NSX Logo for Garage

[Shaun Ray]

Last weekend I finally put up some logo lettering for the garage. Some guys at work were nice enough to laser cut 1/4" aluminum for me over the Christmas season. I did a little painting on the background to help the letters pop out. Afterward, I realize my paint color matches closesly to the tan interior of the car. With green and black squares on the lower part of the wall, the garage is starting to color coordinate with the NSX.

I used high bond double stick tape to mount the letters. Guess I better keep the NSX for a long time, or I'll be mudding the wall to repair it if ever need to pull the letters off.

The letters need a little cleaning, but I think they look pretty good. Some day maybe I'll have an Acura LOGO to put on the wall just above the letters.

Shaun
'95 NSX-T green/tan

 

[menuserve]

forget about the logo... that lift is sweet!

 

[Daedalus]

Very nice! I'm not sure I would rely on tape for it though. Last thing you want is for a 1/4" thick metal plate to fall off, take an odd bounce and hit the car.

 

[Shaun Ray]

Yeah, the tape is a concern but I pull on the letters and they are not coming off. The tape is rated to hold 2 lbs. although I'm not sure what that spec means considering the large amount of tape I used on each letter. I really doubt it's an issue but I'm keeping an eye on it.

As for the lift, yup....I like it. It keeps the NSX out of harms way (or falling letters.:wink: ......)

 

[Daedalus]

Yeah, the tape is a concern but I pull on the letters and they are not coming off. The tape is rated to hold 2 lbs. although I'm not sure what that spec means considering the large amount of tape I used on each letter. I really doubt it's an issue but I'm keeping an eye on it.

Usually adhesives are rated in psi. 2 lbs tension per square inch would be my guess. Aluminum has a density of about .1 lbs/in^3, so a 1/4" plate will have an areal density of .025 lbs / square inch. I think the concerns are with peel stresses and with how the adhesive properties might change over time.

 

[TTony]

Yeah, the tape is a concern but I pull on the letters and they are not coming off. The tape is rated to hold 2 lbs. although I'm not sure what that spec means considering the large amount of tape I used on each letter. I really doubt it's an issue but I'm keeping an eye on it.

As for the lift, yup....I like it. It keeps the NSX out of harms way (or falling letters.:wink: ......)

I would be more worried about the tape losing its adhesive properties through thermocycling. You may want to verify the adhesive will hold up and if not, find one that will.

 

[Shaun Ray]

Thanks for the idea/concerns. The 2 psi reference makes more sense than the 2 lbs. (dimensionless spec.) noted on the manufacturers instructions. I've used 3M high bond tape in other metal applications and it is pretty tough to peel apart. How the adhesive sticks to the painted wall is something I'm not too sure of so I keep checking it out.

Considering the amount of surface area vs. the amount of tape I have on the letters, I think it's good to hold. If I had to do again, maybe I would have used the tape for an immediate hold, plus some type of epoxy or liquid nail that would set up over time for a permanent secure hold.

If I notice any degradation, I'll post results.

 

[Vega$ NSX]

Kick ass! That looks fantastic. Best of luck on the Acura logo, I would imagine that's the hardest part.

I've been dabbling in trying to create some logos out of 1/4" MDF with very little success. I've found that the costs and time are not condusive for mass production. Each set took at least 10 hours and ate up cutting bits very quickly.

Might I ask about the costs and time it took to do the the aluminum stock? I'd like to know more about how you did it and perhaps see if there is a way to adapt it to MDF. Thanks!

 

[Shaun Ray]

Hi Vegas!

Thanks for the compliments. As for cost I bet it's expensive to duplicate. Basically, you take a sheet of 1/4" aluminum and place it on a laser cutting table. Download the DXF (by the way....thanks for the DXF) and cut away!

A sheet of aluminum cost about $200 (4'x8') but you certainly don't need the whole sheet. I was fortunate that our company was cutting some fixtures for production and I asked if they could slip in these letters around the material that would simply fall off and be scrap. I doubt that's what they did, but they did cut the parts and it was a nice Christmas present for me (no cost!)

The DXF for the emblem is ready to go and it's simple to cut out a nice big emblem. Just don't have any material (drop) to make a part that big. Some day I will get it done.

I doubt our company would want to take orders and sell these parts due to trade mark issues. It's one thing for a guy to do this on his spare time, but the company I work for has deep pockets, so we want to avoid litigation.

However, if someone was to order a bunch of laser cut shapes that look like a horse shoe, a bunch of letters of a capital A and R, etc.... I would think you could find a supplier with a laser table to cut all the parts and not be concerned about trade mark. There are plenty of job shops around with laser tables that do this sort of thing.

Shaun

 

[Shaun Ray]

Vega$

By the way, the laser cutter should work on MDF just as well. If you want a reference to a job shop, I can refer you to some in the Midwest.

Cheers!
Shaun

 

[Vega$ NSX]

Thanks, I might have to take you up on that. :smile: I've contacted a CNC milling company here in town, but they wanted like a billion pieces cut to even consider doing the job. :tongue:

Any idea how much the cost of the laser cutter is? Is it per labor hour, per piece, or by job? You don't think the laser would burn the wood?

 

[Daedalus]

Look for small shops that contract with large cabinet/furniture makers. You're not looking for a high-precision machine that costs $200/hour. It may make it easier/cheaper if you go in with the router path already defined to include the correct offsets from the edges; e.g., .1875" from the edges of the letters to define the cutting path for a 3/8" bit. Even better would be a machine language output file already done with as many sets of letters squeezed onto the 4x8 sheet as possible (dont' forget cutter margin). I think it should be doable in 2 hours to include both setup and cutting.

 

[Shaun Ray]

Vega$

I don't know about shop rates for laser cutters but the $200 per hour is probably a good guess. If you are considering a CNC router, maybe another material besides MDF could be more economical.

Before the guys at work made my letters, I seriously considered having the letters and emblem made of "gator" board. I contacted a local sign manufacturer and they quoted me around $200 to make a complete set using a CNC router table. I don't know anything about gator board, but I think it's sort of like a foam board that is paintable. It's light weight so hanging on a wall would be ideal. Probably comes in 1/2" thickness.

If you want to supply the community with some kits, this material and cutting method might be economical. Cutting numerous parts, nesting on a 4x8 board might be a solution. Blade wear would certainly be far less than MDF and shipping weight much less as well. Just an idea to consider.......

Cheers!

 

[Shaun Ray]

Just an update to say that the double stick tape used to hold these letters is still holding strong. Installed in May '06 and I still would have to rip the letters off the wall to get them loose.

Another thanks to VEGAS$ for helping out with the lettering. Some day, I plan to cut out a big MDF of the ACURA emblem and paint it red and place it above the lettering. Just got to find the motivation!

Shaun

 

[Maximus_NSX]

Just curious but how much does a lift cost?

 

[Greg Z]

Looks great! I mighta left off the ACURA part, but still looks great.

 

[Motegi]

There was some guy on eBay that used to sell these things. I bought mine from him that looks very similar to yours.

He used to make all kinds of automotive logos and emblems. I remember he had a separate website as well. I'll try and find the web address.

 

[kreh]

I want the NSX logo for my garage. Let me know

 

[Shaun Ray]

Just curious but how much does a lift cost?

The lift is pretty reasonable. Due to steel prices, I'd say you should contact john (ANYTIME) for a quote. As for me, the total price was about $4,500. That included the lift delivered (2 weeks after ordered - amazing!), service to extend the garage door so it pulls up over the top car, and installation. I cannot over stress the best money spent was to have this monster installed.

(I did the 220V electrical work on my own so that would normally add to the cost, but they do make a 120V 1-hp version that should run off of standard garage power).

Shaun

 

[redtwinturbo]

There was some guy on eBay that used to sell these things. I bought mine from him that looks very similar to yours.

He used to make all kinds of automotive logos and emblems. I remember he had a separate website as well. I'll try and find the web address.

If you find the website please let me know. I saw these years ago on ebay but never bought one since I didn't have an nsx at the time. Now I'm kicking myself for not picking one up.

 

[Motegi]

If you find the website please let me know. I saw these years ago on ebay but never bought one since I didn't have an nsx at the time. Now I'm kicking myself for not picking one up.

I'm still looking. It could be in my bookmarks folders on ONE of my computers...

I'll reply when I find it.

 

[Jim]

There was some guy on eBay that used to sell these things. I bought mine from him that looks very similar to yours.

He used to make all kinds of automotive logos and emblems. I remember he had a separate website as well. I'll try and find the web address.

I bought mine as well from eBay years ago too.

I have the letters "raised" on my wall to give it a 3D effect:

 

[Shaun Ray]

That is Cool!

 

[Gary W]

Another view:

Gary

 

[Gary W]

If you find the website please let me know. I saw these years ago on ebay but never bought one since I didn't have an nsx at the time. Now I'm kicking myself for not picking one up.

Here is a contact email address for the NSX Aluminum sign:
Item #7923801445
[email protected]
Not sure it is still good.

Gary