Custom Metal Sign: Plasma Cutting 12 ga 7/64″ 2.8 mm Mild Steel
I decided to make myself a custom metal sign at CNCROi.com after completing a few big metal jobs in the shop, it’s nice to take a break and make yourself your own presents sometimes!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsXTxcW_juQ/
For this custom metal sign, I went to my standard 12 ga 7/64″ 2.8 mm mild steel, I just find it has the perfect weight to strength ratio for wall signage and yes, I plan on having this on the back wall of my plasma so I never forget the year I was born.
I really like moose so I knew I wanted a nature scene for my own sign, the great outdoors is always fresh and new to me so I find this rather relaxing even if I’m surrounded by high tech equipment in the CNCROi.com shop.
My custom metal sign starts off with a design which I modified and optimized for my plasma cutter, in addition, I wanted a sign that was BIG and high contrast to the very boring white cinder block wall behind my plasma cutter.
Metal is also a wonderful material for use as jigs for manual routers, it’s a great choice for longevity and durability sake.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H-Kfb0LzMM/
Plasma cutting is by far the most exciting machine to work with at CNCROi.com, sparks, flames, noise, fire… it’s just a very enjoyable and satisfying process, especially when you consider that you are cutting metal like it was butter.
I’ve manually cut metal before and quite often do it in the shop to modify items that are cut using other equipment, and just watching how seamlessly the plasma cutter dances while cutting out metal just never gets old.
For this custom metal sign, I decided that after cutting it I’d paint it black so that it provided amazing contrast against my boring wall, my second choice was green but for camera focus and other esthetics, black really looks amazing on metal signage for some reason.
I also enjoy making custom house number signs at CNCROi.com, like custom metal signage, anything goes, design through font choice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxHyaObcZjs/
I guess cutting a custom metal sign might be cool for most people but they generally get hung-up on the design aspect, that’s where CNCROi.com is unique, we will actually help you with the design process, send us pictures of what you are after and we’ll put it together for you and ship it right to your door.
When it comes to your custom metal sign design options, they are endless, any font style or size or shape works fine with us, as does any mix if vector imagery and outlines or borders, literally anything goes.
I recently had a son, so I decided to make a custom towel holder for his room, using metal so that it easily lasts his entire life and then some.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QrDGM8_G6U/
CNCROi.com also makes custom metal signage in various sizes, so if you want something that’s 10″ square or 100″ square, we can make it for you and ship it right to your door.
Of course, the paint selection is also optional and other aspect of the design process, if you want green, blue, black or whatever, enamel paint or powder coated, CNCROi.com can also do that for you.
The nice thing about CNC plasma cutting is the speed, it’s astounding how fast our machine cuts through metal, it has the same accuracy as the laser, waterjet or router except the diameter of the “cut” is thicker than the laser or waterjet, closer to using a 1/16″ bit with our CNC router.
Making custom BBQ grills is another fun area that CNCROi.com excels in, nothing says awesome like your own personalized BBQ grill made out of solid stainless steel!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StBesadXpkw/
As for consumables, it’s hard to believe but we are just using electricity to not only run CNCROi.com‘s plasma cutter but also the computer and machine itself.
There are some serious UV rays coming out of our plasma cutter though, so I’m in full welding gear when next to the machine cutting out my custom metal sign, gloves through helmet.
The more I get the opportunity to play around with the equipment in the shop, the more I appreciate not only high quality equipment but also simply being born at a time when this is possible, it’s just so much fun making these types of projects for customers across North America.
Probably the most fun project I cut myself at the shop is the Star Trek Bat’leth you see on the wall, you can see how I made it in the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1eJ0VT8wWM/
I started CNCROi.com with a drill and a small CNC router, later the laser came and all the other equipment, but I’m as appreciative of what I had back then as what I have in the shop now, it’s just such a pleasure to bring my passion for custom production to others.
There are A LOT of fine details in my custom metal sign and I think that’s what makes these outdoor scenery signs look great, nature has infinite detail, big to small elements, so the more of this that can be captured in the finished sign, the more wonderful it feels and looks.
CNCROi.com also makes custom metal signs for businesses as well as individuals, any size, shape, design or color, we can make it for you!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSHumTfoLBU/
As for how to affix a custom metal sign, it’s quite easy, I just use screws into wall studs, takes two seconds, though for the CNCROi.com shop, I will be anchoring the custom metal sign into the cinder blocks using cement screws and anchors.
The sparks you see flying all over the place when I’m cutting my custom metal sign are from the instantly vaporized metal from the plasma being rejected, there is a fine dust going “up” from the compressed air shooting down on the table and the sparks are other interactions happening between the arc and the plasma.
Of course, CNCROi.com also cuts custom metal signage using water and sand too, each has their plus and minus when it comes to production quality, accuracy and speed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AftM2ajVkQw/
The fire you see goes quite deep, but like a laser, it loses a lot of power the farther from the ignition point you go, that’s why you see our plasma cutter easily cutting the metal but not the grid underneath or the extraction vent under that.
Unlike any other material in the shop, what I enjoy about metal is the strength it has relative to the thickness, this is also what makes it wonderful for wall signage, painted or otherwise.
This custom metal sign is still HOT to the touch, I have to let it cool down a bit, you can see what is scrap and what is good, the reason for so much of a border around is for grounding, I found giving myself a margin produces better results.
I have to remove the dross on both the front and back of this custom metal sign, it’s extremely minimal, but the melted metal does need to be removed, if anything, for esthetic reasons, but it also helps to have it stay flat against the wall.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF3OSUm9Yww/
By the way, the table you see in the image below was my very first welding project, it’s been useful ever since I made it!
After angle grinding the dross off at CNCROi.com, it was time to paint it, I went to my go-to preference, black enamel, and it looks fantastic!
Need a custom metal sign? Contact CNCROi.com right now!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj5EAbLlHQI/