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For years, I have been trying to get both of my local suppliers to stock 1-Shot Super Gloss Clear (tinting clear) I used to be able to get this.
The one will get it in only if I buy a case of pints. The other just won't get it. How I wish it came in half-pints, as it does not have a very long shelf life.
Sometimes I think that as a painter, I am discriminated against because the supplier does not make as much money off of me as if I bought roll after roll of vynull or big lexan panels or whatever.
I remember seeing Chamois, Proper Purple, and Kansas City Teal 1-Shot at a meet. It took my one supplier TWO YEARS to get it in stock. I guess I will have to wait for the new matte clear forever, or else just host another meet. That's how I snagged my last pint of tinting clear.
It took two years of asking, after using it at a meet, for both suppliers to start stocking Rapid Prep. Now that's something EVERYONE can use!
I'm thinking of writing Spraylat to see if they would consider making the tinting clear in a half-pint size. Maybe if I start at the top and work my way down, someone will listen. Maybe the suppliers WOULD stock the smaller cans....but I'm not gonna hold my breath. Love....Jill
-------------------- That is like a Mr. Potato Head with all the pieces in the wrong place. -Russ McMullin Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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Hey Jill, try these people out for one shot. They have a cool catalogue too. www.sign-mart.com
-------------------- Maker of fine signs and other creative stuff. Located at 109 N. Cumberland ave. Harlan, Ky. 40831 606-837-0242 Posts: 4172 | From: Ages-Brookside, Ky. Up the Holler... | Registered: Jul 1999
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I cant even get my supplier to carry 3/4" MDO. their response is most people use 1/2" so we don't need it. I love how the quickie, get it now, hacker shops are controling what the suppliers carry. When I ask about patent leaf or gold size they just look at me with their ditzy looks.
-------------------- Jerry VanHorn, Pres. Pure Sports Designs, LLC Pro Sign Design / United Wholesale Signs www.prosigndesign.comwww.unitedwholesalesigns.com West Liberty, OH 937-465-0595 866-942-3990 Since 1990 Posts: 925 | From: West :Liberty, OH | Registered: May 2004
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I had called one of the suppliers that Jill is talking about and asked about size. The guy had no idea what I was talking about. I told him "for gold leaf". "Oh, signgold?" he says.
Jill, I talked to Frank Manning (boy I miss him) at Mass Mayhem about the nightmare getting various 1-shot colors. He was suppost to be doing a training session at the preferred supplier. Not sure if that happened or not now that he's gone from 1-shot.
-------------------- Chris Welker Wildfire Signs Indiana, Pa Posts: 4254 | From: Indiana, PA | Registered: Mar 2001
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Don't waste your time asking "regular" suppliers for specialty items like gold leaf or gold size - they can't be bothered, or they are generally too stupid or lazy or both to educate themselves.
I'm willing to bet that just about every day a big supply house sees a glad-handing free-luch-for-the-purchasing-dept. salesman with samples of the latest/greatest brand of self-weeding vynull or some miracle substrate that will cut with a butter knife, paint itself, last sixty years and get crabgrass out of your lawn. Gold leaf, on the other hand, is an age-old product requiring nothing more than learning how (what?? I can't just run it off on the plotter and have my guatamalan wetback employees squeegee it onto whatever and sell it for fifty cents less than the other sixteen shops on my block?? Not me!!!) to use it.
As I get older and more cranky it becomes increasingly obvious that the sign industry is a thin layer of dedicated craftspeople (like most of us here) and an immense crowd of clueless stumblef*cks who neither know or care about what kind of horrid cheap shyt they produce and sell to a public generally immune to taste and decency, much less proper layout. Unfortunately, there are not enough of us and way the f*** too many of them, so who do suppliers and manufacturers cater to? It's called the lowest common denominator.
Rant over.
-------------------- "A wise man concerns himself with the truth, not with what people believe." - Aristotle
Cam Bortz Finest Kind Signs Pondside Iron works 256 S. Broad St. Pawcatuck, Ct. 06379 "Award winning Signs since 1988" Posts: 3051 | From: Pawcatuck,Connecticut USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Midwest, Letterheadsignsupply, Rayco,Canadian Signcrafters, Gemini, and a whole bunch of Letterville Merchants will ship you what you need!
So instead of crying "My supplier deosn't have what I need!"...have UPS deliver it! (or whatever they use for shipping) It only means a couple of days wait, but if you plan ahead, that isn't a problem! A little bit of inventory controls is all that is required on your part!
Just my 2 cents worth!
[ November 09, 2004, 12:44 PM: Message edited by: Si Allen ]
-------------------- Si Allen #562 La Mirada, CA. USA
(714) 521-4810
si.allen on Skype
siallen@dslextreme.com
"SignPainters do It with Longer Strokes!"
Never mess with your profile while in a drunken stupor!!!
Brushasaurus on Chat Posts: 8831 | From: La Mirada, CA, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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If you don't find what you want at a store, you go to another store don't you?
there are many suppliers that still to carry what you want. With fedex UPS and DHL all offering ship in an instant services. Buying from the other coast is simple.
And not to mention some are great merchants here!
-------------------- Bob Rochon Creative Signworks Millbury, MA 508-865-7330
"Life is Like an Echo, what you put out, comes back to you." Posts: 5149 | From: Millbury, Mass. U.S. | Registered: Nov 1998
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You are right Si. Thanks for the reminder. It's impossible to find Rapid Tac II and Rapid Prep around here and time to find someone who isn't local.
It's just that it's nice to use the same supplier for one $ delivery, and my suppliers DO carry Rapid Tac, so it's not like the product line is foreign to them!
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Jill I know what you mean....try living on a island, on the unpopulated west coast.... Cam...I hope you are feeling better. Si...great advice. I have just ordered gold leaf, One Shot fast size, etc. from Marge and Pete (Can. Signcrafters) and they are about 3-4000 miles away and the stuff should arrive in a couple of days. The freight can sometimes be a killer, but when I calculate the time and effort and phonecalls I have made in the past to search out a closer location, for the correct products, I would rather just pay the freight and deal with knowledgable people. I like dealing with those who know specifically what you want and need. I like to support our Letterville Merchants as much as possible...they are so helpful, so professional, so knowledgable and that makes my life so much better. A special thanks to our supporting suppliers.
-------------------- Susan Banasky Source Signs Nanaimo, British Columbia sourcesigns@shaw.ca
When in need....go directly to the "Source"!
Proud Supporter of this "Knowledge Network"! Posts: 1323 | From: Nanaimo, B.C. Canada | Registered: Oct 1999
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very true about living on an island. Hazard material charges often make maters worse... like the time I had to pay $50 (on top of freight costs) for a $7 1/2 pint of catalyst for NazDar nylon inks.
I still think to some degree you can't really blame a supplier for not stocking something as a regular item if you only want the rare little bit & nobody else even knows what it is... like if someone wants in-stock little ADA restroom plaques in black, white, avocado, yada yada yada... I've been asked for those, but only twice in 8 years.
It still sucks to not have locally available supplies but it is another sad by-product of the industries movement in a direction away from traditional methods & materials... not a conscious discrimination against less profitable clients
Give Wholesale Grafx a call, 1-800-887-3777 they are in Vernon, and I get my rapid II & prep from them, as well as all my pinstripe tapes and vehicle graphic kits.
They are great local folks, and shipping is pretty cheap through greyhound.
-------------------- Tim Rieck Signs Halfmoon Bay, BC Posts: 736 | From: Halfmoon Bay, BC, Canada | Registered: Sep 2000
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As a plastic supplier I am shocked to find that your suppliers don't help out better than that. Here at Palmer Plastics we find and get anything that people want, if they want it for sure and if they don't know we try to get samples and prices and alternatives. If your supplier won't cater to what you want/ need why go back?
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OK Jill-- make the call TOLL FREE EVEN give me a call i got the clear and i can get it to you..I am waiting for the phone to ring 800-328 6592 Dan'O . Midwest Sign Supply
-------------------- Daniel Fleming Midwest sign & screen print supply 45 e maryland 55117 dfleming@midwestsignandscreen.com
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OK Dan! Now if I only had some $$! It's good to have friends in high places! It was really just a rant on my part, I probably will order it from you eventually. I don't need the clear TODAY. But I still think it's crappy when you do need something, and the locals don't care. Mark my words, I WILL be ordering 1-S and other obscurities from folks in here. Thanks & love....Jill
-------------------- That is like a Mr. Potato Head with all the pieces in the wrong place. -Russ McMullin Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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Thanks Tim, that's where I've found rapid prep and they had to order it in for me but that's ok, at least they got it. My beef is that the other more local places out here that I deal with do NOT even know what the other rapid products are and those that do, they get back to me after finding out if they do carry it. It's just about like it's not marketed, kwim?
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Sounds good Jill. i will wait to hear your smiling voice, when your'e in need just give me a call.... see you in Mazeppa.. I guess. -if Mike ever returns,,,,, from his world wide paint-a-thon
-------------------- Daniel Fleming Midwest sign & screen print supply 45 e maryland 55117 dfleming@midwestsignandscreen.com
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