By Dayna Reed
Posted on Monday, June 5th, 2023
This project was done for my friends down at Monterey Signs. The client had provided a drawing of their logo and wanted a 3D sign made from it. I thought a panel of sandblasted HDU foam with a cutout of the tree and prismatic letters would do the job nicely.
I began by sandblasting the lettering and the shape of the tree in a panel of 18-lb HDU board. I tend to like surfaces and textures that are irregular rather than symmetrical, so I decided that a faux wood border would be a nice touch. I carved the bark effect using a die grinder, rasp and a few chisels. I smoothed it off with a sanding block then hand painted the details.
Next, I cut the tree graphic out of HDU board. I laid it on a grill and carefully sandblasted it all the way through the board in some places. I mounted it to the main panel with Gorilla Glue, then used the die grinder to add the bark effect to the trunk and to add texture to the leaves.
The prismatic letters were cut from HDU board as well. The tree was finished with glazes to heighten the texture. The letters were finished with copper Ronan Aqua Leaf Faux Metallic paint.
The sign was to be mounted between two posts. I recommended mounting two pieces of 1-by-2-in. steel tubing between the posts and mounting the face on that.
Dayna Reed has been in the sign industry since 1980. He lives in Hood River, Oregon, when he’s not on the road visiting friends and playing Frisbee golf. two DVDs, 3D Signs Made Easy and More Super Cool 3D Signs, are available at SignCraft.com. You can save $20 when you buy both DVDs.
Adding rough texture to the border with the die grinder
ture was added with chisels, rasps, files and sandpaper.
After sandblasting, the tree graphic was also textured by hand.
Next, the background and border were painted.
The detailing was painted on the border.
The tree graphic was finished with glazes to accent the texture.
After finishing with Ronan AquaCote Copper Metallic paint, the CNC-cut prismatic HDU letters were bonded to the sign face.
Here’s a closer look at the finished tree graphic.
Dayna Reed’s shop, Sign Art Signs, is in Hood River, Oregon. His two DVDs, 3D Signs Made Easy and More Super Cool 3D Signs, are available at SignCraft.com.
