HDU signs last so much longer because high density urethane is made up of millions of tiny cells, which are not interconnected, which means moisture can never get in. This is the reason why Coastal Enterprises offers a “Life of the Sign” warranty, against your sign warping, cracking rotting or splitting. When your HDU sign is painted, it will look just like wood and last much longer.

We often hear from people that they’ll never forget the first time they tried hand-carving with HDU, and how it was immediately clear that it was the perfect hand carving material. The consistency and various densities allow you to truly fine tune your hand-carved project specifically to your individual needs.

As mentioned in our FAQ section, any woodworking tool can cut Precision Board Plus. Rasps, dremels, and craft drills are all great tools to use for shaping. Standard wood carving tools work great, and in cases where extreme detail is desired, dental tools also work well. You can find a nice selection of carving tools here.

An interesting article in Sign Builder Illustrated, written by Mark Roberts, details the process he used to incorporate some hand carved Precision Board Plus HDU into an aluminum sign for a park. Check out the full article on page 18 here, and learn what his “secret weapons” are for hand-carving Precision Board Plus HDU!

If you have any questions, we offer free technical support and samples and can be reached at: (800) 845-0745.

Rob Estes, of Brushstroke Signs in Paducah KY, wants everyone to know that hand carving is still alive! Rob has been making signs since 1985 and has always been an avid hand carver and hand painter.  He’s been using Precision Board Plus for years for his dimensional signs and does not own a CNC, and he doesn’t plan on buying one anytime soon. “I use Precision Board Plus because it’s the premier HDU on the market. It is easy to carve and I can be extremely creative in my designs”.

Rob has always specialized in sandblasted, hand carved designs, and gets the most joy from designing and fabricating these types of signs. For years he’s also been very involved in gold leafing, smaltz, digital printing, hand painting, vehicle wraps, logo design and branding.

“This year it seems like we’re getting more calls for dimensional signs and I feel an optimism that I haven’t felt in a long time.”

Rob, for many of his 27 years in the sign industry, has been involved in The MidCoast Letterheads and is still very involved in meets that include hand carving, gold leaf on glass, and hand painting (to name a few). Being part of Letterheads ‘The Keepers of the Craft’, is extremely important to him.

Rob is also involved with “The Walldogs” which is a group that specializes in hand painting large wall murals.

If you’d like to talk to Rob about his work and get a quote, or get involved in Letterheads or Walldogs, give him a call at (270) 442-8665 or e-mail him at restes@horizonmediagroup.com. Be sure to ask about his portfolio because he definitely has enough talent to help you out, no matter what the need is!

FSC-360 WB can be used to repair scrapes, holes and most types of damage. In addition, it is compatible with all types of finish primers and paints.

Check out our step-by-step video to see FSC-360 WB in action!

Check out his website at: http://piccadillysigns.com/index.html

PB Hardcoat is a rock-hard protective coating that can be used to simulate wood grain, stucco, stone and other textures – all without needing to prime the substrate.

Check out our step-by-step PB Hardcoat video here:

TSF-45 is a tough, flexible coating that can be finished using the same methods for finishing cementitious-type plaster products. It can be swirl textured, skip troweled, stucco finished, stipple finished, or used to simulate wood grain. No primer coat is needed, and paint can be applied directly to it.

Check out the step-by-step TSF-45 video here:

Call us at: (800) 845-0745 or email us at: hdu@precisionboard.com for your free sample.

Check out out brand new step-by-step video if you are interested in learning proper laminating techniques and decreasing labor time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YowCicsRkv4&context=C493c4c6ADvjVQa1PpcFNDmaW28rXztFCV2UL40cPoUUp3LCZa9qE=

Call us at: (800) 845-0745 or email us at: hdu@precisionboard.com for your FREE sample of PB Fast Set!

Smaltz is coarse, colored, crushed or powdered glass or sand. The typical application is to apply a paint that is the same color as the smaltz to the background of the sign, and then select a binder to hold the smaltz in place. Vital Signs prefers a mixture of One-shot lettering enamel and Smith’s Cream for proper adhesion. Once the binder is applied, smaltz is added and allowed to dry.

Adding smaltz adds a very visually appealing texture and sparkle to the background, and when used in combination with gold-leaf lettering is considered by many to be the true “high-end” finish for a sign.  Anything from backgrounds, letters, borders and ornaments can be smalted, and once done, are said to last much longer than a painted surface. According to Mark Kramer, graphic designer and artist at Vital Signs, they enjoy using Precision Board Plus because “the longevity, durability, finishing, and ease of carving make it the substrate of choice that helps set them apart from others.”

You can contact Vital Signs at (608) 845-3766 or at www.vitalsignsverona.com.

Here are some pictures from the booth setup today. We will be posting pictures of show highlights once ISA kick’s off in our next blog!

David Sherby at SherWood Sign & Graphic Design, in Crystal Falls, MI sent in some excellent examples of PB Resin used on Precision Board Plus.

This particular sign, “Lake Mitigwaki”, shows PB Resin applied to Precision Board Plus PBLT-15. The border and letter “A” are 50% Metallic Gold One Shot and 50% Metallic Brass One Shot mixed into PB Resin. The background behind the “A” is PB Resin with various colors swirled together to make it look like a tarnished bronze. The words “Lake Mitigwaki” and the banner are PB Resin with One Shot Chamois mixed in. The maroon lettering and scroll on the banner are made out of vinyl. Dave Sherby and SherWood Sign & Graphic Design can be reached at: (906) 875-6201.

We also offer free samples of PB Resin. If you are interested in trying some, we can be reached at: (800) 845-0745.

We recently completed a step-by-step video to demonstrate the process of applying PB Resin, which you can see here: