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Lettering on corrugated metal

Hand Lettering topics: Sign Making, Design, Fabrication, Letterheads, Sign Books.

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Dan Seese
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2004 11:29 pm
Location: Fort Collins, CO
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Lettering on corrugated metal

Post by Dan Seese »

I have a project coming up in a couple of weeks where I need to do some basic helvetica lettering on a corrugated ceiling. The letters aren't that tall ranging from 8" - 15". The corrugation is really deep with the peaks & valleys each being about 2".
It's been a long time since I've lettered on corrugation and I don't think I've ever done any quite like this. I'll attach a photo of the metal.
Any tips on how to pounce my pattern so that I get as much of the lines as possible. It's going to be a challenge.
Attachments
Peaks & valleys are each about 2" with angled slopes.
Peaks & valleys are each about 2" with angled slopes.
image (3).jpeg (180.41 KiB) Viewed 6807 times
Dan
"The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne."
Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340 - 1400)

http://DanSeeseStudios.com
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Andrew Lawrence
Posts: 61
Joined: Sat Jun 29, 2013 1:06 pm

Re: Lettering on corrugated metal

Post by Andrew Lawrence »

I did a really gnarly roll down gate not too long ago and found a few things that helped. Just pen plot/pounce your pattern as normal, pounce it on the surface on the highest ridges. Take a stabilo and fill in the gaps if needed by hand. Soft or hard fitch is going to be your friend. With letters that tall I'd consider a house painting brush, like a 1.5" purdy. Make sure you let the client know that it will look like it's painted on corrugated and keep in mind the "good from far, far from good" motto because it would take a long time to get it looking perfect. A good audio book and a dose of patience might help, good luck.
pat mackle
Posts: 162
Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2012 5:35 pm

Re: Lettering on corrugated metal

Post by pat mackle »

Let me hazard a guess as to how I might attempt this.
Typeset the letters. Then stretch the font a bit side to side to widen the face(because when you press the pattern into the valleys the font will appear compressed).
Print the pattern onto white butcher paper. Spray the back side with low tack rubber spray adhesive like the kind to hold tee shirts for printing.
Rub the adhesive spayed pattern to your metal pouncing board and burn the pattern. If it holds well without magnets, it should hold on the cleaned corrugated metal job.
Then alien your pattern to the corrugation. Once you have it centered, start at the center with an old screen print squeegee and work the self sticking paper into the highs and lows of the corrugation. You could add bits of tape if there's a breeze. Then pounce your pattern.
Dan Seese
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2004 11:29 pm
Location: Fort Collins, CO
Contact:

Re: Lettering on corrugated metal

Post by Dan Seese »

Thanks, Andrew and Pat, for taking the time to respond!
Pat - I always like to see how your brain works. This is an interior ceiling in a restaurant and relatively small letters on large corrugation. Breeze won't be a problem but magnets might be useful . . . unless it's aluminum.
Andrew - Prior to your response, I actually transferred the pattern on my sample the same way you had recommended. I used the artwork provided by the client, pounced a pattern on the peaks, extrapolated where the connecting lines would go in the valleys with a stabillo, and then lettered it accordingly. This will actually be viewed at close proximity so using a house painting brush isn't an option.
After sending it to the client, one of the comments was "We want this to have an artisan look . . . was the font we provided maybe a bit too tight? How would you hand letter it if you were just given the words and needed to come up with your own style? Oh, and what about the brush strokes we can see in the sample you provided? We want a hand crafted look but I'm not sure we want to see those strokes unless they're purposeful."
Huh????? :? :roll:
So I think I have the technique of lettering on the corrugation pretty much figured out. Now if I can just figure out exactly what my client is after. I'll try not to complain too much - after all, as long as I'm duly compensated, they're the ones helping to put food on my table. I just need to understand what they want, and I don't think you guys can help me with that one! :lol:
Thanks again.
Attachments
S & E2.jpg
S & E2.jpg (112.9 KiB) Viewed 6623 times
Dan
"The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne."
Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340 - 1400)

http://DanSeeseStudios.com
http://www.DanSeeseStudios.com/blog/
http://www.facebook.com/DanSeeseStudios
pat mackle
Posts: 162
Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2012 5:35 pm

Re: Lettering on corrugated metal

Post by pat mackle »

Now that I see that the copy is following the corrugated lines, I will correct my message to say typeset the letters, and then stretch their height, not their width.
You are on your own about the clients disdain for brush strokes of hand lettering. lol
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