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Rocco

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Posts posted by Rocco

  1. TBH, even after doing signs for a zillion or so years, I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of using that system.   IDK if the tensioning instructions from signcomp will be helpful but this was on their site.    The last section mentions using a screwdriver to depress the clip like with the plastic ones but IDK how that will work if they are rusted.   However i didn't see pricing on the site and replacement clips might not be available anymore.  

     

    https://www.signcomp.com/media/201509081009-CTS Tensioning Instructions.pdf

     

  2. It does look like flex material.  Without seeing the whole side I'm only guessing so...

     

    i would drill a hole in the cabinet (under the molding and then fill with silicone) and look inside.   Hopefully there are extruded clips/bars holding the face taut so a whole section can come off without dealing with a multitude of clips.    From the angle of the photo I'd say this is a signcomp bleed frame.   Are there black plastic clips in the gap above/below the face?  if so you can remove them with a screwdriver - assuming the whole thing doesn't come off.  I'd sure there are videos on tensioning signcomp extrusion kits that can show much better than i could explain.   A tensioning tool signcomp will make re-installing the clips easier but again a screwdriver can do the job, just a lot slower.   Anyway, that's my guess!

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  3. The pack-rat portion of my tired old brain is yelling at me to not sell the punch.  However I haven't used it in at least four years.   A new D punch from Signcomp is ~$450 so make me a reasonable offer and you would pay shipping from 08002.

  4. Perhaps a downtown service vehicle?   i saw this on a recent trip to San Francisco.   You could drive right into malls.   :thumbs:

     

    And that city is not anywhere near as bad as many reports make it out to be.  My wife and I never felt unsafe for a second.  Now the hills on the other hand are a killer!   Nobody who lives there would need cardio.  

    inner city service vehicle.jpg

  5. Hi all,

     

    I'm working with a contractor for a set of letters for inside a mall.  Long story made short, they originally asked for 3/4" FCO letters, which I priced and they accepted.   Then they realized that the customer expected these to be illuminated.   The facade won't allow for a push-thru cabinet so I got a cost on some 2" deep illuminated letters.   Now the mall pushed back saying that they has only approved 3/4" thick illuminated letters.   I've seen them and even installed some but none of my normal sources can make these in time.   The specs are 2.5" tall sans serif letters (10 letters) with 8" tall Roman letters (3 pieces).  The store opens at the end of August.  

     

    HELP!!!

  6. Let me get this right.   So about 60-90 days for payment when the paperwork says 30 days?    That's fine, I think that I'll pass on that deal.  As it is, I have as much work as I can handle with customers who pay on time.    Or did you mean they pay on average in 60 days.   Even then, that's twice the stated terms.   

  7. Does anyone know of a source for textured 1/4" thick aluminum sheets?  i got an RFQ for a sign for a state park and they are looking for something that looks like rough cast iron.   Yes I could always just take a hammer/chains and "age" it, but if i can get it already textured that would save a lot of time in fab.

     

    Thanks!

     

    Rocco

  8. I just got another of those dreaded "need a quote on a large project by EOD tomorrow" emails.   It's a full rest stop worth of signs to be installed (several weeks work) on the turnpike and a job that I'd love to get.   The customer sent it after hours yesterday and wants a price back by EOD tomorrow.   Even if I had nothing else going on, I'd want at least 2-3 days to give an accurate quote.  For example, I'm sure to have questions that would need to be answered about the drawings they sent.  OK, enough of a rant.   


    My real question is, why do these large companies wait until the last possible moment to send out an RFQ for a large project?   I've always thought that it's because they got pricing they didn't like from their normal vendor(s) and are hoping to get a last minute cheap price.  I'm not accusing anyone of trying to catch someone unprepared, but they had to know this quote date was coming up.   Yes I could just throw a high number at this job but that never works out.   Thoughts?


    Thanks!

  9. Back in the late 90's, before i ended up buying the family business, my parents talked to several different business brokers.   it took nearly almost two years to find one that was trustworthy.  One just wanted to sell us a book about the history of the business, another couldn't get any interested buyers, some just want to put your business up on a website, etc.   I eventually bought the family business (still not sure if that was a good idea or not) and we worked out our own terms.   Plus there was no brokers commission.   One of my realtor customers is also a business broker and we're supposed to get together.  With COVID on the wane, I hope to meet him farily soon.  Maybe one of your customers is a broker as well as a realtor.

     

    I suggest that you reach out to SCORE and get some free help.   SCORE is part of the SBA and it's all free and the people are eager to help you.   Eventually I am going to have to sell and have been doing monthly zoom meetings to go over that subject, plus lots of other "stuff".    I'm now 63 (and wish I had contacted SCORE thirty years ago) and figure I can afford to retire in another 35-40 years.  :)     Go to the SBA website and search for what you want and they'll match you with someone.

     

    I'm in the local chamber of commerce and another business owner told me that it took him 3-4 years to make one of businesses "bankable" because most buyers don't have the cash to buy you outight.   They will have to go to a bank for a loan so all your books, inventory, etc. will have to be set up so a banker can understand your business and approve the loan.   I'm supposed to catch up with that guy and get more details but we never seem to be at the same meetings.   Again, SCORE will have people who can give you better information than "some sign-guy on the internet".     What I can say that I've been upgrading equipment, having things serviced professionally, keep the trucks on regular maintenence schedules, etc.    When I bought the business, most everything was old and run down but I was used to it and knew what needed to be replaced right away and what could stay.   No one will want a business where a lot of equipment is close to the end of it's useful life.   "New and Shiny" sells better than "old and dusty" even if the old stuff is better than the new.

     

    Best of luck!

  10. It's a thought.   I'll ask my digital print guys.   I don't have a printer because within a ten minute drive there are four sign shops who have one.  it's one less piece of equipment to maintain!    Trucks, plotters, CNC router, etc. are enough of a headache. 

  11. IDK if this is too late but here goes.

     

    For an apron brake, I'd look for an old Dreiss/Krumpf (Chicago) brake instead of a new unit.   I have the one that my Dad bought (used) ~35-40 years ago.   Other than maybe needing some paint touchup, it will probably last til my great grand kids are ready to retire.   I did a quick google search and apparently they are still made.   IDK if they are still the same quality, etc. so you'll have to check that out.    I've only used a computerized brake once and it was at an associates shop.  He was helping me by bending some 1/8" aluminum to odd angles to fit an existing cabinet.   His head shop guy said that they didn't really use it that much and they are a much larger operation than mine.  In fact he had to spend a bit of time getting it calibrated.  i had brought some off-cuts to test because it needed some tweaking to get the angles right.    If you would use it often enough, then maybe it would be worthwhile but I don't really see the need myself for basic sign fabrication.   I'm a dinoasur so take my opinions with a large grain of salt.

     

    I've always liked the look of the Baleigh industrial sheet metal equipment but am pretty sure they are from the far east.   I, again, have an old 10' shear that my Dad bought used.  It's a Niagara and when I had the blades rotated to a fresh edge last year (sadly the last good edge), the repair guy said it was in great shape considering it's probably from the mid-1960's.    My only wish was that the back gauge went beyond 18" and that it was automatic.   I have to turn a hand-wheel and always double check with a ruler before cutting anything.  Niagara is no longer around or I'd recommend one of those.   It might be a matter of who is near you and has service available if you need it.   Also, having a foot switch that can be moved around would be a nice feature.   And (assuming you have the space), a squaring arm is nice to have but not 100% needed.  I have the arm that came with our shear but just don't have the shop room keep it on the beastie.  IIRC I've only used it a 2-3 times and it takes some time to get set up and at right angles to the blade.   

  12. I have a local spray sub (we haven't sprayed in-house in more than 30 years) but he's never sprayed translucent paint on plastic.   Plus I'd need to bring it back/forth, not damage it, etc.  Yes, I could apply tranlucent white vinyl to the back but with the better translucnt white vinyl at close to $2/sf and adding in the labor to apply it, i might as wall just buy white plastic.   A buddy was going to buy some of the 6x8 sheets but said the same thing about the vinyl cost, time involved, etc.  I was hoping someone needs clear backs for channel letters, vandal covers, etc.   

     

    One of the guys had suggested rolling the sheets with white paint for that bank de-branding but it just seemed too "ghetto" to me.

  13. A while back we had to do part of a bank debranding and had to order white polycarbonate panels for blank faces.   Well, I ordered them all from my plastic suppliers website.   When the door on the delivery truck opened up I nearly fainted.   I had ordered clear from thier website by mistake!   Argggggg!   To err is human, but to really screw up requires a computer - or an idiot using a computer!   ?  

     

    Anyway, I have brand new, clear polycarbonate pieces cut from roll stock (Tuffak SL brand).  All are, of course, cut to particular sizes to fit that job.   They range from 72 3/4" x 96 1/4" down to 35 3/4" x 59 3/4".  There are 15 pieces in all, mainly 6x8 (nominal) sheets.    I can provide the full list on request.   No shipping of them.  $4/SF at whatever the nominal size is, picked up from my shop in 08109 (Pennsauken NJ).   I.E. that smaller size mentioned above will be called a 3' x 5' sheet.  Cash preferred, but will take a company check.  They have been stored inside the shop since brought and are either in my material rack or flat up against a wall.   In other words the sheets are in really good condition with no warps, etc.   I will consider a reasonable offer for the whote lot (total cost new was $2500+ also I did use one of the 4' sheets), but lowballers will be fed to my daughters viscous attack bunny!   ? 

     

    I hope someone can use some of these.   I need the space in my material racks for a big shipment of aluminum. 

  14. Update,

     

    We spoke to the mall again and was told that the fee will only apply AFTER mall hours, not in the early AM to do sign service calls though we still have to fill out an after hours form.   As usual, it all depends on who you speak to on the phone!   The moral of the story, always double check when you come up with something strange.     And customers wonder why a lot of sign companies don't like to work inside of malls!

     

    Rocco

     

  15. Hi

     

    Has anyone run into this before?   We've worked in the King of Prussia mall for years and years, and hever had to sign it, let them know when we were coming, etc.   Now we have to file an "after hours" form, but I can actually understand that.   They need to know who's getting access to the mall before it's open, need our COI, etc.  Fine, not a problem.   However, now it's a $100 fee to allow us into the mall to do a service call before hours.  I've been doing this for more than half a century and this is a new one by me.   BTW, this is Simon properties, who own a good percentage of malls across the country.   I'd exect this to become common for malls owned by them.    Anyone have similiar experiences?  IDK if this is legal or not but my customer is going to get that fee added to the invoice.  I'm glad I only have another 35-40 years before I can afford to retire.  ? 

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