I recently wrote an article about the techniques I use for making “sliders, pockets and flippers” (“Making Sliders, Pockets & Flippers,” Nov. 11). In case you missed it, these are signs with a “changeable” message that allow you to quickly and easily switch the message to fit the circumstances. For example, a conference room might be “IN USE” or “VACANT” and by using a “slider” sign, one or the other message can be displayed. |
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While working on other projects, I pondered this problem. I wondered if maybe a new approach could produce a satisfactory result, and I eventually hit upon the idea of the “spinner.” The spinner has some of the features of a slider in that the changeable portion is an inherent part of the sign rather than a separate insert. The difference, however, is that to change the message on a spinner sign, you rotate the changeable portion of the sign so the current status is displayed in a window, as opposed to using a sliding insert to cover one of the messages. Figure 1 shows the finished product in both status modes. In this article, I will detail how the spinner was manufactured. |
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The top layer of the sign would be a 2" x 2" front plate containing the cubicle/room number and a window to display the changeable message (Fig. 4). After engraving the numbers, I covered the engraved areas with transfer tape for vector cutting the window and the slightly indented radius on the left side. The radius provides additional access for a person’s fingertip while turning the spinner. I used my laser to vector cut the window and radius completely through the material, but I made the cuts for the outside dimensions of the plates using a faster speed so that the cut was only about 80 percent through the material. After these cuts were made, the six number plates were still connected, as shown in figure 4. At this point, I turned over the strip of plates and applied “Super Stick” tape to the back. Then I used my laser to vector cut the tape to the shape shown in Figure 5. The tape would allow me to permanently adhere the number plate to the back plate while leaving an opening for the spinner to rotate. Figure 6 shows the sequence of assembly for the spinner sign. After removing the protective paper from the Super Stick tape, I attached the number plate with the window cutout onto the left side of the back plate (Fig. 6B). Next, I inserted the IN/OUT spinner into the recessed area and lubricated it with talcum powder to allow it to spin easily. I rotated it both clockwise and counterclockwise to ensure it moved freely in the recess. This assembly was then placed in the wall frame (Fig. 6C) and then the employee nameplate was inserted from the right side (Fig. 6D). Because the employee nameplate is a separate sign component, it can be removed when the office or cubicle is vacant. |
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Because some of these signs would be installed on cloth-walled cubicles and others would be on wallboard by office doors, the customer wanted two different mounting options. The signs on the cubicles would be mounted using partition pins. For the other signs, I offered two-sided foam tape as a mounting option but they insisted they wanted their maintenance crew to use screws to attach them to the wall. At that point, I reverted to “The customer is always right” mode and let it go. They told me the quantity of each type of sign but not which methods to use for the individual signs. Therefore, I just sent them a bag of the partition pins (they were providing the screws) and let them do the installation on their own.
This customer also ordered some conference room slider signs with the changeable slider to show IN USE or VACANT. Happily, I was able to put my experience making that type of sign to good use! This was a fun little project that required something outside the routine of the tags or nameplates we do on an everyday basis. I did do some experimenting and made some prototype signs before I went into full production—the customer ordered 60 of these “spinners” and I wanted to be sure this new concept would work.
The first prototype I made had a square window. That exposed the edge of the spinner when it was assembled and did not look very good, so I redesigned the window to have the bottom corners radiused to match the spinner. Putting the little radius tips on the cutout of the back plate was another improvement I made as a result of making the prototype. Also, my first attempt was using a 1/16" slot wall-mount frame. The sign could actually be made this way by mounting the number plate onto the front of a small back plate. However, this would have caused the number to be raised in comparison to the employee nameplate. It would also have exposed the screws or screw holes in the wall-mount frame. I really did not like the unfinished look this provided and I found that having the two layers across the 10" space made a much nicer sign. In the overall scheme of things, the final product was functional, good looking and even a bit cute. Hopefully these unique projects I write about are fun for you to read, but more importantly, they also encourage you to try new things. You might be the one to invent a new mousetrap that really is better.
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