Installing Signs

Times are tough all over and here Amongst The Oak it's no different. We are having a difficult time making ends meet at work, so guess who is installing signs again? You guessed it; the Lord of the Manor and I. Just like the old days when we first started our business.

Saturday we installed two sets of metal letters at the local university. The previous week we had cut the letters out of 3/8" thick aluminum on our CNC router. Holes were drilled and tapped in the back for the studs. Then the letters received a clear coat of polyurethane paint and a hanging pattern was made.

Early Saturday morning we lugged all our tools and the letters across the lawn and got set up. The first sign was about 12' to the bottom. We used extension ladders on this job, but sometimes we use scaffolding. First we taped the pattern onto the wall. The pattern shows the outline of each letters and the location of the stud holes. Next the Lord of the Manor drilled all the holes with a masonry bit whilst I put in the studs and spacers.

The studs are 2" pieces of threaded rod and the spacers are 1/4" thick plastic that we also cut on the router.

Here are the letters ready to be taken up the ladder. You know who took all the letters up the ladder, right? I can carry three or four letters at a time up the ladder, but with my hands full, I have to use my forearms to hold on. Doesn't really seem safe, does it? And the second set was even higher, so it took even more steps to get to the top. By the time we were done I was really tired of those ladders!

Anyway, I carried them all up, and the Lord of the Manor applied the silicone adhesive and pounded them into place.

So here we are all finished. I bet you've always wondered how these things were done, so now you know; little old ladies and tired old men do this on Saturday mornings when no one is looking. But you know what? It's good to know we still got it!