posted
Yesterday, I only hated rivets. Today, I wish the 10 plagues of Egypt to befall the guy who invented them and all of his heirs!!!
Monday afternoon, I was expecting a job trailer for a new construction company in town to arrive, and despite some beautiful weather, was feeling a little woozy. By 4PM, I was hit like Evander Holyfield on PCP by a nasty summer flu bug. Knowing I had some time before I had to complete the trailer(due Friday morning early), I shuffled a few jobs into next week, got some bed rest and rode out the bug.
Come Thursday morning, I was feeling JUST well enough to tackle the trailer, but an overly persistent cough kept slowing me down all day. Silly me, when the customer stopped by for a "peek", I told him I'd have it ready in the morning. By 8PM, I only had one side completed, the temperature was dropping, the valley fog was rolling in and the daylight was waning.
So I did the only thing I could....parked the truck and Teg next to it, hit the headlights and hunkered down for a long night of layering vinyl over rivets. (I hate rivets!!!!)
Things began to get mighty interesting when the temp started dropping. All the rules started changing as the night went on...material's less pliable (did I already mention I hate rivets?), condensation starting on the trailer's surface (yeah, even around the dreaded rivets, too... ), and the lighting was just barely enough to get by.
Somewhere between midnight and 1AM, I actually stared feeling a lot better and the cough dropped off noticeably. Strangely, the damp and cool conditions that were helping my cold subside were simultaneously making the work become a PITA.
By 2AM, I had finally gotten all the vinyl down and there was only one thing left to do... Yup...touch off around the rivets.
One blow dryer, 2 hours and a whole lot of patience later, I finally got to the point where I could live with it, killed the headlights and...
...the customer pulled in.
oooooookay. I guess when he said "early" he wasn't kidding.
I feel a lot better tonight (the tip for the extra effort helped ), but I still hate rivets!
Haven't-been-quite-so-Rapid-this-week
-------------------- 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
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It's done clear it out of your head. The flu, clear it out of your head too.
Start all over with a fresh mind and creative ideas. It's all up from here now!
Hope ya feel better soon Ray. Oh love that Mustang art.
-------------------- Sam Staffan Mackinaw Art & Sign 721 S. Nokomis St. Mackinaw City, MI dstaffan@sbcglobal.net Posts: 1704 | From: Mackinaw City, MI | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
Ray..Great story!!! (sorry about the "bug" ya had though)
Rivets and I have a love/hate relationship..
They love me and I hate them..
I don't know anyone who thinks they are cute..BUT..they can work in your favour..
"Sir. I usually charge $xxx for a job like this but with all those rivits I will have to charge $xxxxxxxxxxx"
I know I will miss some aspects of the sign business in a couple of weeks, but rivits are not one of those aspects!!!
-------------------- Dave Grundy retired in Chelem,Yucatan,Mexico/Hensall,Ontario,Canada 1-519-262-3651 Canada 011-52-1-999-102-2923 Mexico cell 1-226-785-8957 Canada/Mexico home
posted
I hate rivets with a passion too. They can double the time it takes to finish a job. Glad you shook the flu - I had the same thing and it evolved into pneumonia - oh well, beats oldmonia I guess.......
-------------------- www.signcreations.net Sonny Franks Lilburn, GA 770-923-9933 Posts: 4117 | From: Lilburn, GA USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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The best why to deal with 'Rivets and Vinyl' is to cut the vinyl around the caps of these 'Little Sucker' and go back and paint 'Happy Faces' on each and every one of them.....
Or you could buy a rivet gun and extract every damn one of them and watch the panels fall to the ground!
Do your print work and tell the customer it is his turn to put it back together.
LOL
Get better Ray as there is nothing like the feeling of being down in the dump when you are sick.
-------------------- Stephen Deveau RavenGraphics Insinx Digital Displays
Letting Your Imagination Run Wild! Posts: 4327 | From: Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia, Canada | Registered: Jan 2000
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posted
I charge my normal price for the installed prints and then I add 5 minutes labour for each rivet. The customers seem to understand and I have never had anyone complain about it. So I kinda like rivets. They aren't too brain taxing, and you can think about other things while working them.
-------------------- Deri Russell Wildwood Signs Hanover, Ontario
You're just jealous 'cause the little voices only talk to me. Posts: 1904 | From: Hanover, Ontario, Canada | Registered: Dec 1998
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posted
Hi Ray, I talked to you just after you decided to take a job down south. I agree with Dave, the very next tool I buy will be the Rollepro. I think it took me longer to get comfortable with rivets than any wife (just lost #3, so I guess I'll be around more), software upgrade, or boxer shorts. The video is great. A new catalog arrived this week with {I think) the same brand at $44.95. Call it ignorance, but I don't mind paying a little more to the guy who originally marketed it. With my memory, the prices may be the same. I have my own patent, and prefer to let the bulk of profit go to the person with the stroke of genius, the idea that's going to save me hours and money.
On a personal note, would you mind writing me privately? I appear to be near the stage of bringing a real manager in. I'd just like to hear the pros and cons of asking someone to re-locate for a job. My management skills are lacking, but I've been lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, and that's lead to other opportunities. I have a real personality flaw. If I hire someone, their needs come before mine. That seems to be a genetic disorder, passed on from my Dad. I'd like to move a little higher up my own list.
Just write at your convenience, and if possible, a phone number. I type about 3 words per minute, so this exchange could go on until the Holidays. I'm not talking Labor Day. It would be much closer to Christmas.
Thanks, Tim Borden
-------------------- Tim Borden Speedy's Signs & Banners Jasper, AL
"World Class Entremanure" Posts: 74 | From: Jasper, AL, USA | Registered: May 1999
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posted
I'd like to hear about the RollePro from users rather than just viewing the promo video. Ray, glad you maintained the determination to complete the project on time, I doubt that I would at this time in life. Health is more important to me than a job that could wait a few days and nothing would be hurt, only someone slightly inconvenienced in a way that they'd understand should positions become reversed.
[ August 12, 2007, 10:37 AM: Message edited by: Rick Sacks ]
-------------------- The SignShop Mendocino, California
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6817 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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It could have been worse. You could have stayed up all night to do that miserable job and then the customer not show up the next day. I've had that sort of thing happen too many times before.
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I'm sorry Ray but during the course of your rant something jumped out at me and I had to scroll back to see when this was posted. My mind raced to try and comprehend what you were saying about the temperatures dropping. They drop here everyday too, from 105 down to 99. The only thing going thru my mind as I read your story was "They have cool weather up there? Now?" It's like living next door to hell here; I can't imagine what it's like for Stickerpimp. Glad you're feeling better; you're a trooper bro!!
-------------------- 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
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![[Mad]](mad.gif)
), and the lighting was just barely enough to get by.![[I Don t Know]](graemlins/dunno.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
), but I still hate rivets!
![[Rolling On The Floor]](graemlins/rolf.gif)
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