cdcarter
Member
Maybe penturners.org is just an elite neighborhood, or maybe I've just gotten to be a snob, but I swear, I haven't been able to convince any of the local boys to even consider focusing on their finish. To a man, every one I know uses the cheapest platings, Hut friction polish and maybe a quick coat of caranuba or even bee's wax.
But man, they're productive. Saw one local guy showing off a whole rack of maybe 30 Euros and a few cigars he knocked out in a weekend for an upcoming show, and I guarantee he sold them all. Hut finish and bee's wax. Even new in box they were dull, soon to be duller.
Had a conversation with one of the local experts yesterday about it. He's never tried anything but friction polish. "I just tell customers it's like fine furniture and they need to polish it up once in a while," he says. Sands to 400, hits a lick with the Hut and it's off to the show.
By contrast, my "productivity" has declined significantly. I buy the high-end kits. Use better wood. The finish isn't an afterthought, and if it doesn't come out just right, I do it again. I keep struggling with the question of quality vs. quantity. Having started down the quality road, I'd rather quit than start churning out the junk I see.
I've told every one of these fellows about IAP, written down the name of the web site and given it to them, described the videos and tutorials in the library, showed them my pens.
Feel like a ghost. Oh well... end of rant.
But man, they're productive. Saw one local guy showing off a whole rack of maybe 30 Euros and a few cigars he knocked out in a weekend for an upcoming show, and I guarantee he sold them all. Hut finish and bee's wax. Even new in box they were dull, soon to be duller.
Had a conversation with one of the local experts yesterday about it. He's never tried anything but friction polish. "I just tell customers it's like fine furniture and they need to polish it up once in a while," he says. Sands to 400, hits a lick with the Hut and it's off to the show.
By contrast, my "productivity" has declined significantly. I buy the high-end kits. Use better wood. The finish isn't an afterthought, and if it doesn't come out just right, I do it again. I keep struggling with the question of quality vs. quantity. Having started down the quality road, I'd rather quit than start churning out the junk I see.
I've told every one of these fellows about IAP, written down the name of the web site and given it to them, described the videos and tutorials in the library, showed them my pens.
Feel like a ghost. Oh well... end of rant.