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#11
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I called Tom Knauff yesterday and this is the summary
of our conversation: 1) He got a lot of responses to his email but nobody committed firmly to send his / her glider to Slovakia. Firm commitment means in his mind to have the money ready and be willing to take the glider to Tom's gliderport 2) He is doing this because he wants to refinish one of his own gliders. He needs that glider back by early spring though. Now it is to late for him to send it and get it back on time, so he is going to wait until next fall 3) The cost to refinish a standard class glider is $7000 to $8000 4) The ideal is to ship three gliders per container. This drives the shipping cost down to ~$1500 per glider. More gliders per container would require difficult packing 5) In this Slovakia shop they can refinish either with gelcoat or polyurethane. He got the reference from Shremp Hirth and apparently they make a great job If someone is ready to commit send me an email and we can go back to Tom. He sounded like he would help Best regards Miguel At 21:06 25 November 2003, Bob Mowry wrote: Tom Knauff sent out email about doing a bulk shipment of gliders to Europe for refinishing. The cost (including shipping) is way better than what you'll ever see here in the US. I asked the guys at Gehrlein's how much they'd charge to refinish my Std Cirrus: $25K, which is just ever so slighty above the purchase price You should contact him if you are interested (and can be without your glider for that period of time). -bob |
#12
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6 gliders will go into a 40' container.
Ian "Miguel Lavalle" wrote in message ... I called Tom Knauff yesterday and this is the summary of our conversation: 1) He got a lot of responses to his email but nobody committed firmly to send his / her glider to Slovakia. Firm commitment means in his mind to have the money ready and be willing to take the glider to Tom's gliderport 2) He is doing this because he wants to refinish one of his own gliders. He needs that glider back by early spring though. Now it is to late for him to send it and get it back on time, so he is going to wait until next fall 3) The cost to refinish a standard class glider is $7000 to $8000 4) The ideal is to ship three gliders per container. This drives the shipping cost down to ~$1500 per glider. More gliders per container would require difficult packing 5) In this Slovakia shop they can refinish either with gelcoat or polyurethane. He got the reference from Shremp Hirth and apparently they make a great job If someone is ready to commit send me an email and we can go back to Tom. He sounded like he would help Best regards Miguel At 21:06 25 November 2003, Bob Mowry wrote: Tom Knauff sent out email about doing a bulk shipment of gliders to Europe for refinishing. The cost (including shipping) is way better than what you'll ever see here in the US. I asked the guys at Gehrlein's how much they'd charge to refinish my Std Cirrus: $25K, which is just ever so slighty above the purchase price You should contact him if you are interested (and can be without your glider for that period of time). -bob |
#13
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I have seen the work that is done by this company and it is very good.
The price is right and the detail work is fine. What else do you need to know? GA |
#14
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Paul Gaines here. I would like to comment on a couple
of things. John is correct. Doing it right is the 'BIGGIE'. Some people think that 'right' is shiny and flying again. We do not do refinish work that way. At best, refinishing a composite ship is grueling, un-healthy, skilled busy work. Done properly means ALL of the old cracked/crazed gelcoat is removed CAREFULLY, re-contouring critical areas of the entire aircraft, and using high-quality materials. We spend about $2000 alone just in materials (this includes high qulity polyurethane paints and fillers, not gelcoat). The only way you can make money above break-even is by taking short cuts and doing lower quality work, utilizing cheap enough labor, or charge more than 99% of the customers would ever dream of paying. Usually a combination of the first 2 conditions is the case. I would rather watch Michael Jackson court proceedings than do break even refinish work. By the way, if you are paying big money for your refinish, ask for progress photos to verify that all of the crazed gelcoat is removed. Better yet, plan a couple of trips during the process to see what your baby looks like naked. If you do the math that was discussed in the first e-mail of this thread, 30k is the number you come up with on one of our refinishes. The number probably would not be that high. The last full refinish we did in the proper fashion outlined here was 15k, and I said I would not do one for that price again. 20 -25k would be the number. Not much of an alternative, huh? I think that sending your ship over to the former eastern block is a viable alternative for many people. I have recomended this to several customers, and you can make a mini vacation out of it by visiting the facility. And wherever you have this done, request polyurethane. It lasts much longer, and in the hands of someone that knows what they are doing, it is easier to blend duiring repairs. I estimate we will have 1000 hours in my modified/refinished 20C that will be in Atlanta '04, and she will be wearing Sikkins polyurethane. Crazy amount of labor for any sailplane, but it keeps me out of bars! And the ASW-20 is the prettiest fiberglass/composite glider made! Paul At 00:54 27 November 2003, John wrote: WoW! First off, Paul Gaines finishes are second to none. These little negative comments seem to be 'dis'-in our boy here in Atlanta. But of course, whoever did your ship *would* be the best in the world, right? Paul Gaines does great work. Be sure to check out his highly customized ASW-20 on the floor of the convention here in Atlanta in February! You can see if you like the results. Anyone that has refinished a sailplane..... or for that matter, smoothed or profiled one to perfection and then final sanded to 1200 and polished the entire thing can tell you of the work involved. Doing it 'right' is the big caveat. I've seen refinish jobs that fell apart in a couple of years. Waste of time! Doin' it right = Spending the time + Knowledge. Time + Knowledge = $$$$$ John Bojack 'J4' LS-6c/18w 'Harold Ennulat' wrote in message hlink.net... I think that the best refinish jobs coming out of the states right now are by M&H Soaring in Elmira. Problem is that they are usually booked for the year by the end of the soaring season so you might not be able to get it done by spring. I just had my ASW-24 fuselage done and it looks perfect!! Harold 'HE' 'Ventus B' wrote in message om... All, I have been looking into having my glider refinished. Casual conversations with other pilots revealed that most think a 'normal' refinishing job would cost about $10k. After speaking with Gaines in Georgia, I believe that is wildly optimistic. Gaines charges $60 per hour, and he says the wings alone take 300+ hours if they are done correctly; 500+ hours to do the entire glider! That's more than my purchase price! Does anyone know where I might get my glider refinished (properly) in the US? I'm beginning to think that shipping it overseas may still be a cheaper option despite the poor exchange rates now. |
#15
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Paul,
What are you using for fillers. Richard "Paul Gaines" wrote in message ... Paul Gaines here. I would like to comment on a couple of things. John is correct. Doing it right is the 'BIGGIE'. Some people think that 'right' is shiny and flying again. We do not do refinish work that way. At best, refinishing a composite ship is grueling, un-healthy, skilled busy work. Done properly means ALL of the old cracked/crazed gelcoat is removed CAREFULLY, re-contouring critical areas of the entire aircraft, and using high-quality materials. We spend about $2000 alone just in materials (this includes high qulity polyurethane paints and fillers, not gelcoat). The only way you can make money above break-even is by taking short cuts and doing lower quality work, utilizing cheap enough labor, or charge more than 99% of the customers would ever dream of paying. Usually a combination of the first 2 conditions is the case. I would rather watch Michael Jackson court proceedings than do break even refinish work. By the way, if you are paying big money for your refinish, ask for progress photos to verify that all of the crazed gelcoat is removed. Better yet, plan a couple of trips during the process to see what your baby looks like naked. If you do the math that was discussed in the first e-mail of this thread, 30k is the number you come up with on one of our refinishes. The number probably would not be that high. The last full refinish we did in the proper fashion outlined here was 15k, and I said I would not do one for that price again. 20 -25k would be the number. Not much of an alternative, huh? I think that sending your ship over to the former eastern block is a viable alternative for many people. I have recomended this to several customers, and you can make a mini vacation out of it by visiting the facility. And wherever you have this done, request polyurethane. It lasts much longer, and in the hands of someone that knows what they are doing, it is easier to blend duiring repairs. I estimate we will have 1000 hours in my modified/refinished 20C that will be in Atlanta '04, and she will be wearing Sikkins polyurethane. Crazy amount of labor for any sailplane, but it keeps me out of bars! And the ASW-20 is the prettiest fiberglass/composite glider made! Paul At 00:54 27 November 2003, John wrote: WoW! First off, Paul Gaines finishes are second to none. These little negative comments seem to be 'dis'-in our boy here in Atlanta. But of course, whoever did your ship *would* be the best in the world, right? Paul Gaines does great work. Be sure to check out his highly customized ASW-20 on the floor of the convention here in Atlanta in February! You can see if you like the results. Anyone that has refinished a sailplane..... or for that matter, smoothed or profiled one to perfection and then final sanded to 1200 and polished the entire thing can tell you of the work involved. Doing it 'right' is the big caveat. I've seen refinish jobs that fell apart in a couple of years. Waste of time! Doin' it right = Spending the time + Knowledge. Time + Knowledge = $$$$$ John Bojack 'J4' LS-6c/18w 'Harold Ennulat' wrote in message hlink.net... I think that the best refinish jobs coming out of the states right now are by M&H Soaring in Elmira. Problem is that they are usually booked for the year by the end of the soaring season so you might not be able to get it done by spring. I just had my ASW-24 fuselage done and it looks perfect!! Harold 'HE' 'Ventus B' wrote in message om... All, I have been looking into having my glider refinished. Casual conversations with other pilots revealed that most think a 'normal' refinishing job would cost about $10k. After speaking with Gaines in Georgia, I believe that is wildly optimistic. Gaines charges $60 per hour, and he says the wings alone take 300+ hours if they are done correctly; 500+ hours to do the entire glider! That's more than my purchase price! Does anyone know where I might get my glider refinished (properly) in the US? I'm beginning to think that shipping it overseas may still be a cheaper option despite the poor exchange rates now. |
#16
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Paul Gaines here. I would like to comment on a couple
of things. John is correct. Doing it right is the 'BIGGIE'. Some people think that 'right' is shiny and flying again. We do not do refinish work that way. At best, refinishing a composite ship is grueling, un-healthy, skilled busy work. Done properly means ALL of the old cracked/crazed gelcoat is removed CAREFULLY, re-contouring critical areas of the entire aircraft, and using high-quality materials. We spend about $2000 alone just in materials (this includes high qulity polyurethane paints and fillers, not gelcoat). The only way you can make money above break-even is by taking short cuts and doing lower quality work, utilizing cheap enough labor, or charge more than 99% of the customers would ever dream of paying. Usually a combination of the first 2 conditions is the case. I would rather watch Michael Jackson court proceedings than do break even refinish work. By the way, if you are paying big money for your refinish, ask for progress photos to verify that all of the crazed gelcoat is removed. Better yet, plan a couple of trips during the process to see what your baby looks like naked. If you do the math that was discussed in the first e-mail of this thread, 30k is the number you come up with on one of our refinishes. The number probably would not be that high. The last full refinish we did in the proper fashion outlined here was 15k, and I said I would not do one for that price again. 20 -25k would be the number. Not much of an alternative, huh? I think that sending your ship over to the former eastern block is a viable alternative for many people. I have recomended this to several customers, and you can make a mini vacation out of it by visiting the facility. And wherever you have this done, request polyurethane. It lasts much longer, and in the hands of someone that knows what they are doing, it is easier to blend duiring repairs. I estimate we will have 1000 hours in my modified/refinished 20C that will be in Atlanta '04, and she will be wearing Sikkins polyurethane. Crazy amount of labor for any sailplane, but it keeps me out of bars! And the ASW-20 is the prettiest fiberglass/composite glider made! Paul At 00:54 27 November 2003, John wrote: WoW! First off, Paul Gaines finishes are second to none. These little negative comments seem to be 'dis'-in our boy here in Atlanta. But of course, whoever did your ship *would* be the best in the world, right? Paul Gaines does great work. Be sure to check out his highly customized ASW-20 on the floor of the convention here in Atlanta in February! You can see if you like the results. Anyone that has refinished a sailplane..... or for that matter, smoothed or profiled one to perfection and then final sanded to 1200 and polished the entire thing can tell you of the work involved. Doing it 'right' is the big caveat. I've seen refinish jobs that fell apart in a couple of years. Waste of time! Doin' it right = Spending the time + Knowledge. Time + Knowledge = $$$$$ John Bojack 'J4' LS-6c/18w 'Harold Ennulat' wrote in message hlink.net... I think that the best refinish jobs coming out of the states right now are by M&H Soaring in Elmira. Problem is that they are usually booked for the year by the end of the soaring season so you might not be able to get it done by spring. I just had my ASW-24 fuselage done and it looks perfect!! Harold 'HE' 'Ventus B' wrote in message om... All, I have been looking into having my glider refinished. Casual conversations with other pilots revealed that most think a 'normal' refinishing job would cost about $10k. After speaking with Gaines in Georgia, I believe that is wildly optimistic. Gaines charges $60 per hour, and he says the wings alone take 300+ hours if they are done correctly; 500+ hours to do the entire glider! That's more than my purchase price! Does anyone know where I might get my glider refinished (properly) in the US? I'm beginning to think that shipping it overseas may still be a cheaper option despite the poor exchange rates now. |
#17
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For spray fillers (primer surfacer) we use Sikkens
Colorbuid. It is a 2 part polyurethane sytem that you can have blended to whatever color you want. It is high-build and sands relatively easily. I have sections of this filler on raw fiberglass and gelcoat that has been sitting outside full time for 3 years with no visible degradation. For thicker filling we use 3M polyester glazing putty. At 16:00 28 November 2003, Richard Pfiffner wrote: Paul, What are you using for fillers. Richard 'Paul Gaines' wrote in message ... Paul Gaines here. I would like to comment on a couple of things. John is correct. Doing it right is the 'BIGGIE'. Some people think that 'right' is shiny and flying again. We do not do refinish work that way. At best, refinishing a composite ship is grueling, un-healthy, skilled busy work. Done properly means ALL of the old cracked/crazed gelcoat is removed CAREFULLY, re-contouring critical areas of the entire aircraft, and using high-quality materials. We spend about $2000 alone just in materials (this includes high qulity polyurethane paints and fillers, not gelcoat). The only way you can make money above break-even is by taking short cuts and doing lower quality work, utilizing cheap enough labor, or charge more than 99% of the customers would ever dream of paying. Usually a combination of the first 2 conditions is the case. I would rather watch Michael Jackson court proceedings than do break even refinish work. By the way, if you are paying big money for your refinish, ask for progress photos to verify that all of the crazed gelcoat is removed. Better yet, plan a couple of trips during the process to see what your baby looks like naked. If you do the math that was discussed in the first e-mail of this thread, 30k is the number you come up with on one of our refinishes. The number probably would not be that high. The last full refinish we did in the proper fashion outlined here was 15k, and I said I would not do one for that price again. 20 -25k would be the number. Not much of an alternative, huh? I think that sending your ship over to the former eastern block is a viable alternative for many people. I have recomended this to several customers, and you can make a mini vacation out of it by visiting the facility. And wherever you have this done, request polyurethane. It lasts much longer, and in the hands of someone that knows what they are doing, it is easier to blend duiring repairs. I estimate we will have 1000 hours in my modified/refinished 20C that will be in Atlanta '04, and she will be wearing Sikkins polyurethane. Crazy amount of labor for any sailplane, but it keeps me out of bars! And the ASW-20 is the prettiest fiberglass/composite glider made! Paul At 00:54 27 November 2003, John wrote: WoW! First off, Paul Gaines finishes are second to none. These little negative comments seem to be 'dis'-in our boy here in Atlanta. But of course, whoever did your ship *would* be the best in the world, right? Paul Gaines does great work. Be sure to check out his highly customized ASW-20 on the floor of the convention here in Atlanta in February! You can see if you like the results. Anyone that has refinished a sailplane..... or for that matter, smoothed or profiled one to perfection and then final sanded to 1200 and polished the entire thing can tell you of the work involved. Doing it 'right' is the big caveat. I've seen refinish jobs that fell apart in a couple of years. Waste of time! Doin' it right = Spending the time + Knowledge. Time + Knowledge = $$$$$ John Bojack 'J4' LS-6c/18w 'Harold Ennulat' wrote in message hlink.net... I think that the best refinish jobs coming out of the states right now are by M&H Soaring in Elmira. Problem is that they are usually booked for the year by the end of the soaring season so you might not be able to get it done by spring. I just had my ASW-24 fuselage done and it looks perfect!! Harold 'HE' 'Ventus B' wrote in message om... All, I have been looking into having my glider refinished. Casual conversations with other pilots revealed that most think a 'normal' refinishing job would cost about $10k. After speaking with Gaines in Georgia, I believe that is wildly optimistic. Gaines charges $60 per hour, and he says the wings alone take 300+ hours if they are done correctly; 500+ hours to do the entire glider! That's more than my purchase price! Does anyone know where I might get my glider refinished (properly) in the US? I'm beginning to think that shipping it overseas may still be a cheaper option despite the poor exchange rates now. |
#18
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Do you have any experience with Concept 70 polyuerethane from PPG?
I've seen some gliders painted with it and they still look newly finished 3-4 years later. Paul Gaines wrote in message ... For spray fillers (primer surfacer) we use Sikkens Colorbuid. It is a 2 part polyurethane sytem that you can have blended to whatever color you want. It is high-build and sands relatively easily. I have sections of this filler on raw fiberglass and gelcoat that has been sitting outside full time for 3 years with no visible degradation. For thicker filling we use 3M polyester glazing putty. |
#19
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James wrote.
Do you have any experience with Concept 70 polyuerethane from PPG? I've seen some gliders painted with it and they still look newly finished 3-4 years later. I used it (PPG, Concept 70) on my Genesis 2 and Williams Soaring's repair shop has used it for years now. I like it a lot, not cheap, though. Two gallons of Super white (Toyota 041)+ catalyst and thinner cost $600 bucks. That mixes up to 3.75 gallons though and more than enough to refinish a 15 meter sailplane. I sprayed on 3 medium to wet, coats and then wet sanded with 600 wet and 800 wet, followad by buffing. Finatics will go to 1000 wet and even 1200 wet. I'm happy at 800. I no longer recommend Prestec (sprayable gel-coat) for ships that are left out all the time (FBO's) after seeing a ship that was refinished with Prestec, crack and checker after only 4 years of outside tie-down. The acrylic urethanes like Concept 70, have held out well in the same outside environment. Williams has an ASK-21, that was refinished with urethane, well over 10 years ago. It is a bit worn, but still operational and she never sees inside storage. Hope this helps, JJ Sinclair |
#20
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This may be totally off the wall, but has anyone thought about
bringing the worker to the glider, rather than vice versa? |
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