Wildgoose 4,200 Posted August 30, 2014 I got an order for a Signicade. Hadn't done one of these before and they say you need to flame treat the plastic and then put a whole base color down before the regular text. Well, I have been looking for an excuse to buy a new torch for a year or more so this was it. Picked up the Burnzomatic TS8000. What a sweet unit! Runs on Map gas or Propane. Auto start and adjustable flame. Any of you people tried to skip the base layer and just install right on the plastic? If so what were the results? My client is too valuable to risk a problem so I didn't chance it but wondered if I was wasting my vinyl. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
101LEDs 100 Posted August 30, 2014 I use a torch to smooth plastics out such as flame polish the edges of acrylics and ABS and to prep ABS for glue. Maybe that is their reason for prepping it, to smooth it so more vinyl sticks( surface area) or to outgas it if it's an odd type of plastic. Signicade was a new term to me so I searched and it says they accept blanks of several types. Wouldn't that be the way to go? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slice&dice 2,450 Posted August 30, 2014 Use blanks (coroplast) or 2x3 pieces of MaxMetal. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jarrotto 78 Posted August 30, 2014 There is a Signicade at a local insurance office local where they applied the letters straight to the plastic, but no base coat of vinyl. Some of the letters and especially the smaller inside pieces of letters are starting to pop off one by one. I have no idea if the followed the torch directions... I thought the flame treatment was interesting when i read the prep directions for Signicade frames, i haven't done one yet though. Let us know how it goes! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wildgoose 4,200 Posted August 30, 2014 I just put a complete 24"x 36" piece of white 651 over the whole area and I'm pretty sure its going to be fine. I can see where more coverage equals more adhesion. The deluxe model accepts coroplast or diabond but the cost is more for the stand and then the signage is more because of the extra substrate and looking at the two the deluxe looks like the insert could easily pop out with rough treatment. The basic model you can hard mount substrate to it also with bolts but this application is one sided in an old gravel pit (part of my day job) and is just to have a couple arrows pointing to separate two dump options (clean fill and concrete/rubble) so we are going as cheap and mobile as possible. Appears that the flame treatment either cooks off some of the out-gased crud from the plastic or just softens it up. They further instruct to wipe it down with isopropyl and apply the cover layer within 1 hour of flame treatment. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slice&dice 2,450 Posted August 30, 2014 Why do they need an A-frame at all? I have had lots of success with H-Frame (angle-iron) ---- 24" x 36" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wildgoose 4,200 Posted August 31, 2014 He specifically asked for it Slice. Has property that he leases and the leasing agency that takes care of finding leasers uses one of these and he asked if I could get him one like theirs. He's my boss and the owner of the company I manage on my day job (and a bit of a tight wad, thus the option to just put the vinyl right on it rather than go for an insert that may or may not be as tough). Plus you'd never get one of the stand style stuck in the ground out there. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
