277 French King Highway, Gill, MA Mon–Fri 9:30–5:30
413-774-5663 info@halecustomsigns.com
Hale Custom Signs, Inc.
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Sign fabrication in progress in the Gill workshop

Our process

How a sign is made

Pattern, cut, carve, blast, gild, print, assemble, install. Photographed in our own shop, on our own jobs.

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Mill House before — step 1 of the fabrication process 20 Gatehouse Road — step 2 of the fabrication process Dimensional Letters Preparing the pattern — step 3 of the fabrication process Great Falls Coffee — step 4 of the fabrication process Installing Dimensional Letters — step 5 of the fabrication process Installing Dimensional Letters — step 6 of the fabrication process

Draw it full size

Before any material is touched, the design is drawn at actual size. Neon is bent to a full-size pattern on the bench; dimensional letters get a cut mounting template. Working at true scale is how you find out that a letterform which looked right on screen is wrong at eight inches tall.

Cut, carve and blast

Letters are hand-sawn or routed, edges eased, backgrounds blasted back to leave the copy proud. This is where the depth comes from — the shadow that makes a sign readable in flat light is physical, not printed.

Print and plot

Graphics go onto Roland printers using Arlon and 3M film, then through Graphtec plotters for cut lettering and detail. Output is proofed against the approved artwork before anything is applied.

Finish and gild

Sealed, primed, painted in layers. Where the design calls for it, size is laid and 23-karat gold leaf applied by hand, one square at a time, then burnished. It is slow, and there is no shortcut that looks the same.

Assemble and wire

Neon tubes are pumped, filled and aged. Channel letters are wired and run in the shop. Anything electrical is burned in here so a fault is found on the bench, not on a lift in February.

Install

Our own crew takes it to site. Patterns taped up, holes drilled, hardware set, everything levelled and tested — including after dark, if it lights.

From the bench

Work in progress

45 photographs from inside the shop — patterns, sawing, blasting, gilding, neon assembly and installs.

Mill House before — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Mill House beforeHow It’s Made Mill House Re Painted — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Mill House Re PaintedHow It’s Made Harmon — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs HarmonHow It’s Made 20 Gatehouse Road — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs 20 Gatehouse RoadHow It’s Made Aluminum Sign with Square Moulding — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Aluminum Sign with Square MouldingHow It’s Made Gold Leaf on a Door — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Gold Leaf on a DoorHow It’s Made Dimensional Letters Preparing the pattern — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Dimensional Letters Preparing the patternHow It’s Made Routed Edges — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Routed EdgesHow It’s Made Neon Assembly — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Neon AssemblyHow It’s Made Great Falls Coffee — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Great Falls CoffeeHow It’s Made Classic MDO Sign Ply — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Classic MDO Sign PlyHow It’s Made Hand Sawing letters — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Hand Sawing lettersHow It’s Made Installing Dimensional Letters — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Installing Dimensional LettersHow It’s Made Installing Dimensional Letters — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Installing Dimensional LettersHow It’s Made Installing Dimensional Letters — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Installing Dimensional LettersHow It’s Made Installing Dimensional Letters — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Installing Dimensional LettersHow It’s Made Installing Dimensional Letters — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Installing Dimensional LettersHow It’s Made Digital Printing — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Digital PrintingHow It’s Made Proofing the Output — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Proofing the OutputHow It’s Made Installing Dimensional Letters — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Installing Dimensional LettersHow It’s Made Hits Now 943 — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Hits Now 943How It’s Made Hits Now 943 — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Hits Now 943How It’s Made Hits Now 943 — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Hits Now 943How It’s Made Hits Now 943 — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Hits Now 943How It’s Made Hits Now 943 — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Hits Now 943How It’s Made Hits Now 943 — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Hits Now 943How It’s Made Hits Now 943 — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Hits Now 943How It’s Made Greenfield Farmers Cooperative Exchange — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Greenfield Farmers Cooperative ExchangeHow It’s Made Fosterrsquos Supermarket — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Fosterrsquos SupermarketHow It’s Made Applying the Gold Leaf to Carved Sign — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Applying the Gold Leaf to Carved SignHow It’s Made Dimensional Letters — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Dimensional LettersHow It’s Made Sandblasting — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs SandblastingHow It’s Made Evergreen Motors — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Evergreen MotorsHow It’s Made Power Town Apartments — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Power Town ApartmentsHow It’s Made Sandblasted Sign — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Sandblasted SignHow It’s Made Aluminum Sign — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Aluminum SignHow It’s Made Studded Letters on a Pan face — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Studded Letters on a Pan faceHow It’s Made Cohn Company Install — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Cohn Company InstallHow It’s Made Hemmed Panel — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Hemmed PanelHow It’s Made Chrome Vinyl — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Chrome VinylHow It’s Made Simple Printed Banner — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Simple Printed BannerHow It’s Made Greenfield Savings Bank — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Greenfield Savings BankHow It’s Made Kestral Land Trust Fabrication — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Kestral Land Trust FabricationHow It’s Made Farm Table Logo being installed — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Farm Table Logo being installedHow It’s Made Towne House Condominiums — How It’s Made by Hale Custom Signs Towne House CondominiumsHow It’s Made

Ready when you are

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It takes longer than ordering a sign online. That is rather the point.

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