Crafting Beyond the Grain: 3D Printing a Kentucky Icon for the Four Roses Visitor Center
Here in the heart of Kentucky, craftsmanship is in the air we breathe—often beautifully mingled with the sweet, toasted aroma of aging bourbon. At Open Grain Woodwork, our hearts beat for the timeless beauty of custom design, the stories hidden in the wood, and the deep patience it takes to bring an exceptional project to life. But true craftsmanship isn’t defined solely by the sawdust on our boots; it’s defined by our willingness to tackle new challenges, embrace modern precision technology, and push the boundaries of what’s possible.
Recently, we had an incredible opportunity to step slightly outside our traditional woodshop comfort zone to showcase our studio’s versatility. We partnered with our talented neighbors and local experiential fabrication experts over at Nimlok Kentucky to help bring a stunning new landmark to life: the Four Roses Visitors Center Monument Sign.
The Collaboration: Blending Signage with Dimensional Art
When Nimlok Kentucky finalized the layout for the new Visitors Center Monument Sign, they brought an immaculate, highly detailed design to the table. The blueprints detailed a massive, beautiful outdoor installation measuring 129.7 inches wide by 78 inches high. Every detail was meticulously mapped out, from the clean, editorial typography using the Publico Headline Web font to a strict Pantone palette featuring deep Process Black U, 7501 C, and a custom Warm Gray 1U specifically chosen to color-match the building standing directly behind it.
While Nimlok masterfully engineered and constructed the grand monument sign structure itself, the centerpiece of the design required an extra touch of dimensional magic: the iconic Four Roses emblem. To achieve the perfect depth, texture, and organic curves of the famous floral relief, Nimlok tapped our team at Open Grain to handle the high-precision 3D fabrication.
Layer by Layer: The 10-Hour Print Process
Despite the “grain” in our name, our creators have extensive experience with a vast array of modern tools, custom finishes, and advanced materials. For this project, we traded our traditional chisels and CNC routers for the cutting-edge world of additive manufacturing, firing up our Creality K2 3D printer.
Capturing the delicate, unfolding petals of a rose in a rigid, outdoor-ready medium requires immense detail. To ensure that every contour, edge, and shadow was captured flawlessly, we printed each rose individually. Bringing this level of precision to life requires an abundance of patience; each single rose required a staggering 10 hours of continuous print time on the machine bed.
Built for the Elements: Finishing and Painting
An outdoor monument sign in Kentucky has to be resilient enough to withstand everything from hot, humid summer afternoons to freezing winter mornings. Once the rigorous 10-hour print cycles were complete, the raw 3D-printed roses moved over to our hand-finishing station.
Our craftsmen meticulously prepped and cleaned each piece before applying a specialized, multi-layered paint finish. This critical step wasn’t just about achieving a vibrant, eye-catching color match; it was entirely about durability. The specialized paint coating seals the 3D-printed material, providing robust weather resistance to guarantee that these roses remain as pristine and beautiful years from now as they were the day they left our workshop.
Celebrating Innovation and Community
At Open Grain, we love nothing more than collaborating with fellow local creators to build things that leave a lasting impression on our community. Seeing our high-precision 3D printing work seamlessly integrated into Nimlok’s masterfully constructed monument sign at the Four Roses Visitor Center is a proud moment for our team.
Whether we are crafting a custom walnut table from a century-old tree or letting a 3D printer run for hours to recreate an iconic piece of bourbon heritage, our core philosophy remains exactly the same: delivering precise designs, elevated craftsmanship, and unforgettable custom creations.
The next time you make the trip out to the Four Roses Visitor Center, take a close look at the monument sign greeting you at the entrance. Those roses aren’t just a symbol of great bourbon—they’re a testament to what happens when local makers collaborate, innovate, and look way beyond the grain.