Date: Wed, 21 Aug 2002 20:44:48 -0500
Reply-To: Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Subject: Re: Custom Scoop Update - Should you care!
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
I've been following this link for a month.
I admire you for being creative.
Now that the hard world of economics has hit you .......... try this.
Take your mold to a vacuum forming contractor (makes hot tubs, camper
tops just to name a few), have then vacuum form or blow form the part for
you. They'll hit you with about an 800$ setup fee but you'll be able to
make your parts for about $6.00 each out of ABS/ or PVC ABS blend. The
customer can paint them and that will give them the UV protection to give
them long life.
They may try to sell you new molds but stick with modifying yours, you'll
be able to get about 100 pieces off before you have to make the decision
to buy a $1,000.00 aluminum mold or a $500.00 high temperature fiberglass
resin mold.
There now I've said it.
My numbers may be off a little because last time I bought masters, molds
and made a ABS production run was 1989.
Stan Wilder
On Wed, 21 Aug 2002 21:06:25 -0700 Mark Thoma <thoma@MINDSPRING.COM>
writes:
> The scoop on the scoops,
> After patching up my screw ups on one of the scoop molds, I took
> them both (right and left) to a boat repair guy here in the
> Cleveland area who does a lot of fiberglass gelcoat kinda stuff and
> he said "well they look pretty darn nice, but... (like peewee herman
> said, "Everybody's got a big but") you need to polish and buff the
> molds now, then spray in release agent, then a layer of gelcoat then
> 4 layers of fiberglass cloth and the fiberglass cloth needs to go on
> top of the gelcoat while the gelcoat is still tacky."
> Me, feeling an assault on my wallet coming on, said "How much?"
> He said "$100 bucks for the pair of finished scoops." To which I
> said, "Go for it."
> Then he said, "But you can sell these things to all of your Vanagon
> buddies and make all your time and effort pay off." And I said
> "Well why wouldn't I just make all the subsequent scoops myself,
> after all I have the molds?"
> To which he replied, "You could but the molds have to be polished
> and buffed between each use, and that takes a lot of work, and then
> you have to shoot the gelcoat, lay the 4 layers of fiberglass cloth,
> etc."
> So I said "Well how much for each set of scoops?"
> And he said "$100 per pair no matter how many pairs we make."
> And I said, "But how much could I sell them for?"
> And he said, "Something this nice, $175 for the pair."
> And I said, "Those cheap bast----I mean those economically minded
> fellows on the Vanagon list will never pay that much."
> And he said, "Okay tell them $150 for the pair and you'll pay the
> shipping. And if you don't sell one pair what do you care, you still
> have the scoops you wanted in the first place?"
> And I said, "MAKES SENSE TO ME!"
> So that's the long and short of it. I should have the first pair
> back in a week. I'll take some pictures of them mounted on the van
> and you'll know how to reach me should you want a set.
> Mark
>
> Mark Thoma
>
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