Re: Here I sit in total mysery being blown off by every source of NST

[MShock8073-at-aol-dot-com (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>)]

In a message dated 8/24/00 10:21:10 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
tesla-at-pupman-dot-com writes:

<< I've been tentatively looking for a used NST for months and getting 
nowhere,
 and getting sign shops that say "We are not set up to sell to individuals", I
 finally broke down and paid a ton of cash for the NST I have right now that 
is
 fried as a pancake. I don't want to go through this again. I'd rather take a
 hammer to my coil and destroy it to dust before I let these jerks that live 
in
 this area treat me like I don't exist or make appointments to meet and never
 show up.
  
 I want to buy an NST that works, I want to be able to get it in the standard 
6
 to 8 days UPS ground not save up for 6 months for a new one. >>

Just out of curiosity....how much do you guys have to pay for new NST's? Best 
I can remember Even an Allanson 15/60 is less than $200.00 shipping and all. 
Yeah, that is more than scrounged ones, but not unreachable to even a 
highschooler. 

I don't think I can order them through work and resell them, so don't ask, 
(Liability reasons) But, Anybody should be able to call up a distributor and 
say this is John Doe DBA XYZ signs in so and so city and I need a couple this 
and that. No prob? Cool! here is my Visa number please ship to......

I work for a sign company (graphic artist), we don't do neon anymore because 
of the liability issues with stringing HV tension wire through walls, 
crawl-spaces, attics, etc. But, I still have my supplier lists for these 
items and I don't see the high prices that seem to make some people spend 
hours of time and gas money hand-over-fist to avoid. Now, don't get me wrong, 
I scrounge with the best of them, mostly because I like 'the hunt'. But, am I 
just lucky to have jobber discounts on new NST's or what? Some of my supply 
catalogs show a pro discount around half of the MSRP. Matter of fact as I 
type this my feet are propped up on a 12/30 Allanson, which is completely 
unused, left over from one of our last jobs that I brought home for free (i 
LOVE free stuff) to save it from the dumpster. It was going to the dumpster 
because it is not that valuable in sign shop terms, and was worth less than 
the space it occupied in our production sign shop. It's under my PC desk now 
because I have not found the time to find it a more suitable space to live 
until I can get it into a coil. And right behind the press on my reloading 
bench is it's 9/30 Allanson little brother that is also new and came from the 
same deal (take them with you or to the dumpster). VBG

I spent a couple of minutes on the way home from work one day last week 
stopping by a local beer distributor warehouse. I found a guy that looked 
like a salesman in the parking lot, asked if he had any busted neon beer 
signs, and got 2 brand new but shattered signs with 9KV Franceformers on 
each. All in less than 10 minutes and with no prior arrangements. You know 
where they were?   In the dumpster around the side of the warehouse. This 
salesman said they throw away a few every month that are brand new and even 
more that get damaged at retail sites. I was just imagining all those 
perfectly good, name-brand, NSTs lost forever in the county landfill. Poor 
little NSTs. Now I'll admit most of these things are the new, safety minded, 
dual power, odd shaped units, but they still charge a tank and oddly 
enough...the ones I got last week are potted in tar and mica instead of 
epoxy. I don't know if that is standard now or not, but opens up the 
possibility to unpot them and make them more traditional in design. Try 
looking for stuff like that at convenience stores and grocery stores. Neon 
tubes stink when they break. (they also have metallic mercury in a lot of 
them so treat them as nasty when hauling them in the car where your 
kids/spouse also ride.) And most stores simply toss them out when they become 
damaged. 

Sign shops are not the only places to find this kind of stuff is what I'm 
trying to say I guess. The gas/cigarette/food/beer/wine multipurpose store 
where you buy your gas and the clerk is used to seeing your face every few 
days might even sell you a neon sign (who is to say it wasn't really 
broken?). I bought one for my little brother one year as a Christmas present 
like that for $30. It wasn't even completely unpacked yet.

Keep digging and when all else fails buy new. Keep in mind that most sign 
shops are busy. Most have more work than time to do it in. It is east to get 
lost in the dust when dealing with sign shops especially when you are getting 
something from them for little or no cost. Don't get too mad at the 
signpainters that seem unconcerned with your hobby. We are all busy. Best bet 
is to find a shop and make friends with the owner. Most signpainters are 
inclined toward weird hobbies too. Get in good with an owner/manager and it 
makes it easier to gain access to their time which is more valuable than the 
surplus equipment we are all hunting for.

New to coiling, but learning all the time,

Marc S.
The other Marc