The Letterville BullBoard: SNAPPERS

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Posted by Bob Burns (Member # 268) on :

Any "SNAPPERS" left out there?
Did a lot of that in the early '80s. Great $$$$$....lots of freedom! It was a real fun time then. But with the computer, licensing and some of the more insensitive sign shops worried about competition, snapping seems to have gone the way of the "mom & pop" store!

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Bob Burns
Bob Burns Signs

www.lettercraft.com
1619 Oregon Ave.
Prescott, Az 86305
1-877-778-5879

Posted by Jerry Mathel (Member # 526) on :

Hi Bob,

I did that one summer back in the mid 60's. I was just out of the army with nothing to tie me down, so I packed all my stuff in a 58 Ford pickup and took a working tour of the Southwest and Midwest.

I met a lot of nice people and talented sign painters. Most notably Steven Parrish, one of the best gold men I ever saw, and Duke Ash, the renowned circus painter.

I think the computer is the biggest thing that has killed anyone doing this anymore. Back then you could pull into a little town where every sign in town was faded and peeling, and they would welcome you with open arms. Now it seems there is a vinyl shop in every one of those little places.

Even back then, there were problems with the regulations. I remember getting arrested in a little jerkwater town in Indiana for not having a business license. I ended up lettering the police station window to pay my fine. A lot of our work was "barter", but I hadn't quite counted on that one.

I guess those of us that were "snappers" are a piece of disappearing Americana.

Jerry Mathel
Jerry Mathel Signs
Grants Pass, Oregon
signs@grantspass.com

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Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :

I used to be one! When I started out on my own .... that's how I was working, until I built up a group os steady customers. Guess I am still 1/2 a snapper

because 95% of my work is done "On site"!!!!!

I would probably go nuts if I was tied to a bench!

By the way.... IT IS STILL FUN being "out" on the job!!!

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Si Allen #562
La Mirada, CA. USA
(714) 521-4810
ICQ # 330407
"SignPainters do It with Longer Strokes!"

Brushasaurus on Chat

Gladly supporting this BB !

Posted by George Perkins (Member # 156) on :

Yea, I did some in the early eighties, small towns, truck stops ( worked out of one in Louisiana for two weeks ) Wouldn't be possible today. Every small town has at least three plotters and the truck stops run you off ( insurance purposes ) The closest I get to it nowadays is making the rounds of truck dealers if I'm traveling somewhere.

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George Perkins
Millington,TN.
goatwell@ionictech.com

"I started out with nothing and still have most of it left"

http://goatwell.tripod.com

Posted by CJ Allan (Member # 52) on :

In the mid-fifties, I left Long Beach, Cal. on an old Triumph Trophy, had a small sign/pinstriping kit tied on, and a bedroll...........Stayed gone 3 years, striped a zillion cars, and bikes, met a bunch of people......some of em even worth knowing.......

Learned more than anyone needs ta know about booze and drugs.
Did a complete car for $15. bucks a pop when I started (did about 5-6 a day). By the time I made it home, ya could get a car done for a six-pack, and a joint........Weather or not ya would call that a"Snapper".......I Had a Hell Of a Good Time, and memories I would'nt trade fer anything..........

In fact....I got memories I can't even remember.......hehehehe!
Wouldn't change a thing..........!!!!

later.................CJ

PS.......Hey Bob, Jimmy C says "HI"!!

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CJ Allan
CJs Engraving & Designing
Hazel, Ky.
270-492-6209
cjallan@cjs-engraving.com
www.cjs-engraving.com

A Proud "Professional Guest" of this site!!

[This message has been edited by CJ Allan (edited July 17, 2000).]

Posted by Robert Thomas (Member # 1356) on :

There was a post last year about a couple of guys that set up a step van to do vinyl signs while they toured the country and they were inquiring about licences, etc. I would think that could be done legally if you got an artist license in every place you went. But you would have to inquire about permits and sales tax, unless you were going to just hit and run. But basiclly, Snappers have gone the way of Route 66. I did a little of that stuff back in the late 70's-early 80's, Moonlighting after my job as a sign painters apprentice, seemed like great money after making $6.00 an hour at a shop. Sleeping in my '66 VW microbus, long hair, those where the good old days.

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Robert Thomas Creative Signs In Beautiful Naples, Fl.

Posted by Richard Bustamante (Member # 370) on :

Yes! Snapp`n is still alive.
A couple of years ago, "Cisco" and I went on tour. (northern California) We wound up at San Mateo just south of San Francisco. I had this wall job lined up, right next to Bay Meadows a race horse track. When we got there, we noticed that the buildings right next to my job were in need of "repaints". Repaints have got to be my favorate, you see, theres no laying-out, no patterns, you just pull out the brushes, and go to town.

One of the businesses there was "The Prince of Whales Pub", which is famed for it's Habanero Burger.(even got on the "Johney Carson Show") Well, we went in and talked to Jack, the owner, and we told him that we'd be willing to trade out some work for drinks,(sign painter's juice) and food. We said, "After we finish our other job, we'll get right to work on yours." Two days later, we started on his signs. As we were up on the wall of this building, the owner of the buisness right next to the one we were doing, asked if we'd come and look at his wall signs. The pub job took one day.

The following day we went to see Chris, the owner of "Circus Carpets", and he showed us the tow wall signs he wanted us to repaint. Something wasn't right about the signs, so we made patterns, and pounced a whole new sign for him. He liked his new signs *so* much that he let us do six of his vans.

On one of our last days, there was this guy who came up to us, and asked, "What are you guys doing?" We told him we were just "fresh`a`ning" up some signs. He said, "You need permits." "You also need a buisness license." All of a sudden chills went down my spine. I sure as hell thought he was from the city, and was going to site us. (me)

A few days later, while we were still on the raod, we find out that all of our new customers had got fined for not pulling permits. The guy who said all that **** was a signcrafter, and "ratted" on us to the city. It is a gift, knowing when not to stay too long.

Cisco and I made $2,000. dollars each for four days work.

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Richard Bustamante
12646 E. American Ave.
Del Rey, Ca. 93616
e-mail: signwiz@valleyone.net
www.studio-b.net

Posted by Rick Sacks (Member # 379) on :

Back in the day, we always tried to snap dry fields. Towwns with no sign guy. There was always a respect for somone else's turf. Messing with a guys future business was more disrespectful than messing with his wife. There are boundaries that need to be recognized so no one gets upset.

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The SignShop
Mendocino, California
"Where the Redwoods meet the Surf"

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