I have been really busy lately just cutting and applying vinyl which bring me to the question: you know you're a vinyl jockey when.... 1. You seem to have less spills in the work truck 2. Your finger nails are clean 3. You have squeegee RSI 4. There are more $$$'s in the bank but you're having less fun. 5. There are thick skins in the paint tins. Add your own comments...
Posted by Michael Boone (Member # 308) on :
ya dont have time fer yer shop bunnie ya cut the tips a yer fingers off more offener n ya shave one shot fumes make ya sick wash cans a thinner are evaporated yer client says..i member when guys dit that with brushes duh so do I exacto blades by the hunderd is the standard order.. in place a sapphire oil n paint sav jess gittin warmed up
Posted by Ray Rheaume (Member # 3794) on :
...the last guy you painted a sign for is calling for a touch up and thanks you for making it long lasting.
...you have more color selection in squeegees than in paint.
...your vinyl supplier is retiring early off of your orders.
...the only time you see a brush is in the bathroom mirror and it has stiff bristles.
..."thinner" now means fewer mil.
...transfer tape takes more room on the shelves than One Shot.
...you try applying paint with an empty bottle of RapidTac instead of using your airbrush.
...all the colors on your clothes don't soak in, they just peel off.
...you tell people on the phone you are weeding all the time. By now they think you are a farmer.
...there's enough paper in your dumpster that if you lit it, it could be seen from space.
(and the best one of all) ...your brushes report you to the police as missing.
Man I love this job!
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
those $90 orders of tranfer tape happen 2-4 times a year....plotter blade spares are more important then havin a # 20 quill spare.
Posted by David Fisher (Member # 107) on :
You spend hours trying to digitise a file to get it "just right" when you realise you could have made a transparency, projected and painted the thing in half the time (or just roughed it out and done the bloody thing). You buy some app tape and the thought doesn't occur to you "man this stuff makes good masking tape" Your trusty paint bench is littered with disks marked "windows boot disk", none of which actually work.
Posted by dave parr (Member # 3868) on :
when all I can think to say is "Sorry Dave, I know how ya feel!"
Posted by Cam Bortz (Member # 55) on :
Oh no. No no no.
To be a vinyl shop is one thing - to be a "vinyl jockey" is a whole nuther kinda critter.
1. You don't know which end of a brush gets wet. 2. You think paint is for houses, and sign painters are all dinosaurs or drunks. 3. You bought your computer, plotter, printer and router table on credit, and any minute now all that investment is going to teach you something about sign making. 4. You're solution to any problem is to buy more equipment or another upgrade. 5. You never have time to learn anything about layout, 'cause you're too busy slammin' out helvetica on coroplast to meet the monthly nut on your equipment. 6. You call the supplier that knows what he's talking about, pick his brain, then order from the place that saves you $15 on a $300 purchase. 7. You tell your customers any or all of the following: a. "Gold mylar on your window is just as good as gold leaf" b. "We can beat any price" c. "Nobody paints signs anymore" 8. You constantly complain that "nobody around here will spend decent money on signs." 9. You've been in business for six months, and will likely be out of business by the end of next year. 10. You thought his was going to be "easy money." (Wrong!)
...In other words, don't ever call yourself a "vinyl jockey". It's just too unpleasant.
Posted by Joey Madden (Member # 1192) on :
What the Vinyl jockeys horse's name?
Posted by Stephen Deveau (Member # 1305) on :
Hang On!!! I have to get this "WAD of STICKY STUFF" off my fingers before I can post a reply!
Glues,Paint,Gel Coats,Thinners or other things........... Posted by Jeffrey Vrstal (Member # 2271) on :
A guy came into the shop the other day. My plotter was pluging away cutting some "no parking" signs. He took a look at the plotter, then said to me "I remember when the old timers took pride in their work and would GET OUT A RAZOR AND CUT THAT STUFF BY HAND".
Just passing along a dumb comment...
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
cam got it down!!!!!
Posted by Kathy Joiner (Member # 1814) on :
Joey, the vinyl jockey's horse is named "Reprobate" Posted by David Harding (Member # 108) on :
I thought you were a vinyl jockey when the daily mass of weeded vinyl and premask in your shop was big enough to ride.
Posted by Peter Schuttinga (Member # 2821) on :
-airbrush - an effect that can print if you could afford a vinyl printer, just need to sell 2,000,000 more coroplast/vinyl signs -you've upgraded to a state of the art PC, bought the latest versions of all the different software on your PC, bought a fastest plotter on the market and your signs still look the same -you like the smell of RT so much you use it in the house to save on buying Fabreeze -you sub transfer tape for saran wrap when you run out -you can differentiate vinyls by their smell -you bought a better vacuum to attemt to dislodge those pesky vinyl remnants that stuck to the carpet. Posted by Glenn S. Harris (Member # 2190) on :
Another take on it:
You rarely need a tape measure when applying graphics, never on a vehicle.
You can rip-weed a 10' strip of graphics in one stroke without loosing a letter.
You change the blade on your Gerber once a week just because you like the way it weeds better.
You never need a second man to apply a graphic no matter what it is.
You never go back to the plotter for a recut because: you've got an x-acto knife and are trained to use it!
You shame your production team for their incompetance any time they ask for re-cuts.
The weather has no bearing on your ability to do an outdoor graphic install.
You stopped using water or Rapid-Tac a long time ago.
If you feel like it at the time; you can do an application with absolute zero bubble factor!
You always forget about the squeegee in you back pocket until your about to jump in the shower.
You can point out to your girlfriend, a sign you made on every street in your town but you can't afford to take her to the Dave Mathews concert.
You don't care because you don't like Dave Mathews anyway and your girlfriend still loves you.
You....
Posted by Jeffrey Vrstal (Member # 2271) on :
quote:Originally posted by Glenn S. Harris: You can point out to your girlfriend, a sign you made on every street in your town but you can't afford to take her to the Dave Mathews concert.
You don't care because you don't like Dave Mathews anyway and your girlfriend still loves you.
That was great! And Funny! Thanks Glenn.
Posted by Wayne Webb (Member # 1124) on :
Wait a minute.let me get that sticker off my keyboard....
There....
Now.....Who's Dave Matthews?
Posted by Glenn S. Harris (Member # 2190) on :
Dave Mathews is actually a damn good singer/songwiter/guitarist who is quite popular with the girlfriends of this planet.
He's ok, I just don't wan't to sit through an entire concert of him.
Turns out, being broke is not getting me out of it. My girlfriend has too many family members with lots of money.
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