Looking for some career advice

[Dano]

1 hour ago, TintDude said:

That diamond plate is sick. How long did it take?

Thanks TD. 

Shop for paint/prep/base coat...1day

 

Blend colors and project/stencil...1day

 

Cut cardboard template/air brush diamonds/clean up...2days

 

About 30hrs total, most of it after installing all day and early beforehand. 

[Dano]

1 hour ago, HobOthetinter said:

I wonder how much a space like that would cost. I can't find anything under $1500.00

Find anyplace you can to get started. Next to a tire shop/bodyshop/audio shop/car lot...whatever you can find that is being underused. I've been offered space just due to the cross traffic that I can generate. If you run as a wholesaler the shops you service can carry the overhead and mark up your services.

[HobOthetinter]

Dano serious question how'd you find your spot. I really want to start my own thing, I've contacted real estate brokers and Im not sure that's a good way. 

[Dano]

Brokers are a waste of time for the small players. Drive around the areas you want to be in. Take some biz cards with you and ask folks if they know of a suitable space, you can usually make new connections and wrangle up some work while you're at it. Older buisnesses often have space but don't think of listing it because they don't really need to.

 

Keep your eyes open for anything that looks useful. Craigslist/Marketplace can give you an idea of pricing. If you spot something that's not listed negotiate for what you can afford. Used car lots will often have a bay and might like to have the extra draw to their lot. You may be able to trade tint on the lot cars for a partial rent reduction. 

 

You can find gold anywhere as long as you're willing to get in the dirt.

 

[Dano]

Also that was the last retail shop before I moved out west and went strictly wholesale. I still keep a shop space but not a storefront. Growing in retail was a pita when you get to a certain volume. I ended up babysitting on a margin while watching my installers and mgrs burn film and make halfass efforts because they had no skin in the game. 

[Tintguy1980]

On 2/2/2023 at 12:47 PM, Dano said:

Thanks TD. 

Shop for paint/prep/base coat...1day

 

Blend colors and project/stencil...1day

 

Cut cardboard template/air brush diamonds/clean up...2 days

 

About 30hrs total, most of it after installing all day and early beforehand. 

Dano, this caught my eye and reminded me of the early days ... well, five years in should I say.

Me and my crew began doing tint tattoos for any glass back in the mid-80's. We used overhead projectors to enlarge-to-fit any picture a person brought us. It started by tracing a pic's lines with super fine sharpie onto liner material (we saved liner when doing large commercial glass for this purpose). Film would be installed, liner taped to the other side and begin cutting away unnecessary film to achieve the end goal. Layering in colors, if they wanted it in color.

 

I've attached a couple 3 pictures showing the liner trace of one particular picture somebody was interested in, an entry door to a radio station in Estero FL and one with all of us pictured at window film art tint-off held in Orlando by Gila Films. We took first place in both auto and flat glass categories, blowing everyone else out of the water to the extent we were not invited back unless we bought their film.

 

Oddly, we eventually heard about a guy in Tampa doing the same type film art of commercial glass. His company was Solar Graphics and was sold to Solar Gard a few years later. I think Richard, the owner, was working for SG after the sale.

 

Fun days for sure. The picture with the three of us, well, I'm the long drink of water, Lee with his submission to the contest (we lost Lee a couple years ago) and Donna, who tagged team with me on the Blazer's back glass.

[civicrice]

7 hours ago, Tintguy1980 said:

Dano, this caught my eye and reminded me of the early days ... well, five years in should I say.

Me and my crew began doing tint tattoos for any glass back in the mid-80's. We used overhead projectors to enlarge-to-fit any picture a person brought us. It started by tracing a pic's lines with super fine sharpie onto liner material (we saved liner when doing large commercial glass for this purpose). Film would be installed, liner taped to the other side and begin cutting away unnecessary film to achieve the end goal. Layering in colors, if they wanted it in color.

 

I've attached a couple 3 pictures showing the liner trace of one particular picture somebody was interested in, an entry door to a radio station in Estero FL and one with all of us pictured at window film art tint-off held in Orlando by Gila Films. We took first place in both auto and flat glass categories, blowing everyone else out of the water to the extent we were not invited back unless we bought their film.

 

Oddly, we eventually heard about a guy in Tampa doing the same type film art of commercial glass. His company was Solar Graphics and was sold to Solar Gard a few years later. I think Richard, the owner, was working for SG after the sale.

 

Fun days for sure. The picture with the three of us, well, I'm the long drink of water, Lee with his submission to the contest (we lost Lee a couple years ago) and Donna, who tagged team with me on the Blazer's back glass.

I'm mind blown. how ... just how?  can you make a youtube tutorial? 

[Tintguy1980]

1 hour ago, civicrice said:

I'm mind blown. how ... just how?  can you make a youtube tutorial? 

Ah, 😂 NO!

 

Sorry, I'm retired and have a serious case of essential tremors in my dominant hand. It's scary to watch me change out an Olfa blade.

 

My ex-wife was not with us but, she too was as much an artist as the rest of us. We just chose window film as our medium over, clay, pastels, oil, pencil, etc.

 

It is, to say the least, trick to do; it takes time. For example, the radio station doors took four hours of steady work. All our work was hand cut. Plotters were unheard of then from a window film perspective. Layering color in requires letting existing layers to set up. Even with plotters and transfer tape today, you can do layers but again, each layer has to set up before you apply any other layer. This is so you don't lift, shit (freudian slip) shift, or mar the layer below.

 

You can begin simple by getting a piece of glass, film it and start carving a simple design and get it done before the film adhesive sets. If it sets, it's a pain to clean away adhesive without marring film edges. In time you'll learn what to leave on the glass and what to remove. The final phase is to lay one last layer the locks all layers to the glass. Use a straight-dyed film as the first and the final layer should have a different sheen to make the cutaway areas POP. Example the Blazer's back glass.

 

Any new hires would learn to do what I just described to get them use to handling an Olfa knife without scarring the glass.

 

Good luck.

Edited March 23, 2023 by Tintguy1980

[Dano]

@Tintguy1980 That's some mighty fine craftwork there partner! Working in reverse layers and knowing what colors to drop, stack or hollow for transparency takes a clear vision of the end goal long before you het to the glass. I would imagine it was pleasantly mind bending. Aside from a few flames, I never developed a smooth enough hand for that level of detail. Thanks for sharing!