shadytints

You need to do some research!

estimate all your operating cost for a year.  rent, utilities and phone as well as labor, insurance and material

budget for opening and continued advertising.    quiz,  last place you worked,  name 5 business each direction and across the street where you worked.

I estimate 20% cost of sale for material and 10% advertising.   how many cars do you have to do per year to make money?

Over the years have used many different ones.  soft black in the 80's and switched to yellow, then blue and tried orange and red.  Large turbos often left more water and the film textured as it dried.  smaller ones give more pressure per square inch but then take longer.  switched to fusion 5ES with blue max  and noticed a haze instead of texture and faster cure.  pro-handle is slower and more awkward for prep.

Best of both worlds.  Use a yellow turbo cut 9 inches for quick prep and squeegee with a long angle on one side for reach.  the yellow can flex in your hand to adjust to the curve of the window.  final step use pro-handle for max water removal

Was mobile for 11 years in Michigan.  past couple years been hitting -15 at times.   Have always tinted inside a shop and alter methods for the cold weather.

Inform customers the car has to thaw before it can be tinted.  sucks when the slip freezes on the window when ya spray it.  Tell them  heat and defrost on and car warm before they arrive.  leave it running in parking lot.  DEMAND 70 degrees while tinting in shop and 20 to 30 min wait time before pulling it out.  Switch to drying agent in winter like Ultra-bond and seal edges with heat.  Use pro-handle and extra pressure to remove excess water.  make sure BG is warm before shrinking.   

squeegees get glazed over time,  run them thru a hard card sharpener to get a new edge or a little 220 grit to remove.  some scratchkotes  don't slide well with any squeegee,  leave it a little rough its thats the case

like in my one vid,  figure if I keep talking, they can't.  history of film during 2 doors on a truck  LOL

other fav thing,  pop the trigger on the torch a few times and say " don't try this at home we are professionals" most walk away as the flame hits the car

had many owners/managers freak as I started to torch,  just said " this is how the big boys get it done" and they hide

did an aveo shield in a new account,  torching on the inside.  owner with no expression watching.  poked my head out and asked "this don't bother you?"   he replied "not my car"   good for a laugh.

not fond of an audience,  but try and put on a good show when i do with some spinning tools and flipping squeegees.  anyone remember tom cruise in cocktails or coyote ugly?  takes some practice but lots of fun

old school tricks of the trade

smooth or rough?  take clear wrap off a pack of smokes or similar.  put couple fingers in and slide across surface. used to do that to check paint on cars, amplifies rough spots

cheap scratchkote on many films,  just have to be more careful.  couple tips.

soft cards pick up more dirt then harder ones

220 grit followed by 600-1000 and rinse  even on new ones to remove debris

cover cards with kawos, perfect or miracle cloth.    rinse, reuse 

separate cards by color.   i use yellow tri-edge for flushing, orange to seal edge and ez-gray, gator and chisler for touch ups

mist everthing around window and peel area.   one spec falling will leave deep scratches. frames, gaskets roof, under side view mirror if peeling off car

filter shop air and no opening or closing doors when hanging.   have had dirt fall from ceiling into BG and shields when peeling off car.

lift feet when walking,  do not walk with glue exposed in same direction

if you wash car,  wash before and rinse after.   keeps dirt out of shop

I should have moved to NOKO

I was working 6 days a week, 9 hours a day (sat 6) 52 weeks a year

kept asking myself and others "what is this strange thing you refer to as vacation"?

Pain management monday,  3td MRI next week and possible surgical consultation.   If,  they sign off on disability the plan is my dog and I in a RV touring the USA visiting tint shops.  If eyes do a good job,  maybe ya'll can flip me some gas money LOL 

till then here I sit at your beck and call.  You want some pointers,  send me your vid.  you want some hands on,  come visit,  still got places with cars that need done.

only worked a few weeks this year,  running out of internet to browse 

IMO it takes about a year of window tinting to get of the learning curve.  so many different cars and tricks to many to avoid pulling hair.

If you don't know, what you don't know,  how can you possibly know?

Fell in love with Blues music couple years back.  decided to learn to play guitar, 7 notes, how hard can it be? A B C D E F G  LOL  I still really suck after a year 

so sorry, lets go back to everyone manufactures their own film

5 hours ago, otterslide said:

I am going to try an organic shampoo next, I am getting slightly allergic to the JJ shampoo.   I have an older bottle that was bought before they removed the two cancer causing ingredients..

many choices now for slip that will not harm film.   carmax and burts bees is standard equipment for me to keep hands from falling apart

On 9/19/2017 at 3:53 PM, jh812 said:

Yeah sounds like you just need a feeding tube and a catheter. 

I remember days I needed one  LOL  13+ cars

hey tip for ya on the scorcher days,   buy teri cloth headbands in black.  white ones got called richard simmons  LOL

rinse and light wring then toss in freezer.   last 10 min or so then swap with a new frozen.  keeps brain from over heating

hope to have some new vids torching laminate,  start to finish "dance" and some new toys.  have to wait for a day I can stand a long enough.

soft crease verse hard,   soft wipes right out with a touch of heat,  hard creases I redo.  trick is having no hard creases and finding soft ones

17 hours ago, First Revolution Tint said:

@shadytints in your experience what was the go to brand? 

is the key word "was" in that question?

up till 1993 Madico TG, AG  and Al   Worked for Ziebart International Corp.  used in about 800 of our US stores

1994 ish  sungard colbalt gorrilla stick.  one of the first "contoured" film that would shrink and switched.  went from teacher to tinter,  suit and tie didnt suit me  lol

2002 worked for a different franchise and used solargard NR and HP,  HP sucked to shrink

2006  Shady Tints LLC and not so slim shady was born

2008 switched back to sungard, black purple,,   I mean pearl.  easy shrink, easy instal till madico bought them

switched to proview films,  carbon and ceramic.  good product reboxed like the rest and good rep.

2017 disabled.  still play here and evaluate new products.  might have a new carbon ceramic 1ply nice scratchkote med-high aggressive adhesive and shrinks great.

if it passes the tests,  should come in about $250 a 60 inch,,, and ya dont have to buy a hundred rolls  LOL

to be fair,  lulu is a great film,  if I was tinting 2 or 3 cars at once it all fell off the car,  never got past the rolled backwards stuff

3m  expensive rebox

many reports of glass exploding for no reason lately,  ford has had many.  my helper last year powdered a BG on a focus hatch,  blew up before he got the film on the outside.  yup, bought that one.  read many reviews of other windows breaking with nothing around.

tempered glass is like a crystal. small nick or scratch and it can break anytime.  tiny piece of ceramic spark plug lightly tossed at a tempered window will make it explode.  maybe impurities now in the manufacture process when tempered causing a stress point?

4 hours ago, Tint Slayer said:

They have stand alone ac units with a heat exhaust hose, maybe add an air filter. 

good idea,  will pass it along.  gave up trying to tint

5 hours ago, jh812 said:

See what you don't factor in is the time it takes you to tape, shrink, and fix creases. 

Tape,  only old felt, 10 seconds a door. or 5 min to redo if crap falls into it

shrink, 5 seconds a door,  insures no fingers and potential debris being sucked up and redoing it

small flip line from top loading,  3sec mini torch, wait 3 sec(heat transfer)  push out.

Proactive versus Reactive,  if 1 or 2 min of prep might save 5 to 10min redo,  i'm all for it.  schedule way to tight for mistakes

Kewl,  love a good puzzle

takes some serious heat to pop tempered.  I use three different torches for tint, 1 for BG, a mini for touch-ups close to moldings and a triple burner mini if I catch something after I pulled it out.  I smoke, boat and its windproof, love it

I would check your film roll, doubt its the problem, have seen many strange things in film over the years.  the burned one my guess is vandelism, magnifying glass or torch.  have seen rear and sideview melt from reflection off a tinted building.  the other, lawn mower or leaf blower,  check for other nicks on the car.

do they work or park same place?  is strange to have 2 back to back.  any more details?

Rick from Sun Distributing/Tint Squad has that tip,  or almost identical.  brass ones and I saw one with a swivel where the hose hooks up

248.469.0709   on the tool page  $54

10 hours ago, otterslide said:

 I don't know how the salt from the softener affects tint, but I have a feeling it doesn't help.

salt in the softener is to clean the resin tank.  should be no salt in the water.  been on well water for 17 years, 3x20 pre-filter for iron and undisolved solids.  40k grain softener for the hard water.  house filter have to change every 3 months or so,  think its a 5 micron.  they make another for after the softener in a 3x20 with 1 or 1.5 micron.  filters cartridges are $10 compared to $50 for my fridge filter which  I no longer have to change.   so many things effect how slippery your slip will be,  reason I am trying to make a tank with adjustable slip on the fly.

dirt/dust control

wet if not clean floors,  rinse car if dusty before tinting.  mist interior and ac/heat recirc, use cars cabin filter.  fan and filter for the shop while preping, shut off when you hang.

Under armour or other lint free wicking shirt to keep you lint free and dryer.  BDU army navy pants are lint free, water resistant and last for years compared to 6 months on jeans.  proper come with plastic belt and are metal free.  $40 in Michigan.  Merril water proof sneakers last and metal free.  I love my under armour, upgraded to their socks, underwear and jacket.  grow thumbs and 2 fingernails so you do not have to touch sticky stuff.

you can tint a dirty car in a dirty shop in dirty clothes.  just have to keep it from flying or falling into your film.   who'd of thunk,  geometry, gravity and electricity comprehension helps make you a better tinter.

front, back and middle sides open.  can keep one open for air.  can't be worse then some of the shops i worked in,  can't tell you how many times I or we came close to dehydration last summer.  important to know the signs of it and preventing it.

mobile garage

Nice thread here,  love hearing the different techniques discussed.

I try never to touch the sticky stuff,  and yes my long fingernails freak a few out.  seen many fingerprints in film after they dry out.

seal and panels removal,  only when its faster then tucking.   old taurus,  15 malibu,  200's  or quality issue,  speed yes, quality first  

"If" a finger pops up, can siphon debris up with water ruining the pattern.   solution,  light snap or curl on the top of a door will show any potential fingers on the top, not hidden under the sweep.  by shrinking the top a little,  requires stretching the bottom to set (smiley).  say your tinting a 08 fushion door.  thin your slip or go on to soupy.  "If" the front edge of the front door slips down 1/32 inch when squeegeeing or rolling it up,  you end up with fingers.  another reason I seal the top and edges in my process.  not just custy stupidity rolling them down.   

math part

to R & R a door panel, including getting the tools and putting them back,  will say 4min average per door.  think I am being nice on that number.

book 6 4dr. cars in a day,   6X4=24 min

I can tint 2drs on another vehicle in 24min,  2 with an assistant

potential increase in sales for the saved 24min,   $80-$220(ceramic 2sets)

Time=money

there are inflatable ones that go up in 2 min but not cheap.  a prototype for tinting by the tint shop (Aaron Fournier) has clear sides and roof for light.  not sure if its shipping yet.   I was mobile, not to custy's house.  I set up different shops to schedule the work for me.  yes I give up a few points but  dozen plus sales reps selling,  no mystery of where i work.  low overhead and home based business write offs.  suggest keep your area within a 30 min drive,  larger circle waste to much time driving.

makes billing easy with set accounts compared to billing individual custy's.

I always said,  if I could get rid of my customers, my job would be a lot easier  LOL

Used Solar gard for years.   dropped them when the closed my distribution point.  problems ordering, paying my bill and shall we say communication issues.  Switched to Sun gard and was happy till they were bought by madico and problems began to surface.  Choosing the right film is an important decision and can be confusing.

do not compare a film you are evaluating to the one you use.  every manufacture will send you free samples.  use medium to hard BG and a door for testing.  shrink and hang 3 different products before you try the one that you are interested in.   different films react differently,  compare a new film to other films you are not familiar with.  only way for a fair evaluation.  have to get out of your comfort zone product. $10 or even $50 a roll cost difference is small compared to the time and film you might waste on a film that is hard to install or increases your warranty rate.

Things to consider when testing

does it come off clean or leave glue on window when removing. 

hard to peel off or easy.  you want a good bond.

when you shrink it, does the edge singe or curl?   I cut, shrink and hang.  never cut twice

how aggressive is the adhesive.  same slip with 4 different films gives you a comparison.  how long till you cant pull back for say a hair removal

crease or spot removal.   yes screw up the door,  some films no heat chisler or heat with gator  or fingernail.  glue smear easy?

price is the least important and last consideration IMO