The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning

Ed Nisley's Blog: Shop notes, electronics, firmware, machinery, 3D printing, laser cuttery, and curiosities. Contents: 100% human thinking, 0% AI slop.

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  • Please Close The Gate Signs: MDF Weathering

    With the new signs in place, the old ones paused briefly for a photo op on their way to the trash:

    Please Close The Gate - weathered MDF
    Please Close The Gate – weathered MDF

    That’s eight months of weathering on MDF covered with indoor urethane sealant and it’s not as awful as I expected: the MDF didn’t actually disintegrate, it just collected some mold / mildew / crud.

    A closer look:

    Please Close The Gate - weathered MDF - detail
    Please Close The Gate – weathered MDF – detail

    The black paint survived surprisingly well.

    I hadn’t paid much any attention to the edges, so they got covered with random amounts of black paint and urethane. It seems that’s where the disintegration starts:

    Please Close The Gate - weathered MDF - side view
    Please Close The Gate – weathered MDF – side view

    MDF definitely isn’t the right material for an outdoor sign and I knew that going in, but it’s cheap and readily available, which makes up for a lot.

    For comparison, they looked nice right after installation:

    Please Close The Gate - fresh painted
    Please Close The Gate – fresh painted

    Ya learn something new every year around here!