I'm looking for classes in spray finishing. Basically I would like to
learn to set up the gun and proper techniques to spray.
Troubleshooting problems would be nice too. The ideal class would
have plenty of hands on lab time... I'm not too concerned with color
matching, surface prep, and such although I realize that might be
forced onto you as the price of admission to the right class.

Various wood schools have occasional classes but they usually are sold
out quickly, are lectures instead of hands on, or very small part of a
larger finishing class.

I looked at the classes of several spray gun manufactorers and they
come closest to what I am looking for. Most of them have a heavy car
painting leaning, but that is to be expected. It would be nice if
they focused on wood, but I guess if you learn to dial in and
recognise proper atomization it doesn't matter if you're spraying
paint or pre-cat.

Has anyone been to a class they really were satisfied with and feel it
might be what I am looking for? A week is about the longest I could
get off work so any that are 5 days or less would be best.

Thanks.

wrote:

I'm looking for classes in spray finishing. Basically I would like to
learn to set up the gun and proper techniques to spray.
Troubleshooting problems would be nice too. The ideal class would
have plenty of hands on lab time...

Well, for what you're looking to learn, you don't really need a class
structure like you've described. You could hook up with anybody that uses a
paint gun - a body man, a woodworker, etc., and in one hour you could learn
everything you need to know about setting up a gun, as well as the basics of
troubleshooting common problems. If you're a slow learner - make that two
hours. After that, it's all about practice. Another hour or two with
someone who knows how to use a gun and you can master the basics of
shooting. I understand your desire for lab time as you expressed it, but
you'll get as much from an hour or two with someone who can paint, as you
will from the kind of lab time you've suggested.

Do some digging through the archives in this group for painting tips. Both
Robert (nailshooter) and I have posted a lot of "how-to" information here
that I think you would find valuable. For a fee, I'm sure Swingman will
send you an autographed copy of his soon-to-be-released hardbound collection
of these posts. Of course, that stuff makes a good - and quite
comprehensive, starting point, but this forum serves well to continue from
there.


--

-Mike-

On Mar 11, 8:35*am, "Mike Marlow"
wrote:
wrote:
I'm looking for classes in spray finishing. *Basically I would like to
learn to set up the gun and proper techniques to spray.
Troubleshooting problems *would be nice too. The ideal class would
have plenty of hands on lab time...

Well, for what you're looking to learn, you don't really need a class
structure like you've described. *You could hook up with anybody that uses a
paint gun - a body man, a woodworker, etc., and in one hour you could learn
everything you need to know about setting up a gun, as well as the basics of
troubleshooting common problems. *If you're a slow learner - make that two
hours. *After that, it's all about practice. *Another hour or two with
someone who knows how to use a gun and you can master the basics of
shooting. *I understand your desire for lab time as you expressed it, but
you'll get as much from an hour or two with someone who can paint, as you
will from the kind of lab time you've suggested.

Do some digging through the archives in this group for painting tips. *Both
Robert (nailshooter) and I have posted a lot of "how-to" information here
that I think you would find valuable. *For a fee, I'm sure Swingman will
send you an autographed copy of his soon-to-be-released hardbound collection
of these posts. *Of course, that stuff makes a good - and quite
comprehensive, *starting point, but this forum serves well to continue from
there.

--

-Mike-


Agreed, find a good body guy or a local cab shop and make friends
(bring donuts and humility). If you find a sand blasting shop they
may hand you the gun and set you off priming some pieces. As far as
lab time goes, buy some old junk furniture, get a can of mid grade
finish (not low end -- too hard to use; not high end -- too easy to
use) and start spraying. You could strip and do a proper refinishing
or you can scuff sand and spray. I'm thinking real furniture since
that'll help you learn how to get into corners, manage bounce back
etc.
That's just a set of ideas, I grew up with the family business having
a sandblasting and painting division so I learned on lots of ag
equipment, trailers and worst of all tire rims. Tire rims suck since
you are essentially spraying into a bowl and bounce back is
unavoidable.
Tractors have lots of nooks and crannies, makes most woodworking stuff
relatively straightforward. Also from tractors you learn to be pick
your battles: guys driving tractors for hours in the field spend a
lot of time looking over the hood -- that's gotta be perfect; a run
down in around the rear end isn't such a big deal.

hex
-30-

"Mike Marlow" writes:
wrote:

I'm looking for classes in spray finishing. Basically I would like to
learn to set up the gun and proper techniques to spray.
Troubleshooting problems would be nice too. The ideal class would
have plenty of hands on lab time...

Well, for what you're looking to learn, you don't really need a class
structure like you've described. You could hook up with anybody that uses a
paint gun - a body man, a woodworker, etc., and in one hour you could learn
everything you need to know about setting up a gun, as well as the basics of
troubleshooting common problems. If you're a slow learner - make that two
hours. After that, it's all about practice. Another hour or two with
someone who knows how to use a gun and you can master the basics of
shooting. I understand your desire for lab time as you expressed it, but
you'll get as much from an hour or two with someone who can paint, as you
will from the kind of lab time you've suggested.

Do some digging through the archives in this group for painting tips. Both
Robert (nailshooter) and I have posted a lot of "how-to" information here
that I think you would find valuable. For a fee, I'm sure Swingman will
send you an autographed copy of his soon-to-be-released hardbound collection
of these posts. Of course, that stuff makes a good - and quite
comprehensive, starting point, but this forum serves well to continue from
there.

All good advice. I too am interested in picking up spray finishing but
more as a hobbyist and I can't afford the time or $$$ to go to school
for this.

Indeed, your approach makes a lot of sense for my needs.
First, is there anybody here in the Boston area who is willing to let me
"observe" in exchange for Beers or donuts?

Second, are you aware of any good web videos and/or howtos (in addition
to the posts you reference) that might be good for instruction?

Books would be helpful too, but typically I find I don't have the
time/patience to wade through an entire book and find videos more
helpful at least at the intro level...

On Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:03:03 -0500, blueman wrote:

"Mike Marlow" writes:
wrote:

I'm looking for classes in spray finishing. Basically I would like to
learn to set up the gun and proper techniques to spray.
Troubleshooting problems would be nice too. The ideal class would
have plenty of hands on lab time...

Well, for what you're looking to learn, you don't really need a class
structure like you've described. You could hook up with anybody that uses a
paint gun - a body man, a woodworker, etc., and in one hour you could learn
everything you need to know about setting up a gun, as well as the basics of
troubleshooting common problems. If you're a slow learner - make that two
hours. After that, it's all about practice. Another hour or two with
someone who knows how to use a gun and you can master the basics of
shooting. I understand your desire for lab time as you expressed it, but
you'll get as much from an hour or two with someone who can paint, as you
will from the kind of lab time you've suggested.

Do some digging through the archives in this group for painting tips. Both
Robert (nailshooter) and I have posted a lot of "how-to" information here
that I think you would find valuable. For a fee, I'm sure Swingman will
send you an autographed copy of his soon-to-be-released hardbound collection
of these posts. Of course, that stuff makes a good - and quite
comprehensive, starting point, but this forum serves well to continue from
there.

All good advice. I too am interested in picking up spray finishing but
more as a hobbyist and I can't afford the time or $$$ to go to school
for this.

Indeed, your approach makes a lot of sense for my needs.
First, is there anybody here in the Boston area who is willing to let me
"observe" in exchange for Beers or donuts?

Second, are you aware of any good web videos and/or howtos (in addition
to the posts you reference) that might be good for instruction?

....you'll find how-to vids on just about anything on YouTube...watch
all you can, 'cause there's alot of bunk out there...

cg


Books would be helpful too, but typically I find I don't have the
time/patience to wade through an entire book and find videos more
helpful at least at the intro level...

All of the replies actual compound my original question.

I usually fly out on Sunday or Monday. I fly home on Friday or
Saturday. So I work 60 to 80 hours per week. I have 0 to 2 days home
per week. I live 60 miles from the nearest big town that would have
spray shops.

I'm really not interested in slepping beer and donuts 60 miles in the
hope that I can make new friends who might let me eventually learn
something from them. Having more money than time I am interested in
someone who is a proven knowledgable teacher who will be willing to
exchange $$$ instead of donuts for a few days of looking over my
shoulder and explaining the right way to do things.

I have read every book and film I can find on the subject. But
obviously something hasn't quite clicked. I am pretty much at the
point that I am re-enforcing my bad habits.

So, my original question remains.... Does anyone have recommendations
on a school for spray finishing. I see plenty of places on the web,
so don't suggest Google searches. I'm looking for first hand
recommendations of classes that people have attended and they were
pleased with the content and the quality.

Thanks.




On Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:28:30 -0800, Chasgroh
wrote:

On Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:03:03 -0500, blueman wrote:

"Mike Marlow" writes:
wrote:

I'm looking for classes in spray finishing. Basically I would like to
learn to set up the gun and proper techniques to spray.
Troubleshooting problems would be nice too. The ideal class would
have plenty of hands on lab time...

Well, for what you're looking to learn, you don't really need a class
structure like you've described. You could hook up with anybody that uses a
paint gun - a body man, a woodworker, etc., and in one hour you could learn
everything you need to know about setting up a gun, as well as the basics of
troubleshooting common problems. If you're a slow learner - make that two
hours. After that, it's all about practice. Another hour or two with
someone who knows how to use a gun and you can master the basics of
shooting. I understand your desire for lab time as you expressed it, but
you'll get as much from an hour or two with someone who can paint, as you
will from the kind of lab time you've suggested.

Do some digging through the archives in this group for painting tips. Both
Robert (nailshooter) and I have posted a lot of "how-to" information here
that I think you would find valuable. For a fee, I'm sure Swingman will
send you an autographed copy of his soon-to-be-released hardbound collection
of these posts. Of course, that stuff makes a good - and quite
comprehensive, starting point, but this forum serves well to continue from
there.

All good advice. I too am interested in picking up spray finishing but
more as a hobbyist and I can't afford the time or $$$ to go to school
for this.

Indeed, your approach makes a lot of sense for my needs.
First, is there anybody here in the Boston area who is willing to let me
"observe" in exchange for Beers or donuts?

Second, are you aware of any good web videos and/or howtos (in addition
to the posts you reference) that might be good for instruction?

...you'll find how-to vids on just about anything on YouTube...watch
all you can, 'cause there's alot of bunk out there...

cg


Books would be helpful too, but typically I find I don't have the
time/patience to wade through an entire book and find videos more
helpful at least at the intro level...

On Mar 13, 3:35*am, wrote:

I'm really not interested in slepping beer and donuts 60 miles in the
hope that I can make new friends who might let me eventually learn
something from them. *

I let that comment go from an earlier poster, but don't waste your
time trying. I am no high powered sanctimonious craftsman, but I do
have a sense of pride and what I do, and more importantly a work
schedule.

The idea of someone showing up with a .69 doughnut and a cup of coffee
(which I keep in hand in large amounts) asking for an education in
exchange for a couple of dollars of food is ludicrous. The stuff the
hobby worker dreams of, I guess.

And why would you have someone work for you that takes away from your
work schedule? Times are tight, dollars are tight, and I while I
would surely take the time to teach my neighbor about finishing
(certainly done that) and teach my friends about spraying (case of
beer and bbq more appropriate) I don't stop a paying job to screw
around with someone that isn't making me money.

I wouldn't stop a second to explain the relationship between adjusting
the pressure of the gun to the amount of paint coming out to give the
pattern you want. Why would you? Since this is basically a
production environment, why would you take your time and cut your
earning to teach someone for a doughnut?

I can't imagine wandering into an office somewhere and asking someone
if they would teach you to put together a Power Point presentation for
a snack.

Having more money than time I am interested in
someone who is a proven knowledgable teacher who will be willing to
exchange $$$ instead of donuts for a few days of looking over my
shoulder and explaining the right way to do things.

Now you are on to something. Have someone teach you that can give
undivided attention, someone that has accepted that as his task. You
pay a equitable amount, and you should get a commensurate amount of
education from the session.

I have read every book and film I can find on the subject. *But
obviously something hasn't quite clicked. *I am pretty much at the
point that I am re-enforcing *my bad habits.

I like Mike's comment about searching this group. There are DETAILED
explanations on gun set up, understanding finish viscosity to
pressure, discussions on temperature affecting spray, techniques, etc.

In fact, as many years as I have been doing this type of work
professionally, it was actually Mike that got me spray polyurethane
the first time. I laugh at how silly it sounds now, but it was a big
deal to me then.

It doesn't sound like you have the time to put into the craft of
finishing that you will need to be good at it. Any idiot can shoot
goo out of a gun.

But really good spray finishing takes practice, time, materials, and a
lot of patience. There are a lot of factors that come into play about
understanding materials, humidity, etc.

So, my original question remains.... Does anyone have recommendations
on a school for spray finishing. *

If you are looking to jump right in, personally I would try the local
community college and try out their paint and body course. You can
learn a lot from a traditional car guy (like Mike M) that is
*directly* applicable to wood finishing.

Robert

On Mar 13, 1:06*pm, "
wrote:
On Mar 13, 3:35*am, wrote:

I'm really not interested in slepping beer and donuts 60 miles in the
hope that I can make new friends who might let me eventually learn
something from them. *

I let that comment go from an earlier poster, but don't waste your
time trying. *I am no high powered sanctimonious craftsman, but I do
have a sense of pride and what I do, and more importantly a work
schedule.

The idea of someone showing up with a .69 doughnut and a cup of coffee
(which I keep in hand in large amounts) asking for an education in
exchange for a couple of dollars of food is ludicrous. *The stuff the
hobby worker dreams of, I guess.

And why would you have someone work for you that takes away from your
work schedule? *Times are tight, dollars are tight, and I while I
would surely take the time to teach my neighbor about finishing
(certainly done that) and teach my friends about spraying (case of
beer and bbq more appropriate) I don't stop a paying job to screw
around with someone that isn't making me money.

I wouldn't stop a second to explain the relationship between adjusting
the pressure of the gun to the amount of paint coming out to give the
pattern you want. *Why would you? *Since this is basically a
production environment, why would you take your time and cut your
earning to teach someone for a doughnut?

I can't imagine wandering into an office somewhere and asking someone
if they would teach you to put together a Power Point presentation for
a snack.

Having more money than time I am interested in
someone who is a proven knowledgable teacher who will be willing to
exchange $$$ instead of donuts for a few days of looking over my
shoulder and explaining the right way to do things.

Now you are on to something. *Have someone teach you that can give
undivided attention, someone that has accepted that as his task. *You
pay a equitable amount, and you should get a commensurate amount of
education from the session.

I have read every book and film I can find on the subject. *But
obviously something hasn't quite clicked. *I am pretty much at the
point that I am re-enforcing *my bad habits.

I like Mike's comment about searching this group. *There are DETAILED
explanations on gun set up, understanding finish viscosity to
pressure, discussions on temperature affecting spray, techniques, etc.

In fact, as many years as I have been doing this type of work
professionally, it was actually Mike that got me spray polyurethane
the first time. *I laugh at how silly it sounds now, but it was a big
deal to me then.

It doesn't sound like you have the time to put into the craft of
finishing that you will need to be good at it. *Any idiot can shoot
goo out of a gun.

But really good spray finishing takes practice, time, materials, and a
lot of patience. *There are a lot of factors that come into play about
understanding materials, humidity, etc.

So, my original question remains.... Does anyone have recommendations
on a school for spray finishing. *

If you are looking to jump right in, personally I would try the local
community college and try out their paint and body course. *You can
learn a lot from a traditional car guy (like Mike M) that is
*directly* applicable to wood finishing.

Robert

Just yesterday, a young fella came into my shop and wanted a price on
a custom laminate top. He had a detailed sketch which included the
sink cutout, an irregularity along the wall, an angle at the end, a
cut-out around a pillar and a special brace for a dishwasher and a few
other details. So I worked out a price. He then asked me how much I
would take off if he installed it but I would still have to verify the
cutouts and include delivery. I explained that if I were to template
and manufacture this top AND dropped it off at his house, the plopping
it onto his cabinets would be free. But he insisted that he wanted to
do more himself. So I suggested that I would sell him the laminate and
particle board and he could buy a gallon of contact cement himself. He
then told me that that could get messy with the glue and sawdust and
all.
Then I asked what he wanted me to do about his dilemma. He wanted that
top, but didn't want to pay what I asked. He then said: "If you take
off $ 200.00, then I will let you install it."
I then asked him for his phone number and handed him a piece of paper.
"I will have to think about your offer," I said.
He wrote down his phone number and handed it to me. I, while he
watched me, stuck that piece of paper in my shredder.

On 3/13/10 1:05 PM, Robatoy wrote:
Then I asked what he wanted me to do about his dilemma. He wanted that
top, but didn't want to pay what I asked. He then said: "If you take
off $ 200.00, then I will let you install it."
I then asked him for his phone number and handed him a piece of paper.
"I will have to think about your offer," I said.
He wrote down his phone number and handed it to me. I, while he
watched me, stuck that piece of paper in my shredder.


That's beautiful.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

On Mar 13, 1:05*pm, Robatoy wrote:

I then asked him for his phone number and handed him a piece of paper.
"I will have to think about your offer," I said.
He wrote down his phone number and handed it to me. I, while he
watched me, stuck that piece of paper in my shredder.

I love it. I about fell out of my chair laughing. Excellent.

Here's mine. It happens a couple of times a year.

"Hey Robert, what's going on?"

"Dunno... how are you? Are you ready to go on that siding project?"

"Well, yes and no. The good news is that we don't have as much work
to do as we did when you looked at it before, but the bad news is we
had someone else start it and now they can't finish it."

"What happened?'

"Well, they go about half way into the project and they claim they
didn't allow enough to finish the job. And my wife isn't very happy
as they have killed our plants around the house, and the siding isn't
on straight. You might need to straighten up (????) the Hardie planks
on their work."

"I see.... so they are half way finished with the installation and
some of it needs to be reworked?"

"Yeah. We know now we should have gone with your company. We want
you to finish it up. You want to come buy and measure what's left to
do? I don't know... they may have even finished more than half come
to think of it.... at this point we are thinking 'no big deal', we
just need someone to wrap it up. And of course *chuckle* anything you
could do to help us out we would sure appreciate it."

I remind them they got fair market price when I estimated the job and
since they expected it to be competitive at that time, there wasn't
anything in there to give them.

(I am always cheery about this, and NEVER say "I told you so". I do
point out they need to recall that sometimes the prices they tell me
they are seeing on an estimate doesn't cover materials alone. But
some clients are real daredevils!)

"No problem", I say. "Don't need to go out to the house actually.
Just take my original number and at 50% to it to demo the work they
did. That should cover it."

*crickets...*

"So it will cost MORE than we started with, even though it is halfway
finished? I thought you would take off at least a third since so much
work was done."

"Nope. Can't do it."

This is usually met with profane disbelief. Astonishment. Then they
are ****ed off. They call me names. Then they hang up. I have never
had one take me up on my offer.

All I can see in my own mind is taking over someone else's warranty, a
really ****ed off client to work with before we even start the job,
and the possibility that they don't have the money to finish. And
with the hurt feelings from screwing themselves, it makes it hard to
get paid.

Worse, NO referrals from embarrassed clients.

No thanks.

I wish they could see me shredding their proposal.

Good one.

On Mar 13, 3:50*pm, "
wrote:
On Mar 13, 1:05*pm, Robatoy wrote:

I then asked him for his phone number and handed him a piece of paper.
"I will have to think about your offer," I said.
He wrote down his phone number and handed it to me. I, while he
watched me, stuck that piece of paper in my shredder.

I love it. *I about fell out of my chair laughing. *Excellent.

Thank you... what made me proud was the completely impromptu aspect to
it. Never done that before, never thought it before.. just sorta-kinda
happened. $ 50.00 for a pic of the guys face though....

Here's mine. *It happens a couple of times a year.

Yup. A classic. Those kind of rescue missions never work out.

On Mar 13, 2:20*pm, -MIKE- wrote:
On 3/13/10 1:05 PM, Robatoy wrote:

Then I asked what he wanted me to do about his dilemma. He wanted that
top, but didn't want to pay what I asked. He then said: "If you take
off $ 200.00, then I will let you install it."
I then asked him for his phone number and handed him a piece of paper.
"I will have to think about your offer," I said.
He wrote down his phone number and handed it to me. I, while he
watched me, stuck that piece of paper in my shredder.

That's beautiful.

Felt great too.

wrote in message
...
So, my original question remains.... Does anyone have recommendations
on a school for spray finishing. I see plenty of places on the web,
so don't suggest Google searches. I'm looking for first hand
recommendations of classes that people have attended and they were
pleased with the content and the quality.

Thanks.



This school is in my "neck of the woods" (central Indiana).

http://www.marcadams.com

I'd be surprised if they couldn't teach you something useful. I believe you
can arrange individual lessons. You could call and discuss your interests,
schedule, etc. with them. It appears that they have quite an operation (I
haven't attended). I hope that helps.

Bill

On Sat, 13 Mar 2010 11:05:34 -0800 (PST), the infamous Robatoy
scrawled the following:

--bit o' snippage--
Then I asked what he wanted me to do about his dilemma. He wanted that
top, but didn't want to pay what I asked. He then said: "If you take
off $ 200.00, then I will let you install it."
I then asked him for his phone number and handed him a piece of paper.
"I will have to think about your offer," I said.
He wrote down his phone number and handed it to me. I, while he
watched me, stuck that piece of paper in my shredder.

g

I've only given quotes to two people like that. By the end of the
brief conversations, I had already decided not to do the job for them,
even if they doubled the price and paid it all in advance. There's
just no satisfying some people and if, by chance, they actually paid
the money and you did a perfect job, they'd trash your rep for you.

--
I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study
mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and
philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation,
commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to
study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and
porcelain.
-- John Adams

On Mar 15, 2:59*pm, "ChairMan" wrote:
,
spewed forth:





On Mar 13, 1:05 pm, Robatoy wrote:

I then asked him for his phone number and handed him a piece of
paper. "I will have to think about your offer," I said.
He wrote down his phone number and handed it to me. I, while he
watched me, stuck that piece of paper in my shredder.

I love it. *I about fell out of my chair laughing. *Excellent.

Here's mine. *It happens a couple of times a year.

"Hey Robert, what's going on?"

"Dunno... how are you? *Are you ready to go on that siding project?"

"Well, yes and no. *The good news is that we don't have as much work
to do as we did when you looked at it before, but the bad news is we
had someone else start it and now they can't finish it."

"What happened?'

"Well, they go about half way into the project and they claim they
didn't allow enough to finish the job. *And my wife isn't very happy
as they have killed our plants around the house, and the siding isn't
on straight. *You might need to straighten up (????) the Hardie planks
on their work."

"I see.... so they are half way finished with the installation and
some of it needs to be reworked?"

"Yeah. *We know now we should have gone with your company. *We want
you to finish it up. *You want to come buy and measure what's left to
do? *I don't know... they may have even finished more than half come
to think of it.... *at this point we are thinking 'no big deal', we
just need someone to wrap it up. *And of course *chuckle* anything you
could do to help us out we would sure appreciate it."

I remind them they got fair market price when I estimated the job and
since they expected it to be competitive at that time, there wasn't
anything in there to give them.

(I am always cheery about this, and NEVER say "I told you so". *I do
point out they need to recall that sometimes the prices they tell me
they are seeing on an estimate doesn't cover materials alone. *But
some clients are real daredevils!)

"No problem", I say. *"Don't need to go out to the house actually.
Just take my original number and at 50% to it to demo the work they
did. *That should cover it."

*crickets...*

"So it will cost MORE than we started with, even though it is halfway
finished? *I thought you would take off at least a third since so much
work was done."

"Nope. *Can't do it."

This is usually met with profane disbelief. *Astonishment. *Then they
are ****ed off. They call me names. *Then they hang up. *I have never
had one take me up on my offer.

All I can see in my own mind is taking over someone else's warranty, a
really ****ed off client to work with before we even start the job,
and the possibility that they don't have the money to finish. *And
with the hurt feelings from screwing themselves, it makes it hard to
get paid.

Worse, NO referrals from embarrassed clients.

No thanks.

I wish they could see me shredding their proposal.

Good one.

I usually get ones that say "So and So will do it for this much, why are
you so much higher?"
I tell them that " Every man knows what his work is worth and if you like
his price better I suggest you call him then, because I don't need anymore
practice "

oooooooooo...I LIKE that one...

In ,
spewed forth:
On Mar 13, 1:05 pm, Robatoy wrote:

I then asked him for his phone number and handed him a piece of
paper. "I will have to think about your offer," I said.
He wrote down his phone number and handed it to me. I, while he
watched me, stuck that piece of paper in my shredder.

I love it. I about fell out of my chair laughing. Excellent.

Here's mine. It happens a couple of times a year.

"Hey Robert, what's going on?"

"Dunno... how are you? Are you ready to go on that siding project?"

"Well, yes and no. The good news is that we don't have as much work
to do as we did when you looked at it before, but the bad news is we
had someone else start it and now they can't finish it."

"What happened?'

"Well, they go about half way into the project and they claim they
didn't allow enough to finish the job. And my wife isn't very happy
as they have killed our plants around the house, and the siding isn't
on straight. You might need to straighten up (????) the Hardie planks
on their work."

"I see.... so they are half way finished with the installation and
some of it needs to be reworked?"

"Yeah. We know now we should have gone with your company. We want
you to finish it up. You want to come buy and measure what's left to
do? I don't know... they may have even finished more than half come
to think of it.... at this point we are thinking 'no big deal', we
just need someone to wrap it up. And of course *chuckle* anything you
could do to help us out we would sure appreciate it."

I remind them they got fair market price when I estimated the job and
since they expected it to be competitive at that time, there wasn't
anything in there to give them.

(I am always cheery about this, and NEVER say "I told you so". I do
point out they need to recall that sometimes the prices they tell me
they are seeing on an estimate doesn't cover materials alone. But
some clients are real daredevils!)

"No problem", I say. "Don't need to go out to the house actually.
Just take my original number and at 50% to it to demo the work they
did. That should cover it."

*crickets...*

"So it will cost MORE than we started with, even though it is halfway
finished? I thought you would take off at least a third since so much
work was done."

"Nope. Can't do it."

This is usually met with profane disbelief. Astonishment. Then they
are ****ed off. They call me names. Then they hang up. I have never
had one take me up on my offer.

All I can see in my own mind is taking over someone else's warranty, a
really ****ed off client to work with before we even start the job,
and the possibility that they don't have the money to finish. And
with the hurt feelings from screwing themselves, it makes it hard to
get paid.

Worse, NO referrals from embarrassed clients.

No thanks.

I wish they could see me shredding their proposal.

Good one.


I usually get ones that say "So and So will do it for this much, why are
you so much higher?"
I tell them that " Every man knows what his work is worth and if you like
his price better I suggest you call him then, because I don't need anymore
practice "

ChairMan wrote:

In news:6e7fed5f-b7a0-4dcd-ab5a-
,
spewed forth:
On Mar 13, 1:05 pm, Robatoy wrote:

I then asked him for his phone number and handed him a piece of
paper. "I will have to think about your offer," I said.
He wrote down his phone number and handed it to me. I, while he
watched me, stuck that piece of paper in my shredder.

I love it. I about fell out of my chair laughing. Excellent.

Here's mine. It happens a couple of times a year.

"Hey Robert, what's going on?"

"Dunno... how are you? Are you ready to go on that siding project?"

"Well, yes and no. The good news is that we don't have as much work
to do as we did when you looked at it before, but the bad news is we
had someone else start it and now they can't finish it."

"What happened?'

"Well, they go about half way into the project and they claim they
didn't allow enough to finish the job. And my wife isn't very happy
as they have killed our plants around the house, and the siding isn't
on straight. You might need to straighten up (????) the Hardie planks
on their work."

"I see.... so they are half way finished with the installation and
some of it needs to be reworked?"

"Yeah. We know now we should have gone with your company. We want
you to finish it up. You want to come buy and measure what's left to
do? I don't know... they may have even finished more than half come
to think of it.... at this point we are thinking 'no big deal', we
just need someone to wrap it up. And of course *chuckle* anything you
could do to help us out we would sure appreciate it."

I remind them they got fair market price when I estimated the job and
since they expected it to be competitive at that time, there wasn't
anything in there to give them.

(I am always cheery about this, and NEVER say "I told you so". I do
point out they need to recall that sometimes the prices they tell me
they are seeing on an estimate doesn't cover materials alone. But
some clients are real daredevils!)

"No problem", I say. "Don't need to go out to the house actually.
Just take my original number and at 50% to it to demo the work they
did. That should cover it."

*crickets...*

"So it will cost MORE than we started with, even though it is halfway
finished? I thought you would take off at least a third since so much
work was done."

"Nope. Can't do it."

This is usually met with profane disbelief. Astonishment. Then they
are ****ed off. They call me names. Then they hang up. I have never
had one take me up on my offer.

All I can see in my own mind is taking over someone else's warranty, a
really ****ed off client to work with before we even start the job,
and the possibility that they don't have the money to finish. And
with the hurt feelings from screwing themselves, it makes it hard to
get paid.

Worse, NO referrals from embarrassed clients.

No thanks.

I wish they could see me shredding their proposal.

Good one.


I usually get ones that say "So and So will do it for this much, why are
you so much higher?"
I tell them that " Every man knows what his work is worth and if you
like
his price better I suggest you call him then, because I don't need
anymore
practice "
I get these calls now and then, Jose and JosB just screwed up my job! What
can you do for me? "Charge you hourly to complete it". And how much would
that be? Probably twice what I estimated, but won't know until I ad up the
hours. At that point it's usually ok, I'll call you back. That call never
makes it to my phone for some reason.
--
You can lead them to LINUX
but you can't make them THINK !
Mandriva 2010 using KDE 4.3
Website: www.rentmyhusband.biz

On 3/15/10 1:05 PM, Robatoy wrote:
On Mar 15, 2:59 pm, wrote:
I usually get ones that say "So and So will do it for this much, why are
you so much higher?"
I tell them that " Every man knows what his work is worth and if you like
his price better I suggest you call him then, because I don't need anymore
practice "

oooooooooo...I LIKE that one...

Me, too. I'm making a mental note of that one.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

In ,
Evodawg spewed forth:
ChairMan wrote:

In news:6e7fed5f-b7a0-4dcd-ab5a-
,
spewed forth:
On Mar 13, 1:05 pm, Robatoy wrote:

I then asked him for his phone number and handed him a piece of
paper. "I will have to think about your offer," I said.
He wrote down his phone number and handed it to me. I, while he
watched me, stuck that piece of paper in my shredder.

I love it. I about fell out of my chair laughing. Excellent.

Here's mine. It happens a couple of times a year.

"Hey Robert, what's going on?"

"Dunno... how are you? Are you ready to go on that siding project?"

"Well, yes and no. The good news is that we don't have as much work
to do as we did when you looked at it before, but the bad news is we
had someone else start it and now they can't finish it."

"What happened?'

"Well, they go about half way into the project and they claim they
didn't allow enough to finish the job. And my wife isn't very happy
as they have killed our plants around the house, and the siding
isn't on straight. You might need to straighten up (????) the
Hardie planks on their work."

"I see.... so they are half way finished with the installation and
some of it needs to be reworked?"

"Yeah. We know now we should have gone with your company. We want
you to finish it up. You want to come buy and measure what's left
to do? I don't know... they may have even finished more than half
come to think of it.... at this point we are thinking 'no big
deal', we just need someone to wrap it up. And of course *chuckle*
anything you could do to help us out we would sure appreciate it."

I remind them they got fair market price when I estimated the job
and since they expected it to be competitive at that time, there
wasn't anything in there to give them.

(I am always cheery about this, and NEVER say "I told you so". I do
point out they need to recall that sometimes the prices they tell me
they are seeing on an estimate doesn't cover materials alone. But
some clients are real daredevils!)

"No problem", I say. "Don't need to go out to the house actually.
Just take my original number and at 50% to it to demo the work they
did. That should cover it."

*crickets...*

"So it will cost MORE than we started with, even though it is
halfway finished? I thought you would take off at least a third
since so much work was done."

"Nope. Can't do it."

This is usually met with profane disbelief. Astonishment. Then
they are ****ed off. They call me names. Then they hang up. I
have never had one take me up on my offer.

All I can see in my own mind is taking over someone else's
warranty, a really ****ed off client to work with before we even
start the job, and the possibility that they don't have the money
to finish. And with the hurt feelings from screwing themselves, it
makes it hard to get paid.

Worse, NO referrals from embarrassed clients.

No thanks.

I wish they could see me shredding their proposal.

Good one.


I usually get ones that say "So and So will do it for this much, why
are you so much higher?"
I tell them that " Every man knows what his work is worth and if you
like his price better I suggest you call him then, because I don't
need anymore practice "
I get these calls now and then, Jose and JosB just screwed up my job!
What can you do for me? "Charge you hourly to complete it". And how
much would that be? Probably twice what I estimated, but won't know
until I ad up the hours. At that point it's usually ok, I'll call you
back. That call never makes it to my phone for some reason.

Do you really want the phone call?

In ,
Robatoy spewed forth:
On Mar 15, 2:59 pm, "ChairMan" wrote:
,
spewed forth:





On Mar 13, 1:05 pm, Robatoy wrote:

I then asked him for his phone number and handed him a piece of
paper. "I will have to think about your offer," I said.
He wrote down his phone number and handed it to me. I, while he
watched me, stuck that piece of paper in my shredder.

I love it. I about fell out of my chair laughing. Excellent.

Here's mine. It happens a couple of times a year.

"Hey Robert, what's going on?"

"Dunno... how are you? Are you ready to go on that siding project?"

"Well, yes and no. The good news is that we don't have as much work
to do as we did when you looked at it before, but the bad news is we
had someone else start it and now they can't finish it."

"What happened?'

"Well, they go about half way into the project and they claim they
didn't allow enough to finish the job. And my wife isn't very happy
as they have killed our plants around the house, and the siding
isn't on straight. You might need to straighten up (????) the
Hardie planks on their work."

"I see.... so they are half way finished with the installation and
some of it needs to be reworked?"

"Yeah. We know now we should have gone with your company. We want
you to finish it up. You want to come buy and measure what's left to
do? I don't know... they may have even finished more than half come
to think of it.... at this point we are thinking 'no big deal', we
just need someone to wrap it up. And of course *chuckle* anything
you could do to help us out we would sure appreciate it."

I remind them they got fair market price when I estimated the job
and since they expected it to be competitive at that time, there
wasn't anything in there to give them.

(I am always cheery about this, and NEVER say "I told you so". I do
point out they need to recall that sometimes the prices they tell me
they are seeing on an estimate doesn't cover materials alone. But
some clients are real daredevils!)

"No problem", I say. "Don't need to go out to the house actually.
Just take my original number and at 50% to it to demo the work they
did. That should cover it."

*crickets...*

"So it will cost MORE than we started with, even though it is
halfway finished? I thought you would take off at least a third
since so much work was done."

"Nope. Can't do it."

This is usually met with profane disbelief. Astonishment. Then they
are ****ed off. They call me names. Then they hang up. I have never
had one take me up on my offer.

All I can see in my own mind is taking over someone else's
warranty, a really ****ed off client to work with before we even
start the job, and the possibility that they don't have the money
to finish. And with the hurt feelings from screwing themselves, it
makes it hard to get paid.

Worse, NO referrals from embarrassed clients.

No thanks.

I wish they could see me shredding their proposal.

Good one.

I usually get ones that say "So and So will do it for this much, why
are you so much higher?"
I tell them that " Every man knows what his work is worth and if you
like his price better I suggest you call him then, because I don't
need anymore practice "

oooooooooo...I LIKE that one...

I've gotten some dirty looks from it , but feel free to use itg