Augusta Sign Company

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How I’ve Morphed from Oils to Acrylics for Non-Blasted Sign Backgrounds

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I still prefer oil-based stains for sandblasted sign backgrounds. Although I loosely use the term “oil-based” I am referring to mostly alkyd-based paints, that use modified polyester-based resins. These types of stains and primers soak in deep and are more thoroughly absorbed into the pores of the wood surface than water-based varieties.

So here’s what I have found works best when coating raw cedar, redwood, and mahogany that will be used for outdoor signs: If the sign’s background is flush with either carved-in or painted-on letters, I recommend a quality oil-based primer for the first coat, (Zinsser is what I like best). Then I’d recommend a high-quality latex for the top coat, using a paint with a high-gloss or at least semi-gloss sheen. I used to always prefer oil-based top coats, like bulletin enamels, but have found through my extended experience that these tend to produce very hard- but eventually more brittle- films, that over time crack and peel at a much greater and much earlier rate than the more flexible acrylic coatings. Plus, if pigmented in reds or some blues, the oil-based colors fade faster than acrylics.

When coating a sandblasted sign background, I highly recommend using an oil-based stain, one or two coats depending on the wood type, condition and porosity. No primer is needed as the stain acts as the primer and finish coat. So in these instances, the old-fashioned oil-based paints are still my preference.

If you’re in the market for quality hand-painted signage, please give me a call at 540-943-9818. I’ve been making high-performance wood signs for many decades!

Mark Hackley owns and operates Augusta Sign Company serving Staunton, Waynesboro, and surrounding areas of Virginia. You can e-mail him at mark@augustasigncompany.com.

What I’ve Learned About Lettering Vehicles

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Fred Roscher, president of Roscher Electric, after his new “naked” van got “clothed” with
3M sign graphics from Augusta Sign Company of Staunton, Virginia

From Hand-Painted to Computer-Cut

It’s interesting to consider what I’ve learned about lettering vehicles over the years. Although I am getting pretty old, at least I didn’t begin lettering covered wagons, or Ford Model T’s! But I did begin lettering vehicles before the Golden Age of Computer Graphics, when vehicles were still lettered with a paint brush and a can of paint.

Memories of a Signpainter

I remember doing my first fleet of vehicles for an electric company in Silver Spring, Maryland, Neary Electric, that used a neat and intricate letter style with red, white and blue inset elements in each letter, all done by hand using a hand-drawn and hand-pounced pattern that I made in my shop. The year was about 1986 or 87 when I still resided in Maryland. When I moved to Waynesboro, VA a few years later I continued to travel to Silver Spring to letter new vans for the company for a little while.

Partial Wrap for Vailes Home Improvement Services of Waynesboro. Vailes re-utilized used vehicles that had old graphics, removed them, and re-branded with new
Avery Vinyl Branding

New Age Dawns

After the computerized plotters became commonplace, it just didn’t make a lot of sense to hand letter trucks any more. The many advantages of using vinyl graphics for vehicles easily outweighed paint: First, red vinyl lasted much longer than a few years out in the UV rays from the sun like sign paint did. Back then it was good if you used a 5-7 year vinyl product, but nowadays a 10-year lifetime is the new standard for cast vinyl sheeting. You may wonder what cast vinyl is? There are two types of sign vinyls, cast and calendered.

A Lesson on Vinyl Types

Cast films are considered the industry premium. These films start in a liquid state with the ingredients blended together and then poured onto a casting sheet. The casting process produces a thin gauge film—usually 1- to 2-mil thick. By casting film on a sheet, the film stays in a more relaxed state, resulting in a durable, flexible, conformable and dimensionally stable film that retains color well. These films are ideal for complex surfaces such as vehicles and where a smooth finished look is expected. The expected life of cast films can usually reach 10 years before any discoloration or adhesive loss begins!

Calendered films are often called intermediate or short-term films. They start with a molten mixture that is extruded through a die and fed though a series of calendering rolls. The rolling and stretching process produces thicker films (3- to 4-mil is common) that have some inherent memory, making the film less dimensionally stable and less conformable with a tendency to shrink when exposed to heat. However, they are less expensive, somewhat more scratch resistant, and their heavier weight makes them easier to handle than cast films. These films are well suited for flat and simple curved applications on a variety of substrates. Expected lifespan of calendered vinyl films outdoors can range from about one to six years.

Reynolds Hamrick Funeral Home utilized metallic vinyl letters for a customized look.

Let’s Wrap It Up

Today, wrapping vehicles is the new trend, and it makes an effective statement out there on the roadways of the world. I tend to shy away from full vehicle wraps and focus on vehicle graphics projects that don’t involve fitting the vinyl films over complex vehicle contours, which is very tricky. I stick with simplified vehicle lettering jobs. I have the capability to take photos of each side of the vehicle and superimpose the graphic designs onto each sign on customer proof drawings. That way the client can see exactly how the graphics will be integrated into the vehicle before the project begins.

Rivets are no big deal. Cast vinyls can easily conform to many unusually shaped
background surfaces.

Good Advice

I am able to letter vehicles up to a standard van size in my workshop garage bays. Anything larger I usually tackle at the customer’s lot or garage. Simple designs are usually one day projects, but more detailed designs may take 2 or 3 days to complete. It’s usually a good idea to stick with one sign company to letter your vehicles if you have a fleet. That way you can be assured that the designs and colors are consistent. Branding your vehicles is one important element of a well-branded company.

Matching Pantone Colors is easy with digitally printed 3M materials.

If you have new vehicles that need lettering or old ones that need re-branding, contact Augusta Sign Company, serving Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County, and neighboring areas, with quality vehicle lettering services.

Mark Hackley owns Augusta Sign Company, 540-943-9818

Branding Buildings in Virginia

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Branding buildings in Virginia is one thing I do on a regular basis. Come to think of it, I’ve been branding buildings with custom signs since I was 19! That’s all the way back to the 1980’s! Whether it’s a church, a veterinary hospital, or a beer factory, I have probably done it somewhere along the line.

In this blog, I will highlight three projects I have completed in the last several months. All three sign jobs have a few things in common: They all incorporate dimensional wall letters; they all utilize some form of high-performance vinyl graphics; they all use lettering systems with a lifetime warranty against fading and breakage.

First, a job I did for Ridgeway Mennonite Church in Harrisonburg, VA. The customer worked with an architectural firm to build a much-needed addition and they needed a main ID sign on their brick wall along with several free-standing directional signs out in the parking lot. Working with the church’s building committee, we were able to come up with a good system that was both functional, attractive, and reasonably priced.

Second, a project for a local Veterinary Hospital that outgrew their old location and built a new facility on the other side of town. The owners of Waynesboro Animal Hospital along with their General Contractor reached out to Augusta Sign Company for help in branding their new location. The building was situated on a busy street in town, so a good signage system was very important to them. The contractor built the building and the free-standing road-side sign structure, and I came behind them and installed the signage. In this case, the signage consisted of formed plastic letters and also flat-cut-out acrylic. The letters were mounted into EIFS which is synthetic stucco finish that many building designers choose for construction.

The third project was signage provided for Skipping Rock Beer Company in Staunton, VA. The owner provided architectural drawings and we were able to collaborate on signage design that was within the local sign codes. On one part of the building I provided fabricated metal letters, and at the entrance area I provided ACM panels that accommodated the company’s logo.

Branding buildings in Virginia and making complimentary way-finding signs goes along with my passion and experience in architectural design. You see, before plunging full-time into the signage field, I worked as an engineering technician in Bethesda, MD, and an intern-architect in Charlottesville, VA. The experience gained has helped tremendously in making quality, functional signage for my customers.

Mark Hackley is President of Augusta Sign Company, PO Box 519, Waynesboro, VA 22980. 540-943-9818, mark@augustasigncompany.com.

Why I Like Making Signs for Eastern Mennonite University

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Why I Like Making Signs for Eastern Mennonite University

www.augustasigncompany.com/University SignageLONG PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP

It’s been going on for decades! Why I like making signs for Eastern Mennonite University, that is.

You see, back in the mid-90’s when I owned and operated Tree Street Signs, I did a few sign jobs for their Facilities Management Department. You know I can’t even remember the jobs from way back then, but at that point I was used as a pinch-hitter when they were having some issues with their usual sign supplier.

www.augustasigncompany-Harrisonburg-VA-College-Signs

CENTRAL LOCATION FOR MANY SIGN SHOPS

Harrisonburg is in a great spot for any organization needing quality signs and service. For large projects and custom electric signs, Eddie Edwards Signs is right there in town. For quality trophies, plaques, banners, and just about any type of custom commercial signage, there’s Signs USA, where I worked on jobs for Eastern Mennonite once again in the mid to late 2000’s (…that’s always a weird decade to denote, the decade from 2000-2009, I hope I got that right!) At any rate, back then I did several custom wall lettering jobs. I remember designing and www.augustasigncompany.com-waynesboro-va-why-i-like-making-signs-for-universitiesinstalling dimensional letters that commemorated a major donor, naming a new wing in his honor. Also, I remember lettering room names with dimensional wall letters after new construction.

COLLABORATING WITH MARKETING AND FACILITIES MANAGERS

Then, from 2011-2015 when I was an account executive with Holiday Signs of Chester, Virginia, I worked with the university again to design, manufacture and install an entire exterior wayfinding system after discussing their signage needs with their Director of Marketing. It waswww.augustasigncompany.com-staunton-va-24401-why-i-like-to-make-signs-for-eastern-mennonite-university at this point that I began to serve them with pole banners,large banners for their athletic fields and events, and yet more exterior directional type signs.

 

A CONTINUING BOND

After a year of being back in full-time business for myself with Augusta Signs I continued serving up custom signage for the school. Banners, site signs, wall signs, displays, office signs, window signs, light pole banners, dimensional letters, vehicle lettering. These are some of the types of sign projects I’ve been involved with.

My expertise in making signs for campus-type customers goes all the way back to my beginnings in the sign industry,when I worked as an intern at the Bethesda Naval Medical Center’s 44-acre campus in Maryland. After that I was a signpainter at Joint Base Andrews where I www.augustasigncompany.com-staunton-va-school-mascots-wall-lettersdeveloped my skills in signs and customer service at a facilities management level. Eventually I made it back to the Bethesda Naval Hospital where I morphed into an engineering technician for many years. It was in this role that I developed my skills in signage design on a facilities management level.

I moved to Waynesboro, Virginia in 1988 and worked for two years as an intern architect in Charlottesville, further developing my skills in design. It was in April 1990 when I plunged full-time in the sign biz. At Tree Street Signs I was active in the design, manufacture, installation, and maintenance of many sign products for colleges as well as lower education facilities. I produced signs for BRCC, WWRC, EMU, and more public high schools, middle schools and elementary schools than I could even think of listing!

But to answer the question of why I like making signs for Eastern Mennonite University: because I enjoy making www.augustasigncompany.com-waynesboro-staunton-harrisonburg-va-signagesigns that fulfill the combined needs of facilities and marketing managers. Marketing people want their school brand to be recognized across the campus while facilities managers want people to be able to find their way around campus and also want them to be safe out there. I believe my signs help. And that’s why I enjoy making signs for Eastern Mennonite University. Many thanks to my college sign customers there and across Virginia!

 

 

Mark Hackley is owner of Augusta Sign Company located in Staunton, VA

 

Custom Wood Signs for Central Virginia

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CUSTOM WOOD SIGNS FOR CENTRAL VIRGINIA

LARGE SERVICE AREA

Based in Staunton, VA, Augusta Sign Company serves customers within a hundred miles of the shop with custom wood signs!

This large geographic service area includes the following areas:

Staunton, Waynesboro, Harrisonburg, Covington, Clifton Forge, Lexington, Lynchburg, Roanoke, Salem, Charlottesville, Richmond, Elkton, Grottoes, Verona, Weyers Cave, Stuarts Draft, Crimora, Amherst, Lovingston, Nellysford, Wintergreen, Afton, Crozet, Massanutten, Middlebrook, Goshen, Clifton Forge, Mount Sydney, Mount Crawford, Dayton, Broadway, Timberville, New Market, Stanley, Luray, Front Royal, Woodstock, Mount Jackson, Edinburg, Strasburg, Stephens City, Kernstown, Winchester, Fairfield, Natural Bridge, Fincastle, Troutville, Buchanan, Vinton, Rocky Mount, Ferrum, to mention a few!

TYPICAL CUSTOMER BASE

Customers we serve generally fall into these categories:

Churches, Medical Offices including Dental, Optical, and Veterinary, Professional Offices, Parks and Recreation, Public Works, Downtown Retailers, Specialty Shops, Hospitality, Private Farms and Residences, Industrial, Specialty Services, Schools, Libraries, and Museums.

TYPICAL SIGN TYPES

The typical types of custom wood signs we produce include:

Post and panel type signs where the wood sign is one or two-sided, mounted between two poles, or hung from a single post. Posts can be supplied by the customer, or we can fabricate or provide posts made of wood or aluminum. We can also provide standard iron scroll brackets for single-pole or wall mount signs.

Entry monument signage where the customer usually has a masonry contractor construct a brick or stone base designed for a custom wood sign. Augusta Sign Company is a licensed contractor and can subcontract sign base construction, or build certain types of stucco or custom wood sign monuments in-house.

Contact:

Mark Hackley

540-943-9818

 

OTHER SIGN SERVICES

In addition to custom wood signs, Augusta Sign Company can also help customers with Directional Signage and Wayfinding, 3-Dimensional Letters, Hand-Painted Specialty Signs, Gold Leaf, Vehicle and Window Graphics, Banners, Bronze Plaques, Industrial Safety and Parking Lot Signage.

Augusta Sign Company began as Tree Street Signs in 1990, changed its name in 2000 and began operating full-time as Augusta Sign Company in 2015. The shop is located in Augusta County, Virginia.

HOURS OF OPERATION

Mon-Fri 9:00AM-5:00PM, Closed Weekends and Holidays