Insurance Pays Off

The original, 4 x 6-ft., double-faced dimensional sign featured a painted, Sign*Foam III HDU background with 23k goldleaf, incise-carved letters and a handpainted mural on a raised HDU plaque. So does its replica, shown here. Larry Plummer, owner of Design Works Custom Sign Studio (Hillsborough, NJ), tells the story behind his signs.

“I first developed a design for the Crossing at Grover’s Mill residential community in Plainsboro, NJ. The resident organization wanted to portray the community’s upscale feel, while still retaining the area’s rural charm. Grover’s Mill was the fictitious site of the original War of the Worlds broadcast, and we kicked around the idea of a flying-saucer theme, but, after a good laugh, we decided to go with an old mill theme,” Plummer said.

He also wanted to mirror the look of the black, cast-aluminum lamp posts and sign posts used throughout the project. He didn’t feel the round, fluted aluminum posts had enough visual weight for this sign, so he went with a 5-in.-square version with 8 x 8-in. skirts.

The components were designed using CADlink’s (Ottawa, ON, Canada) SignLab software and the EngraveLab module. The ½-in.-thick Extira treated-wood sheets were sent to the Techno LC CNC router, which also carved the incised letters into the 2-in.-thick, 15-lb. HDU Sign*Foam III, using a 120° V-bit.

The mill graphic was handpainted on a separate panel using 1Shot lettering enamel and an Iwata Eclipse airbrush. After the paint hardened overnight, Plummer shot an automotive, urethane clearcoat over everything.

The sign was installed on time. “Luckily, I took good digital photos of the sign after it was installed,” Plummer said. “The president of the residents’ organization called in tears and explained that someone from the neighborhood had driven through their beautiful sign the night before, having slid on a patch of ice. I calmed her down and assured her we could make a new, identical copy.”

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