what are basic tools that are an absolute necessity

hello,
my names jon I'm 16 and still in high school. i have been watching a lot of videos and reading lots of forums on auto glass tinting and i really want to start doing it. there's only one problem.... i am currently unemployed and with the economy the way it is in Arizona there are about 0 job openings where i live right now so money is very very tight. i just wanted to no some of the absolute basic things that i would need to start tinting. I'm not trying to make a business out of it right now but just for like friends and families cars until i gain enough experience to do other peoples cars in the future. most every forum and video online at least mentions the blue max squeegee and a yellow card, and also a heat gun. so I"m guessing that there important. i have tinted a few windows before, one was the back sliding window on my old '83 f150 which came out very nice for only being the second window i had ever done the only things i used where a few squeegees i got in a pack at an auto store they where cheap ones but they worked. the first window wasn't so great, me and one of my friends decided to tint the back window of his cutlass supreme and me knowing absolutely nothing about tint being only 14 at the time and him not knowing anymore then i did it came out very bad we used our drivers licenses(i lived in North Dakota at the time and you can get your license at 14) as squeegees and ended up tearing probably 4 or 5 small holes and what looked like 100 air bubbles. we didn't heat shrink it we just sprayed the window down with soap and water and tried to squeegee out the bubbles and creeses the best we could. the end product was very bubbly and horrible looking but he didn't mind he was just happy having tint. so with my only two experiences with it and not having anyone around who actually know what they where doing i didn't really learn to much. but i have a lot of determination and even more time one my hands, and really want to learn how to do this and how to make it look good even if i have to watch hours and hours of tutorial videos i find and read through countless forums. also with the basic things that i need what are some good reputable websites to buy them at.


thank you,
jon

this is a tool kit i found online i was wondering if it is a good deal or not or if there where better ones i could get somewhere else

http://store.northerntint.com/window-tint-...tool-kit-1.html

i couldn't get very far using that kit. try filmhandler.com or conquerortools.com(sp?) and order individual items instead of a kit. but you will need help and shops in arizona are probably busier than you think, regardless of the economy. best way to learn the trade is from the ground up working in a shop. research the tool section here.

That's actually a pretty good basic starter kit.... but you'll still need a heatgun if your windows have any curve to them. You should check out the free video section on their site too, it gives a lot of good information for basic tinting... I havn't found anyplace else that gives as detailed info for free.

Other than TintDude... of Course....

Dude, your 16, Don't know if you're in school, try to just get in good with your local shop..Hang around there, pick up whatever knowledge you can. I don't know if you need $$$, right now, but I think if your willing to just help out, sweep up, clean a few windows, someone should give you a shot. Don't expect much in the way of pay at first, if any, but if you're serious I think thats your best start...good luck man.. wait, your too young

I am not trying to shill for my own company, but you should really check out www.zoladist.com. The prices on the site you listed are pretty high. If you are tight on money, you can definitely save some by shopping either at Zola Distributing or Conqueror Tools.

I agree. Hands on with a knowledgeable mentor is the best training you can get.

There is NOTHING wrong with doing this but yes you are

I am not trying to shill for my own company, but you should really check out www.zoladist.com. The prices on the site you listed are pretty high. If you are tight on money, you can definitely save some by shopping either at Zola Distributing or Conqueror Tools.
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There is NOTHING wrong with doing this but yes you are
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That is why I mentioned Conqueror Tools as well. I do not want to always say the solution is our company as there are other good options out there as well. I just wanted to make the point that the prices on that site seemed high. Note to all: Please put me in check if you think that I am ever going overboard promoting my company. My intention is to be an active participant in this community. I do not want anyone to feel that I am just here to sell you stuff. Thanks Larry for saying there is nothing wrong with this, but I want to make sure that I am conducting myself properly here.

PJF you are big on promoting but I don't think there is anything wrong with that. You are utilizing Linked in and these forums as everyone should, you've also done a damn fine job in that 3M partnership thread where things got ugly (Inevitable, but I agree it was a good idea to post the news) I was impressed.

I really don't see the problem with promoting a biz, who here talks about their shop while at a party or among people to boost a lil business. We gotta hustle. I was a lil grumpy yesterday and my post wasn't any help to the thread so it wasn't needed.

.........................

Thanks Larry. I did not take any offense to your post and appreciate your comments above.

Half of what's in that kit could be bought at walmart. No proper squeegees or Teflon cards.

I've never seen any of that at walmart. He wants to know "what are basic tools that are an absolute necessity" --- You don't need teflon cards -- I never use them for tinting, and you don't need a $40 squeegee/handle set up to learn with either. Sure, they're good to have, but you don't need them to learn with. Learn how to handle the film, and how the film handles before you go spending all your allowance on tools. You can do a good job, and get paid pretty good tinting your friends' cars with just the basic tools. Once you get some money together, and decide tinting is something you'd like to persue, then spend more money on more advanced tools.

the kit is also way overpriced. the conquerer, blue foot, white 6 inch and chiz price out at $17.80 on their site. you can order those SAME tools at another site for $5.55. the rest--- paper towels, dryer sheet, 3 razor blades microfiber most people prob have at home. but if not, walmart.

I'll second that

Tools that are always in use on every car and kinda my bare bones must have on me kit. You """can""" tint with less but you also dont see a car mechanic just using a Gator Grip socket and pliers working on your car.

1) 2 Olfa knives SVR2---------------------------------------------------$11.84
2) Gold Hard card--------------------------------------------------------$1.75
3) 3" yellow turbo--------------------------------------------------------$4.00
4) 5" yellow turbo--------------------------------------------------------$6.60
5) Plat EZ reach----------------------------------------------------------$2.40
6) yellow lidco card for bumping edges--------------------------------$1.00
7) 1" taskforce scraper from lowes-------------------------------------$1.00
8) blue max with pro handle--------------------------------------------$16.50
9) 5" pro black blade channel with unger handle----------------------$18.00
10) olfa snuff can for snapped blades----------------------------------$2.25
11) Poly 2 sprayer-------------------------------------------------------$17.00
12) Green garden sprayer with-----------------------------------------$7.00
13) Milwaukee heat gun-------------------------------------------------$65.00
14) Ergodyne carpenter apron------------------------------------------$14.00
15) Unger Pro Glide window cleaning solution-------------------------$7.40
16) Film on application solution-----------------------------------------$10.42
17) white scrub pads----------------------------------------------------$1.00
18) Bounty towels-------------------------------------------------------$4.00
Total----------------------------------------------------------------------$191.00+shipping

Even a bit cheaper than above at Zola Distributing. I have put the Zola prices in below:

1) 2 Olfa knives SVR2---------------------------------------------------$11.00
2) Gold Hard card--------------------------------------------------------$1.50
3) 3" yellow turbo--------------------------------------------------------$4.00
4) 5" yellow turbo--------------------------------------------------------$5.75
5) Plat EZ reach----------------------------------------------------------$2.25
6) yellow lidco card for bumping edges--------------------------------$.85
7) 1" taskforce scraper from lowes-------------------------------------$1.00
8) blue max with pro handle--------------------------------------------$14.95
9) 5" pro black blade channel with unger handle----------------------$11.00
10) olfa snuff can for snapped blades----------------------------------$2.25
11) Poly 2 sprayer-------------------------------------------------------$16.25
12) Green garden sprayer with-----------------------------------------$7.00
13) Milwaukee heat gun-------------------------------------------------$65.00
14) Ergodyne carpenter apron------------------------------------------$14.00
15) Dirt off window cleaning solution-----------------------------------$6.75
16) Film on application solution-----------------------------------------$8.25
17) white scrub pads----------------------------------------------------$.85
18) Bounty towels-------------------------------------------------------$4.00
Total----------------------------------------------------------------------$176.65 + shipping