Chisel Letters

[Keith Outten]

Not exactly a high end project but the results are pleasing to the eye. These are 4.6" tall chisel style letters machined from 1/2" thick Dupont Corian. The trick was to make these smaller letters so they were properly scaled to match the 7" tall 3/4" thick letters I have previously installed in our Library at CNU.

The font is Fritz-Quadrata, the first pass to cut the angle of the letters was with a 60 degree Vbit at 1/4" deep on the line. The second pass was made with a 1/4" spiral bit to cut the letters out. Yesterday they were painted a beige color and will be installed underneath existing letters over an area entryway. I hated to have to paint them, the white letters look great without any sanding or finishing at all. I hope that I will be able to make these for the exterior of our buildings in the future.

More when the letters have been installed in a couple days, I have to schedule the install when the Library is closed.

[Angus Hines]

I know they have to match but god the paint color is ugly. They look much better in the white and in person.

[James Jaragosky]

Very nice work Keith. But I have a few questions.
My first question is how long do you figure before you will have to repaint the letters? I am just wondering how well the paint adheres to the Corian.
Second if you were painting them anyways, why not use a cheaper material?
I would think that one of the main points of using Corian would be that it never need paint, and that it is a weather proof material.
And last how well do the bits hold up cutting Corian? Before they start getting dull?

[Keith Outten]

James,

Given that these letters are for interior use I expect it would be decades before they would need to be repainted. Every brand and type of paint I know of adheres well to Corian. I have used latex, oil, acrylic latex, enamels, etc and they all seem to work fine. Longevity is another story...I don't know which types of paint will last the longest.

I use Corian over cheaper materials because it is generally the best and the least expensive at the same time. Corian machines beautifully and is stable, it also reduces my labor on the job and saves time so it ends up being the least expensive material in almost every case. Less sanding and one coat painting means I'm finsihed faster and on to the next job. The 7" tall letters I installed last year were made from 3/4" MDF, it was dirt cheap but every letter had to be sanded and it took a primer coat and two top coats. There are a lot of instances where I can make chisel letters from Corian left over from other projects. There is generally something left at the end of a sheet, I save every piece and it is all used....if not for signs then for name plaques for faculty office doors or desk name plates. I doubt that there is two pounds of scrap from each 280 pound sheet we order, there seems to always be something I can make from even the smallest pieces. I could have used three or four colors of Corian for these letters since they had to be painted to match the interior design, scraps for multiple jobs are often used in these kinds of projects. I used white in this case because I had a left over piece from another job.

The savings aren't insignificant, I was able to fabricate all of the signs for our new Library for under $500.00 in material. The Architectural firm that designed the building had $20,000.00 in the project estimate for the signs. The total material cost for a Corian ADA door sign is less than seven dollars.

I don't keep statistics on router bit consumption, the reason is that they will last an amazing amount of time. The set of router bits that came with my Shopbot lasted over a year, I know I must have cut literally hundreds and hundreds of ADA sign blanks from the first spiral bit that came with the machine. I experienced the same kind of performance with a Whiteside Roman Ogee bit that I used to edge prep our door signs, it outlasted two bearings. The key to machining or sawing Corian is to go slow, bits and blades will last a long time.

When I first started using Corian I have to admit the price shocked me, these days I don't even consider the price because it has proven to be the least expensive material, the most versatile and the best quality no matter what material I compare it to. Dupont estimates that Corian will last up to fifty years in an exterior service, aluminum signs won't last that long because the effects of pollution, sun and weather eat away at the material and the paint just falls off.
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[AL Ursich]

Keith,

WOW... Great Post, Great Information.

Thanks,

AL

[Keith Outten]

Yesterday this project was put on hold and I have been told to make a smaller set of chisel letters to fit a different location that is six inches shorter in length. The good news is that I also will be able to make several directional signs that include the Mariners Museum logo which should be an interesting job. I worked late last night on the design and I think I have something that will meet with everyone's approval.

I also picked up several other jobs in the new Library, three more chisel letter signs and two door signs. The further ahead I go the farther behind I get

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[Angus Hines]

JUst wait till you start getting the signs for the science building!