Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion straightening a bent porcelain sign

I have a Texaco trapezoidal sign that is wavy but not creased. is there a way to get this wave out of it before putting it in the pole frame? it is the large version that would have been on a pole in front of the service station. thanks.

I would put it back in the frame as is, the pole frame would tend too take the wave out?.. ...

I have tried to straighten a couple of bent porcelain signs with no luck. I agree with Randy.

thanks guys.

best way is to lay it between 2 pieces of plywood on a very flat surface and slowly run it over with your vehicle, but you will usually lose a little porcelain or cause additional stressing in the porcelain. often not worth it unless the sign is already missing porcelain in areas

I have used a torch for a bullet hole stretch. Cherry red hot,3 or 4 diameter, believe it or not striking it with heavy hammer and no porcelain will chip off. WHY ???? because the porcelain is almost liquid. The first time is the hardest, so use a really bad sign to test your nerve. Warped signs I haven`t tried but I like the drive over idea ,I would try it with heat though....Tom

I have driven over them as well and it worked pretty darn good. You will loose a little porcelain but not much.

Tom, I didnt have the same luck-I tried heating a porcelain sign with a torch once and the porcelain in the immediate area shot off the sign like little bullets. I had hoped to liquefy it a little. The heating/expansion and cooling/contraction wasnt controllable. I never tried it again. Certainly wasnt the dumbest thing I've done ,but it did make it to the list.

Leave it alone and put it in the frame. It waves because it's just a lot piece of metal. The frame will take care of it.

If anybody does try to tweet a pocelain sign, ALWAYS have eye protection! As Jim said, the pocelain will fly off like a bullet and penetrate exposed body parts. Just saying.
Tom.

Your torch was too close, you have to go slowly. I did a 4 foot philips neon, a letter was flattened. When the orange heated up it turned almost black before it got cherry red. I thought it would never be orange again, I couldn`t hit it so my friend took the heavy hammer hit it once very hard while I held it up..dent popped out turned back to orange as it cooled, no new chips but don`t spray it with water.....Tom