Hi Pod
Hope the PM is of help to you
KB

Absolutely it was! Well, thanks to my mate Chriskingbees I've been able to make a life-sized mock-up, which I've blu-tacked to the panel to see how I like it before I go to the expense of having a metal one made ... and I'm in two minds about it. Undecided! My box has blue window frames and a dark blue door sign so probably shouldn't have one of these St John signs anyway, but I do like it ... sometimes. Are many people in two minds about this or is it an easy decision for everyone (except me)?

Quote from: pod board=manual thread=937 post=17217 time=1223213365Are many people in two minds about this or is it an easy decision for everyone (except me)?

You're not alone.  I've found myself struggling with trying to decide among the many aesthetic possibilities of the police box/TARDIS.  At least with the St. John Ambulance sign, you can take it off if you decide that you don't want it after all.

Colin

You're right there Colin, I've actually been considering having the sign made and affixing it with blu tac so I can chop & change when i feel like it! Don't want to screw it on because the blue is made of so many types of blue, plus a black wash, I'd never be able to match the paint to cover the screwholes!!!

Quote from: pod board=manual thread=937 post=17220 time=1223220768I've actually been considering having the sign made and affixing it with blu tac so I can chop & change when i feel like it!

My experience with blu tac is that it discolours paint (it leaves an oily stain).  I don't think I've used in in 10 years though, so maybe things have changed.

Colin

Quote from: sorvan board=manual thread=937 post=17239 time=1223252116
My experience with blu tac is that it discolours paint (it leaves an oily stain).  I don't think I've used in in 10 years though, so maybe things have changed.

Colin

That and if you leave it there long enough it will pull chunks of paint off. Certainly from painted walls anyway.

Yeah I know, I wouldn't have left it on for any length of time, just can't really think of any other way of temporarily attaching the sign without causing any type of damage atm. Hmmmm ...

How about mounting it on a thin piece of ply, painted the same blue as your box, which you just press into the recess on your box?  You would actually only need a small pin nail at the top and bottom of opposite sides to hold the panel in.

Quote from: pod board=manual thread=937 post=17247 time=1223284983can't really think of any other way of temporarily attaching the sign without causing any type of damage

If your TARDIS wasn't finished, you could have embedded rare earth magnets into the door so a metal sign would just stick to it.

Since your box is complete, you might be stuck using something like blu tac.  I just wonder if there's a similar product that's better.

I'd suspect that the problems with blu tac might also be dependant on the type of paint one is using.  Using it on a flat indoor paint causes problems, but if you used a glossy exterior paint I wonder how much of an effect it would have.

Colin

It's actually finished with a coat of Mirratone, which is a protective agent, it has a low sheen finish, so I don't know how blu-tac would effect it. Rox, thankyou for your suggestion, I hadn't thought of that, however the panels have those bevelled edges ala Newberry box, so it'd be a bit tricky to hold in place. Thankyou for all these suggestions guys, I appreciate it greatly. What a great bunch we all are on TR2!!!!

I do really like Sorvans suggestion - so if you could mount the sign onto metal, [you can get these things laser cut relatively inexpensively] spray it, and have a very powerful magnet on the inside, you could put it on and off at will.  I've had stuff laser cut in the past, and all you do is provide a to-scale CAD file, and they can run one off.  If you tell them it's a prototype, they will often do a one-off cheaply.  With the thing I got made [it was for a guitar], it cost exactly the same to have five made as it did one.  Which means you could play around with various finishes and effects, including enamelling, which would really look cool.

It's certainly worth thinking about. 

Yeah!I'll look ino that ...

Just a quick update ... I got a quote from the people who made my box signs to make a metal St John's sign ... $275AU!!!!!!!!! Me thinks not.

Stick to a circular perspex with black screen printing or vinyl.  It's cheaper.
Bill Rudloff

Yeah, but not strictly accurate. I've been a bit anal with it up til now.