No matter how long one has been in the sign business, and we are going on our 40th year at Rick’s Sign Co., there is always more to learn and ways to improve the way we accomplish the various tasks required of us who earn our living making and installing signs.
I have noticed that even on types of jobs that we’ve done many times over the years, I still find new methods or simple ideas that can speed up the process, make the work easier and simpler, and by doing so certainly improving the bottom line. After all, the sooner I get done with a particular project, the sooner I can get started on the next one. Improved productivity equals improved profits.
This month I worked on a job that was a complete duplication of one we’d done a couple of years ago, and very similar to quite a number of jobs we’ve done through the years. It involved some flat cut letters and a logo, all fairly large, installed high up on an industrial building several miles from the shop.
It was a duplication because after installing the signs the first time, the company moved and I re-installed the entire display at their new location. Still expanding, they took back their old location in addition to the new one, and hired us to make and install the same signage again.
The part I want to look at is the installation part of the project. This job was not at all complicated, yet I clearly realized that I did it quite a bit faster this last time than I had the first time, though only minor changes had been made. But, on this job and others it becomes obvious that it’s typically small improvements that have been learned over time that make everyday installs go like clockwork, just what we want.
Of course, a trouble-free installation really starts at the very beginning of a project. Before starting the fabrication of this job, we worked up an accurate-to-scale drawing showing exactly how the design would fit on the building at hand. Mistakes at this point are dramatically critical, so much care is taken to double check sizes and positioning, since this drawing will guide us through the entire process.
And, when we go out on the job we are not going to take time to make full size patterns, or produce any more detailed notes than we actually need. The drawing shown in photo #2 was the only instructions I took to the worksite. These few simple measurements, no more than needed and no less, gave all the details needed to complete the job.
The large 10’ globe was made in several pieces, but I made sure the joining line of the pieces was on a true vertical, which made getting the orientation of this circular object exactly correct as easy as using a level even though no shape or line in it could be leveled otherwise. The first time I cut this shape, the pieces were more random, and orienting them was difficult and inaccurate. But this time, thinking through how the job will go on the installation part, even before parts are made, was very important indeed and saved real time up in that bucketlift.
Some of the smaller letters could be visually spaced, but most of the spacing was clearly and exactly indicated in the drawing. Even still, all the parts would initially be secured with as few screws as possible, so if any corrections had to be made there would be minimal unscrewing and few holes to fill. Only one letter needed a slight correction, but this element of caution is still a good idea.
The screws that were used were color coated to match beforehand, and no touch up painting was required on location. Coating the screws in advance is worthwhile and requires only that the screws be secured in a formed piece of sheet metal, wire brushed or blasted, and then well coated by whatever method. In this case the sign components were all powder coated, and so were the fasteners, providing a durable perfect match.
On rare occasion, as with this job, we’ll have a situation where some parts overlap each other. The first time we did this project, all the aligning of parts was done by measurements. With a circular shape and distorted (curved) letters, what do you measure from? In making the parts this time around, we intentionally put very small “tics” in the cut file where the different pieces overlapped, to show exactly how things would line up in the field. Note: the globe was installed first and minimally secured, and the letters were slid up under the globe and into place.
The placing of these small registration marks, or “tics,” on the letters and the globe, which were invisible from the ground, made it nearly impossible to make mistakes in the field. This eliminated a lot of measuring and double-checking, saving real and valuable time on site. As the commercial says, it was so simple “a cave man could do it,” which suited this old Neanderthal signman perfectly fine.
The install was done from a good manlift provided by the client, and even if we had rented one, you can be sure there would not be a good place to put tools, hardware or anything needed for the job except in the floor of the bucket. There is never a basket or shelf to hold something at arms reach, so one ends up stooping to the floor over and over, a considerable waste of time (and a bit hard on the back).
So, a simple plastic organizer tub at each end of the bucket, merely taped in place with duct tape kept everything at an efficient height, no stooping. Planning ahead and bringing something for this little inconvenience saved several more minutes out in the field, and each minute really counts.
When trying to install any long bulky items that must fit together accurately, the part will have to be held steady at both ends to keep it accurately in place until secured with screws. Anyone who has tried this single-handedly (working solo) knows how difficult this can be, you simply can’t be at both ends at the same time.
But, the best way is to hold the clumsy part in place as accurately as possible and mark a spot near the end away from the joint. Then, simply put a screw at that end just under the bottom edge of the part to set it on, and then focus all one’s attention at the joint, letting the far end simply rest in place.
If the joint is slightly separating at the bottom, then put a screw at the top of the joint where it fits tight, go to the other end and lower the piece until the gap closes perfectly, then place a screw at the far end before returning to the now perfect joint. If the joint gaps slightly at the top, place a screw at the bottom of the joint where it fits tight and then raise the far end to close the gap and secure with a screw. Nothing to it and no way to miss!
On virtually all metal buildings, the corrugations will be 12” apart, and the recesses will be 1” deep. This means that any part letter or component of the job, which, because of its position on the corrugations ends up being unsupported or loose at one end needs to have a support placed behind it to secure it to.
We make small “z-clips” from aluminum strips cut 1” wide and 3” long, which are bent on a brake two times to form the shape of a “Z”. Aluminum something near the color of the wall is preferred, and in this case we used white .063 aluminum for making these clips or brackets. They are made in advance, of course, and I often make enough for a couple of jobs at least and keep them in stock.
Holes are placed in them on one of the base legs so zipping them into the wall is easier, and they won’t try to spin in your fingers while screwing them to the wall, which is hard on the fingers. They can be coated with spray can paint if they need to be another color.
One other thing worth mentioning for installs like this one is to bring several cordless drills or screw guns to the job site. Depending on the types of screws to be removed or moved on the surface of the building, and the type being used on the install, at least two types of driver bits will be needed, if not three. Never waste time changing bits in one tool, keep as many tools as required, each equipped with a different driver. Also bring lots of freshly charged batteries, and perhaps a charger as well. There is always electricity somewhere, or keep a small voltage converter in your truck.
I virtually empty the shop of batteries and screw guns, and never want to be caught out on a job with less than I need, even if I just dropped one out of a bucket 40 feet up over concrete (which has happened before!).
The installation job that day, with a 10’ diameter globe in five pieces, 4’ tall letters and a number of smaller letters supported by Z-clips, took only four hours for one man working alone, a fun afternoon out on the jobsite. Fun? You bet. When installs like this go smoothly and efficiently, and you realize you are making money, they are fun (especially if you turn your cell phone off and enjoy an afternoon doing work that signmen do best).