Design & Execution
of Carved Wood Signs
Both Residential & Commercial
Also
Carved Wood Figures & Sculpture Frank & Sibbel
Cellini
DBA
Carving by Cellini
9
South Pitkin Rd. P.O. Box 159,
Lempster, NH 03605
603-863-6008
Email: signsbycellini
@ cheshire.net (remove
spaces)
This
is one of two 6 foot long hand-carved dragons made
for a Chinese restaurant in Bourne, Ma.
They were constructed of several pieces of white
pine epoxied together for strength.
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| This is a wood sculpture in the round depicting
womens' faces of different ethnicities, encircled
by a serpent. It is entitled 'Temptation'. The
wood used is red cedar. |
This
is a 7 foot tall rabbit, hand-carved to stand
in front of a book store in Onset, Ma. He is holding
a book in his right hand, his left
grasps a cane. He is constructed of several pieces
of white pine which have been epoxied together
for strength. |
Who
We Are
We
are Sibbel and Frank Cellini. We work out of
our home shop.
We may be the smallest sign company in
the world
but it has its advantages.
What
You Get
- 35
years wood sign carving experience
- Personalized
service
- Top
quality materials in construction
- Free
estimates
- Free
design service
- An
impressive sign that reflects your
home or business
What
You Don't Pay For
- Working
man's compensation for employees
- Employees
who have to be paid in slow periods
- A
rented shop space
- Liability
insurance
- Nothing
that doesn't go into your signs
Carved Wood Business Signs
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The Town
of Lempster, NH sign was donated to
the town by Frank and Sibbel Cellini. The picture,
carved in high density urethane, is of an historical
structure, The Silver Grange, located on Lempster
Street. The bottom of the sign features changeable
track letters to allow for posting of various
meetings in the town.
The
Miner Memorial Library sign is on the corner
of Route 10 and The Second New Hampshire Turnpike.
The raised letters are gilded with 23 karat gold
leaf as is the griffon above (he faces away from
the library as if he's guarding the treasures
within, that is the books). The griffon and the
letters are carved in high density urethane.
The books on either side of the griffon are wood
and are textured and painted to resemble real
books. The background for both the letters and
the griffon is black smaltz, a coarse surface
consisting of a paint-fixative mixture sprinkled
while wet with fine ground glass or black sand.
This is a very dramatic background for gold leaf. |
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The Fulton's
Construction sign features a three-dimensional
model of one of their dump trucks. The lettering
on the truck and the back hoe are carved in HDU.
The signs below indicate the services Fulton's
provides.
The Oasis
Massage sign, located in Claremont,
NH, has raised lettering and a palm tree carved
in HDU and applied
with a 2-part marine epoxy. The features are
gilded with aluminum leaf which has been clear-coated
to protect the luster. The body of the sign is
constructed of several boards of white pine epoxied
together. The surface is painted with 1-shot
sign paint. |
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Bejeweled is another example of gilded features
on a black smaltz background. The lettering and
the scallop shell are 23 karat gold leaf; the
diamond is clear-coated aluminum leaf.
The
Stoves-Pellets sign features a replica of a Thelin
pellet stove carved in HDU. The chrome is clear-coated
aluminum leaf; the stove is painted in an exterior
flat house paint. This was used for more authenticity.
The lettering is also HDU. |
Carved
Wood Home Signs
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Whitman is a house sign featuring a raised
hummingbird and flower and incised lettering.
Cellini,
our personal sign, depicts a three-dimensional
deer centered in an opening in the sign. |
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The
White sign features a stone bridge on the
North River in Hanover, Ma. It was commissioned
for
a couple who canoed on that river. It is interesting
in that only the feature and lettering is painted
and the remainder is clear-coated.
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Parkerville is an example of a simple house
sign with incised letters.
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Williams, another house sign, is another example
of the use of 23 karat gold leaf on a black
smaltz background.
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Nardanes, a more complex house sign, was inspired
by a figurine of two little mice enjoying a
tea party. They are sheltered from morning
dew by a leaf. They are carved in HDU. The
letters are incised into the pine body of the
sign.
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The Lersch sign was ordered as a gift for
a couple who were retiring and planning to
tour
in their
camper. The camper depicted is theirs. The
raised, HDU letters are carved to resemble
little logs.
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Why
a Carved Wood Sign?
The
history of signage goes back before
the middle
ages when vendors used
symbols of
their trade or craft
to advertise
to their
non-reading
customers.
Over
the years, these
symbols
evolved into
signs incorporating
proper names with
company
logos and
designs.
It remains
true today
that a carving
captures
the eye
and stays
in
the
memory
of the passerby
more easily
than words.
Carved
wood
signs endure, even
should
the paint
fade
in
time, the design
remains.
A carved
sign
has a
richness
that
is
not often
seen in a
painted
or
plastic
sign.
Our
prices
are competitive
with painted
signs.
Quoting
a price
for
a custom
wood
sign is
difficult
as
each
client's
requirements
vary.
We would be
very
happy
to
either
copy
a
logo
or
name
on
a sign,
or
to
submit
a design
to
you
for
your
approval.
We
serve the Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee region of New
Hampshire including Hanover, Lebanon, New London,
Keene, Lempster, Newport, Newbury and Claremont.
A
hand carved wood sign or carved figure is
a lasting gift
for all
occasions including weddings, house
warmings, Christmas, birthdays & Father's
Day.
This
piece is a cougar standing atop a rocky ledge.
He is about 10 inches long, including his
tail. He is carved in white pine.
What
goes into the making of a carved wood sign?
Sign
Carving
- The
first step is a saw mill for boards of aged, rough
sawn
native white pine.
- Next,
the board is edge cut and planed to the desired
thickness.
- Third
step, joining the boards with biscuits (for stability),
applying 2-part West System epoxy and clamping them
to dry for 24 hours.
- Next,
remove clamps and sand the surface.
- Step
five, transfer desired lettering onto board, making
sure that it
is centered.
- Finally,
hand-carving the lettering.
An
alternative to incised letters is raised letters,
in which case the letters are
drawn on high-density foam board, cut with
a scroll saw, detailed with hand chisels and applied
to the sign with West System epoxy.
(This is the same epoxy used in boat building).
Sign
Finishing
- The
incised letters are now sanded in preparation for
painting.
- Once
in the paint room, the board and the letters receive
a fine sanding.
- The
next step is the first of three coats of Jay Cook's
primer. The
first coat dries
for 12 - 24 hours before sanding.
The next coats dry more quickly.
- Now
it's time for a base coat of 1-Shot sign paint (oil-based)
which
needs to dry
for
24 hours before being fine-sanded.
- Then,
a final coat of 1-Shot and final drying.
- Gold
leaf lettering requires a base coat of paint. After
drying, a fixative
is applied
to the lettering, allowed
to dry until barely tacky, and
the 23 karat
gold leaf
is applied.
- If
a picture, design or logo is required, it is
cut out
of the
aforementioned
high density foam board,
hand-carved and epoxied to the board.
It
is primed and
painted as
the rest of the sign.
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