top506

Got a call from Marshall this week telling me my Coppi frame was ready and that it would be the last, he'd quit the business and sold off his gear. He was a good workman, and cheap ($40). The closest place now is in Auburn (an hour away), and they charge three times as much. I Guess I'm done re-finishing my nicer flips.....
Marshall had done a bunch of bikes for me:











I'll miss working with him, but I whish him luck as well.

Top

Blue Belly

Always sad to see the good guy go.

badger_biker

I would say you had a heck of a deal going for $40! Did that include the blasting/prep too?

top506

Yep, $40 blast and coat.
Like a lot of guys up here, he did a lot of things 'on the side' without actually having a full-time job.
Top

3speedslow

Any chance you could find out who he sold the gear to and strike a new deal ?

top506

We'll have a chat when I pick up the Coppi.

Top

repechage

I think that is the reason he quit, no profit in it at that price.

clubman 

...and the other "things" pay better. I'm sure I can't get a good powdercoat under 150 but then again, I prefer paint.

jonwvara 

It's sort of like the old story about the guy who taught his horse to eat sawdust.

wrk101

Problem with providers that sell services too cheap is they eventually fold. Best to guide them/help them raise their prices.

It seems counterintuitive, but it is better to keep a guy in business at say $80 a bike, then to save $40 a bike and have him go out of business. I learned this long ago in my career as a project manager. Contractors that gave you too good of a deal did not last, so sometimes you had to encourage them to raise price (if you wanted them to survive).

$40 for a blast and PC of a frame and fork is off the charts cheap. I'm as thrifty (or more thrifty) than the next guy, but sometimes I will pay over asking price when something is too cheap.

repechage

I had a frame and fork powder coated in 1993 for $45. Including blasting and I thought that was cheap at the time, it was a big outfit and they ran it through pretty fast, color happened to be on the list of pre scheduled work.

top506

Yeah, me too.
I generally gave him $50 or so and drank a couple of beers with him when I picked up the work.

Top

greg3rd48 

I have a guy who does it for $100 in Brooklyn and I wondered to myself if it was profitable for him. His price was half of most other providers. At $40 I can't see it being more than a few dollars if that. Good luck to finding a new powdercoater.

crank_addict

I think the OP put Mister PC out of business -

SquidPuppet

My local guy charges $65.00 and that includes a glossy clear on top of the color. He KNOWS bikes, all metals, is a master masker, and really cares about prep and the final results. I would HATE to be forced to look for a new guy.

I feel your pain. Sorry for your loss.

badger_biker

For that price including a clear coat - take care of your man! Like Top said bring him some beer when you pick up a bike. Maybe a growler from BiPlane. (BTW are they still in business? They don't show on my brewery app and I was there 2 years ago)

SquidPuppet

I take care of him with an occasional gift card.

He says it's all his big jobs that allow him to do all the little jobs. Even though he is a small outfit, he does a lot of big architectural stuff and contracts with the US Navy for JUMBO submarine components.

fietsbob

A friend does the same (excellent) Powder coat work , Out Here, for a Business. he says the most Expensive thing
is the electricity to heat the Oven Hot Enough, to Melt the powder.

4 phase 440V.

those costs as Billed, if that was all that was done suggest he lost money with each Job, that could not continue. so It Did Not.


I got a few small pieces done Out here by just waiting until another full price Job was covering the Heat costs

then my small parts were included for below the top dollar .. took months before that color was Ordered by the big job.

SquidPuppet

Yep. The materials are nothing. They buy the powders by the hundreds of pounds. Probably costs $2.00 to $3.00 for a bike. It's all labor and overhead.

fietsbob

Hundred Pound Bags suggest an 'Any Color you want as Long as It's Black' kind of choice , or a very big lot of same color orders..

yea Op may not be able to Price Freshly redone Flippers for a Price people are willing to Pay ..

the Other Coater prices to stay in Business.

SquidPuppet

Or white, or silver, or safety yellow, or safety orange.......

Buying powder by the Lb is also very reasonable compared to wet paint jobs.

The Golden Boy 

So everyone else's stuff after yours looked like crap...

RandolphCarter

$40? Wow.

Cheapest strip/prep/powder I've found around here is $200 to $250, and that is assuming you're not using the fancier metallic or multi-step powders.

unterhausen

had the same thing happen here. He just got good at bikes and then quit. We kept trying to talk him into raising his prices, same kinda thing, only $40 with prep and a clear coat. I think the most he ever charged was 65 for a fade

nlerner

Top, maybe you should consider buying the equipment, and then YOU will become the powder coat guy!