I did another number on my letterbox
23/07/2015
Last weekend, as I walked from work to buy my lunch, I passed a road sign for "TRUCKS CROSSING" which looked like it had been hit by a truck. It was lying on the footpath, broken/torn nearly in two, no sign (ha-ha) of whatever it had been mounted on.
As I walked on, I wondered if it could be of any use, and came up with an idea. On my way back I completed its division into two, and carried the more intact half off back to work, and eventually home.
I had decided I could make a nicely visible, fluorescent orange, reflectorised street number for my letterbox.
As I walked on, I wondered if it could be of any use, and came up with an idea. On my way back I completed its division into two, and carried the more intact half off back to work, and eventually home.
I had decided I could make a nicely visible, fluorescent orange, reflectorised street number for my letterbox.
The sign has eight layers: -
The letters can be peeled off, so there is plenty more room to make anything else. I did a trial with a piece from the top left, to see if it could be flattened, as the whole piece was curved to some extent.
I put the smaller piece in the oven on a flat tray at 150 degrees C for about 10 minutes, then took it out and placed another tray on top while it cooled. This was not entirely successful, as the aluminium couldn't re-compress, so just buckled, while the plastic was too soft and squeezed out the edges like mayonnaise from a sandwich. I found I could just bend the sheet without harm if it was not a sharp bend. Shown at left is the piece of sign as I began work. The flash went off on my first picture, which is shown underneath to illustrate the reflecting properties of the sign I realised I could use the cut-out part of the spray paint stencil I made last time.
Shown at left is my mark up, and the stencil cut-out. Shown at left is the rough cut; the inner holes are done, ready for the finishing file.
The cutting out was very quick and easy, I used a woodwork coping saw and the plastic and aluminium offered almost no resistance. The biggest risk was going too fast and overshooting the lines! Here is the finished object, cut out and filed.
The filing was tricky, as I found it had to be done exclusively with strokes towards the reflective surface. Filing on the back stroke tended to detach the white backing layer from the aluminium sheet. Still, as the work piece was relatively soft, this wasn't a real problem as far as speed goes. The number is 15 centimeters high. I investigated glues, considering the location, (outdoors facing the prevailing Westerlies) and went with a silicone sealant I already had a tube of in the fridge. Finished!
Bright by day and bright by night. |
Now all I have to do is re-mount the box to the post, as I have just noticed the angle-iron brackets are badly rusted.