CUSTOMER CORNER
Thanks to Chuck Johnson with Johnson Signs in Monroe, LA for the outstanding and innovative design idea below.
 A few years ago, I came up with an idea for faux-bronze (imitation bronze) and faux-aluminum (imitation aluminum) plaques made of gold or silver vinyl applied over sandblasted Masonite. Since that time I have been doing both interior and exterior signage using this technique.
My imitation bronze or imitation aluminum signs are made of 7/16" Masonite that have had the backs roughed and glued to 1/4", 3/8", etc. plywood. This produces a thicker plaque. (By the way, you can use the Masonite plaques for just sandblasted signage without applying any vinyl.)
The front or finished surface of the Masonite is sanded and painted with a quality brown, green or black paint before the gold or silver vinyl is applied to the entire surface. I have used both Latex and oil paint, and much prefer oil.
Bronze paint is good for the background with gold vinyl, green paint with gold or silver vinyl, and black paint with silver vinyl.
If your vinyl logo or design is large and your plotter must panel it when cutting, make sure that when you apply the design, all vinyl joints should be butt joints, not overlaps.
After this is accomplished, apply the sandblast mask to the front or finished surface and blast. After blasting, do not peel the sandblast until the Masonite has been sealed, finish coated and, if necessary, had an acrylic finish sprayed over the entire surface.
Peel mask and remove the residue that sticks to the edge of the blasted surface.
I use a finish coat color that matches the blasted surface coat before I put on the gold or silver vinyl so that when I peel the mask, each letter or form will not have an off color "halo" around it.
 Routing the outside edge all the way around creates an interesting effect similar to an inset border. I also created a rosette design I use to help conceal mounting screws with the aid of a screw head size polka dot.
Placing brown vinyl letters on gold panels surrounded by a sandblasted surface creates a changeable sign directory. (See Chautauqua Square at right.) I have one long-distance customer who orders tenant name strips in brown vinyl and installs them herself. This saves her a service call from out of town and she’s happy.
I price the signs based on about half (+/-) the cost of a bronze plaque and my customers seem satisfied enough to ask for more plaques!
See more of Chuck Johnson's work:
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