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MDO Cut out signs

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

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Roderick Treece
Posts: 1086
Joined: Sat Apr 10, 2004 8:04 pm
Location: San deigo Calif
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MDO Cut out signs

Post by Roderick Treece »

I am getting ready to do a 3' x 15' flat cut out shaped sign and of course my first thought is to use 3/4" MDO. I like it because I know I can glue up the sheets ,fill the seem and paint it to look like a seemless background.
My issue is that I had a major delamination failure of MDO a few years back so I am a little gun shy on using it again.
My question are
#1 , What does everyone else prime with, seal the edges with and top coat with ?
#2 What else could I be use instead ?

Thanks
Tony Segale
Posts: 702
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2004 10:20 am

Re: MDO Cut out signs

Post by Tony Segale »

Who are you? What you got in your poke?

After all the problems I've heard about with MDO, I haven't had any.
I still like MDO for many apps. The best primer around, and I've tried many,
is Benjamin Moore's Fresh Start, the green label can, it is a water base primer.
It sands very nicely, if you choose to do so, after three days it dries as hard as a rock.
In our nice California weather, it can dry within an hour or two, allowing you to prime coat two or three times
in the same day, and it can be top coated with any medium. I will use nothing else.

PVC is a excellent material as well, if you like fabricating with it.
I have a Dead Man friend nearby with one of them fancy compu-routers,
Marshal Lee, he does a great job for me. and, the Fresh Start primer is
an excellent media for PVC as well.

That'll be a hundred dollars, hundred dollars for advice.
and he took that golden hair and made a sweater for baby bear.
http://www.tonysegale.com
http://www.tonysegale.wordpress.com
Mark Summers
Posts: 177
Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2009 4:03 pm
Location: Frisco, Co
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Re: MDO Cut out signs

Post by Mark Summers »

Roderick,
Give us an idea what exactly you are fabricating. I can't quite picture what
you might be putting together.

Mark
vance galliher
Posts: 321
Joined: Mon Apr 12, 2004 11:38 pm
Location: springfield, or.
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Re: MDO Cut out signs

Post by vance galliher »

Roderick, .........like Tonysaid , Bill Blumberg and I have been using Fresh Start waterbased primer for a long time and have found it the best. As far as materials, I choose not to use much wood anymore ...used it for a long time, I love wood, but it's too labor intensive. For most of my painted/dimensional work, I go with a Dibond substrate bonded to an aluminum tube frame with Lord acrylic adhesive 406/19 as the base on which to build.
vance
dimensional and glass art signs
http://www.vancegallihersigns.com
joe cieslowski
Posts: 338
Joined: Sun Apr 11, 2004 6:15 pm
Location: east canaan ct
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Re: MDO Cut out signs

Post by joe cieslowski »

Roderic,

Titebond III is very good for sealing the edges......just use your finger.....it dries very fast and sand. (Don't forget to round the edges.)

I'm a Ben Moore Primer fan too......they have a new one....100% acrylic..."Superior Primer". They say it has better sanding qualities. Recoat in 3 hrs.

Joe
Makin Chip$ and Havin Fun!
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