posted
I try to keep a quart bottle of Rapid Remover in the shop at all times.
I had a large vinyl removal job & it wiped out my last drop so next time I call my supplier - I told him to add in a quart to the order.
He informs me of a different brand that he now sell that is "Exactly the Same" as R.R. Even has the same orange smell.
Since he did not have anything else & I know I would be stuck if I did not have any adhesive remover in the shop, I told him I'll give it a try.
Today - I had to change a couple lines of copy on a yard sign (Phone numbers & date on both sides). I take my bottle of "Brand X" remover & give the glue a light spray.
The smell was the same as Rapid Remover, but that was about it! I let it set for approx 30 sec to 1 min & took a lil chizler to scrape off the glue...
Nothing came off. I gave it a more generous spray & let it soak for a few more minutes... Nothing.
I ended up soaking a rag with the stuff & rubbing the glue off after several attempts.
From now on - Nothing but the real thing for me!
I learned my lesson. Rapid Remover is the best adhesive remover.
M.
-------------------- Mike Stowe Signs Unlimited Mishawaka, IN info@pwcgraphics.com Posts: 208 | From: Mishawaka, Indiana USA | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
-------------------- Leaper of Tall buildings.. If you find my posts divisive or otherwise snarky please ignore them. If you do not know how then PM me about it and I will demonstrate. Posts: 5274 | From: Im a nowhere man | Registered: Jul 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
When I first started working here in GA, there were 2 other "orangy" cleaners on the shelf in the shop. Both were designed to remove glue along with a mirad of other yukky things....bought at the nearby auto parts place and ineffective. I had one of Roger's Rapid Remover sample bottles from Karyn's meet and showed it to the boss...60 seconds later, they gave up on the other stuff for good.
Roger, that statement covers a lot more than suppliers in this line of work...
Call me silly, but if your gonna do a job for someone and you know how to do it well, maybe the supplier's should stop shipping us what they have and start sending us what we ask for. We make the signs, not them, and there are still a few of us around that want quality materials to work with...not bargain basement substitutes.
Place an order and get what you need, not what a supplier THINKS will work. Rapid
[ February 01, 2006, 07:37 AM: Message edited by: Ray Rheaume ]
-------------------- Ray Rheaume Rapidfire Design 543 Brushwood Road North Haverhill, NH 03774 rapidfiredesign@hotmail.com 603-787-6803
I like my paint shaken, not stirred. Posts: 5648 | From: North Haverhill, New Hampshire | Registered: Apr 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Rapid, you just trigered a idea, what your suppliers ultimetly want is to buy inventory of products that will sell well (quickly and without hassles of comeback issues).
Anyone in this biz who goes to a supplier and tells them "I want x product" usually gets told "we don't stock that item" and the customer is left to use brand z.
Why dosn't everyone here start (build a form for everyone to share) using a product request form, you can list at least MOST of the products you would like to purchase from your LOCAL supplier, maybe even give an idea of how much volume or the estimated frequency of your purchases.
Have a comment area after each product explaining why you prefer one brand over another.
I think if I owned a supply distributorship this info. woud be a giant gift for my biz., I'm sure most suppliers track they're sales but maybe this would be more incouraging for them to better sell the products they inventory, and provide "product info." to the supply staff.
Roger
-------------------- Roger Bailey Rapid Tac Incorporated 186 Combs Dr. Merlin Oregon 97532 Posts: 3020 | From: Merlin Oregon | Registered: Dec 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
I already make those types of requests to my regular supplier. They do go out of their way to special order things for me but the wait is generally there for it too.
A person could just ask for the same item every single time they place an order with a supplier and then bitch when the supplier says they don't carry it.
How do you think we got the main supplier here to stock rapid prep?
-------------------- Chris Welker Wildfire Signs Indiana, Pa Posts: 4254 | From: Indiana, PA | Registered: Mar 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
Not really that Roger. I think it's a good idea to let supplier know that you want them to carry certain things. Just not really sure a form is the right way.
It eats up more of our time to fill out a form, get it to the supplier, then hope it gets to the right person. Flip side, adds a few seconds to each phone order for the ask & bitch version.
Besides, it's a lot easier to bury/trash/ignore a piece of paper than it is to do the same when there is a real person either face-to-face with you or live on the phone.
-------------------- Chris Welker Wildfire Signs Indiana, Pa Posts: 4254 | From: Indiana, PA | Registered: Mar 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
Maybe it's not either-or. Submit the form and do the in person follow up. The form may have more of an 'official' look to it. Funny how printed material can do that. Take business cards for instance, in some cases, instant credibility, deserved or not. The joker in me thinks it would be amusing to have So-and-So Private Investigator cards printed up, and see how much people would reveal.
Bad joker, down joker, sit.
I should have made a thread about this a week ago:
I was cutting up a used plastic sign face to make a sign for my brother in law. The edges had that 2inch wide clear tape applied along them, and it appeared to have been on there for years. So I took the tape off with a razor, then did the usual scrub with mineral spirits, scrape some goo off, thinner again, scrape again, not a fast process by any means.
Then I remembered the sample bottle of Rapid remover That Roger sent a while back. I was skeptical, after all, I've tried this with zylene, lacquer thinner, and so on, still slow. Just how much better could this stuff be? The name is probably just the typical promotion hype.
Not so!
This Rapid remover is great. You'll NOT go back to other methods.
-------------------- James Donahue Donahue Sign Arts 1851 E. Union Valley Rd. Seymour TN. (865) 577-3365 brushman@nxs.net
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what's for lunch, Benjamin Franklin Posts: 2057 | From: 1033 W. Union Valley Rd. | Registered: Feb 2003
| IP: Logged |
quote: what your suppliers ultimetly want is to buy inventory of products that will sell well (quickly and without hassles of comeback issues).
True. I've long felt that it's easier for them to not stock an item for one person who's more concerned with the quality of their product and supply to all the quicky sticky shops that will sell it quickly and reorder more of it, despite the hassles of comeback issues. There have been posts in the past about how Avery vinyl returns are handled, how few suppliers carry a full selection of One Shot Products, etc., but, IMHO, supplier numbers have grown as much as sign shops in recent years and if the industry has been devalued, they have done a lot to contribute to that. Not so much in their service, but in the mindset that it is ONLY profitable to deal with high volume and fast turnover.
Sure, a "wish list" would be informative to them, but I doubt many would see that when compared to the overwhelming number of shops willing to simply take what they have in stock and "make due".
There are and elite few who dedicate themself to quality products, Letterhead Sign Supply being a great example, but many of the items that were once readily available at a supplier's warehouse are now more commonly found at a good art store....if you're lucky enough to find it.
quote: I think if I owned a supply distributorship this info. woud be a giant gift for my biz., I'm sure most suppliers track they're sales but maybe this would be more incouraging for them to better sell the products they inventory, and provide "product info." to the supply staff.
I agree with you wholeheartedly that using that kind of information could be very benificial, but only to a supplier who recognizes the value of it. Sadly, most of them are too busy making sure that red and black vinyl is moving steadily out the door.
Rapid
-------------------- Ray Rheaume Rapidfire Design 543 Brushwood Road North Haverhill, NH 03774 rapidfiredesign@hotmail.com 603-787-6803
I like my paint shaken, not stirred. Posts: 5648 | From: North Haverhill, New Hampshire | Registered: Apr 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
My supplier (that has a free delivery route) doesn't sell Rapid Prep!!! As for Rapid Remover, I save money and make my own. All you need to to is distil discarded orange peels, reduce it down to a concentrate, add dish soap and vanilla extract... just kidding, Roger
-------------------- Tim Whitcher Adrian, MI Posts: 1546 | From: Adrian, MI | Registered: Mar 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
especailly if they have access to shake n bake super soap..
-------------------- Leaper of Tall buildings.. If you find my posts divisive or otherwise snarky please ignore them. If you do not know how then PM me about it and I will demonstrate. Posts: 5274 | From: Im a nowhere man | Registered: Jul 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
Sidenote: my son took my car to install a small window graphics job. He got really dizzy at the job site and came back without installing it. He had taken the Rapid Remover with him. I got in the car last night to go home and the smell was pretty thick. I let down a window about 4" and drove home; it was only about 60 degrees so I didn't give it a second thought ...til about 4 O'clock this morning. It thundered and lightened and rained sideways. I went to get in my car this morning and the Rapid Remover was floating in about 3' of water in my car. aaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrggghhhhhhhh!!!!! I think it's been almost a month since it's rained here at all.
-------------------- Ricky Jackson Signs Now 614 Russell Parkway Warner Robins, GA (478) 923-7722 signpimp50@hotmail.com
"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Issac Newton Posts: 3528 | From: Warner Robins, GA | Registered: Oct 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
See Ricky,,Rapid Remover even cures droughts..
-------------------- Leaper of Tall buildings.. If you find my posts divisive or otherwise snarky please ignore them. If you do not know how then PM me about it and I will demonstrate. Posts: 5274 | From: Im a nowhere man | Registered: Jul 2001
| IP: Logged |
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[I Don t Know]](graemlins/dunno.gif)
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
![[Applause]](graemlins/applause.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic