A question for all you sign meisters
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 3:57 pm
I'm a woodworker not a sign maker but alas I've been asked to make a sign, and for compensation no less, now that I have a CNC machine. Compensation gives me a nice warm feeling. I've made about a bazillion projects in wood over the years but not one carved sign. Imagine. Anyway, I really have no problem with the Shark software and getting my lettering onto the wood just how I want it. That just kind of fell right into place with no troubles at all. The person wanting this sign wants the lettering engraved first of all so I can make it from the VCarve program. No raised lettering. But they want the engraved lettering to be red and the rest of the sign surface to be white. Now with all of my woodworking experience for some dumb reason I just can't wrap my brain around a trick for making that happen without having to paint each letter with a small artists brush. I know there must be simpler and smarter ways of doing this. Can someone give me the proper steps for this? If it matters I'll be using 1x12x3/4 and the lettering will be 2" tall with typical width based on that height. I'm gonna bet when I see the answer I'm gonna slap my forehead but hey, I'm already knocking my head up against the wall anyway.
But first let me tell you what my noodle has come up with. I haven't tried it. Only thought of it. I thought that maybe I can go ahead and cut my boards to the proper sizes before machining. Then give them their primo white paint job and make them look nice. Then attach a thin piece of panel something in the order of 1/8" paneling actually and cut it to the same sizes of my boards. Then attach the piece of 1/8 to the top of my painted finish making sure somehow it doesn't move. Taking the board with the thin panel on top of it and loading it into the machine and when setting my Z zero I set it to the surface of the board not the surface of the panel. Then it will engrave to the proper depth into the board that I originally planned and it will carve right through the piece of 1/8 panel. (Hope I haven't lost you) Now, leaving the piece of panel on top of the newly engraved board I would spray paint the red lettering through what has become a stencil of sorts and the paint shouldn't get onto the white board beneath the panel. Take off the panel, and POOF, a sign with red letters and white surface. Now, after I awoke from that dream I thought of how complicated that all sounded and decided to ask you guys about it first. After you quit laughing at my supposed technique you can give your answer. hahaha.
Thanks as always,
Mike
But first let me tell you what my noodle has come up with. I haven't tried it. Only thought of it. I thought that maybe I can go ahead and cut my boards to the proper sizes before machining. Then give them their primo white paint job and make them look nice. Then attach a thin piece of panel something in the order of 1/8" paneling actually and cut it to the same sizes of my boards. Then attach the piece of 1/8 to the top of my painted finish making sure somehow it doesn't move. Taking the board with the thin panel on top of it and loading it into the machine and when setting my Z zero I set it to the surface of the board not the surface of the panel. Then it will engrave to the proper depth into the board that I originally planned and it will carve right through the piece of 1/8 panel. (Hope I haven't lost you) Now, leaving the piece of panel on top of the newly engraved board I would spray paint the red lettering through what has become a stencil of sorts and the paint shouldn't get onto the white board beneath the panel. Take off the panel, and POOF, a sign with red letters and white surface. Now, after I awoke from that dream I thought of how complicated that all sounded and decided to ask you guys about it first. After you quit laughing at my supposed technique you can give your answer. hahaha.
Thanks as always,
Mike