TomRc
TVWBB Pro
Lots of responses to my reminder on threading the studs as an option and I won’t claim it as a better option over another. I can’t fathom how quickly we got caught up into the structural integrity of aluminum and the horrors of dissimilar metals along the way, though. I’m just thinking out loud, but does it really matter that much? How many times are we going to refinish the same emblem that can be bought new for $15? Would it really be such a bad thing to snap a stud off 5-6 years from now on a badge that we have already refinished once? At some point, we’ve got to reach a point of diminishing returns with that poor little slab of aluminum. Anyways, I will share my thoughts behind using the threaded method. If you’re refinishing a logo for you personal grill, you can stop reading now as the rest of my diatribe would not apply to your needs. Having said that, perception is reality when it comes to flipping and selling grills and that is what moves the needle for me. I turn over 30-35 grills a year on everything from the most basic of refurbs all the way up to top of the line high dollar restorations. Being able to point out to a potential buyer that I am threading the studs and using stainless fasteners where someone else might just be using push clips or slapping some RTV on there adds perceived value and plants the seeds of an additional sense of quality in what I am offering beyond any other work they can already see that has been done to one of my grills. I’ve chosen those words carefully and am dissing on both other methods purposely when I use them to add value to my own product and methods. This is also the same reason I use new emblems more often than not on anything more than a basic refurb. Yes, new emblems do cost $15, but when the customer sees that new badge with the clear “peel before use” cover still on it, they feel like they’re getting something new beyond just an emblem and I can sometimes command an additional $30-$50 in the sale without having to waste time and consumables refinishing an emblem. For this reason, even the new emblems get the threaded stud treatment in my shop as well. It’s a double-whammy of perceived value. As a consummate salesman, I love to see the mental side of the sale unfold in a customer’s mind, particularly when they go from “interested” to “wanting” what I am offering with these little value-added details. It makes me smile to think of some dude buying one of my grills and lifting the lid to brag to his buddies about the same threaded badge and stainless fasteners I sold him on. If you’re selling grills, don’t knock these techniques until you try them is all I’m saying. Sure, it’s a hobby...but that doesn’t mean we can’t make some money once in a while, either.
