www.TK560.com

[CrazyFool]

3 More Signs Installed

Gotta be honest. This store needs some serious elbow grease. At first glance my signs look like they don't match the existing signs but that's not really true. The edges of the existing signs are covered with dark, gray duck tape for some reason which makes their metal boxes look beat up and smaller than they actually are. Plus, they need some major cleaning! Oh well. I did my part so what can you do? I don't have a bucket truck or a big ladder so I can't get up there and clean the signs myself or (believe me) I would. But, hey, another store done so that's cool.









CF

P.S. I'm not sure what's up with the small, wavy sign that looks like it was painted black. It used to be a checkered flag and will probably be taken down soon.

[CrazyFool]

Some Crazy News
Apparently, the sign company who made the curbside 'monument' signs (before I became involved with the project to make the building signs) had a dispute with the owners of the auto lube stores. The sign company came by in the middle of the night and stole the monument signs from all six stores. They were caught in the act at one store and the police were called. The police ordered them to leave the property, but they sneaked back later that same night and took the signs! I guess there was an argument over money but from what I understand the sign company was actually overpaid and also broke their contract by not delivering what they promised. I believe that is correct because I do not trust anyone who would steal signs after the police told them not to.

So... it looks like I may be whipping up new monument signs. I don't think any vacuum forming will be involved, but they are pretty big signs so it might take some work to apply the jumbo sized stickers. Only had a chance to photo two of the six stores but these give you an idea...





It's a mad, mad world.

CF

[crashmann]

Wow, that is absolutely bizarre! I'm really surprised the police did not just arrest them on the spot. Perhaps the Gotta Lube owner can break into the sign store ans steal the signs back (or, at least get a warrant and demand the stolen property be returned).


Boy, that's really a sad sign of the times!


Charlie

[spektr]

Are those stores in everett, like broadway and evergreen?

[CrazyFool]

Charlie,
I still can't believe it. I'm surprised they weren't arrested too!

spektr,
Yep. Those two are in Everett. Maps of the stores can be found at www.gottalube.com under 'locations'.

[CrazyFool]

Stolen Signs Returned

I was informed yesterday that all the curbside monument signs that were stolen have been returned free of charge. Drove by one of the stores last night and, yep, the monument sign was back. I think a lawyer got involved and forced the sign company to return the signs. Pretty cool. I'm relieved that I don't have to make those signs now. I really wasn't looking forward to it. No vacuum forming would have been involved so it would have been pretty boring.

I've also been told that I should receive another payment before long. Not sure how much. I did get $5,000 a few months ago but I am still about $3,500 in the hole on the project. The entire project cost me around $8,500. (Many expensive sheets of plastic and stickers that were in the hundreds of dollars per order plus tools and the machine.) That does not include the hours I worked which, honestly, I completely lost track of. It's in the hundreds for sure. Maybe 300 hours? I'll have to figure that out. Hopefully I will be reimbursed for that too. The owners are good people so I'm sure things will work out. I'm not complaining at all. Just sharing this stuff FYI in case anyone is thinking about making signs in the future. You will know what is involved.

CF

[jegner]

Whew! Glad it turned out ok.

Jim

[CrazyFool]

Old Faithful Sent to Storage

Thanks Jim. Me too.

The owners of the apartment building decided it was time to renovate the vacant apartment I was using as a shop to vacuum form signs for their other business (the auto lube stores). They asked me to move the machine out of the apartment and into one of their mini storage units. Sad day in a way, but also a relief... as well as stressful. The beast was unwieldy to say the least. Had to take doors off of their hinges just to get it outside. The oven is delicate too so everything was bound with shrink wrap plastic to keep things from getting bumped around. That actually worked well. It was sad to see the machine go because we'd been through a lot together, but a relief because its leaving is a signal that the sign job is done (maybe). The auto lube stores may end up needing about 3 more signs so that is kind of stressful because the mini storage where the machine is kept now has no electricity, meaning the beast may have to be moved to yet another location in order to use it again. And, I'm not sure if the final location will have 20 amp electrical outlets so that could affect the plastic heating process. However... all in all I am glad to be moving along. I still have a little red vacuum forming machine I bought so I can do fun pulls in the 16" x 10" range, until such time as I can build another large machine if I end up selling the beast.





CF

[ahillworks]

=( yeah know that feeling soon. If I cant get this house organized soon the old girl will have to hit a storage unit or something lol.

[jegner]

The end of an era... The beginning of a new one!

Jim

[DarthVader1]

Man, and just these few days I thougt: "It sucks to me ME!!!", but now I realized that there are fellow friends that are in the situation where they're about to reach the top of their GREATNESS (like you, CRAZYFOOL), to be dragged back (indirectly) to the stinking hole whre we came from.

Believe me, I feel the same as you are, only difference is that I just don't have the funds to afford as of now (yet) the original reason I wanted to restart my project, but it will be done this year.....I guarantee you that.

Bottom line....keep faith, and just pray that BETTER things will come for you when the time is right.
_________________
Robert
BH/TK/TB/TS 060

[PARATECH1]

I think I speak for us all that I hope you stay on the boards. You have totally spent a lot of time posting all you have learned and greatly helped in sharing your knowledge.

[CrazyFool]

PARATECH1,

Thanks man. I'm still here! Basically I have been waiting for another payment from the auto lube store owners. Until then I remain in the hole on this project several thousand dollars, so my mind will probably have a hard time thinking about another vacuum forming project until then. But the owners are good people so it's only a matter of time. I did pick up a little, red, professionally built 18" x 12" vacuum forming machine for $300 bucks so even if the beast remains in storage or is sold I can still have fun doing smaller vacuum forming projects.

Hopefully within a few weeks I should be posting more stuff under the 'Injection Moulding & Other Technology' forum here at TK560.

Right now I've been having lots of fun (believe it or not) making rubber stamps of all things. Some lady at work turned me on to stamps and it is amazing how fun they are to make for friends and family.

I do admit that I have not been scanning the boards here lately and trying to answer questions, but if anyone wants to PM me they are more than welcome!

CF

[vacunoob]

[CrazyFool]

vacunoob,

Thanks man. All 9 pages huh? That's pretty impressive!! The red machine I bought from a widower who's husband was really into hobby stuff. Just happened to hook up with her after telling a coworker that I was into vacuum forming. I'm not sure if the company who made the machine still exists. You can see the red machine here...

http://www.tk560.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1109

You are right. I need to get those invoices done so I can be reimbursed. Took a week off from work and spent about 4 days going over the receipts. Turns out I bought over 650 items during the project (everything from little metal screws to big sheets of acrylic). Had to itemize every purchase. Tedious as heck, but almost done.