such as on a previously painted board.

I like the idea of running the board through the planer after applying the lettering stain and will experiment with that.
:)

[castingman]

If you use a planer add to the length for [ snipe ] .

Michael

[atauer]

Ken,

As an ex-walmart employee, I know all about pricing errors. I worked overnight for about 2 years, stocking the shelves. We were expected to stock 60 cases an hour, assist the customers (24 hr Walmart) and make the price changes as well.

I can tell you from experience, pricing errors do happen. Especially when you have 12 pallets of freight to throw in each department and you have to throw 3 different departments. 36 pallets * 60 cases per pallet (estimated) = 1800 cases to throw and make sure they are correctly priced. Very tough job.

[cnsranch]

Here's one I did this weekend. After putting packing tape on the piece, I used a J Roller to really get it adhered (suggested by Al (DWS). Made a lot of difference - tape stuck fast, but pulled easily. First pic is right out of the CW, second is after paint, third is after pulling the tape (no sanding), fourth is after a little work with the palm sander and butane torch.

Simple project, but turned out pretty well.

[Ken Massingale]

Here's one I did this weekend. After putting packing tape on the piece, I used a J Roller to really get it adhered (suggested by Al (DWS). Made a lot of difference - tape stuck fast, but pulled easily. First pic is right out of the CW, second is after paint, third is after pulling the tape (no sanding), fourth is after a little work with the palm sander and butane torch.

Simple project, but turned out pretty well.
That came out great, cns. Well done.
ken

[ebrowne826]

Craig:
I use the paint pens that you can buy at Walmart. I find that
the fine tip works best for the centerline letters.
Another trick I have done is to seal the board with sanding sealer,
tape off what I do not want, then spray just the letters. Then
I sand off the excess paint with a palm sander.
I find that sealing the board first keeps the paint from soaking into
the wood. Even with the paint pens, paint outside of the letters
come off easy with the palm sander.
I have also used a planner to remove the excess paint. Works
real nice.
It takes a little time to use the paint pens, but the results are
nice. Look in the Craft section at Walmart. I use the Elmers Paint
pens. They come in several colors and run about $3.00 apiece.
Just remember to seal the board first, then do the painting.
Ed

[Rocky]

This thread has been an interesting one for me. Here's a simple question: Is there any reason why the contact paper needs to be clear? My Wal-Mart doesn't have the clear in stock, but they do have white.

Thanks,

[CraigR]

No, I don't believe it does need to be clear other that you can see any air or unstuck part better.

[Ken Massingale]

This thread has been an interesting one for me. Here's a simple question: Is there any reason why the contact paper needs to be clear? My Wal-Mart doesn't have the clear in stock, but they do have white.

Thanks,
The paper type tends to shred around the edges of the letters, for me anyway. The clear thick plastic film did so much less.