2016 Bald Eagle Education Aid, Page 1 of 5

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary

Interactive Bald Eagle Education Aid

Pictured above is the custom designed and fabricated interactive

full size Bald Eagle education aid. This display is installed at the
Information Pavilion of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary at 1700
Hawk Mountain Rd., Kempton, Pennsylvania 19529,
Hawkmountainsanctuary.org. This Pavilion is an open sided,
covered timber frame structure, between the parking
area and the main trail walkway. This display has proved to be a very inviting teaching aid.
Children and families are drawn to the display to see how they compare to a full-size Bald Eagle.
It provides an excellent photo opportunity and the organization name clearly and tastefully
presented on the top is a wonderful reminder of a very positive family experience at Hawk
Mountain Sanctuary.
The following outlines the material specifications and the fabricating process for this aid.
Suggestions for alternative materials also are included to better enable broader applications of
this aid.

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The opening with which we had to work was 100 wide between the timbers. This allowed for a
full size Bald Eagle 90 from wing tip to wing tip and 35 from the tip of the beak to the bottom
of the tail feathers. Because this was an out-door display that encouraged hands-on interaction,
strength and stability were an important consideration. The following are the material
specifications:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Full size Bald Eagle Silhouette: 3/16 hot rolled steel plate
Full perimeter mounting frame: 1 X 1 11gauge steel square tubing
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary lettering: 3/16 hot rolled steel plate
Connecting rods from the silhouette to the frame: 5/16 steel solid round
Mounting the display to the timbers: Four X 5 lag bolts and washers
Spacers between the steel frame and the timbers: schedule 40 PVC
Finishing Products:
a. Primer on entire project: Light Gray epoxy primer
b. Frame and Lettering: Sherwin Williams, Acrolon, industrial catalyzing urethane
enamel, Architectural Bronze
c. Back side of Silhouette: Satin Black catalyzing urethane
d. Front full color: Wicked, water based airbrush paint
e. Clear top coat over the full color: Satin Clear, catalyzing urethane
f. Inch/Cm scale: Decal by Bond Customart, Kempton, PA
g. Clear top coat over the decal: One Shot, UV curing clear
8. Total weight of the installed display: 120 lbs.
9. Total consulting, research, design, fabrication and installation time: 160 hrs.
10. Total cost steel, primer and paints, decal, solvents, abrasives, welding supplies and
consumables: $535.00

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The following are the detail steps to fabricate the Bald Eagle Educational Aid.
1. It is important to first determine the location including interior or exterior, high or low
traffic, size limitations and unique installation conditions.
2. Locate a picture of the desired species and have it enlarged to its actual size. Office
supply stores often have the capability of enlarging and printing very large copies.
3. This particular project was all steel construction so the fabrication process will reflect
the use of this material. For indoor wall mounted applications, a variety of
materials can be used including
foam core or cardboard type
products. For indoor or outdoor
wall mounted applications
double sided aluminum with a
plastic corrugated core, plywood,
or just directly painting on a wall
also can be effective. The
example on the right shows a
direct painting application.
Though these products may be less durable, the material cost is significantly
less and the tool requirements and skill level are less specialized.
4. The steel silhouette of the Bald Eagle as well as the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary letters are
plasma cut from 3/16 steel plate. The setup cost for a CNC cutting process for a single
silhouette and individual letters can high. Multiple quantities using the same CNC setup
would make this less costly. The following process was used to plasma cut this custom
Bald Eagle display. Half of the full size paper
pattern of the Bald Eagle silhouette was adhered to a sheet of plywood. Using a hand
help electric jig saw, the plywood was cut along the outline of the paper pattern. The
resulting plywood pattern was the cutting guide for the plasma cutting torch. The half
Bald Eagle silhouette will be flipped over to cut the full steel silhouette. The same
process was used to make plywood patterns
for each of the letters except each letter was a
full pattern.
5. The plywood silhouette pattern and the
plywood letter patterns are clamped to the
steel plate.
6. The plasma cutting torch is easily guided around the pattern and
in less than an hour, the silhouette and letters are cut. Some light
grinding of the edges provides a finished, paintable surface.
7. The mounting frame is fabricated from 1 x 1 11gauge steel
square tubing. The tubing is cut to length with the ends cut to
45. The ends are beveled in preparation for welding.

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8. The finished display will be mounted to the timber

frame opening using x 5 lag bolts. Holes are needed
for the lag bolts in the two side members of the
mounting frame. A 1 diameter steel cutting hole saw is
used to cut the mounting holes and
then a x 1 schedule 40 steel pipe
is inserted in the drilled holes and
welded. This provides for a strong support and allows for tightening the
lag bolts without distorting the mounting frame.

9. The mounting
frame is laid out
and squared and
the corners are
welded. All welds
are ground smooth
and sanded with
the 60 grit paper on a dual action sander.
10. The Eagle silhouette is now set into the frame and attached to the frame
using 5/16 steel round stock.
11. The letters are welded along the top edge of the frame and all welds are
cleaned.
12. The assembled structure is finished sanded with the 60 grit paper on a
dual action sander and wiped with a solvent/cleaner in preparation for priming.
13. The entire piece is primed with a light gray epoxy primer.
14. When cured, the mounting frame and letters are masked and the back side of the
silhouette is spray painted with a catalyzing urethane satin black.
15. When the satin black has cured, both sides of the silhouette are masked and the
mounting frame and lettering are spray painted with Sherwin Williams, Acrolon
industrial catalyzing urethane enamel, Architectural Bronze.
16. When cured, the primed front of the Bald Eagle silhouette is first wet sanded with 300
grit paper and then wiped with a solvent/cleaner in preparation for airbrushing the full
color wings, head, tail and talons.
17. When fully dried, the full color airbrushed silhouette is clear coated with a catalyzing
urethane satin clear.
18. Bond Customart printed and installed the Inch and Cm scale and clear coated the decal
with One Shot UV curing clear.

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19. The Bald Eagle display was then installed at the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Information
Pavilion.