Hey SVTP,
I wanted to reach out to you guys with a problem that Im having, and address any problems you may have with the powder house. I'll try to keep it as short as possible, but it's kind of a long story.
First, I'd like to address me being hard to get a hold of. I know I am hard to get a hold of and I apologize.
Back story: I was a plumber for 11 years before I started doing this type of work. It started in a small garage, with a homemade oven because I couldn't get my car show stands coated in the unique colors that my customers need. I was doing this on the side while still doing plumbing services.
Powder coating work started to pick up in '08 when the new construction plumbing work was starting to die off, and Sara and I decided that I should make the switch to coating full time.
Shortly after I began to powder coat, I kept reading about this hydro graphics. What an amazing coating! I knew it was something that my customer would love so I designed and made my own stainless steel hydro graphics tank after many late nights researching what exactly a hydro graphics tank needs.
My first tank was only 6ft long, I quickly sold that and made myself a 10ft tank which I also shortly out grew. Besides making my own hydro graphics tank, I started to make them for other people getting into hydro graphics.
I wire up a pretty mean electrical boxes for custom projects and I made my own panel for my hydro tank as well that controls all of the outputs. My boxes are known in the hydro graphics market and I sell many of them every year. Made one for a member on here.
Work was pouring in and we quickly outgrew our 600sq/ft shop, so we moved into an old timber mill that was turned into an industrial park. New space was 7,000sq/ft with a hefty rent that came with it.
To pay for the new shop, we needed larger oven, so I built a 10'wide x 8'tall x 20' long oven with a 1.5Million BTU burner and off we went.
20' oven brings 20' parts. My old 7.5 HP air compressor couldn't keep up, so we invested HEAVILY into a 30HP monster with refrigerated cooled air and a massive media blasting set up to accommodate the large parts.
10' hydro graphics tank got sold and I built a 12' tank. I'm working around the clock to do all of this by myself. Plumbed the entire 2" airline 12' off the floor in my shop by myself. Wired everything myself. All the while doing enough coating work to pay the bills.
I became a paid vendor here on SVTP a little over a year ago (I think) and I'm just busy all the time. Between the PM's I get here, and the emails about coating, and about hydro tanks, and about electrical control boxes, and the Facebook messages, and my car show stand orders, it's just crazy around here.
I've turned my wife into a baby making machine, #3 on the way currently, as well as my secretary. We both do the best we can to answer all of our messages as quickly as we can, but it gets difficult with all of the other work we have, along with raising our family.
Oh yeah, I broke my arm in the middle of all of this too. That was fun.
We live in a unique area. Humboldt county CA. Pot country for those that don't know. It's very rural too. The town of Redcrest that my shop is in has a population of 138 people. Point being that it's hard to find people that want to work for $15 an hour. Plenty of people that that have cash for coating work, but none of them want to work with me doing real work, for normal people pay.
If you're still reading, you're a champ, but that was just a little back history for those that don't know.
Dealing with all of the customers that I do, every now and then I get asked if I'll do sponsorship. (free stuff) I've done it in the past and it's been…..meh.. Lots of free work on my end and expensive products, with only as much return business as I get from any one of my loyal customer.
I've got a few good customers that send me tons of work (Zporta) and many others.
Awhile ago I got on a mystichrome kick and have been doing lots of parts for guys. The paint is expensive, and I try to check prices of my competitors and be fair, but expensive paint is expensive paint.
I was contacted a while ago by a customer that inquired about sponsorship for his MC car and it's been a weird story ever since.
I originally quoted a VERY low price for a bunch of parts in Mystichrome/snakeskin. Very low. Probably too low. But then it went from doing a hole bunch of parts, down to just a select few, but he still wanted the extremely discounted price.
I explained that the discount I was willing to give was based on doing a number of parts, and that if we were only going to do a few that the prices would have to be adjusted. Many, MANY pm's were sent between this member and myself. Him wanting parts for practically nothing, and me wanting to get paid.
There were many text back and forth, we got on a buddy basis, sarcastic comments and PM titles, with no sign of paying work down the road, and relations were cut. People were mad, feelings were hurt.
I felt bad, had a some parts laying around, PM'd this person asking if I sent them a peace offering of some FREE MC dipped parts, if he would send me back his stock parts. Explained that the gift was the coating, but that I needed the core part back. Even this gesture back fired, and turned into comments I didn't understand.
4-6 weeks will go by and I'll get another PM from the member. Member likes coating and wants to get more stuff done. I list prices. Bargaining starts. I resist giving away my time and supplies and feelings get hurt again.
For the 3rd or 4th time ( I can't remember anymore) I was contacted a few weeks ago again. Wife and I debated not replying, but I wanted to work out a solution.
Talked about prices, again, was offered some car items as a barter, I declined, and silliness ensues again.
I get told that I have several members waiting on the outcome of this arrangement with said member, and if it doesn't get resolved the way he wants, that I'll be losing lots of business.
He asked me to call him and Im just too busy and didn't want to get into an argument, so Sara called him and he did not like that one bit. People don't like talking to a chick for some reason. They see it as a sign of disrespect, but this is the woman who answers my phone and most of my messages. If you want to get answers from me, it's best to talk to her. I rarely answer my phone. It's hard to get to when I'm in the middle of painting, PCing, dipping, wiring, blasting, or ordering stuff. Would you prefer me to answer the phone and Sara coat the parts?
Like most of America, we're usually fairly broke. We make good money buy have good bills that take it right back away. We do the best we can to get to everyone as quickly and as orderly as possible, but I'm not going to get harassed by anyone.
Here is the last PM that I got from him:
Edit: I need to talk to a mod I guess before I can post PM's I guess, I was informed by a friend.
I edited out some names. I don't know what to do,SVTP. If I had a business degree, I'd probably know to just leave it alone. I hate that I have to defend myself, but when I feel that my business is being threatened, I have to reach out for advice.
I know our communication is lacking, but we're doing the best we can. Most of our customers understands. Are there some guys who have had to wait a long time for parts for one reason or another, yes. Does it suck, yes. BUT 99% of the time I don't take any money until the parts are ready to ship. Sometimes I'll take deposits on certain items, but it's not often. If a part isn't perfect, I strip it and do it over. Sometimes probably more than necessary, but if I don't like it, I re-do it.
I've purchased 1,000's of dollars worth of parts that I can offer as core to help turn around times but this has issues of it's own.
We are moving into a new facility as we speak and already have some help hired. We always try to make things better and I appreciate those of you that bear with me. I've got some awesome ****ing customers!!!
I wrote this whole thing in anger right after the situation, which probably wasn't a good idea either.
I appreciate your time SVTP.
-Brian
I wanted to reach out to you guys with a problem that Im having, and address any problems you may have with the powder house. I'll try to keep it as short as possible, but it's kind of a long story.
First, I'd like to address me being hard to get a hold of. I know I am hard to get a hold of and I apologize.
Back story: I was a plumber for 11 years before I started doing this type of work. It started in a small garage, with a homemade oven because I couldn't get my car show stands coated in the unique colors that my customers need. I was doing this on the side while still doing plumbing services.
Powder coating work started to pick up in '08 when the new construction plumbing work was starting to die off, and Sara and I decided that I should make the switch to coating full time.
Shortly after I began to powder coat, I kept reading about this hydro graphics. What an amazing coating! I knew it was something that my customer would love so I designed and made my own stainless steel hydro graphics tank after many late nights researching what exactly a hydro graphics tank needs.
My first tank was only 6ft long, I quickly sold that and made myself a 10ft tank which I also shortly out grew. Besides making my own hydro graphics tank, I started to make them for other people getting into hydro graphics.
I wire up a pretty mean electrical boxes for custom projects and I made my own panel for my hydro tank as well that controls all of the outputs. My boxes are known in the hydro graphics market and I sell many of them every year. Made one for a member on here.
Work was pouring in and we quickly outgrew our 600sq/ft shop, so we moved into an old timber mill that was turned into an industrial park. New space was 7,000sq/ft with a hefty rent that came with it.
To pay for the new shop, we needed larger oven, so I built a 10'wide x 8'tall x 20' long oven with a 1.5Million BTU burner and off we went.
20' oven brings 20' parts. My old 7.5 HP air compressor couldn't keep up, so we invested HEAVILY into a 30HP monster with refrigerated cooled air and a massive media blasting set up to accommodate the large parts.
10' hydro graphics tank got sold and I built a 12' tank. I'm working around the clock to do all of this by myself. Plumbed the entire 2" airline 12' off the floor in my shop by myself. Wired everything myself. All the while doing enough coating work to pay the bills.
I became a paid vendor here on SVTP a little over a year ago (I think) and I'm just busy all the time. Between the PM's I get here, and the emails about coating, and about hydro tanks, and about electrical control boxes, and the Facebook messages, and my car show stand orders, it's just crazy around here.
I've turned my wife into a baby making machine, #3 on the way currently, as well as my secretary. We both do the best we can to answer all of our messages as quickly as we can, but it gets difficult with all of the other work we have, along with raising our family.
Oh yeah, I broke my arm in the middle of all of this too. That was fun.
We live in a unique area. Humboldt county CA. Pot country for those that don't know. It's very rural too. The town of Redcrest that my shop is in has a population of 138 people. Point being that it's hard to find people that want to work for $15 an hour. Plenty of people that that have cash for coating work, but none of them want to work with me doing real work, for normal people pay.
If you're still reading, you're a champ, but that was just a little back history for those that don't know.
Dealing with all of the customers that I do, every now and then I get asked if I'll do sponsorship. (free stuff) I've done it in the past and it's been…..meh.. Lots of free work on my end and expensive products, with only as much return business as I get from any one of my loyal customer.
I've got a few good customers that send me tons of work (Zporta) and many others.
Awhile ago I got on a mystichrome kick and have been doing lots of parts for guys. The paint is expensive, and I try to check prices of my competitors and be fair, but expensive paint is expensive paint.
I was contacted a while ago by a customer that inquired about sponsorship for his MC car and it's been a weird story ever since.
I originally quoted a VERY low price for a bunch of parts in Mystichrome/snakeskin. Very low. Probably too low. But then it went from doing a hole bunch of parts, down to just a select few, but he still wanted the extremely discounted price.
I explained that the discount I was willing to give was based on doing a number of parts, and that if we were only going to do a few that the prices would have to be adjusted. Many, MANY pm's were sent between this member and myself. Him wanting parts for practically nothing, and me wanting to get paid.
There were many text back and forth, we got on a buddy basis, sarcastic comments and PM titles, with no sign of paying work down the road, and relations were cut. People were mad, feelings were hurt.
I felt bad, had a some parts laying around, PM'd this person asking if I sent them a peace offering of some FREE MC dipped parts, if he would send me back his stock parts. Explained that the gift was the coating, but that I needed the core part back. Even this gesture back fired, and turned into comments I didn't understand.
4-6 weeks will go by and I'll get another PM from the member. Member likes coating and wants to get more stuff done. I list prices. Bargaining starts. I resist giving away my time and supplies and feelings get hurt again.
For the 3rd or 4th time ( I can't remember anymore) I was contacted a few weeks ago again. Wife and I debated not replying, but I wanted to work out a solution.
Talked about prices, again, was offered some car items as a barter, I declined, and silliness ensues again.
I get told that I have several members waiting on the outcome of this arrangement with said member, and if it doesn't get resolved the way he wants, that I'll be losing lots of business.
He asked me to call him and Im just too busy and didn't want to get into an argument, so Sara called him and he did not like that one bit. People don't like talking to a chick for some reason. They see it as a sign of disrespect, but this is the woman who answers my phone and most of my messages. If you want to get answers from me, it's best to talk to her. I rarely answer my phone. It's hard to get to when I'm in the middle of painting, PCing, dipping, wiring, blasting, or ordering stuff. Would you prefer me to answer the phone and Sara coat the parts?
Like most of America, we're usually fairly broke. We make good money buy have good bills that take it right back away. We do the best we can to get to everyone as quickly and as orderly as possible, but I'm not going to get harassed by anyone.
Here is the last PM that I got from him:
Edit: I need to talk to a mod I guess before I can post PM's I guess, I was informed by a friend.
I edited out some names. I don't know what to do,SVTP. If I had a business degree, I'd probably know to just leave it alone. I hate that I have to defend myself, but when I feel that my business is being threatened, I have to reach out for advice.
I know our communication is lacking, but we're doing the best we can. Most of our customers understands. Are there some guys who have had to wait a long time for parts for one reason or another, yes. Does it suck, yes. BUT 99% of the time I don't take any money until the parts are ready to ship. Sometimes I'll take deposits on certain items, but it's not often. If a part isn't perfect, I strip it and do it over. Sometimes probably more than necessary, but if I don't like it, I re-do it.
I've purchased 1,000's of dollars worth of parts that I can offer as core to help turn around times but this has issues of it's own.
We are moving into a new facility as we speak and already have some help hired. We always try to make things better and I appreciate those of you that bear with me. I've got some awesome ****ing customers!!!
I wrote this whole thing in anger right after the situation, which probably wasn't a good idea either.
I appreciate your time SVTP.
-Brian
Last edited:
