The New American Sign Museum

A Dream Comes True With the opening of the new American Sign Museum (www.signmuseum.org) on June 23 this year, museum founder Tod Swormstedt achieved one of his dreams. As I walked past the brightly lit exhibits, I thought about what Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich, had said: what a man can conceive of and...
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Heat Pressing on Dye Sublimated Fabrics

What is Dye Sublimation? Most polyester fabrics, such as many of the popular “Performance Garments”, are dyed using a sublimation process. The dye sublimation process uses high heat to permanently   fuse   the colorant   into a polyester fabric. Heat serves two critical functions in this dying process.  First, the heat causes the pores of the polyester fabric...
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Heat Pressing Appliques on Leather

Back when Marlon Brando rode into Hollywood stardom in the Wild One (1953), the leather motorcycle jacket, adorned with a biker back patch, symbolized the country’s rugged iconoclastic spirit. Since the era of Brando, the popularity of real leather apparel has not diminished.  Little has also changed in how we embellish leather attire. Leather jackets and...
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Reverse Painting on Glass

Painting a scene is a challenge for most people. Now, imagine painting everything in reverse. It can be mind-boggling. As I struggled with the learning curve, I soon realized that I needed help.  I was fortunate to have some veteran sign painters coach me through the process of reverse painting on glass.  If you are up for...
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Woodcarving Vise Swivels 360⁰

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Thermal Transfer Printing on VinylEfx® Films

One unique characteristic of our VinylEfx® product is the deep embossing, which creates the 3D illusion in patterns, such as MultiLens® and Diamond Plate™. Deeply embossed patterns, however, can cause problems, when printing with thermal transfer systems, such as the Gerber Edge®. Printing on films, which are not perfectly smooth, can result in flaking, in...
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Solvents and Fire Safety

Fire is undiscriminating. It can flare up at any time. And can happen to anyone. After finishing a vinyl graphics application job, a former colleague and mentor had loaded the back seat of his car with rags which had been soaked in solvent for cleaning, before heading down the road. As John drove, he attempted...
http://supply55.com/blog/2014/04/solvents-and-fire-safety/

Painting Expanded PVC Panels

For less demanding applications expanded PVC (EPVC) board  is a good alternative for  short-term outdoor signage, indoor retail signage, P.O.P displays, tradeshow and museum exhibits and for mounting photographs and digital prints. Some of the popular brands that are stocked by sign supply distributors are Sintra®, Celtec, Komatex and Veracel. Available in different densities and finishes and in...
http://supply55.com/blog/2014/04/painting-expanded-pvc-panels-2/