Haffner Fantastic Creations Develops Thick-Skinned Signage

 

Recently, Jim Martin, the CEO of Rhino Tools in Kewanee, IL, brought me a job with some very specific requirements. Rhino Tools manufactures gas- and air-powered, post-hole drivers, and manual and hydraulic post pullers.

First, he presented an existing logo. Around the logo, he envisioned the border having some distinctive bolts; his company had already machined the parts. He’d also machined a 3 x 3-ft., ¼-in.-thick piece of stainless steel with tabs that would allow the diamond-shaped sign to hang suspended. Two identical sign halves would sandwich the steel plate. An earlier sign had been damaged by vandals, and he wanted it to be sturdy.

 

Tough stuff

First, I carefully noted the positioning of all the steel’s pre-drilled holes, which would accommodate the custom bolts, and the tabs’ locations and sizes. The customer had cut the slab such that it would only fit with one specific corner on top.
I recommended we carve the sign from 2-in.-thick, 30-lb. PrecisionBoard® HDU, and the client approved. I primarily carve all of my signs from HDU or PVC. I love working with HDU, not only because its lack of grain makes cutting easier, but also because it’s impervious to the water damage that can rot a wood sign.

I’ve found that 15-lb. material is too light, grainy and susceptible to damage. If you want something as strong as stone, there’s 70-lb. material. Although the 30-lb. material is more expensive, most clients choose it when I show them samples.

The client supplied the logo – the Rhino lettering and the diamond-shaped panel – in .eps format, which always helps because this file type can be scaled to virtually any size while maintaining full resolution. And, generally, vectored files are best for creating toolpaths for the CNC-router fabrication.

I increasingly rely on Vectric Aspire 4.0 to design my signs. With it, I can build my files in layers very efficiently to create my desired shapes. I still occasionally use Adobe products, but I stick with Aspire to develop toolpath and routing files.

I rout my signs on a 4 x 8-ft. ShopBot PRT CNC router, which I’ve customized with stainless-steel rails and bearings to help our machine better withstand long-term use. We’ve also outfitted the router with a Columbo spindle, which has been a terrific upgrade. It allows much better speed control than standard spindles, and operates much more quietly.

For this sign, I used a 1/8-in., ball-nose bit for most of the routing, although I also used a ½-in., 90º V-bit for the angled sides, a ½-in. end-mill bit for the routed back pockets, and a 1/3-in., end-mill bit
to profile the signs’ outer edges.

It doesn’t take more time for a router to process the 30-lb. substrate than it does lighter HDU, but you have to account for the weight. You might need two people to move a 2-in.-thick slab of 30-lb. material into place. All materials have their own “sweet spots” for the feeds and speeds of the machines. When you’re trying a new substrate, do your homework and test it on your router.

To design the sign, I pulled a couple of product images from their website. They make very dependable post-hole diggers and pullers, and I wanted the sign to help tell that story. I loved the aged and distressed look of the yellow and black, construction-tape border at their store, and I carried it into the design.

The distressing emphasizes that these are serious tools. It’s like a truck manufacturer showing its vehicles running through mud or up steep slopes. Instead of just telling customers Rhino products are tough, we show them.

First, I routed the pockets to accommodate the stainless panels on the rear of the HDU. Then, we did the remainder of the carving of the front. One thing I’ve discovered is that spending time learning ramping values makes all the difference with successful, 3-D carving.

Ramping values help determine how the machine will handle changes with the router’s direction, and allow the user to calibrate movement so you can maintain speed, accuracy and quality.

I learned about ramping values on a ShopBot forum; a user described in great detail how ramping values can be calibrated for different types of work. Using the correct ramping values can create a significant difference in completion times. It took me three hours to rout these panels; if I hadn’t set ramping values and used the default settings, it would’ve taken 11 hours.

The signs appeared finished, but I felt like they were missing something. I had very nice-looking signs, but I didn’t think we were telling the company’s whole story. I quickly realized that it needed texture – and lots of it! I searched until I found some nice rhino and elephant skin textures, and then combined and manipulated them.

Getty Images, Creative Outlet and other photography websites have imaging systems that convert images into textures. I imported the textures into Aspire and routed the panels to incorporate the new “skin”. The textures brought them alive.

I designed the signs such that, if vandals strike again, the two sides can be removed and repaired. I joined them with the client’s custom bolts, and secured the border components with silicone caulk.

 

Making a rugged face

I use several different paints, but for HDU and PVC projects, I normally use Coastal Enterprises’ recommended primer, FSC-88 WB surface primer/filler. I prefer to use water-based materials as much as possible for several reasons. First, my shop’s insurance is more affordable where I live if I use non-toxic materials.

Also, it’s less smelly and cleans up more easily. And, finally, for many jobs, these types of paints have improved enough that they usually provide the best chance at longevity. For other painted projects, I use Nova Acrylic’s mural paints, and Modern Masters metallic paints.

The aging process on the border was really fun to do. Once I’d applied a primer basecoat, I applied three coats of a slightly darker version for the yellow, and a slightly gray version to create the black stripes.

Once they dried, I stippled latex rubber on them. Once that dried, I recoated all the stripes with three coats of a rich yellow and black. The real fun is then rubbing off all the latex rubber to reveal the distressed look. The client and I love the effect.

Installation was the easiest part of the job. The client had the jobsite ready to go. They’d mounted the plate with large, stainless-steel chain and connectors. I attached the sides and caulked.

All of the employees came outside to check it out. They’re proud of the work they do, and I could tell this sign instilled pride not only for me, but for them!

Martin, who co-owns the business with his wife and mother, has enjoyed the signage I’ve produced for them, and we’re finalizing a design for a mural that I’ll paint outside the shop. Fittingly, it features a rhinoceros bursting through the wall.

Also, we’re negotiating a 3-D rhino head on the wall of the building where they build their products. It’s been a great relationship, and I love getting a call from Jim. I know when I hear his voice, it’s going to be fun!

Before we finished, the client called to ask for a third copy of the design to be carved. It would be mounted to the front of the building to complement the ground-mounted sign. I realized that they’d only produced enough bolts for the ground sign, and I asked if they’d be making more. The client indicated they were really busy; I told them that was no problem.

I took measurements of the existing bolts, and designed them using Vectric Aspire 4.0 before routing them from 30-lb. PrecisionBoard and painting them to match the originals. I felt confident that, from 18 ft. above the ground, they would match the metal ones.

Moving up

I’m looking forward to the next step in my business. After two years of working from a garage, I’ve just purchased a shop near my home and moved Haffner’s Fantastic Creations there in October! I’m thankful to the many sign people I’ve met over these last two years; they’ve been fantastic and helpful. I wouldn’t have progressed this far if I hadn’t met Dan Sawatzky (the owner of Chilliwack, BC, Canada’s Imagination Corp.) and attended one of his workshops. Don’t be too shy to ask for help from others in the industry.

Equipment and Materials
Coatings: FSC-88 primer/filler, from Coastal Enterprises (Orange, CA), (800) 845-0745 or www.precisionboard.com; Benjamin Moore water-based, acrylic-latex paint, from home-improvement and hardware stores
Router: Four x 8-ft. ShopBot PRT CNC router, from ShopBot Tools (Durham, NC), (888) 680-4466 or www.shopbottools.com  
Software: Aspire 4.0 3-D software, from Vectric (Redditch, England), (440) 1527-850323; www.vectric.com  
Substrate: PrecisionBoard® 30-lb. HDU, from Coastal Enterprises, (800) 845-0745; www.precisionboard.com

More about Doug
Doug Haffner started his business two years ago, after a 14-year career in IT management. He said, “I and a half-dozen other employees had just been laid off after a glowing performance review, and realized it was time to get my own business started if I was ever going to do it. “
He began his 3D-sign work using an entry-level carving machine called a CarveWright, but recently upgraded to a full-size ShopBot.
“I focus on dimensional signage, and really enjoy doing work that involves some sculpting and handpainting,” Haffner said.
Next year, he’ll be an instructor at a CNC-routing sign workshop held by Rob Jones at his Bridgeton, IN shop.