Running Bear's March 2026 Coffee Shop

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Agreeing with Rubicon and still edging even further myself toward number one, not number two. The concrete has been streaked and aged for years, but the logo itself in number two is so pristine it looks photoshopped. And ten gets you one that basically what it is, right?

You have to at least "half age" the logo at a minimum to make it look like it was painted on when the concrete was new (too).

Of course if you want to make it look as though the old logo was recently spiffed up with a repaint, then number two is OK. So just think about whether or not you want it to look spiffed up (a facelift, if you will)...or original vintage. The message you want to convey. Not the one I want to, or any of the rest of us.
 
Thank you. It will end up somewhere in between.
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While I personally really like the faded one for a less than 11 year old sign it’s too faded

I am working on stencils and my local sign shop is too expensive for $200 just for the 40 letters under the logo. The logo will be 28” and I will handle that with a projector throwing it on the board to trace. I could though for $50 have gotten a vinyl stencil from the sign shop plus a $100 set up free!

Funny how I never thought of making my own stencils for the lettering until I showed Terry my sketches. She mentioned stencils and I then went online looking for vendors. I first called the sign shop about 1 mile away. 30 minutes later if that long in my FB feeds there were 2 stencil creators. Stencil Monkey is one and for $60 I can get my letter stencils that are reusable. That maybe be worth it plus it’s 5 working days to shipping. The sign shop said 3 weeks.
 
That's worse than we are. This is the USDA image for Utah as of Mar 18.

View attachment 260787
As it happens I'm looking at buying up in the Northeastern Uintas and if it's only down ~25%, that's not bad. It's been dry here in the west this year, and probably even worse on the Colorado Front Range where I am.

That said, the warmer-than-normal weather here has been of great help this last year. I didn't have to deal with more than one or two deep freezes and potential broken pipes...and I'm grateful for it. It might have broken my spirit in those dark days and nights (not kidding).
 
Thank you. It will end up somewhere in between. View attachment 260793While I personally really like the faded one for a less than 11 year old sign it’s too faded

I am working on stencils and my local sign shop is too expensive for $200 just for the 40 letters under the logo. The logo will be 28” and I will handle that with a projector throwing it on the board to trace. I could though for $50 have gotten a vinyl stencil from the sign shop plus a $100 set up free!

Funny how I never thought of making my own stencils for the lettering until I showed Terry my sketches. She mentioned stencils and I then went online looking for vendors. I first called the sign shop about 1 mile away. 30 minutes later if that long in my FB feeds there were 2 stencil creators. Stencil Monkey is one and for $60 I can get my letter stencils that are reusable. That maybe be worth it plus it’s 5 working days to shipping. The sign shop said 3 weeks.
Thank you. It will end up somewhere in between. View attachment 260793While I personally really like the faded one for a less than 11 year old sign it’s too faded

I am working on stencils and my local sign shop is too expensive for $200 just for the 40 letters under the logo. The logo will be 28” and I will handle that with a projector throwing it on the board to trace. I could though for $50 have gotten a vinyl stencil from the sign shop plus a $100 set up free!

Funny how I never thought of making my own stencils for the lettering until I showed Terry my sketches. She mentioned stencils and I then went online looking for vendors. I first called the sign shop about 1 mile away. 30 minutes later if that long in my FB feeds there were 2 stencil creators. Stencil Monkey is one and for $60 I can get my letter stencils that are reusable. That maybe be worth it plus it’s 5 working days to shipping. The sign shop said 3 weeks.
Well, with your skill level, and unless you suffer hand tremors, you could literally hand re-paint it too, couldn't you? And then weather it from there?
 


It's a lovely spring morning near the south coast of the UK, about 18 degress centigrade (no idea what that is in Farhenheit, sorry!!) which is just right for me.

A little spray painting of a loco shell done, some light reading of a couple of old back issues of Diesel Era I just received (and the new issue of RMC too!) and then off to work later.

This is the life...
 
Good morning all!

Happy Friday!

Going to feel more like an early summer day today. Currently 44F with an expected high of 74F under mostly sunny skies.

Usual household things going on today. UPS tracking shows my furnace parts will be delivered this morning so I can get
that done. Still having problems with the pressure switch sticking but have been able to work around it for the last few
days by tapping on it but its happening more often.

Not much else going on at the moment. Hopefully train time tonight.

Have a safe day everyone!
 
Well, with your skill level, and unless you suffer hand tremors, you could literally hand re-paint it too, couldn't you? And then weather it from there?

5 years ago definitely those letter and the logo would have been done by me and hand painted. But, like custom graffiti I no longer can do it. I get shaky hands but I actually think it’s more the nerves. Doctors tell me no, it’s age! I did wake this morning realizing our daughter has a Circuit cutting machine she makes stencils for her doll house furniture. I will talk to her today. Even if she charged me (she won’t) I’d feel better giving the money to her.
 
Good morning gang!!

Sunny and 37°, heading to a high of 68°! That is what we call spring! Tulips, crocuses and daylilies are poking up their heads out of the earth.

The garden plantings will begin next weekend. Wife wants me to construct a trellis , she wants to grow cucumbers vertically this year. Never tried it that way before, but I can see the real estate savings. Supposedly bigger yields in less space. I also want to try growing potatoes in a bucket. Willie, any thoughts?

BBL
 
5 years ago definitely those letter and the logo would have been done by me and hand painted. But, like custom graffiti I no longer can do it. I get shaky hands but I actually think it’s more the nerves. Doctors tell me no, it’s age! I did wake this morning realizing our daughter has a Circuit cutting machine she makes stencils for her doll house furniture. I will talk to her today. Even if she charged me (she won’t) I’d feel better giving the money to her.

Wifey has a Cricut machine and she does stuff like that, but on a much smaller size. A logo that size is doable, but it would have to be done in segments as the vinyl sheet goods are not that big.
 


Good morning Crew. It’s 48f/9c degrees feeling like 44/7 and heading to 69/21. A nice day that mostly will be spent indoors at a work session 50 minutes north of here. My ride will be here at 8am.

A good day in the train room yesterday. Weathering for 4 cars is complete. I worked maybe 90 minutes creating pilasters for a building in the paper mill. I was not going to do anything for the paper mill yesterday but an idea hit me after I finished up the weathering project. I started to design a sign for the entry to my train room. First manually on paper sketching ideas and then copying and posting 3 sketch’s Terry liked into my Ai partner. Came up with a few good presentations and picked 1. Started refining it and decided 48” x 48” is a good size and I have the birch plywood to use. It started out at 52” x 60” and kept getting smaller into something reasonable and doable by me. I will float it off the wall where orginially I was going to roughen (more) the poured concrete wall and use it for a canvas. But decide ( ok Terry decided) not a good idea so that’s when the floated plywood idea evolved
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I drew out a time line prepping the wood and figuring things out so I can get this done by 5/1 with my 1st Ops session in years here on 5/3. We have travel plans between now and then so I included that. It not finalized but it’s close

The 11” of snow received on Monday on the south and west side of the house is I’d say 75% gone, the Northside of the house I’d guess 50% gone. I predict on Monday even where the blower put the snow will be gone

Be well
 
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