995

[Guest exclusive1]

I think I'll practice, practice, practice, because sounds like thats the best way for me to keep my gross up. thanks for the info.

[tintlife]

need to know whats fair or average to be charged from a glass company for anchoring. I did 500sf 8mil, glass company did the anchoring and I got the bill I wanted to cry. whats everybody used to that doesn't anchor themselfs?

It's not that hard to do it your self. More than likely with a little practice you can make it look better than they did. They probabley sent someone on a low hourly wage to do a O.K. job at best (just to r*pe you in the end). Glass guys don't usually mask anything off, and usually free hand the 995 without even tooling it on a application like that. Practice it and become efficient yourself you will not regret it. Sorry about your loss.

Generally around 4.75 per linear foot, with me supplying the Dow and tape. Tintlife, you're right, it's not that hard to do yourself and have it look good with practice, but just HOW can you think you can do a better job than someone who lays caulk day in and day out for a living? I would MUCH rather pay a good caulker a buck a linear (I supply the Dow, that way I know they used Dow) than screw with it myself. You find a good caulker, spend some time showing him how it's supposed to be done, and let him go at it!! I would never willingly "do the Dow", if there was an alternative available.

I know for a fact I can do it better than most "glazers" because that is what I'm doing for a living right now(northwest Florida is dead I had no other option)! If you really want to pay someone to do what you can do better, whatever suits you dude, but no one can do that to my satisfaction but me. It keeps the profit margin higher and I know for a fact it is done right. I also have a pretty good system that allows me to finish that step pretty quick.

Just because a "glazer" pumps NP1 all day doesn't make him better at attaching 995. We as tinters have a lot more eye for details than "glazers"

[V4V]

This is an interesting thread; thanks.

We see this differently. The Dow 995 is certainly an issue when/if the consumer is basing their decision on documented performance in either a blast situation or windstorm testing. Given the fact that most of the "players" conducted their testing with 995 , if the client wishes the additional protection of wet sealing, we provide a choice.

1. We can caulk ourselves (cost plus a reasonable %)

2. We punt to BondKap (let Frank handle it and do a far better job than we could ever accomplish and a much better aesthetics) Not even close!

We are window film people not caulkers. We make our $$ in window film and not helping Dow Corning.

[tintgoeroe]

we've got a regular to do it , I've tryed it once and it looked OK, but wasted alot of time doing it ..but I know I can make more money tinting windows then sealing edges . So I give away the dow corning and am tinting in the mean while . And I'm pretty sure He can do it better then me ...So the sealer makes some $ , I make $ and the custy gets a ( close to) perfect job ..........So everybody 's happy

[Guest Key West]

we've got a regular to do it , I've tryed it once and it looked OK, but wasted alot of time doing it ..but I know I can make more money tinting windows then sealing edges . So I give away the dow corning and am tinting in the mean while . And I'm pretty sure He can do it better then me ...So the sealer makes some $ , I make $ and the custy gets a ( close to) perfect job ..........So everybody 's happy

Anyone who thinks they can do it, and make a profit, very cool. But I know my limitations. I can do the dow and do it right, but I can hang more film than I can lay dow. It's simple economics for me. I don't have the luxury of doing caulking

as a day job, so I am not as proficient as someone who does. I ha

ve a regular guy who does my caulking, and he does it 

perfectly. I provide the tape and the dow, and he goes to town righ

t behind me. And while I pay him a buck per linear, I still

make a penny or two.

If you can do it yourself, great, If not, there are alternatives