phoenix [ˈfēniks] noun. a unique bird that lived for five or six centuries in the Arabian desert, after this time burning itself on a funeral pyre and rising from the ashes with renewed youth to live through another cycle.
One of the kids I work with is getting adopted! He's been in foster care for a long time, and he's finally getting his forever family! As part of his adoption, he is also getting a name change to celebrate his new start! Phoenix is the name they chose! My co-workers are throwing him a party to celebrate the occasion, and they were talking about making him a personalized gift with his "new name" on it. Maybe a sign? Naturally, I volunteered for the job.
As is ALWAYS my intention, I want to do this project using only what I have in stock. This is the perfect time to clean out my scrap bin!
Let's get started!
I picked the font I really wanted first and decided to build the sign around that. I decided on Museo Slab 500; it's boy-ish, but also modern and easy to read.
Rather than making a generic sign out of one piece of board, I decided to use some scraps of 3/4" common board of varying widths and lining them up vertically. I think this will add some character and depth to the piece!
Next, I had to trim down all the planks to the same length using my miter saw.
Voila!
The picture above is the reverse side of the planks (AKA the "ugly" side). They are almost 10 inches long and they are arranged to 22 inches total width.
To secure them all together. I initially thought of using a couple horizontal planks that stretched all the way across and screwing them in, hence why they were initially arranged upside down. But, I don't like huge protrusions on the back of my signs; I prefer if they sit flush to the wall they are hanging on.
I had some thin plywood left over from the Reclaimed Wood Quilt Square project I did (check the blog!). I used it as backing to the quilt's square frame, and it's working very well!. It's lightweight, durable and good quality. I cut it down to size. Now, on to securing the planks to the backing.
I decided to go with wood glue. I spread out an even, thick coat on each plank and placed them in position, wiping away any excess. I clamped each piece to the backer board making sure they stayed in position. I put it to the side to dry for 24 hours.
On to the name!
Like I said earlier, I'm only using materials that I have on hand. These little scraps of 3/4" whiteboard were perfect for individual letters. Plus, they would inevitably get thrown out during Spring Cleaning or something. Hooray for recycling!
I used masking tape to cover each piece of wood first. This makes sure that the wood isn't compromised when the adhesive goes on. I also found that, with the tape, the front surface cuts are a lot cleaner and require less sanding.
I use this LOCTITE general performance spray adhesive when I need to glue paper to wood as a stencil; it works really well and the paper can be re-positioned if necessary for a while after applying. I always wear gloves when applying it; it tends to stay on the skin for quite a while otherwise.
Okay, now that all the letters are laid out and glued down, its time to cut them out! To the scroll saw!
These letters were nice and easy to cut out because of their thickness and the fact that there were a lot of straight cuts within the letters. To cut out the middle parts of "P" "o" and "e," I drilled out a hole in the spaces large enough for the blade to fit through and just cut away!
The adhesive stuck really well through the cutting process, which was great. When cutting out lettering, accuracy is so important; it's the difference between someone thinking your project is homemade versus bought from a store!
The cuts were really clean when I peeled the tape off! I lined up the name again just to see how it looked...
It's coming together!
The backboard needed to be sanded before proceeding, so I went ahead and did that before the letters. The plank lengths were just a little off, so I figured a pass around the perimeter with the belt sander would even everything out. I also rounded out the corners. This is going to be for a kid after all, so safety first! The belt sander did the heavy work, and the palm sander was the clean-up crew!
Then the letters got sanded!
I used my palm sander on the letters because the belt sander is a little too aggressive. I was worried about cracking or splitting the letters. For the tight turns and corners, I used loose strips of sandpaper and sanded them by hand.
I laid it out one final time and took a step back. Initially, I had a plan to add something decorative to the front, but I think it would clutter it up. Simpler is better, and it'll stand the test of time as he grows up!
The backboard got a thorough prep for stain; I brushed the dust off first and then wiped it clean with a damp rag. I also used a putty knife to dig sawdust out of the grooves between the planks. Otherwise, I would have just gone with one solid piece of wood!
I went with Minwax Dark Walnut stain (my favorite!) for this project. I applied it using a rag so it looks more rustic. I really like the way it came out with the different planks of wood and how they accepted the stain! It definitely looks like a bunch of different wood types were used!
After the stain dried, I flipped it over and stained the back as well, just to make it look more finished at the end.
Looking good!
The original plan was to whitewash the front of the board to give it a rustic, gray-wood look. But, at the end of the day, this sign is for a little boy. And, I think he would enjoy some boy-ish colors thrown in!
So, I decided to "blue-wash" the front; same as whitewashing, but I used blue paint instead!
To make the "blue-wash," I mixed 1 part paint with 1 part water and stirred well until thoroughly mixed. I applied the wash randomly with a sponge brush with vertical brush strokes. I waited about 15 seconds and wiped it down using a stain rag to remove most of the paint...
NOT BLUE ENOUGH!
The wiping left a blue tint, but not enough for this little guy. So I went with a different approach...
I painted the sign with a thick layer of the "blue-wash." But this time, I let it dry on for about 10 minutes. While it was still a little wet, I wiped the surface and "smeared" some of the paint with the stain rag. Letting it dry for a longer duration before wiping produced a darker color.
I let it dry for another 10 minutes until it was dry to the touch. I went over the surface lightly with some 120-grit sandpaper by hand and randomly sanded down some painted sections. This made it look more rustic with the stained wood "peeking through" in some spots while also keeping the blue color I've been working so hard on!
Perfect!
The backboard is done! Well, almost...I do need to stick some hanging hardware on the back, but I'll get there! I want to do it at the end so the back can rest evenly on the workbench surface throughout the rest of the project.
I put the background to the side for now and turned my attention to the letters!
I decided to use the awesome spray paint above to paint the letters for the name. I've used this on a couple of projects already, like the "Familia Sign" (check out the blog entry!). I LOVE this stuff because it has really solid coverage, the spout has a very wide spray without worrying about drips, and the matte finish is sensational.
I set up the letters inside a cardboard box and sprayed them outside. I missed a couple spots on the first pass, so I moved the letters around and resprayed. Now, the waiting game...
It's like watching paint dry...
*paint dries*
Okay! Time for assembly!
I laid down a flat piece of wood as a baseline to see how it would look beforehand. Once I was happy with the spacing, I glued the letters down.
I used liquid nails on the back of each letter and placed them along the baseline into position. I tried to prevent the glue from spilling out the sides once the letters were pushed down, but some inevitably escaped...
Once it dried for a few hours, I look an X-ACTO knife and trimmed off the visible dried glue.
I really like the contrast between the white letters and the dark blue background!
So, after a little touch-up and dusting, I let the glue continue to dry until the end of the day, which was about 6 hours.
On to poly!
I went with a high-gloss, spray-on poly. I thought it would give it a nice pop! After drying, I added a couple of D-ring hangers to the back; they're nice and sturdy so he will never have to worry about the sign falling off the wall!
C'est fini! Vini, vidi, vici!
......................................
All kidding aside, this project was incredibly rewarding because of how much it will mean to the little boy receiving it. Also, thinking about how much it will mean to his new family that the staff he works with day in and day out care about him so much!
I was extremely fortunate in my young life to have 2 loving parents who I called "Mom" and "Dad," and it's difficult to imagine a situation where that's not the case.
This little boy has been through so much change, inconsistency and turmoil in his short life already. New faces, new homes... But now, things are on the up-and-up for him. He's found his consistency, his home, and his family. It's like he's got a fresh new start, truly worthy of his new name!
I couldn't be happier for him and his new family! Dreams really do come true!
-Kevin
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