Been buildings rods for quite sometime but this kind of charge is stumping me.
Built 6 Stand-up rods and 2 wire line rods awhile ago. My customer was recently divorced so I have to do a name change
on all of his rods, Enough said there.
It involves ordering 8 new decals, black overwrap over the old decals, new coat of epoxy in preparation for the new decals,
Placing new decals on each rod, a coat of color preserver to protect the decals, then another new coat of epoxy over the new decals.
No serious rush, so I am doing them at my leisure.
Looking for some feedback…
Thanks!

Unless you want to do him a favor for past and maybe future business I would have to charge at least $30 per name change. Sounds like a lot but considering the work involved I don't think it is.

I'd agree with Mike on this one - probably about a $30 per rod job....

Perhaps a tinted epoxy over the old decals would be more efficient. I tint epoxy occasionally with VooDoo dust. You can achieve any color you wish.

Is it possible to size the decals to cover over the originals? If so, you may be able to skip the overwrap with black thread and simply apply the new decals over the area where the old ones are and apply a new coat of epoxy.

...........

ken,
While $30.00 may sound cheap to a rod builder, It may not seem so to the customer; 8 X $30 = $240. Your only salvation is that hopefully you can perform each required task on 3 or 4 rods at a time. Although Tom’s suggestion has merit, most decals have lettering on top of a clear backing. BUT, if the blanks are black, possibly Decal Connection can print the text on a black backing?!?! Otherwise, tinting a coat or two of epoxy over the existing decals as Mark B. suggested may save a lot of time compared to the overwrapping approach. Good luck!!!

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Or,
The customer could take a roll of black electrical tape and overwrap the decal and name with the tape and call it good.
Total cost - $5 and 20 minutes.

Take care

I think I would tell him to live with his old name on his fishing rod.

Other than that, I would make or buy a label with a sold background color, white, black or similar to the blank color, think of an Orvis blank, and place that label over the existing label area and one coat of epoxy over it and be done.

So I am guessing it was a woman customer that fishes offshore, of course I don't want to presume gender or pronouns. What if they get back together? $45.00 a pop is sounding better to me.

Ask whatever you think is the right charge and the customer can take it or leave it. Doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.

Decal Connection can make perfectly opaque decals so sizing them to properly and effectively cover the old ones is certainly feasible.

I look at it like this. If they’re buying custom rods from you rather than buying over seas built rods from some box store, I doubt they’re going to get to worked up over $30 a rod for a name change.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/28/2023 09:42AM by Daryl Ferguson.

That’s for all the responses, again I now know what my best option is should it arise again.

ken hoever Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That’s for all the responses, again I now know
> what my best option is should it arise again.


What did you choose? (Just curious!)
Mike B