Bethune Signs fabricates a bait-shop sign for export
By Steve Aust
I’ve been making signs for roughly 25 years. Over the years, I’ve produced signs for such diverse customers as military bases, residential developments and Tampa’s local zoo, among others. I recently enjoyed creating a sign that would help build my reputation overseas.
Sondra Hill came into my shop and wanted to purchase a 4 x 4-ft. sign for her father, who owns a bait-and-tackle shop in Honduras. She’d grown up in Honduras, married a Marine and moved to the U.S. Sondy found me through a web search, and wanted a distinctive, 3-D sign. The “information superhighway” has become a very effective sales tool.
Sondra wanted a panel that featured her father as a caricature. I asked for a picture of him and began recreating him with a hand sketch. I created the other elements using CorelDraw 11.
Her father is an avid fisherman, so that presented a natural theme. And, for a dose of good-natured humor, in the background I added a dolphin, which mocks the caricature because the fish aren’t biting.
-->I plotted the pattern, using a Master™ TC 3000 vinyl plotter on Anchor Continental 226 high-tack stencil film, and applied it to the substrate – 1.5-in.-thick, 15-lb. HDU. I use both Signs Art Products’ Sign*Foam 3 and Coastal Enterprises’ PrecisionBoard. They both work well (and both companies feature my work on their website galleries, so I’m impartial). They’re superior to wood because they won’t rot or split; they carve consistently and absorb paint better.
I sandblasted the panel using a Smith 100 large air compressor and a 300-lb. sandpot filled with Dupont’s Starblast™ staurolite-sand abrasive. It was created to fabricate steel components and remove rust from bridges, but I’ve found it blasts through HDU cleanly and effectively. I blasted at 80 psi for 45 minutes to achieve the desired depth.
To create fine details, I used a mixture of chisels, sanders, saws and a Dremel tool. To create the texture, I built my own grain frame. I think the commercially available versions create a surface texture that’s too uniform and doesn’t resemble real wood. An uneven pattern, with the occasional dimple or divot, looks more authentic.
To create the caricatured face, I carved an appliqué using HDU that’s bonded to the panel’s surface with Gorilla Glue. I decorated the signface with Color Wheel’s acrylic-latex paint, which I use for all my signs.
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