Suggestions Please

[Bert Kemp]

I made this for a friend in New Hampshire , She saw the other one I did in the shape of AZ and liked it a lot. she wants to place it at her fathers grave site. I already shipped it to her and she wants ideas on how to mount it . I had 1 idea of using a plate holder and just sit it in front of the headstone. I'd welcome any other ideas I could pass on to her, I know you guys will have some good ones. Thanx:)342001

[Bill George]

My guess it will get stolen or broken if not mounted flat up against something solid at the cemetery. . Personally I would leave in the house, on a plate holder like you suggested and set under a lamp so the light can shine through it. You do nice work Bert.

[David Somers]

I have the same initial thought as Bill Bert. Unless she is willing to accept that this will be taken periodically and she will need to replace it. Or...perhaps ask at the cematary and see what their thoughts/experiences are?

If she decides to put it in her home somewhere perhaps make a simple, understated base for it that is hollow and can be used to hold some special keepsakes from her father, perhaps from the war? A medal, an article from his uniform, or some other item. Or if she does not have some item from the war she can keep any item that was personal for him in any other way.

Dave

[Keith Downing]

Ditto what the others have said. Aside from mounting it to the headstone with standoffs or an epoxy/glue of some type, I'd say it won't last long in a public place. Not to mention, it may not hold up to the elements after years of wind/rain/sun, depending on what type of acrylic you used and how thick it is.

I'd think mounting it on a base plate (so that it stands vertical) would be the most effective way to display it.

[Dave Sheldrake]

Says a lot about society that even something commemorating the life of one of our very best will get stolen :(

What about base lit or edge lit and kept at home Bert?

[Mel Fulks]

IF there is an existing marker at the grave ,I would use the one you kindly provided at another place ,like a couple others have suggested. Inside house or in front of ,or on a tree dedicated to him. All the monuments to G. Washington are not in one spot and the friend's dad can have more than one. I've told my wife I want a simple funeral and a small marker.... spend the money on the statue!

[Bert Kemp]

Thanks George appreciate the compliment


My guess it will get stolen or broken if not mounted flat up against something solid at the cemetery. . Personally I would leave in the house, on a plate holder like you suggested and set under a lamp so the light can shine through it. You do nice work Bert.

[Bert Kemp]

Well it getting stolen was a concern of mine and initially she just wanted the Army insignia inside the State cut out and I convinced her to put his name on it thinking this would make it less likely to get snatched.But its still a concern. I'll email her everyone's thoughts.

[David Somers]

Bert...just for giggles ask her to contact that cemetary. They can let her know what there experiences are with this kind of special add on to a grave, especially when it is personalized like that.
Very nice work by the way, and a special thing to do for folks.

Dave

[Kev Williams]

Looks nice Bert :)

Looks about a foot tall? And there's some space between the bottom of the plaque and the lower engraving...

Only idea I have would be to get a pressure treated or redwood 2x4, and cut it about 18" long...

drill 2 or 3 holes along the bottom of the plex, about an inch up, about 3/16" holes will accommodate some 1" long deck screws--

Screw the plate to the tall edge of the wood with deck screws & washers...AND,
bore a couple of larger holes in the bottom, and pick up some 3" galvanized bolts. You don't need nuts or
washers, just the bolts. It should look something like this:

342011

Now, dig a small trench and bury it, maybe on a slight angle...

342012
Just put the bolts half way, or even all the way thru, doesn't matter,
they're just to keep the wood anchored into the ground...
(sorry for my lame artwork) ;)

This will at least keep honest people honest... if someone tries to just pick it up,
it'll be anchored well enough they won't be able to. It will still be vulnerable to being
broken, but at least this way it won't just grow legs...

[Mark Taylor2]

Great work, Bert. As for permanence and resisting theft, accident, etc. She should check with the cemetery and see if there's any options at a reasonable cost. I'm thinking maybe the stonecutter who does the gravemarkers might be able to drill some holes and mount it. If it's a VA type cemetery, they might not allow any of that.

At some cemetaries, they clean up once a week or so. If it's not part of the grave, they remove it. So some form of bolting/securing it to the gravemarker may be the only answer.

[Bill George]

Frankly I am impressed with the Alumamark stuff, I do not know long term outside unless its coated, but its aluminum with a gold or bronze surface that lasers off with a CO2 machine. It could be surface mounted and I use clear silicone sealer for a lot of jobs. It sticks, and can come off if needed and cleans off the surface.

[Mike Null]

Alumamark is not uv safe. It won't hold up even a year. DAMHIK

I would use Corian and engrave it with the detail you have then colorfill it. Corian will last for many years outside. I would use epoxy to mount it if that is permissible.

[Kev Williams]

Theres nothing wrong with plex, it'll last outdoors for years. The only issue here, is it's transparency...

The worst part about anything like that being outside is lawn watering, the calcium will build up very quickly...

[Bill George]

Good idea Corian, I got some nice size pieces from a counter top place near me. I tried to pay but they assured me they were just scrap to them anyway. Engraves wonderfully and color fill, just paint and sand the extra off. Its a little abrasive, plan on vacuuming out the leftovers.

[Bert Kemp]

Thanks for the compliments
From the research I did I found that acrylic will hold up fairly well outside. Its not affected by the sun, won't fade or turn yellow and is easily cleaned with products like novus cleaner and scratch removers. The biggest thing as mentioned is theft. I sent her the idea you guys passes along and Kev's drawings also (thanx Kev) Hopefully she will find a satisfactory way or decide to keep it at home.

[Bert Kemp]

She replied and says there might be enough room to drill and tap the headstone and mount it directly on it.She did that with her brothers picture which is encased in an acrylic box which has held up 25 years so far. So she's confident this plaque will too.

[Mel Fulks]

Thanks, Bert. Always good to see the rest of the story.