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slowdncr

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Everything posted by slowdncr

  1. We have an account where we use a custom formulated Magenta acrylic on rather large pan channel letters. Contrary to their other acrylic product that we've used, it proved to fade significantly within 6 years when in full sun. We tried Global Sign Restoration on a trial basis and I was quite impressed with the results; the original color was brought back! We've gone on to have them "restore" multiple locations, and the cost is significantly less than replacing the faces. They claim the treatment will last 3-5 years, so that has yet to be proven in these recent applications. I'm not sure what process they use, and they're careful to keep it that way, but I suspect it's some sort of applied clear coating, kind of like waxing an oxidized paint finish. I know it works, without impairing the translucency at night. If you can extend the life of the letters for at least three years for the cost of a service call, then you look pretty good to your customer. We use Jewelite trim cap, which has proven to be much more durable than the other manufacturers offer. It's well worth the extra cost. Of course, there is a time when it breaks down as well, but that's usually in the sun belt states and after about 10 years at which time you can justify replacing the faces and trim cap.
  2. One of the organizations that you portray as "do-nothings" is presenting a webinar on a subject dear to your rants: The Art and Science of Getting Paid in a Tough Economy Do you like to get paid? This webinar will discuss the many tools available to companies to ensure that they are paid in tough economic times from statutory protections to risk management practices which can greatly increase the likelihood of payment and decrease the amount of time spent chasing money for work already performed. (Date) January 12, 2012 (Time) 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET / 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon PT (Presenter) Michael Pappas, Miles & Stockbridge P.C. For more information, contact ISA at (703) 836-4012 or info@signs.org.
  3. In all of this patriotic bigotry, it makes me wonder how many of you drive German or Japanese cars, watch Japanese televisions, talk on Korean cell phones, or how many wear clothes made in Viet Nam. How quickly we forget. The armies of these countries killed far more Americans than we've lost in the middle east, yet just 70 years later we fuel the trade deficit by patronizing their industrial output and turn our backs on our own domestic manufacturing sector. How do we keep the fires of the same forges that manufactured the machines bent on destroying America by blindly consuming their products? How quickly we take up arms against a new foe whose underground treasure we covet in order to fuel the machines of our forgotten enemies. True patriots should support true American industries. Let's also not forget that America's prime foundation was based on individual freedoms. I don't offer this prompt in defense of this man's anti-social behavior, but I will defend his right to exercise his freedom regardless of how it might be perceived. I applaud those of you that counseled temperance. As far as I'm concerned, vengeance is for the ignorant and does nothing but promulgate further animosity. If you're going to stir the embers of hatred, I suggest we all take a broader view of our history as it relates to those that did far more than just refuse to shake our hands.
  4. 1) Those that have discontinued their membership to this forum have expressed their freedom of choice. Would you feel welcome in a room where you were attacked and labeled as a "do-nothing"? I remain because I still believe the best way engage an uninformed man is to help inform him. 2) I have dodged nothing. I have directly engaged in the subject and content of this thread. You might refresh yourself in Erik's original attack, "Why is it that every Sign Association is filled with a bunch of "Do Nothings" who are regurgitates/throwbacks from one Sign Association after the other??? Or serving in multiple Associations at one???? They pride themselves in turning government regulation into a profitable program for themselves for all to assimilate to INSTEAD of doing what's right for the industry they represent, AND fighting it! Are they all from France??? Seriously!" To this original subject, I have defended what I believe in. None of the examples I've referenced are "wild tangents" but are significant accomplishments from which not one volunteer has profited. Quite the opposite in fact, given the significant expenditures that were made by the asoociations. To reference these devoted individuals as "do nothings" is an affront to everything I've come to value in my many years in working with CSA and ISA. 3) As for my avatar, there is no irony. How the heck do you even arrive at that conclusion? I am 3rd generation in the sign business, the grandson of Art Nelson, founder of Nelson Neon in 1947 in Richmond, CA, and son of Bill Moore, one of the original founders of the California Electric Sign Association in 1959 and founder of his namesake company in 1974. After 34 years at Bill Moore & Associates, I am currently President and work hard everyday to maintain the tradition of customer service and quality product. I'm proud of this history and will continue to argue the positive characteristics of neon here, with my clients and the proponents of LEDs. Skip Moore
  5. I guess that distills the difference in us, Erik. You see it as a battleground and I see it as an opportunity.
  6. Here's an excellent example of what the "Do-Nothings" are doing for you, for the reputation of the industry, for the sign users and for the public. Sign Structure Research http://www.signs.org/SignIndustry/TechnicalRegulatoryResources/EngineeringandInstallation/SignStructureResearchExecutiveSummary.aspx Wise up.
  7. Once again, I find your lack of intelligent comprehension to be abhorrent and your furthering of misinformation to be irresponsible. Let's take California's Title 24. Upon introduction of the original bill before the legislature, CSA was opening doors with the California Energy Commission (CEC). Their expertise, conviction and tenacity eventually won over the chief technicians in charge of drafting the regulations. The resulting regulations were directly mollified by the efforts of CSA and ISA. CSA is currently in meetings with the CEC over the next round of revisions where an ernest and honest dialogue will help to assure you and the industry that we can properly illuminate signage in the state of California. I can assure you that had CSA not been there, you would be held to 8 watts per sq. ft., no neon, no HPS or MV, just those damn LEDs you so shamelessly promote. Yes, there are plenty of good people that give of their time selflessly and generously to make us proud of this industry we so love. That's more than I can say for you. And because you have publicly declared that you'll support the fight, I expect to see you at the next meeting of the CEC along with the other issues you falsely accuse the sign associations of avoiding. I'll look forward to seeing you there.
  8. And if you're wondering why no one speaks up around here, it very well may be due to the toxic atmosphere brought about by your persistent rants.
  9. Once again, I find your aim and your target to be so misguided that it borders on shooting yourself in the foot, or head. You and I both share a distain for the lack of professionalism in the industry. But to attribute this character flaw on the Sign Associations is laughable. A contractor sting co-sponsored with the Calif. State License Board and the California Sign Association (CSA) earlier this year resulted in netting 8 unlicensed "sign contractors". More of these stings are planned for 2012. Then there's standardized engineering that is being adopted by communities around the state, brought to you (at significant expense) by CSA. Let's not forget how these "empty suits" as you are apt to characterize them, thwarted the City of Los Angeles' effort to pass an overly restrictive new sign ordinance that would have had significant impacts on the sign users and the industry. In the course of negotiating the requirements of the proposed code, CSA revealed to the City how most of the signs they cited as blight and the purpose of imposing new restrictions were illegal, and have since promoted a self-financing enforcement program. Now if any of these efforts can be characterized as protecting the Big Boys, or serving special interests, then I have not witnessed it in my 19 years on the CSA Board. I honestly don't understand your tirade against honest, hard-working volunteers who are only trying to improve what you claim is so wrong with the industry. I can tell you one thing, I've NEVER seen you contribute anything other than negativity. If that's what floats your boat, well you can post it here, that's your prerogative. But please don't malign those individuals and organizations that work so hard in the industry's behalf. Wise up.
  10. You're way off the mark here, Erik. "Do nothings"? Really? Did you wake up grouchy and want to pick at any topic you clearly don't understand? What gives you the right to stand on the outside and cast barbs at those that devote a good portion of each day to making the industry better. I've been active in our state and national sign associations for over 25 years and it's bums like you that rant on as to what's wrong but are always missing from the table when the issues are discussed in a fair and open arena (not this sandbox of a forum). I tell you, your words and gross generalizations do nothing but drag the entire effort down, that's for sure. Next time the ISA or CSA Boards meet to discuss ALL the issues confronting the industry, I'd like to see you there. Oh wait, no, you'll be outside exclaiming how rotten the bastards are that are inside doing their best to bring credibility and stability to the industry. Wise up.
  11. Erik, thanks for the invite. We'll be staying at the Excalibur, so unless I get lassoed into some meeting or pow-wow, we'll come by and say hi. Having attended NESA/ISA shows for about 30 years now, including each of the Vegas shows since they set up house there, it always cracks me up how enthusiastic and excited everyone gets and how burned out and wasted and burned out they are after 3 days of "networking". I'm sure glad it's every other year. Looking forward to meeting you and the members off this forum.
  12. Yeah, I was never able to figure that one out, because if you pull the PK glass sleeve from the metal housing, embossed on the side of the glass it says, "Not For Outdoor Use". The darn rubber boot at the mouth not only traps condensation in the housing, but it rots out with the corona and UV, disintegrates and water is allowed to trespass into the housing. I always tell my service techs, if they ever come across a PK or Hage housing to rip them out and replace them with the wp boot like the Masters.
  13. My apologies for the oversight, Gary. I don't think of a boot as a housing and in fact I was just trying to steer Arryn away from PK housings which far too many people think are approvable for outdoor installations but they are not, and they are nothing but trouble if used for that purpose.
  14. Keep in mind that the only U.L. approved electrode housing for exterior border tube installation are "G Cups" with a conduit plug assembly. The mouth of the housing has to be slanted downward 15°, so your electrode double-back has to be angled upward. I'm not certain if they'll accommodate the 20mm tube suggested here.
  15. We have lost an ally to the sign industry and to public safety. My favorite Jim Richards story occurred about 15 years ago, right about when U.L. started to let us use G-Cups instead of PK or Hage Housings (both a bane to the proper installation of individual letters). We were at a reception at the NESA Regional Convention in Anaheim. Jim and I were talking shop and I thanked him and UL for finally seeing the logic and practicality of the G-Cup as an electrode housing. I then somewhat flippantly remarked that it only took UL 45 years to figure out how my grandfather did it to begin with. Jim chuckled, kind of shrugged his shoulders and conceded, "... at least we're listening". This attitude was a breakthrough for me. For so long, UL developed policies and procedures as a result of their testing, but never bothered to ask those that dealt with secondary voltage on a daily basis what worked for them. Therefore, their regulations were impractical and unsafe under most circumstances. Today, via Jim's willingness to engage and listen, neon installations are much improved and definitely safer. I can only hope Jim mentored someone at U.L. on how much attitude has to do with cooperation, how much expertise has to do with the industry not the engineer and how much personality has to do with success. In each of these areas, Jim was both teacher and student. My condolences to Jim's family.
  16. Blaming current circumstances on the President of the United States is like blaming the BP Chairman for the Gulf oil disaster (that one you can blame on the Bush administration). I don't like to see such political mudraking in what is a sign forum. Hey, the President visited a sign shop and talked about creating jobs. Get over it. Stop finding blame in someone that's at least trying to make things better for Americans. After all, what have you offered in your dialogue here that contributes anything positive to our country. Frankly, I find it unpatriotic and derisive (tools, btw, that the socialists are adept at using to undermine governments). Maybe that's why we're in the doldrums - it's far easier to grouse about how bad things are than it is to make them better through hard work and perseverance.
  17. I was born into the sign industry. My grandfather owned and operated Nelson Neon in Richmond, CA. My dad joined him the year I was born, 1953. The shop was my playground until I was about 12. Then I started working summers and weekends as shopboy, including wiring ballasts, tying neon and even doing the old tile mosaic "S" logos for Safeway stores. Otherwise, I liked hanging out in the art department and riding shotgun on the service truck. Then it was off to college to study architecture, because I sure as heck wasn't going to stay in the sign business. Cut to 1977; Having graduated from the University of Oregon in Architecture and Planning, I was working as a Land Use Planner in Hood River County, Oregon when the Commissioners felt I was making the public too aware of the issues (which was part of my job) and cut my funding. A call came in from my dad saying he could use my help launching his new sign company, Bill Moore & Associates (BMA). So I loaded up the truck and moved to Albany. It was supposed to be a temporary assist, as I was pretty much committed to Oregon by then. This past Saturday, I had my 33 year anniversary at BMA. Oregon got by without me, and BMA got ever stronger with me being here. I am now majority owner of that sign company. In hindsight, as a young man, I was in denial over joining in the family sign business, but I have really enjoyed the experience. There's an inalienable family pride that causes us to do stupid things that ends up really defining our lives. Now my son is working for us part time while he goes to college. 4th generation sign guy? That will be his decision.
  18. Am open for suggestions on what else could be done to prevent this kind of thing, as otherwise the mindless government bureaucracy will eventually 'fix' it for us, their (lowest common denominator) way, by making neon completely safe by making it completely illegal... My favorite story in this regard is when I had Los Angeles inspector just nit picking a good installation of ours. It was a long time ago, so I don't remember the specifics, but his complaints were baseless. Anyhow, I pointed to an installation across the street that looked similar to those examples shown under this thread (GTO draped across the fascia, no electrode cups, etc.) and asked him why he didn't do anything about those obvious and unsafe transgressions. He simply shrugged his shoulders and said, "There's nothing I can do about that". Astonished, I asked why and he said, "Because that sign doesn't have a permit". !!!! When this is the governmental attitude, there is little left to wonder about.
  19. I guess we can both disagree, Gary, but my experience is that the circuit will heat up, the contact detects such and trips off. I'm not justifying the cause by any means, but there are layers of safety built into the NEC long before UL's layer.
  20. Whoops, at least until Mike stuck his comment in ahead of mine.
  21. My take on the neon is that, yes, it's a piss poor installation, breaking about every rule in the book, but it doesn't appear that there are combustible materials in proximity to the electrodes, so there is no danger of fire. Essentially, if it were to short, it would go to ground (nearby metal), heat up and trip the transformer, and even if the xfr. isn't 2161 compliant, the breaker will trip. What surprises me is how no one has mentions how BAD the red copy reads on the blue backgrounds. Talk about something done poorly... Skip
  22. In this day of diminishing city revenues, it seems that communities are arbitrarily increasing permit fees, such that they can be perceived as a tax, not as the actual cost to administer the permit. High permit fees inflate the contract price, making signs more expensive to our customers merely because we choose to abide by the rules. But there's one rule that helps those of us doing business in the State of California. Government Code Sections 66014, 66016 require that permit fees may not exceed the value of the service provided. Communities vary in the manner by which they levy fees; there's a flat fee, fees based on the value of the sign (as is the case you cite), or a combination of value and fees. (I remember that L.A. used to tell us what the value of the sign was based on their own appraisals for purposes of coming up with the fees and I wish I could've sold the damn sign for as much as they said it was worth.) CA State law also provides a mechanism by which fees can be challenged. Gov. Code Section 66023 allows any person to request an audit for the fees charged (the cost for such is bourn by the requestor). Bottom line is that a jurisdiction cannot charge more in permit fees than the costs they incur to process, review and inspect the work covered under the permit.
  23. Sorry we were not able to make the meet 'n greet at PB ALehouse. Too many places to be at once. It was a good show and had a lot to offer. Too bad it was so under attended. The exhibitors and speakers deserved better.
  24. A better organized member than I has pointed out that the ISA Chairman's Reception is Friday at 6:00. No conflict, no problem. Party on, Garth.
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