Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 44

Reverse-lit channel letters look best with a significant, uniformly colored wall behind them. The flat surface behind the
letters allows for nice contrast with the LED halo lighting.
the client-supplied Half Acre logo,
Bangor Neon created a scaled file
and emailed it to Direct Sign. "Most
often, we simply provide a scale vector
drawing of what we need with the
basic specs and reference dimensions
and go from there," Ron said of PermaLetter's practice. "Having [Direct Sign]
do what they do best frees us up to
do what we do best," also noting how
this preserves PermaLetter's capital
for other equipment and uses.
Direct Sign built the letters for
Black Tooth to withstand the extremes
of Wyoming weather: In this case,
letters featuring 0.125-in. aluminum
faces with 0.063-in. returns and 3/16-in.
clear polycarbonate backs. "Additionally, we cut and applied brushed finish
aluminum composite on the face of
the buffalo head logo to contrast with
the satin black letters," Ron said. PermaLetter carried this combination through
with the 6-ft. diameter logo pog over
the entryway. "That display features
push-through acrylic graphics through
black ACM," Ron added, "ending
44

SIGNS OF THE TIMES

JANUARY 2018

with a backlit acrylic ring around the
perimeter." The words "Black" and
"Tooth" are illuminated white and
mounted to a yellow brick surface.
US LED SVR short (referring to the
length) modules light the center logo
amber in color.
Bangor Neon's channel letters
for Half Acre measured 134 x 37 in.
As with Black Tooth, Direct Sign
used US LED SVR short modules to
provide a blue halo. Despite "Neon"
being part of his company's name,
Lee easily chose LED illumination
over neon as LEDs are considerably
less expensive to run. "There are no
worries about the neon breaking,"
Lee added. However, when maintenance is needed, easy access to the
power supply behind the signage,
usually located within the building,
is vital. For Black Tooth, PermaLetter
used a local electrician and friend
of the client to perform the wiring.
"LED lighting makes this so much
more doable," Ron said, noting the
contrast to neon.

BUILT TO LAST
Once installed, LED-lit channel
letters of durable, noncorrosive construction last a long time, validating
a client's investment. The current
average life span for LEDs is about
10 years, at which point they can be
replaced, according to Lee from Bangor
Neon. While the lighting components
should see out a decade of use, the
power supplies that run the LEDs
will sometimes fail, but these also
are easily replaced. In fact, "Very little
maintenance is required," of channel
letter signs, Lee said. "Just clean the
surface with soap and water."
Heat adversely affects the lifespan of
LEDs, and moisture can be a problem,
too. Ron and his fellow residents
of Big Sky Country are lucky to live
in a dry climate so mold- and other
moisture-related issues are virtually
non-existent with the channel letter
signs they sell and maintain. "A good
cleaning every couple of years to
blow out the bugs is often enough."
Halo-lujah!

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - January 2018