Should I Stay or Should I Go Now? Choosing a New Paint Brand?
It takes more than a coin flip to decide whether to choose a new paint brand or stick with the one you have. Sure, a new paint product with all sorts of new bells and whistles may entice you to jump ship from your current brand, but make sure you do your homework before taking that leap.
7 Ways to Save Money on Materials
‘Tis the season to spend money on gifts for family and friends. No money, you say? You need a Christmas miracle? You don’t need a jolly old elf with eight tiny reindeer to reduce your expenditure for paint and materials. In fact, if you follow these seven proven steps, you’ll be stuffing stockings with increased profits.
A Not-So-Sticky Subject: Adhesives
When ancient Egyptians boiled animal hides to make glue, they had no idea how far modern chemistry would take adhesives. Today, two-component epoxy, urethane and acrylic glues are being used as structural panel bonding adhesives – and OEMs have given their stamps of approval.
The History of Sprayguns
If it weren’t for a maintenance supervisor at a department store and a doctor trying to cure sort throats, you might still be painting vehicles with a brush – taking up to a month per vehicle. Can you say “cycle time nightmare”?
Fill In The Blanks: Correctly Using Fillers
Today, fewer panels are repaired and more are replaced. Likewise, gone are the days when shops used entire 5-gallon pails of body filler weekly to avoid doing metal work. While today’s fillers are used in smaller volumes, a wider variety of styles can provide just what you need — if you know how they work, which to choose and how to use them properly.
More Than a Metal Box: Today’s Spraybooths have Evolved into More than Simple Square Boxes
Because all the high-tech options can be hard to choose from, it’s important to know which ones best suit your shop and your budget. If you spend wisely now, you can avoid paying dearly — in redos and unexpected bills — later.
Masking at High Speeds
When it comes to masking, plenty of products are available to get the job done economically. But because labor time is the most expensive component, the trick is to find a combination of products that effectively protect the car while allowing you to cover and uncover the vehicle in the least amount of time.
Community Spirit: Body Shops Giving Back to the Community
From sponsoring a little league team to repairing vans for non-profit agencies to collecting food for the hungry, body shops across the country are giving back to their communities — and getting business in return.
Go Ahead, Make My Spray! HVLP Spray-gun Technology
HVLP spray-gun technology has come a long way since Grandma’s vacuum cleaner with a spray-gun attachment. Despite all the advances, though, you won’t shoot to thrill unless you pick your guns wisely and adjust them correctly.
Managing To Be Great
Great managers possess an uncanny knack for juggling, allowing them to be everything to everybody.
Why Comply? Mandates of the EPA and OSHA
With all the regulations mandated by the EPA and OSHA, it’s easy to spend so much time trying to comply that you hardly have any time left to repair cars, right? Wrong! Quit complaining and start complying.
Getting Into Customers’ Heads: Increasing the Chances of Selling Every Job
Hopefully, we can all agree that collision repair falls into two distinct operations: sales and production. Your shop may have the very latest heated downdraft booth and the snazziest computer-driven structural-repair bench, but unless you can get the customer to let your shop perform the repair, all the equipment in the world won’t help.