A few weeks ago, a new client called and asked about making a raised-plate aluminum lettering or logo type for a small rock sign at a new housing addition he was developing. It was only a few miles away, but to visualize what he was talking about I asked him to snap a digital picture of his newly constructed entry sign, which was built out of rock.
在几周前，一个新客户来电咨询一个新开发的住房项目，在一个岩石标识上制作标识。这个项目在几英里以外，我让他给我拍了一张图片给我，以作建造岩石标识构思之用。
His intention was to put black lettering, in a fairly delicate script font called “Savannah,” which was appropriate since the development was to be called “Savannah Hills.” When I saw the photo in my email, I knew we were in trouble.
客户的想法是黑色字来安装，并且使用比较纤细的字体名叫“萨凡纳”，这和这边发展项目的名字发音相同。当我在邮件里看到这张图片的时候，我知道麻烦来了。
First, I had never seen a rock sign structure that had as many random colors in the rock as his did. To a builder this might seem interesting and a good idea, but to a sign guy it was going to cause trouble. If you have a rock wall where some rocks are light, some are quite dark, and some are even a shade of red, what color of lettering will look good on that substrate?
首先，我从来没有看过像他这样的岩石标识结构，这块岩石里面包涵有很多种不同颜色的石头。这对于一个建筑商来说这是一个很好很有意思的事情，但是对于一个标识制作者来讲，这是一个非常麻烦的事情。如果你有一个岩石墙，里面有浅颜色的石头，深颜色的石头，还有一些红色的石头，你会觉得应该用什么样颜色的字来制作这个标识呢？
The answer is… there is no one-color answer. A dark letter (satin black was his choice) will look okay against the light colors in the stone wall, but will contrast poorly against the darker rocks in the wall, and there were several. A light colored letter, beige or light gray, will have the reverse problem of contrast.
最后的答案就是，没有很好的颜色可以选择。黑色的字（客人选择缎黑色）和浅色的石头产生的对比看起来还不错，但是如果与黑色的石头衬托起来效果就会非常的差，并且墙上还有好几块黑色的石头。浅色的字，像浅棕色和浅灰色，也会有相反的对比问题。
Also, his choice of fonts was already a problem because of its thin, delicate strokes. If it was boldened enough to show up better, the look of the font would change dramatically. Some of these illustrations show how faulty his assumptions were.
同样的，客人选择的字体也是一个问题，因为字体薄，并且笔画细腻。如果字体加粗可以更好的展现出来，而且字体看起来也会有很大的变化。其中一些插图就可以表明客人一些假设性的错误。
The obvious solution was a shadowed letter, where the graphic artist has control of the contrast button. It would be easy enough to put a vinyl letter over a satin black plate aluminum shadow, but now we have taken a 30-year product and turned it into a 7-year one.
最好的解决方案就是选用阴影字，并且这是图形艺术家最擅长的。这非常简单，只要把贴上背胶的字粘在作为阴影的缎黑色铝板上面，但是这样会把一个可用30年的产品变成只可以使用7年。
Now at this development, to the right and left of the sign itself, was a new wooden fence and the trim at the top of the fence was formed from flat sheets of pre-finished metal building material. This is a light gauge steel, but finished with a special 30-year coating, in this case an attractive copper color.
随着项目进展，在标识的左侧和右侧，我们选用了一个新的木栅栏，在栅栏顶部构建金属材质的平面。虽然这是一种轻型的钢材，但是表面已经加上一种可使用30年的涂层，并且这是一种非常吸引人的铜颜色。
The copper color was the choice of the developer, but real copper turns green in a short period of time (think Statue of Liberty), so they were using coated metal building material with a metallic copper finish. So, it seemed logical to use the same material as a laminate over the satin black metal cutouts, which, instead of a having a cast vinyl lifespan, we might be producing a product that would outlast the developer and myself.
这种铜的颜色是项目开发商选择的，但是真正的铜很容易在短时间内变绿（就像美国自由女神一样），因此他们使用铜金属涂层的金属建筑材料。这样看起来更符合逻辑，使用相同的材料在缎黑色金属上面作为复合层图样，并且代替背胶可以提高使用年限，那我们生产的产品将会延长寿命。
The thin double-sided tape used for hemming banners works very well as a permanent bonding adhesive for laminating two pieces of sheet metal together, and that was the adhesive we used for this job. Once pressed in place and let sit for a day or so, it is not coming off without destruction of the metal laminate.
用很薄的双面胶作为横幅包边产生的效果非常好，这也是一种永久的粘合胶，让两片很薄的金属粘合一起，只要把两个薄片压紧放置一天以上，金属复合层是不会脱落的。
The design, in two colors, was simulated in our graphics program, and a PDF file was emailed to the developer with pricing. Showing him a comparison of this look verses what he had asked for was convincing enough, and soon we were off to the races.
这里融合了两种颜色的设计，我们把它模拟制作成最终完成的图像，通过邮件把PDF的文件和价格发送到开发商那里。这样更能在开发商面前拥有足够的说服力，并且这也让我们很快投入到这项工作里面去。
The plate metal we used was 3/8” thick 5052 aluminum, which was cut on a 4’ x 8’ Omax waterjet, then drilled and tapped for studs and powder coated satin black. The lettering, which would be laminated on top, was cut from one 3’ x 10’ sheet that we were able to buy locally from the metal building supply company that had supplied the same metal for the fencing contractor.
标识字的底部我们是用3/8英寸厚的5052铝金属，我们使用Omax水喷射切割机在4'X 8'尺寸的板材上面完成切割，然后为螺钉钻孔和安装并且涂上缎黑色涂层。我们向金属材料供应商那里购买与围栏供应商供应相同金属片，尺寸为3'X 10'，我们并且对金属片进行切割，做成标识上叠层的字。
The one weakness in durability that I could see was the edges of the copper sheeting once cut to shape, since these steel edges would have coating on them. To give this exposed edge a bit of protection, they were hand-sanded with the lettering placed face down on a worktable. The edges were then coated with SuperFrog Clear from an aerosol can.
字的耐久性是其中的一个弱点，当把金属片切割成字的形状后，字的边缘部分就会外露，因此需要对金属字的边缘做涂层。为了把外露的边缘部分做一个很好的保护，他们先把字放在工作台上对字片进行打磨，然后用SuperFrog的喷雾为边缘做涂层。
The job went together with no problems, and a pattern was made for the installation of the project. When perforating a paper pattern, we typically draw the design on paper using a plotter, then use shortened studs that have been sharpened to punch the pattern easily and cleanly. Using a full-sized stud for this hole-punching job will produce a less accurate pattern since the longer studs may vary further from being truly perpendicular to the back of the letter or cutout graphic. A handful of these shortened studs are easily made and worth keeping around the shop.
项目开展起来不是很难，在安装计划上我们首先做了一个设计图案。当打孔在图案纸上的时候，我们通常先使用绘图仪设计画图，然后把短钉尖锐的部分，清晰而容易的打在图案上面。用全尺寸的钉做冲孔工作会产生不精确的图案，因为长钉打进在字或者切割图像后面，很难达到真正的垂直。这些小量的短钉很容易可以在商店上找到。
Out on location, the pattern is placed on the wall according to notes taken from our original drawing and double or triple checked, then secured in place with duct tape. We only want to drill these holes one time and as accurately as we can. Of course, drilling into a rough rock wall, with hard places, soft places, valleys and ridges can create real challenges for keeping the drill bit right where it needs to be and perpendicular with the surface.
到了安装位置上，通过在最初的图纸上做了多次检查，我们把图案放在墙上，并且用胶带固定好位置。我们希望一次就能把孔尽可能精确的钻好。当然，在这么粗糙的岩石墙上钻孔，并且墙上有硬的地方，松的地方，还有凹凸不平的表面，要保持钻头在墙上，垂直打在正确的表面位置，这也是一项真正的挑战。
Recently another sign guy advised me to try using corrugated plastic to back up a paper pattern because it doesn’t tear and will help keep the drill bit where it needs to be. Sounds like a good idea to me, but I did not get to try that method on this job.最近，另外一个标识安装者建议我尝试用波纹塑料，作为纸图案的后备，因为波纹塑料不像纸那样容易被撕裂，并且有助于钻头固定位置。这个主意听起来还是挺不错的，但是这次我暂时还没有尝试在这项任务上。
After all the holes were drilled, I realized I had not brought my small compressor and generator for blowing debris out of each hole, but I did have a piece of plastic tubing, which does work for this task. The tubing is just long enough to give my eyes a little distance from the dust.
把全部的孔钻好后，我意识到没有把小压气机和发电机带上，因为需要把孔里面的碎片和灰尘吹走，但是我发现我身边有条塑料软管可以帮助我清除孔里面的灰尘。这条塑料软管足够的长，当我用它来吹走孔内灰尘的时候，软管可以让我的眼睛和灰尘产生有效的距离，不会让灰尘弄到我眼睛上。
One hole had to be adjusted, and this was caught by pre-fitting all the parts in place without glue. After that one correction, it took just a few minutes to have everything well glued in place, and ready to start its 30-year lifespan.
有一个孔是需要被调整的，这需要在全部孔没有放胶水以及安装到位前做好调整。等调整过后，只需要几分钟时间就可以把全部东西用胶水固定好，并且可以有30年的使用寿命。
In a couple of days a major home event called the “East Texas Parade of Homes” would take place and this new addition and one or two of its brand new homes were to be presented to the public for the first time. The landscapers finished their work, the sign guy did the same, and all was ready for the home buying public, and just in time.
几天后，这里就会举行一个名为“东德克萨斯家园巡游”的活动，周边几幢新房子会在这次活动对公众露面，园艺工作者和标识制作者的工作需要全部准备就绪，等所有事情准备好后，这些房子就可以及时向公众推出了。
It had started out a bit of a puzzle, but the builder was pleased to get the look he wanted (even if he didn’t know it to begin with), and we were glad we could produce something that was not only pleasing to the eye, but would be just about as permanent a feature of the landscape as the homes themselves.
虽然刚开始会有点困惑，但是建筑商还是很高兴看到他们想要的外观（虽然他不清楚我们是怎么完成的）。我们高兴，不仅仅是我们制作的标识看起来漂亮，而是我们制作的标识，可以成为这里永久的景观。
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