I should start a post for this info, but I don't want to sound self important, but after this post.... actually I love the compliments.
anyway here it is:
Starting oct 1. I am going to close the studio doors and just work on restorations. There are 6 that have been waiting well over a year to get done and I feel horrible. My plan is to figure out if there is any way to do restorations again and still make enough to pay my rent.
Here was the problem. The shop motto is nothing leaves unless it is as good as it can be: when I would give people a price, and then a bunch of stuff would come up, or stuff that wants painted just didn't match the new stuff. Almoist always I would eat 10-20 hours. If it was over that I would feel like a total dick and ask for more money but never as much as it actually cost. This is almost manageable but then you get a fireball, catacomb, or paragon, that needs to be 100% painted. when done it looks better than any nos, but it took 100-200 hours (seriously) all colors have to be double coated, and some more for the color, plus texture, or achieving no texture. anyway that happens and takes the whole month and I cant make the house payment, and it takes 5 months just to get back on my feet. Meanwhile in some cases, a person who I have never met has one of my best pieces of art for 2 dollars an hour, and I have to sell a game.
One thing that would make it possible is if I had a helper. I would gladly train and pay well someone to prep, sand clean, wrap, build crates, stuff like that. I had one for a year and it worked great, but she insisted on doing painting because she considered herself an artist, but everything she did, I had to re do, which caused her to cop an attitude, and all of the sudden she was above prep, and the whole thing fell apart. The issue was if one bad job gets out there it could ruin my name.

So the best part of my job is turning worn pf's in to perfection, and I want to get back to that. I just have to figure out how. First off people have to realize I only have one level or color, no bronze and silver. Only gold, so if you are looking for good enough, there are plenty of people who can help you. Or not, I cant. I just have to find the people who want the best and will pay for it. The thing that wrecks my day, is when I go the extra mile on something, but it comes out of my pocket. It ruins the whole process. Plus I know it is not reasonable but when I cant afford to have a game with one of my pf;s in it, let alone pay the morg, I have people spending 15k on a restoration, but want to squeeze every penny out of me.

So not to burden everyone with my sorry assed life, I just want people who care to know that I am trying to figure out a way that I can do restorations again. They bring me the most joy, fo sure!

Lastly on these compliments. Keep em coming!!! ha!!! I write down names , and I don't forget. Same as the people who ride my ass. The best people to work with are the customers who it fells like you are working together for the final product. I like to know where my pf';s end up, how they fair, if they get sold.

So If I end up at expo, and you see me, ask how the whole thing is going.
cheers, kruzman

First off guys, I am going to save this page for next time I have the barrel in my mouth.
It really helps my attitude after all of the compliments, and while I am thinking and painting in the month of October, it will be positive because I know I have people backing me.
Its nice to have free access to chucks business advice. Here is the joke of the day... I have a bba from wmu!!!! ahhahahahahaah! I do. also a BS, but that is a statement on their business college. Graduated with above 3.0 (strung out most of the time though)

Since I don't have kids I am not really afraid of failure. I would rather try something and fail, rather than not. One of my friends who is worth 50 mil, last time I looked, ran 7 business in to the ground before he got it right. Either way, I am going to change things around here for 2 reasons, to bring my income at least to the poverty line, and so I don't get burned out, because I would consider being an artist for the rest of my life a beautiful success.

John is very right, in that the biggest waste of time, or better said as the biggest use of my time that dosen't result in income is 2-3 hours of email every day. So I am going to have to get a website, besides being mentioned on kickasspinball and a couple others. I just have to get someone that can do it and work with me that I can afford. all in time.
I will post pics of restor's that get done in oct. one is going to be a herc which I don't think has ever been done, plus I have 6 that are halfway done or more.

Last night I made the woman naked on genie, and it looks awesome. I did it on paper, so the bummer is I will have to restore a whole used pf to get to do it, so if anyone has a nos genie, please let me know. I am trying/experimenting on a nude stingray for a customer. This is a perfect example of the problems I have. I don't like the idea of having to charge the customer for the time I spend sketching a girl for the pf, and chances are that if I cant come up with something that looks awesome, I wont do anything at all. It is drawn with a odd perspective so the nips just don't go on easily, whatever, but I am afraid to spend a night trying different things and nothing comes out very good. I just wasted a night, and cant bill for it, and feel confident. If it was my pf I could price accordingly to the amount of time invested, but like mentioned above, people get sticker shock if the pf is already cleared. Though they have no prob at all buying the pf and paying to have it cleared, same price. Its a goofy biz.

so back to work, but I want to thank everyone including the poster for the acknowledgment of the effort I put in to it. It is also strange to hear I am a nice guy, I am positive this has to do with sobriety, because it was the opposite reaction, back in the days... It is so unusual and new, that it is honestly kind of embarrassing. I will get over it! cheers, ron k. galesburg

I think we need to get someone to make insert decals for that congo and it wont be a hard restore. hell half of the pf is cut out the middle

If anyone has a cpr bobby orr for cheap I will buy it to make a redwings pf. I have a used one to practice on, but I don't want to restore the whole thing

I just wanted to mention and remind the people who are supplying suggestions (some very good) everyone is forgetting consumable materials and the fixed costs. clearcoat with hardner is 200 plus a gal. sand paper over a dollar a 6 in disk. I have over 1000 bottles of paint. I use 5 grades of rubbing compound which runs 30-55 for 32 oz. then we have heat and electricity, which I have to use a lot of each. lastly since this is what I do for a living, I have to pay the man (IRS)
That is one of the things that kills me in pf sales. ave joe selling his extra cpr xenon for 1200 dosent pay income tax on it. and not to go off on a tangent, ave joe dosent have a rep that he has to maintain. I describe every single flaw on a pf, but when I bought it, there was 1 pic from far away. when I get it and call the seller he says, I never opened the box, or I didn't notice. It is very hard for me to compete in pf sales when I pay retail. 90% of the pf's I buy are second hand. I got a steal on a BK for 900 plus shipping last week, and of course it was suppose to be silver or gold, and it has registration off 1/8 th an inch. seller didn't notice, and it didn't show in the pics for 6 ft away. yes it is my fault for not investigating more. I am just saying that this stuff has to go in to the cost of doing biz, and there is a lot of it.
Its a complicated formula or equasion. I am holding off on thinking about it till oct first, then I will do a lot of meditation on it.
once again, thank all of you for the support, now and in the past. it is always noticed, and valued.

I do need to sell at least one or 2 pf's to cover my oct experiment, so here is the updated pf list for sept 12. everything is new/nos and uncleared by me unless noted. ther are several that are ready to go with my treatment. I will start with those lastly feel free to make an offer on anything. if we are close I will make it work, don't forget trades!!!

AFM cleared, tweeked, lots of stuff 1700 shipped in us
xenon nos cleared all inserts painted, any cracking painted 1700
xenon cpr rescreen on used pf. looks fresh new, plus my clear and tweek 1475
flight 2k cpr with my clear 950
sw episode 1 restore w my clear 800
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stock new/nos stuff
shadow
game show
hot doggin
rocky
DE simpsons
corvette
airborne
charlies angels
TOMMY
SW episode 1
space station
Team One
break shot
world champ w. krauss
FIRE
Jackbot
WoOZ
trident
Evil Keniveal
wild fyre
contact
dragon EM
carhop
lights cam action plus ramps, plastics, decals, mini pf, animation parts
Buggs bunny birthdaybash
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repros
centaur
strikes and spares
high speed
taxi
xenon
tz
sttng
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stern stuff
simpsons pin party
spiderman
lotr
tron
elvis
harly 2005
ripleys
wheel of fortune
star trek E-4 309 of 600 anyone know what this means?
rollercoaster tycoon
IJ 4
Pirates of the carrebean
monopoly
ac/dc
metallica
csi
wpt
T3
twister
GOLDENEYE
Jurassic park
south park
preview
liberty belle

what do you have for trade? make me an offer an any of them. thanks
[email protected]