>Date: Mon, 13 Jul 1998 17:30:42 -0400
>From: Trevor Boicey <tboicey@brit.ca>
>Subject: Re: Body shop blues- little MG
>
>Bill Eastman wrote:
>>
>> Maybe it's just me but does anyone else wonder how body shops stay in
>> business?
>
> I wonder too, from a different angle.
>
> I've done a fair bit of body work in my life, including
>right now. And every time I do, I am amazed at how tedious
>and time consuming it is, even with a bit of "experience".
>
> Inevitably, I end up having to walk away and come back
>tomorrow or I get frustrated and settle for a less than
>perfect job.
>
> I am well aware that real body men can do it a lot
>faster and in fewer "passes" than I can, but I can't help
>but think I'd have to charge thousands and thousands of
>dollars to make any money doing it at all.
>
>- --
>Trevor Boicey, Ottawa, Canada.
>tboicey@brit.ca, http://www.brit.ca/~tboicey/
I have another angle on this situation. Just over a year ago, I took a job
in a small body shop as an estimator/office manager/grunt. I've been
slowly learning bodywork from the technicians there, and can now do just
about everything except straighten a frame. I am, however, still quite
slow at it. After work, I've been slowly prepping my car for repainting.
The best advice I can give is take your time. Work for a while, take a
break. You're much less likely to make a mistake that way. You'll get
faster at it as you get experience. Basically, the more you do it, the
more you develop a "feel" for the techniques. No, it isn't easy to do.
Maybe that is why we have such a hard time finding good bodymen these days.
Personally, I enjoy this kind of work. Must have spent too much time in
the paint booth without a mask. :-)
Calvin Krug
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