Signs Gone Wild

When someone visits our shop or website, they usually see our prominent slogan, “Creators of Really Cool Stuff.” I created this tagline tongue-in-cheek, but I think it appropriately describes our shop. We employ a talented team of artists, sculptures and painters who produce, well, cool stuff.

Because our shop resides in a somewhat secluded Sarasota industrial park, it appears small and unassuming to unsuspecting passersby. However, upon a closer look, the creativity and diversity of work produced by our 15-person staff within our 2,000-sq.-ft. facility belies our shop’s understated, outward appearance. Our work for Vallejo, CA’s Six Flags Discovery Kingdom attests to our abilities.

Beasts afoot

In late 2006, Six Flags Texas hired us to fabricate life-sized, sculptures of giraffes, tigers and other exotic animals. Due to this resounding success, Six Flags sought replication at its 135-acre, California theme park.

Though The Resource Factory offers design/build capabilities, Peckham, Guyton, Alberts & Viets (PGAV), a St. Louis-based EGD firm, designed the program. Per Six Flags’ request, PGAV prepared its concept using JPEG and Adobe® Illustrator® files and videos that outlined every fabrication step. I’ve worked with the Six Flags organization for more than 16 years, which has created a strong working relationship.

To clarify our concept and determine fabrication details, we sculpted small, clay models by hand. Then, we scanned them a large, Streamline Automation rotational laser scanner. We used this scan to create a file for our routing process.

Next, we fabricated the base sculpture from 2-lb., urethane foam. We consulted PGAV in developing our material specs. Normally, we use polystyrene #1 foam with a polyurethane coating, but PGAV and Six Flags officials preferred low-density urethane’s greater durability.

Using our Streamline Automation 8 x 12-ft., four-axis, CNC router, we machined the parts for our 20 sculptures, which range from 10 to 20 ft. tall (giraffes, of course, reach the highest). We use a four-axis router, instead of a conventional, three-axis signshop router because it can read a 3-D cutting file and perform deep undercuts, as well as other, dimensional effects.

Next, we assembled the individual pieces –six to 12 pieces per figure — and glued them together with a Hilti expandable-spray foam. The pieces of each larger-than-life animal fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.

After assembly, we meticulously hand-smoothed the pieces with sandpaper to prepare them for a ¼-in., fiberglass coating that yields its hard, weather-resistant exterior. In addition to being very durable, this fiberglass coating accepts paint better than a coated-polystyrene sculpture.

A firm foundation

After having completely coated our sculptures with fiberglass, we removed the urethane foam and left a hollow shell for the interior, steel structure. We inserted the 2-in.-sq., steel stock inside the sculpture with ¼-in.-diameter wall screws, and then pumped the foam back into the fiberglass shell to solidify the shell and gird the steel skeleton. We designed and built each interior skeleton to follow each animal’s contours. We mixed the foam by hand and poured it back inside the shell.

Next, we decorated the beasts with PGAV’s specified PMS colors using Matthews’ acrylic-polyurethane paint or an automotive-grade, urethane coating. We’ve tried virtually every coating system on the market, and have determined these two options provide the most durable, cost-effective solutions.

We carved complementary elements, such as gigantic blades of pampas grass, by handcarving urethane with a series of knives, rasps and sandpaper sheets. The process might seem simple to the inexperienced eye, but creating a perfect blade of grass on the first try requires a true artisan. We fabricated all signboards by CNC-routing ½- and ¾-in. Sintra™ PVC sheet with our Streamline Automation router. Then, we coated them with automotive paint.

Heavy lifting

Although lightweight foam fills the sculptures, the fiberglass coating and stainless-steel support structure make them quite heavy. Each animal weighs 2,000 to 2,500 lbs. The giraffe stands 20 ft. tall, and the elephants and camels measure approximately 10 ft. tall and 14 to 16 ft. in length.

Cranes and forklifts helped situate the sculptures. For installation, we used a Hilti drill to create holes into the concrete footer and sink epoxy anchors into the support structure. Of course, the most important tools for the job were ample muscle and sweat.

The Resource Factory doesn’t normally offer maintenance agreements for such projects, but we do offer warranties for long-term clients. But, whether or not we’ve warranteed our work, we still make every effort to satisfy our clients. This attitude has kept us doing work for such entertainment giants as Walt Disney theme parks, Nickolodeon and Ripley’s Believe it or Not, among others, for approximately 30 years.

All told, we executed the project from concept to completion in approximately four months – on time and within budget — and Six Flags officials were very satisfied. Making cool stuff on a daily basis makes our job extremely enjoyable.

Scott Hamblin is the owner of Sarasota, FL-based The Resource Factory.

Equipment and Materials

Coatings: Acrylic-polyurethane paint, from Matthews Paint Co. (Pleasant Prairie, WI), (800) 323-6593 or http://corporateportal.ppg.com/na/refinish/matthews/default.htm; automotive urethane paint, from Dupont (Troy, MI), (248) 583-8112 or www2.dupont.com

Router: FROGmill™ four-axis CNC router, from Streamline Automation (Calgary, AB, Canada), (877) 358-0555 or www.3dcutting.com

Scanner: FROGScan™ 3-D laser scanner, from Streamline Automation

Software: Illustrator® software, from Adobe Corp. (San Jose, CA), (800) 883-6687 or www.adobe.com

Substrates: Two-lb. urethane foam, from Burman Industries (Van Nuys, CA), (818) 782-9833 or www.burmanindustries.com; expandable spray foam, from Hilti Inc. (Tulsa, OK), (866) 445-8827 or www.us.hilti.com; fiberglass coating, from industrial-supply or home-improvement stores.

Tools: Hammer drill, from Hilti; Sandpaper, wall screws, rasps and chisels, from home-improvement or art-supply stores

More About Scott

Scott Hamblin, president and owner of The Resource Factory, spent much of his childhood sketching and drawing his favorite comic-book and cartoon characters. However, unlike the average daydreaming youngster, he expressed his creativity by painting them on the walls and ceiling of his bedroom.

Hamblin followed his passion to Sarasota’s Ringling School of Art and Design, but in need of “extra money for food and beer,” he began working part-time at a local signshop. Hamblin soon realized that his graphic-design experience was well suited to the sign industry. He soon opened his first shop, Blasted Signs, in 1979. For a decade, Hamblin’s shop specialized in fabricating custom, redwood and cedar sandblasted signage.

Then, he adapted his woodcarving skills and began building bars and entertainment centers from antique-car parts. Hamblin ran an ad that touted his “car bars” in Hemmings Motor News, which attracted the attention of an F.W. Woolworth Co. executive. Woolworth’s hired him to build life-size replicas of 1957 Chevrolet Bel Aires and Corvettes for in-store promotions. During an 18-month stint, Hamblin built 65 replicas and transitioned his shop from Blasted Signs to The Resource Factory in 1989. He transformed the bulk of the shop’s work to 3-D sculptures and signage for restaurants, amusement parks and other themed environments for such high-profile clients as Universal Studios, Walt Disney and others.

“That kid who used to spend his time drawing, sketching and painting cartoon characters has really come full circle,” Hamblin said.