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Wilson

Lighted Box Sign Help

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So the lighted box sign on the business next to the gym my wife goes to looks horrible.  What is the proper way to re-do a sign like this?  As simple as removing the old lettering, clean & replace with some Oracal 951?  I'm reletively new to this so what's everyone's thoughts / insight?  The sign is probably 3' x 8'.

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If you can get it clean enough, yes. Remove and replace. Watch for fading on the plastic.

 

 

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That substrate is usually either something like lexan or acrylic. Not likely to hold up to trying to save it. Better to replace it. The few (3) I have tried to mess with had become brittle with age in the sun and cracked. I wasted a lot of time on the first two which were a double sided sign only to have it break on me. It was for a family member who owns a business. 

The vinyl you want is translucent and allows light to come through. Regular vinyl will look dark or even black at night when it's bulbs are on.

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Unless it’s fairly new it would have shadows even if the old lettering came off clean...which it won’t....just price a new pc. Lexan and translucent vinyl.

be sure to make sure no electrical or lighting is included and at a separate cost ( if you can do the lighting or have someone who can ) I have done literally hundreds of these and they aren’t very difficult.

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would think that they saved enough the first time having aunt jean with her cricut do it  and would want to do it right this time :)

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In a situation like this, would a seal it pen help? or is it just too exposed to the elements?

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No, a seal-it pen is not recommended for this.

A ladder would be a useful thing to deploy here. Climb up there and verify if this dried-out vinyl is difficult to remove!

In any case, you should own a thing called a Lil'Chisler ---  https://lilchizler.com/

 

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Thanks for the replies! 

So is the material for the sign face just white plexiglass or is there a particular type to use?  Doing a little research online there seems to be quite a few different types ranging in price from about $100 up to over $800.  Not being familiar with the different types it's hard to know exactly what I'm looking at.

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Before you get to the step of ordering a sheet of plexiglass (no need for Lexan, in this small sign) it's worthwhile going up there on a ladder and actually trying to pull that vinyl off. You'll immediately see if it's too 'toasty' for removal. My guess is it's gonna crack and snap and not come away.

Also, while you're in the air, just see what kind of screws/bolts hold the edge retainer strip in place. 

Keep in mind that you might need two people with two ladders to wrangle an 8-foot long sheet out of the box. Been there, done that.

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Quote

Keep in mind that you might need two people with two ladders to wrangle an 8-foot long sheet out of the box. Been there, done that.

LOL... I can imagine!  

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8 hours ago, Wilson said:

Thanks for the replies! 

So is the material for the sign face just white plexiglass or is there a particular type to use?  Doing a little research online there seems to be quite a few different types ranging in price from about $100 up to over $800.  Not being familiar with the different types it's hard to know exactly what I'm looking at.

Plexiglass of more durable and from what my local supplier told me is usually used if the sign is low enough for someone to easily hit it with something because it will take a hit better. The Acrylic will resist the sun better (yellowing) but is more brittle. 

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Ive done several of these. i havent had 1 with the vinyl in that shape not crack/break on me at some point of redoing the sign. i price a new sheet in my quote from the start. I also tried to clean old vinyl off a max metal sign board before. i do the same process with those too, new sheet in quote .lol

another suggestion i would give you is to order the translucent vinyl by the foot instead of rolls. my 1st backlit sign was 6 different colors. atleast i only ordered 10 yd rolls instead of 50 yd like im usually bad to do expecting more similar work. 5 of those rolls i cut 2' off of, the other 1 12' . still have it all sitting on the shelf

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