WELCOME!

It is hard to believe that it was almost ten years ago I witnessed a CNC router in action for the very first time. I was fascinated and simply had to have one! Although I had been in the creative end of the three dimensional sign business for most of my life I didn't really know what I would do with one of these machines - but I just knew it could do fantastic stuff.

Along with the CNC router I discovered the wonderful material called Precision Board and the glues, primers and other companion products they offer. Since then we have gone through many tons of the material using it in most signs and projects we tackle. This journal will chronicle our many adventures both past, present and future. I'll talk from the perspective of someone who pushes these products to the creative limit on a daily basis. I'll be adding to the stories two or three times each week. -dan

Friday, October 7, 2016

Prototype arch for NEBs painted

This past week has been a busy one in our shop. We applied the fibreglass reinforced concrete and sculpted the first lane mask prototype for the NEBs Fun World Bowling Centre. There were three pieces. The first is the arch which will go over the bowling lanes. The 'wooden' posts will stand in the center between the arches and a horizontal beam will go from post to post. Everything is designed to easily and quickly assemble.




Once the sculpted concrete cured it was time for paint. The base colors always look pretty bright at this stage. Three coats of color are applied, with the third being a blend coat.


Once the base colors have cured it is time for the magic. A series of glazes are painted on and then judiciously wiped off. The glazes remain in the lower portions and texture areas making everything jump in an instant. Once the glazes are dry we do some dry brushing to bring out the highlights and add a bit more aging. On the metal parts we did a little grinding and then made some instant rust by spraying on some mild acid. It was instantly old and full of character.



The prototype will be kept hand as we get into full production next week. There are forty more of these arches to create.