PhillipM

Does anyone know the path to become federally certified as a first responder?

I only do that for one of my big customers and the last rush call for a big job was when Gustav hit Baton Rouge and blew their sign down blocking the store's driveway. Thanks for reminding me of the nightmare of cutting this booby trap down in the pouring rain.

I briefly looked into it the last time fuel shot up and found our industry can't charge fuel surcharges, that's for motor freight carriers only. We just jack up our hourly rates. Nationwide diesel prices from the gubment: http://www.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/wohdp/diesel.asp

I hate split block walls. At this point all I can add is to take a demo hammer and knock off the high spots behind the sign to even the wall out somewhat, else, like you said, make a frame out of uni strut or something.

Thanks for the replies, I didn't know they had pulled a bankruptcy and name change.

I've done some service work for Optec displays www.optec.com and now they are asking us to become a dealer for them. Do any of you have any experience with this company?

My first question is how much is the one page from the Glantz Catalog? There probably would NOT be a consensus of price. But from what you list - it appears that most, if not all, is EGL brand? If you buy for less than $10k you did good. If you buy for less than $5K - you stole it. If its less than that - you should refuse it because its way too good of a deal. I wouldn't say under $5k is too good a deal in an industry that is drying up. As more and more plants come on the market and the demand for neon goes down so will the price. The cost of new is meaningless in this market.

It sounds like BS to me, but if it were true they should be using explosion proof fixtures, LED's or not.

You should charge the same as you charge everyone else you are giving away your profits to a competitor. The only way I would not charge the going rate would be if we were to swap out services that would be a comparative advantage.

With a torch I try to keep the work at arms length and if possible be above what I'm cutting so the sparks don't fall on me or my equipment and have someone on fire watch.

I recently replaced 30 at a car dealership that is less than five years old, I agree on capacitor ruggedness. I've no idea if a voltage surge occurred or if they all reached the end of life at the same time. I only see ignitors in pulse start metal halide fixtures and only have seen them in 250W wall packs and I've no idea why pulse start is needed in area lighting. Pulse start is rare enough that I don't stock lamps and ballasts for them and in the case of a bad ballast, I'll replace it with a normal type. There is a ballast type called an F-can that is all integrated typically used in large signs with 400 watt MH lamps. http://www.greenelectricalsupply.com/400-watt-f-can-mh-ballast.aspx I have also seen electronics in recessed down lights such as this: http://www.prescolite.com/products/rhd6_ed17/ I'm not sure why one would disconnect the ignitor. Maybe you could educate me on it's purpose and if the fixture will light without it. Hope this helps.

That happened to me once when I was welding. Sparks and slag fell down in the hole for the controls and caught a plastic coffee can lid and some paper towels on fire which in turn burnt a hole in the controls. "Phil! Your're on fire!" is a phrase I'll never forget! Thank God I had just bought a new leather welding coat. The flaming oil sprayed all over my back and on the side of my welding hood but I never caught fire. I was about 15' up and thought about jumping but thought a moment that I owned the truck and didn't want it to burn up and had the presence of mind to tell one of the guys on the ground to shut off the truck and pitch up the fire extinguisher. When he killed the engine the oil quit spraying everywhere and the fire extinguished itself I told him to hit the override valve shutting off oil flow to the bucket and allowing him to stow the lift on the truck. Back then I smoked and I remember sitting on the curb with the shakes chain smoking feeling the oil in my hair and wondering why I didn't turn into a torch! Now I weld out of the truck with electric controls when possible and cover the hole to the controls with an aluminum plate in the other two when I have to weld out of them. As a housekeeping issue I make sure there isn't debris in the control enclosure either. Had it not been for the rubbish, there probably wouldn't have been a fire. Not being there I can't really speak for what happened, but I'll bet he left it running spraying flaming oil till the pump ran out of hydraulic oil. I'm sure after jumping that far onto asphalt he couldn't have cared less.

Thanks gentlemen. I think I'll practice the KISS principle and just use hourly too.

Locally we charge our standard hourly rate from the time we leave till the time we return. What do you do when a trip is say 90 miles one way and only an hour on site? Do you charge hourly or do you do a mileage rate and if you do charge a mileage rate, how is it determined?

Did you look at their logo? Isn't it what you are describing? It would be ironic if they didn't have that section! I went thru all of their extrusions. What I need is an extrusion that is 2" x 2". Rounded on one end making it a 2" diameter round end. The other end is squared off. Which makes it an oblong shape. See it in their logo? I found it, it's not obvious. Go to cross sections, then 225 series, then scroll down to page 8 and you will find a 225 extended radius post, 2" x 2". I can't directly link it, its a PDF that opens in the page. http://www.cisigns.com/homeset.htm

Did you look at their logo? Isn't it what you are describing? It would be ironic if they didn't have that section!

I wonder how many cranes will be "de-rated" to 1999 lbs capacity.

I really hope this gets repealed else I'll have to get a mainframe to run quickbooks. http://www.kansascit...paper-over.html Posted on Fri, Aug. 06, 2010 Did Congress really paper over American health care reform? <h2 id="sub_headline" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 20px; letter-spacing: -1px; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; "></h2>By M. THERESA HUPP Special to The StarIn March, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Congress had to pass health care reform so we could find out what's in it. Now we are finding out. Buried in the voluminous bill is a provision that will increase paperwork for thousands of individual and corporate taxpayers, including me. This provision will supposedly reduce tax evasion. Section 9006 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act amends Section 6041 of the Internal Revenue Code to require businesses — the self-employed, for profit and nonprofit corporations, and governmental entities — to send Forms 1099-MISC to each vendor from which they buy goods valued at more than $600 annually, starting in 2012. Before the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Forms 1099 were required only for individuals and unincorporated businesses (not most corporations) that received more than $600/year "for services rendered." The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act broadens 1099 filings in two ways: The forms must be sent to corporations, and they will apply to goods as well as services. Debit and credit card payments are exempt, but card terms aren't always as favorable as cash or check. In a news release dated July 7, the IRS said, "Beginning in 2012, all businesses, tax-exempt organizations, and federal, state and local government entities will be required to issue Forms 1099 to vendors from whom they purchase goods totaling $600 or more during a calendar year. …For example, if a self-employed individual makes numerous small purchases from an office supply store in a calendar year that total at least $600, the individual must issue a Form 1099 to the vendor and the IRS showing the exact amount of total purchases." In other words, if your freelance business spends more than $600 during a year in supplies from OfficeMax, you have to send OfficeMax a 1099, and copy the IRS. If you have a small handyman business and buy more than $600/year in materials from Home Depot, you have to send Home Depot a 1099, and copy the IRS. Of course, to send a 1099, you need each vendor's taxpayer identification number. If your supplier doesn't give you its identification number, you must deduct 28 percent of the purchase price and forward it to the IRS. How will that work at the cash register? "I'm sorry, Mr. Retail Clerk, I can only pay you 72 percent of the purchase price, unless you give me your employer's tax identification number." I am an independent consultant and freelancer. Assuming my business continues into 2012, I will likely spend $600/year with two professional organizations and a few suppliers. How will health care be improved when I and thousands of other freelancers each send out several 1099s? I am on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, each of which spends more than $600/year with many vendors. Their suppliers include national corporations and utility companies. Why should the limited resources of these non-profits be spent collecting taxpayer identification numbers so they can send these corporations 1099s? I want to stop tax evasion as much as Congress does. Taxpayers who deduct business expenses should keep receipts to prove their claims. If they can't, their deductions should be denied. But requiring small businesses to send large corporations Forms 1099 is not the way to stop tax evasion or to fund health care. The IRS announced in Notice 2010-51 a public comment period until Sept. 29 on this expansion of Form 1099 filings. If the new law affects you, go tohttp://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=225029,00.html to learn how to submit a comment. And copy your congressional representatives. Ask them to repeal this aspect of the health care legislation, particularly if they voted for it in March, before we knew what was in the bill.

I took a different route and decided I'd rather be the only guy in town that can and will work on neon than one of over a dozen vinyl shops. There are a ton of signs out there with neon in them that will need servicing for many more years and since I'm one of two shops within 90 miles and one of five within 150 miles with an in house neon plant, I may as well profit from that than a few pennies profit on a banner.

Be sure to get a tube of Foille You'll know you are dedicated when you'd rather gut out the burn than do the sane thing and drop the glass!

I think you are right. To me it looks to be a facade, or parapet wall, built from sheetmetal studs and drywall a few feet from the actual wall of the building. I can't tell what was bracing the top of the facade to the main wall or canopy. Typically I see some metal studs going down at an angle to the studs on the canopy at the bare minimum. It's hard to say from my chair but surely when they hung the sign they would have been able to tell if the wall was structurally sound.

I think it is the sign in the picture, assuming that is says "PCX". Photo link