By Jim Hingst
For my latest project, I am carving a Macaw parrot . The design is 32” H x 14” W x 9” D. Before getting started, I have done a sketch, which I will transfer to the high density urethane. As I work on the carving, I will continually refer to this drawing.
To create the thickness that
I need for the carving I need to glue four 1½” sheets of HDU together. In
gluing these sheets, I am using Gorilla Glue. To activate the adhesive, lightly
spray one surface of the HDU with water. Apply the Gorilla glue to the other
surface and clamp the two pieces together. The weights on the top of the boards
helps provide even pressure across the sheets as the glue cures.
I need for the carving I need to glue four 1½” sheets of HDU together. In
gluing these sheets, I am using Gorilla Glue. To activate the adhesive, lightly
spray one surface of the HDU with water. Apply the Gorilla glue to the other
surface and clamp the two pieces together. The weights on the top of the boards
helps provide even pressure across the sheets as the glue cures.
Gorilla Glue can get messy,
so wear nitrile or latex gloves when working with it and cover your work surface with
clear application tape. This makes clean up quick and easy.
so wear nitrile or latex gloves when working with it and cover your work surface with
clear application tape. This makes clean up quick and easy.
Assemble everything that you
need before you start gluing the parts together. The glue is slippery so check
that you parts do not slip out of place even after clamping. The quality of the
bond that you achieve depends greatly on how well you clamp the parts together.
You will notice from the picture that in addition to the clamps, I have applied
about 100 lbs. of weights on each set of parts to create uniform pressure.
need before you start gluing the parts together. The glue is slippery so check
that you parts do not slip out of place even after clamping. The quality of the
bond that you achieve depends greatly on how well you clamp the parts together.
You will notice from the picture that in addition to the clamps, I have applied
about 100 lbs. of weights on each set of parts to create uniform pressure.
As an alternative to using clamps to
hold the sections of board together, you can toenail the piece using long decking screws. See the photo below.
hold the sections of board together, you can toenail the piece using long decking screws. See the photo below.
As you are carving you need to continually
redraw the image. In many cases the drawing on the carved piece will evolve.
This change from a two dimensional sketch on paper to a three dimensional
carving is only natural. See the picture below.
redraw the image. In many cases the drawing on the carved piece will evolve.
This change from a two dimensional sketch on paper to a three dimensional
carving is only natural. See the picture below.
As I am carving I am continually adding
detail and texture to the piece. See the photo below.
detail and texture to the piece. See the photo below.
When the carving is done, it is time to
prime the piece. I have used
prime the piece. I have used
A better choice is to use FSC-88 WB Precision Board brand of primer by Coastal Enterprises, which is comprised of 80% solids. What I like about this primer is that it fills in the rough HDU texture in one coat, though I always apply two coats, smoothing the surface and preparing it for the finish coatings. While you can brush FSC-88, you can also coat the surface with a roller or you can thin it out and spray it.
Another important feature of FSC-88 is it dries fast. In about 15 to 20 minutes it is usually dry to the touch. Other primers can take forever to dry. That slows down production. Below Butch “Superfrog” Anton is helping me out by priming my carving at the 2018 Letterhead Geezer Gathering.
Do You Have Questions or Comments?
On the second coat of primer I added a little Tints All light yellow so that I could see what I was painting. With the carving primed with the Precision Board water-based primer, I am ready to start painting the colors using sign painter’s lettering enamel. See below.
On
the back of the HDU carving, an aluminum composite panel is epoxied. To that a
z-mounting clip is affixed for hanging the Macaw. See below.
the back of the HDU carving, an aluminum composite panel is epoxied. To that a
z-mounting clip is affixed for hanging the Macaw. See below.
To
ensure that the panel was securely affixed to the Macaw, I embedded 3/8” elevator
bolts through the panel and into the HDU for a depth of 3”. An elevator bolt is similar to a carriage
bolt. The difference is that the head of the elevator bolt has a thin flat head
that lies flush against the panel. On each bolt I screwed on two nuts so there
was no chance that it would pull out of the epoxy that I used to fill the
holes. The picture below shows what the elevator bolts look like.
ensure that the panel was securely affixed to the Macaw, I embedded 3/8” elevator
bolts through the panel and into the HDU for a depth of 3”. An elevator bolt is similar to a carriage
bolt. The difference is that the head of the elevator bolt has a thin flat head
that lies flush against the panel. On each bolt I screwed on two nuts so there
was no chance that it would pull out of the epoxy that I used to fill the
holes. The picture below shows what the elevator bolts look like.
The cavities of the holes for the bolts were enlarged so they would
flare out at their bottoms. The flared
holes ensured that the epoxy plugs and bolts would not wiggle free. Below is a photo of the bolts after they are epoxied to through the aluminum composite panel and into the back of the carving.
flare out at their bottoms. The flared
holes ensured that the epoxy plugs and bolts would not wiggle free. Below is a photo of the bolts after they are epoxied to through the aluminum composite panel and into the back of the carving.
Do You Have Questions or Comments?
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About Jim Hingst: Sign business authority on vehicle wraps, vinyl graphics, screen printing, marketing, sales, gold leaf, woodcarving and painting.
After fourteen years as Business Development Manager at RTape, Jim Hingst retired. He was involved in many facets of the company’s business, including marketing, sales, product development and technical service.
Hingst began his career 42 years ago in the graphic arts field creating and producing advertising and promotional materials for a large test equipment manufacturer. Working for offset printers, large format screen printers, vinyl film manufacturers, and application tape companies, his experience included estimating, production planning, purchasing and production art, as well as sales and marketing. In his capacity as a salesman, Hingst was recognized with numerous sales achievement awards.
Drawing on his experience in production and as graphics installation subcontractor, Hingst provided the industry with practical advice, publishing more than 150 articles for publications, such as Signs Canada, SignCraft, Signs of the Times, Screen Printing, Sign and Digital Graphics and Sign Builder Illustrated. He also posted more than 500 stories on his blog (hingstssignpost.blogspot.com). In 2007 Hingst’s book, Vinyl Sign Techniques, was published. Vinyl Sign Techniques is available at sign supply distributors and at Amazon.
© Jim Hingst 2018