omg hh blanks over $15 now
kodiak
Posted 2/23/2012 11:51 AM (#540851)
Subject: omg hh blanks over $15 now





Posts: 1224


Location: Okoboji
wow
anzomcik
Posted 2/23/2012 11:54 AM (#540854 - in reply to #540851)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now





Posts: 531


I imagion that the reason for that is people could buy the blank for $10 then pay $5 for a great custom paint job and still save a buck or two from buying retail.
knooter
Posted 2/23/2012 1:29 PM (#540907 - in reply to #540851)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now




Posts: 531


Location: Hugo, MN
Thievery, plain and simple. Same as the Jake blanks. It used to be worth it to paint your own. A 14" Jake is only a few bucks more than the blank. Might as well just buy some clearance baits in unpopular colors and repaint them. Years ago Gander Mountain had dozens of rainbow trout pattern 14" Jakes for $9.97. I still regret not buying every one of them.
horsehunter
Posted 2/23/2012 1:50 PM (#540914 - in reply to #540851)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now




Location: Eastern Ontario
Where do you get custom paint jobs for $5
MRichardson
Posted 2/23/2012 1:54 PM (#540915 - in reply to #540907)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now





Don’t know if I’d use the word thievery, but it is less than 30 cents of plastic.  Lot’s more to it than that though.

anzomcik
Posted 2/23/2012 3:40 PM (#540951 - in reply to #540914)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now





Posts: 531


horsehunter - 2/23/2012 2:50 PM

Where do you get custom paint jobs for $5


I own/run a musky bait business, and with my hardbaits I send them out to get painted (it is the only thing i do not do inhouse) I have a good relationship with both of the painters I hire, and $5 will get myself a very good paint pattern with a coat of etex.

I totally understand why the price is increased, it sucks, but it is understandable. Think about it, i could have bought 500 blanks for $5,000, got them all painted for $2,500, then sold them all for $20 a piece totaling $10,000 making $2500 in profit for not doing a whole lot.

I will say it again it sucks the jump in price, but i do understand
knooter
Posted 2/23/2012 5:07 PM (#540967 - in reply to #540851)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now




Posts: 531


Location: Hugo, MN
It just sucks that a basement guy like myself has to pay more for the blank than a retailer pays for the actual finished bait with hooks, paint, eyes and packaging. When the price increased, it was substantial. Almost as if they are no longer interested in selling blanks, which would be understandable.
kodiak
Posted 2/23/2012 5:41 PM (#540980 - in reply to #540851)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now





Posts: 1224


Location: Okoboji
if painting for strangers is only $5 i will put my brushes down and quit and fish more.....that is a cheappppp paint job..how can you justify time, paint, clear?? us painters have a huge investment too..
anzomcik
Posted 2/23/2012 6:02 PM (#540990 - in reply to #540851)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now





Posts: 531


I am not saying painters have no over head. But Kodiak if i shipped you 200 HH blanks and said to paint them all a pech color pattern, could you do it for $5 a bait? (i am seriously asking the question)

kodiak
Posted 2/23/2012 8:15 PM (#541051 - in reply to #540851)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now





Posts: 1224


Location: Okoboji
Auto cleared...yes...simple perch..yes...u need my shipping address lol?
kodiak
Posted 2/23/2012 8:18 PM (#541053 - in reply to #540851)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now





Posts: 1224


Location: Okoboji
I was basically saying if someone wants a killer job with epoxy..I don't know how u could do them for 5 bucks.

Edited by kodiak 2/23/2012 8:19 PM
muskymandan
Posted 2/24/2012 6:52 AM (#541132 - in reply to #541053)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now





Posts: 322


kodiak - 2/23/2012 9:18 PM

I was basically saying if someone wants a killer job with epoxy..I don't know how u could do them for 5 bucks.


I can't do the killer paint job but I understand why you can't do it for $5. Primers,Paints,Epoxys,Glues,Electricity etc are all costs to the painter before they even make a buck. So in the end you are making about $2 an hour or less. Is it really worth the time?
h2os2t
Posted 2/24/2012 8:05 AM (#541146 - in reply to #541132)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now




Posts: 941


Location: Freedom, WI
If they are selling so many blanks that they are slow in the paint shop their overhead is more because there is not enough parts going threw per hour. Costs have to be made up someplace, plain economics my guess.
kodiak
Posted 2/24/2012 8:21 AM (#541149 - in reply to #541132)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now





Posts: 1224


Location: Okoboji
muskymandan - 2/24/2012 6:52 AM

kodiak - 2/23/2012 9:18 PM

I was basically saying if someone wants a killer job with epoxy..I don't know how u could do them for 5 bucks.


I can't do the killer paint job but I understand why you can't do it for $5. Primers,Paints,Epoxys,Glues,Electricity etc are all costs to the painter before they even make a buck. So in the end you are making about $2 an hour or less. Is it really worth the time?


good point...it is more of a hobby than anything to most of us unless you can get a deal with a bait builder and get a couple hundred to do you can make some pocket money or work out a deal for gear or something.
MEISTERICS
Posted 2/24/2012 9:43 AM (#541177 - in reply to #540851)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now




Posts: 77


At $5 per lure for paint. NOT a chance, at least for me. Those guys must have a very low standard of living or just like the painting lures that much and have other streams of income. I love painting, but for $5 I have too many things pulling me too many directions to offer that kind of service. Granted some/most of these guys are probably set up a little more efficiently than myself.

MRichardson
Posted 2/24/2012 9:59 AM (#541185 - in reply to #540851)
Subject: RE: omg hh blanks over $15 now





I’m not set up for high production, but as I sit right now, I could easily average 15 baits an hour finished, any of the colors in my line up – at $5 that ain’t chump change.  If I could sell that many baits, I’d quit my full time job and do that.  Five bucks for a paint job is too much.



Edited by MRichardson 2/24/2012 10:00 AM
ShutUpNFish
Posted 2/24/2012 10:12 AM (#541188 - in reply to #540851)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now





Posts: 1202


Location: Money, PA
The price should certainly be dictated by the detailed amount of work done on a bait. As someone above said, a simple perch pattern can be done quickly and does not require a whole lot of layering. However, if you start getting into more details such as multiple scale patterns and layers of color, you're not only using more material, but mainly investing more time.

For me, I'm really just starting out in all of this, but I'm an artist by trade so I understand colors, design and layering...some of this comes fairly easy to me, but along with that come trial and error with certain techniques which I can thankfully credit to sites like this one. Theres a fine line between fanatacism and extremeism in many facets of life...I personally feel the muskie bait industry has skirted that line....no offense to anyone here, cuz I know theres some beautiful work out there, but some of these baits going for $35 upwards to $100+ for baits to be used to catch fish is a bit extreme to me/for me.

With that said....what would you guys charge to paint muskie baits such as the Hell Hound??
h2os2t
Posted 2/24/2012 10:29 AM (#541196 - in reply to #541185)
Subject: RE: omg hh blanks over $15 now




Posts: 941


Location: Freedom, WI
Would like to hear Stan Durst s opinion on this one considering he did production and custom for many many years. Epoxy coats cost between $.50 and $1 each (as close as I can come up with) depend on your bait and work between coats for the most part (some more,some less) at least with the epoxy I use at over $100 a gallon. If done with a clear paint it shaves a lot off the cost which for wood I do not think is a good option.
ShutUpNFish
Posted 2/24/2012 10:41 AM (#541203 - in reply to #540851)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now





Posts: 1202


Location: Money, PA
I agree, for me, the epoxy coating is the most tedious and expensive (material-wise) part of the painting process. The cost of the paint, on most baits, is pretty minimal....so then it boils down to what one feels his time is worth.
kodiak
Posted 2/24/2012 12:28 PM (#541244 - in reply to #540851)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now





Posts: 1224


Location: Okoboji
a hellhound like i did on the other post i would do for 10bucks,,,that is dirt cheap if you ask me. you pay shipping
ShutUpNFish
Posted 2/24/2012 12:33 PM (#541247 - in reply to #540851)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now





Posts: 1202


Location: Money, PA
Do you paint baits for people?
kodiak
Posted 2/24/2012 12:48 PM (#541257 - in reply to #540851)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now





Posts: 1224


Location: Okoboji
mostly for friends, i dont do it for a job it is my hobby,,i paint tor a couple bait co. too

Edited by kodiak 2/24/2012 12:49 PM
RiverMan
Posted 2/24/2012 2:40 PM (#541303 - in reply to #540851)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now




Posts: 1504


Location: Oregon
If you had a buyer that wanted say 100 or more of each color then $5 per lure might make sense particularly if the patterns weren't very complicated. The problem is that most shops have some colors that sell really well and others that sell just "ok". The shops end up wanting a whole bunch of a couple colors and just a few each of the others and this really slows down the process. There isn't a whole bunch of money in making lures, if there was we would be seeing musky lure factories in the USA. Most lure companies here are family owned for a reason, because you can't make any money at it if you start hiring people to do the work. What little money is made, is made on the final product so for many in the business it makes the most sense to sell finished lures in large quantities to loyal customers.

Jed V.





Edited by RiverMan 2/24/2012 2:43 PM
Stan Durst 1
Posted 2/24/2012 9:41 PM (#541420 - in reply to #541303)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now





Posts: 1207


Location: Pigeon Forge TN.
A lot of good reasons here but also a lot of misunderstanding of what it takes to actually paint the products.
Roger would like to hear my opinion and I thank him for asking, however, it is not an easy answer. First thing you have to look at is the types of paint, cost of the paints, whether you buy by the gallon or drum. How much production you plan to do, how you are set up. and etc.
We used to , at full production, put out up to 4000 baits a week and we were painting for several companies. Mania, Bucher, Bobbie, Suick, and a few smaller companies. I have paid 13.00 a gallon for thinner but found that if I bought by the drum, I paid 4.50 per gallon. Glitters were 32.00 a pound but bulk was 15.00 a pound. What I am saying is that it depends a lot on how you buy your supplies, the time spent to process a lure, how many of a color and so on. It is not an easy question to answer. But at one time we were charging 1.25 per lure, ( long ago when supplies were cheaper) we could put out enough product per week to pay expenses and make a small profit. As paint increased which is usually three times a year than price per lure had to rise slightly.
Right now, I have to pay over 100.00 for white. depending on the color the price goes up. Red being the highest.
For paints that I do in color effect customs, I spend as much as 48.00 per ounce. You have to be really careful how you apply it as to not use more than you need to get the proper effect and/or waste any.
I charge much less than some people whom custom paint and still try to keep the highest of quality involved. However, I will not paint a custom lure for 5.00 as it would be a loss before I even get started. But also I don't charge as much as I should because truthfully, I do love to paint and design that much that I keep prices down and profits low as to try to keep them affordable for people to buy. Prices on everything are out of site.,
I draw my Social Security, pension, I still work, and I paint my customs.
All together I make decent money and my painting helps to keep me active.
I think I strayed there a bit as I was explaining why I do it.
There are a couple small basement builders out there that I do custom paint the special effects for at a very low cost. I am only making about 1.50 per lure. But I am slowly trying to introduce a whole new style of patterns so the loss is a gain in the future.
Though I am not getting rich doing customs I can still turn a small profit. Is my time involved paid for? NO, but I do enjoy what I do and at 69 almost 70, it is keeping me active and busy.
If I was younger? I would be set up a lot different than I am now, and go back into commercial painting.
This post is a very good argument both for the painters and the buyers. But you buyers have to understand one thing, Good quality painters have a lot of cost involved in painting what you want painted with the quality you want.
You will pay 180.00 for a rod, 100 for a reel, boat costs !!! line, but some of you want a lure for next to nothing. Won't happen I wouldn't throw a 2.00 lure on a 180.00 pole. And I don't. The painter does understand you cause , when we can, we fish also..
I have paid as much as 27.00 for a blank. I won't put a cheap paint job on it and sell it for a couple bucks over.
Bottom line, until you have spent the money for airbrushes, spray booths, compressors, paint and pigment supplies and so on. You won't get the whole picture of what is involved. I have said enough and don't want to trample on anyone one here but the prices are high out there for buyer and painter alike.
And that is the truth and we all have to pay them..



kodiak
Posted 2/24/2012 9:58 PM (#541426 - in reply to #541420)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now





Posts: 1224


Location: Okoboji
very good read stan
h2os2t
Posted 2/24/2012 10:12 PM (#541432 - in reply to #541420)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now




Posts: 941


Location: Freedom, WI
Thank you very much Stan, it is good to hear you still like to do it. Take Care.
kodiak
Posted 2/24/2012 10:21 PM (#541435 - in reply to #541432)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now





Posts: 1224


Location: Okoboji
so who paints for suick, erc, and them companies now?
h2os2t
Posted 2/25/2012 6:49 AM (#541468 - in reply to #541435)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now




Posts: 941


Location: Freedom, WI
Suick does most if not all of their own (I think Stan did a special or 2), ERC/Drifter/Mania has their own paint shop I believe.
kodiak
Posted 2/25/2012 8:51 AM (#541482 - in reply to #541468)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now





Posts: 1224


Location: Okoboji
I would love to shoot some suicks
Stan Durst 1
Posted 2/25/2012 5:18 PM (#541565 - in reply to #541482)
Subject: Re: omg hh blanks over $15 now





Posts: 1207


Location: Pigeon Forge TN.
When ERC first started, I was painting for them.I have painted Suicks to help Steve out. I still paint the jointed wranglers and baby Ciscos, ( which I am painting right now) I started out painting for Pete Maina when He only had the Burts. I got out of it after Drifter bought out Mania Tackle, Drifter also bought ERC.
The Suicks are are painted in house at Suick. They do a fine paint job of their own. I have painted many custom Suicks as Steve will sell me blanks.
Glad I could help a little guys But like a painter knows, There is much more to it than one thinks.