Issue link: https://nbm.uberflip.com/i/1482193
S I G N A G E & P R I N T I N G S I G N D E S I G N 2 8 G R A P H I C S P R O • N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 2 G R A P H I C S - P R O. C O M letters in the shop, it cuts the install time down to a fraction of what it was. In addition, the raceway, with the let- ters attached, only requires four to eight anchors, plus one electrical pass-thru, which is much less damaging to the land- lord's sign band than with flush mounted letters. e holes visible are from previous ten- ants. Even the paint on the wall shows the ghost of the previous letters that were mounted there. Now, I hope you are able to visualize the Velveeta and the Cheez Wiz applica- tions for channel letters. Now we must look at the installation site, and the chal- lenges that are present which will help us determine which cheese product to put on our cracker. WALL CONSTRUCTION BASICS Understanding the materials used in the wall construction where the sign is to be installed is a nice added skill set that requires a bit of time and dedication, even specialized training to really understand the various wall constructions out there. I like to leave that expertise to the indi- viduals installing the sign. ey typically know which anchors are needed for a vari- ety of wall types. However, in our world of sales and design, the most important key point to know is "What is directly behind the area where the channel letters are being installed?" is info will immediately tell you if a remote wired or self-contained option is the best for this installation. I just introduced to you two new terms that are directly related to raceways and wireways, and those are: Remote Wired: When channel letters are flush mounted to a wall, their electrical components are located behind the wall, Think about the fact that everything is contained within the wireway shaped like a cat. Could this sign be fabricated with a grounded three-prong (UL rated) plug and a long cord? How much can be saved with the installation of a GFI outlet on the wall behind where the sign will be hung vs what an electrician will need to do for a traditional electrical Hookup with a J-box? This gives us a view of one of the halves, showing what is inside the wireway and channel letters. And you are correct if you are noticing that some components are not truly shown as cut in half, and by sign designers in the sign industry, it is done that way purely for clarity of understanding. I will address "section views for sign designers" in a future article. The wireway is the raceway's crazy, free- spirited, sometimes non-conforming but always creative "bad girl second-cousin" of the Velveeta cheese box shaped sign wiring enclosure family.