Signs
1. What are the signs made of?
Resin. Therefore, unlike metal or wooden products, these signs are completely
impervious to water and can never rust or split.
2. How are they made?
Each sign is individually composed from the elements you choose. The design,
casting, ‘fettling’, finishing and painting are all done by
professional craftsmen and women, working by hand. The sign is covered with
two coats of special rust-proof marine paint: the letters, numbers and trim
are painted individually by hand (not simply brushed on with a roller), and
the emblems are painted, just like a picture, from a palette of
signwriters’ enamel paints.
Mounting
3. How are they mounted?
They come complete with screws, plugs and installation instructions. The signs
can be mounted onto wood, masonry or aluminum siding. Holes are normally
drilled at each side of the sign.
4. Can I change the position of the screw holes?
Yes, just tell us where you want them. For example; If you want to attach your
sign to a tree, tell us to put the holes in vertical alignment. If you want
to stick the sign onto a rock or other surface, tell us not to drill any holes
at all.
5. Can I suspend my sign from a crossbar?
Yes. Instead of drilling holes through the front surface we can cast two
stainless steel eyelets into the top of the sign so that it can hang freely
from two chains. An extra charge applies.
6. Can you make double-sided signs?
Yes, but it’s the nature of the manufacturing process that we have to
make two signs, by hand, and then fuse them together, so it costs us more
than double to produce.
Colouring
7. Can you paint a ‘dog’ emblem to match a photo of my pet?
Yes, and for no additional charge. Just supply us with a photograph or drawing
that shows the same side of your dog (or cat, or horse) as the picture on our
website. (Remember that we can’t deduce what a side view looks like from
a picture of the animal’s head!) Similarly, if you want us to paint
any other emblem to match a particular colour or colours, just let us know.
8. Will the colors ever fade or change?
Yes. Please remember that all paints fade or change color over time in varying
degrees depending on the pigments and the environments to which they are
exposed ( eg the presence of direct or indirect sunlight, acid rain or exhaust
emissions).
Generally speaking, you can expect the colour green to go darker over time,
and the red to go lighter.( Red is the least stable pigment and most
vulnerable to sunlight. If you have ever owned a red automobile you’ll
know what we mean.) Black, blue and stone are the most stable.
You can do a lot to keep your sign looking good by washing it off occasionally
with clean water, and then polishing it with a neutral furniture polish.
Emblems
9. Can I have two dogs facing each another on the same sign?
Yes. All our dogs are available facing either left or right, so any two dogs
can be made to face one another. There is enough room to put two dogs on the
15” oval sign, and some dogs – but not all of them – will
fit on the 12” and 14” signs. Please check before ordering. An
extra charge applies for a second emblem.
10. Can you put any two emblems facing each another on the same sign?
No. Each emblem has been sculpted individually and, with very few exceptions,
the emblem only exists the way it’s shown on this website.
11. If the emblem I’m looking for isn’t in your catalogue will
you make it for me?
Send us a reference and we’ll be happy to give you a quote. It may even be
a design we are already working on.
12. Do you do custom designs, like corporate logos?
Sometimes, but not all graphics lend themselves to reproduction in this medium.
In particular, individual typefaces cannot be reproduced, nor can we easily
reproduce small, complex, designs such as heraldic shields. Please call and
ask. If it’s physically possible to make it we’ll be happy to give
you a quote.
Type Faces
13. Can I have different type faces and ‘lower case’ letters?
No. We only use one font, and we only use capital, or “upper case’,
letters. However, we do have two sizes of lettering so if, for example, you
need a small letter ’c’ in the name ‘McDONALD’ we can
accommodate you. We also have the two styles of numbers, as shown on this website.
Discounts
14. Is there a discount if I order more than one sign?
Yes, for 5 signs or more. If you’re thinking of ordering a larger number
of signs where at least some part of the sign is a constant - for instance,
if you want to buy signs for a small housing estate where each house has a
different number but all signs have the same identifying emblem - we will be
happy to quote you on a contract basis.
Shipping and Delivery
15. How long do you take to deliver?
We aim to deliver to mainland North American destinations between three and six
weeks from the time we receive your order. International deliveries take longer.
At times of peak demand, such as Christmas and Thanksgiving, we provide
retailers with “order by’ dates for guaranteed delivery.
16. How are the signs shipped?
They’re packed in individual custom-designed boxes, and have been shipped
successfully this way all round the world.
For deliveries within Canada and the United States we normally use courier
service. For overseas shipments we normally use small parcel airmail.
17. Can you ship to my home?
Yes. We can send signs direct to any residential or business address, anywhere
in the world. Since couriers need a signature to confirm receipt, it’s
best to provide an address where you know someone will be available at all
times during normal business hours. A business address is preferable.
18. Do you do rush orders?
No! We cannot speed up the processes involved in making a sign, but we can
sometimes juggle the production/shipping schedule to meet a specific due date.
Much depends on where the sign has to get to. If you need your sign within our
regular 6-week delivery time, please ask your retailer to call us before you
send the order. We will tell you immediately if we can do it. But please, do
not write “rush” and hope for the best. We need a specific date to
work to, and this must be arranged in advance.
Guarantee
19. What is your guarantee?
Our signs are guaranteed indefinitely for workmanship but they are not
guaranteed for colour fastness, or against breakage or abrasion. In other
words - please don’t drop your sign or scrape the surface of it while
you’re putting it up! Once installed, however, your sign should last
for years. To keep it looking good, just wash it off occasionally with clean
water or wipe it with a neutral furniture wax.
20. What if I don’t like the sign when I get it?
It’s almost never happened, but if we can’t fix the problem to
your satisfaction, we’ll take the sign back and refund your money. We
never ship a sign that we would not be proud to own or display ourselves.
