I have been a machinist for 45 years now retired and love your videos if it works it works you know what u are doing , short cuts are great doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.
Love your videos, I'm fascinated by people with genuine old school skills. I also battle with anxiety and depression. I had a massive RTA, a year ago, and you are a constant source of inspiration. All the best , and don't let those "mates" take the piss. I am a musician and sound engineer, and was forever explaining to mates, asking me for "downtime" mates rates... FFS, if I'm working, it ain't downtime. They fail to understand, that A, you can do stuff they can't, and B, it costs a lot to keep all that good machinery in tip top shape
Things to remember with machining. Are you getting the job done. Are you breaking tools. Is it cost and time effective. Is the customer happy and paying for your work. Are you having comebacks. Then it’s not your problem if someone else doesn’t agree with your way of doing it. Plus if your demonstrating a procedure that would get someone out of trouble if they haven’t got the right gear, it’s a bonus for someone else. Take care n play safe.
My mentor, years ago asked me a question when we were discussing a similar situation to the block tapping. He simply asked, "Does it work? If it does, it's the right way." I went on to have my engines doing things that some people said couldn't be done. In fact, that was usually a challenge. As for working for friends, I may be a touch too nice, but I was taught to never expect payment, be happy when I got it. I also went with the screw me once, shame on you, screw me twice, shame on me. Each of us has to determine our own limits. I can say, when on the second job, you make them pay up front, it's amazing how memories can come back
Blimey, if this is what happens after one session of therapy, its money well spent! I was getting flashbacks to college, sitting in classes that were steamrolling me with tech data! At least now, I get to press pause and rewind, with coffee and a biscuit. Good stuff, Lee. Glad you're feeling on the up. 👍
OMG! Yep. Trusting friends to pay is a lesson in futility. Like you said (and I mentioned earlier) everyone is your friend as soon as they come in the door. Great technical video Lee!. Go out and have a DELUXE time at the Fair with your family, Be good. Remain safe.
Before she retired my wife worked for a small trucking company. They had a customer ask for a special overnight delivery of a 40 foot trailer of stuff to a destination 400 miles away, then stiffed him on payment. A year and a half later they made the mistake of asking him to do another similar job. He had the trailer picked up, then called them to say that it will be delivered only after both the last bill and the current one are paid with a cashiers check. They argued for two days, then gave him the check for both. Karma!
Another great video Lee. When I was working on a Bidgeport milling machine I used to rest my head on the handle ball to put pressure on the centre/tap, a bit unconventional but it worked 😄. I used to give multiple lifts, free of course, to a work colleague. But when I then had a small Chauffeur (South Wales Chauffeur) business taking mainly businessmen/ministers to the airport he was quite put out when he asked for a very special price to take his family to the airport and it wasn't as low as he expected. People have short memories. Best wishes for the weekend, Bob M. South Wales
One contact you may not know of for really old school stuff including white metalling - Cox and Turner from Yeovil. They have parts for old engines such as Series One Land Rovers.
I did work for a mate as an accountant. He was pissed that he had a lot of debtors. I nailed in on them and got most back - only because they needed his unique products - say 80% of GBP 60K. I demanded no credit from anyone except a credit card upfront or cash on the counter. His stress was overcome. To me, just common sense. I love watching your work.
Totally with you on the Mate thing, I have the same.. even worse when they recommend their other mates,...simple really, good people don't take the P*ss.
The reason why I never ask you mates rates. To be honest it always catches me out too dude, and you end up making a loss. I’ve only ever had top quality work from you for myself and for my customers. Proper engineer with proper morals. And you must remember these Karens haven’t the equipment or expertise to do it end of!!!! You even did that bloody VFR gearbox for me. Wouldn’t use anyone else. Karens need not apply. Proud of you mate 👍
Marvellous - reminds me of meme, 5 rules to remember in life, it's on the Internet somewhere - No. 3 - "Help someone when they're in trouble and they will remember you when they are in trouble again!" 😁
I agree if it works but in this case you can get a spring loaded centre for less than a tenner which will be a lot easier to use and will not wear out the cs bit or damage the centre in the tap. Just a thought mark you I did not buy one, I made one 🙂
Thank you for your videos. You definitely go above and beyond in your explanation of the machining involved. A lot of people out don't understand that making chicken salad out of other people's aged chicken shit takes time and lots of experience. Go with your gut feeling when talking to a first time customer. If they can't rely on you to make the right decisions then why are are they wasting your time. Time is money. As for " friends" at the end of the day they are just a normal customer and business is business. TIME is money. Losing a friendship over 50. quid.Wasn't there to begin with. Chancer more like it. Thanks again
My brother is a car mechanic, he always does maintenance on my car. I pay him what ever he charges other people, because I don't want to take adventage of him. I just want to be sure the job gets done right. Something you can not always be sure of somewere else. He doesn't want to take my money, he only wants me to pay for the parts. I understand he wants to do me a favor so in the weekend I buy the beer and other drinks... and we have a good time.
I like the barrel tap method, I've seen it so often when people use a quicker less accurate method snapping taps in equipment and metal with megga issues to solve after.
Right on, brother. When one has a business all of the hangers-on become your close relations. Perhaps a notice on the fron door with a scale of discounts for various mate/relation levels and including VAT.
I have a builder friend He was a friend long before he was a builder When he comes to do any work it is understood that he gets paid his day rate of £200 He doesn't do M8s rates at all
When I come across something that I can’t or don’t want to do, I drop it off at a friend’s shop when he’s not buried (recreational car), pick it up, give his dog some love, maybe BS a bit, and pay the bill. That’s just what you do, particularly for friends. Yes, it can be a pain (and expensive) sometimes, but he’s really good.
Cash up front plus the extra $100 for interest on the $50 😂 I had a bloke get me to remove his engine then sent a mate to pick it up saying pay ya latter, well I didn't put the engine or accessories in, year later asked for the engine, sent his mate with the same excuse 😅 sent him to get the money before I released it, 😅 thanks for sharing, all the best to you and your loved ones
Any copper crush washers to seal the piston squirts? What’s to keep it from getting loose and going out of alignment without a pin once she’s good and warm.
My brother had a similar customer a few years ago, when the guy wanted more work done he said yes bring it over, the the next day told him to pay the last bill and the new one or you don’t get your stuff back, he paid in full. 😊
Did you know some people actually take courses to say no - don't mix business with pleasure etc - its about having the cojones to say no sometimes - how much does your desire for the vision of the business compare to wanting/needing friends - friends don't even come in to it! Ha ha you remind of a time when my mate was owed £80 for some plumbing work the guy on the other end of the line actually used a crunched up crisp packet to replicate a bad line " cant hear you mate im in the really bad line" 🤣 my mate was so flabber ghasted he laughed and wrote off the debt -- Lucky you can afford therapy! I got divorced , robbed by a pregnant woman at gunpoint (not really gunpoint but might as well of been lol) ,(also left a lot of other trauma out ) slipped two discs at work and when i found a office job i got diagnosed with cancer the day my dog passed away - still on waiting list for therapy - keep going pal!
'Favours' for friends, and the other way around, always works with me as a cheap price cash plus barter system. Tins of beer or any tools triplicated I never use, as well. That sort of thing.
Sorry to hear about a "friend" not paying. Perhaps you have to decide that next time you don't give anyone their done work without complete payment. It is the only way to insure all the money you have earned. A friend that doesn't pay is he really a friend? Not a Karen .. he is a loser.
A true friend would not want special treatment or discount quite the reverse would go out of there way to be the best customer you could ever deal with.
In my later years I adopted a credo of neither beg nor lend... Years ago I used to go to the steam fairs and earn a bit of drinking money helping out folks with their traction engines and it was solid hard and dirty work and they used to bung me a drink and stand me some beers but then something changed, the beers stopped and so did the "drink" like a few notes in me sky rocket and the attitude was I should have felt grateful for doing them a favour. I did kinda pee the bed with it all when I said to this chap after working my nuts off helping to take a complete wheel off the back, says hoping this earns me an extra pint or two and he was like not gonna happen so I picked up my tools, rags and whatnot and told him to jeff the heck on as he could have been lumbered with the cost of a full on labourer but enough was enough. Chap spent rest of the weekend getting the wheel back on, just a shame I had already done the tricky part of the bearing and key replacing but no one would lend him a hand serves the moody effer right grr grr
I worked for a company a few years back and the customers where forever saying "how much for cash". My boss would give a price but and this is a Big BUT, He'd include the VAT in his quote. So the price would have been the same,but he didn't have to pay the VAT. I'd deliver the machine and the customer would be gob smacked. I had to stop working for him because of his dodgy practices. He never left his office and I was getting all the flack
Loaned a very good friend some money a decade or so back. Was meant to be only a few months but turned into a couple of years. Got the money back eventually and grudgingly despite saving him a while world of pain. Never again and it soured the friendship for a long time. Never again
You know you should make it clear from the outset, the “relationship/job” is business, not mates nodnod winkwink and job returned on payment. I guess this is from way back
I can not believe you don't understand that when you do a job for friends or family the rule of thumb is you do it cheaper you also have to look after vehicle free off charge for the rest of their ownership and when they sell it they let the new owner know that you'll look after them and it will be cheaper. I serviced and repaired a mini free of charge for 4 years which I sold to a uncle for £60 over 50 years ago, when he sold it fo £100 he still believed I conned him.
I would have taken the second job on, then while in possession of the components 'reminded' him about the money he owes you and pointed out you wont do the job until all money has been paid or the components would be sold to recoup the outstanding balance! EDit- Wouldnt copper washers either side of the oil jet be a good idea from a sealing and positioning point of view? Do please keep showing your 'alternative' method of doing things, I know it drives some ex-spurts up the wall!
Doing work for mates can be a disaster all round. I welded up and reshaped bodywork for my oldest and best mate basically free, he'd done things for me free before so I was happy to but, suddenly lots of people who were friends saw what I could do and next I've got tons of work welding up rusted out sections on cars for "friends" but, all expected it free or near free and I just couldn't bring myself to argue about it. Next one tried getting me to do FREE work for some guy I didn't even know because that guy had influence with council and he wanted to get on his good side to help with building permits and that was IT! I said sure, for a very high hourly rate, paid on the hour at the end of each hour and that that's my rate for EVERYONE from now on. Funnily enough, they all stopped bothering me, well, mostly and a lot tried riveting plates in, body puttying etc and doing horrible looking work lol. A few still actually did pay the big money but I wasn't dropping the price because I do actually like welding but, super thin rusted body panels is something I HATE doing so, I didn't want that work anyway. Clever idea for your tapping there. I actually never even thought of that but, it's a good clever idea. Purists might say you should have used a live or dead centre but, your way would be just as accurate, and better than free hand like I would have.
I use to make them taps and they had to be perfect , we also did them for the ministry of defence ,sadly the business has been liquidated like many others in the Birmingham City The place is dead now BSA have gone to Coventry , it is like a ghost town.
£50 is a small price to pay to keep him from your door. Tell him he to pay upfront +50+ interest or he can go elsewhere. Failing that, just tell him no way josè
Just take the job in from your “mate” as it’s being booked in and on your side of the counter tell him the price and include the £50 he didn’t pay last time. If he complains at the price just say you have had to increase prices as a few customers have paid short recently.
I had the opposite to a "mates rates" A guy i knew, was desperate for someone to maintain his fleet of wrecks, yep, wrecks, for a cleaning business, although i was already full time employed, i took the mission on, he paid well, cash to start with, then proper on the books stuff, (not vat reg) i was raking it in, money for old rope, he paid well, and monthly with an invoice, until he went bust, my monthly income went down 70% yet i had been accustomed to a wealthy lifestyle, although was working 16 hours a day for 6 out of 7, and overnight, not so...........
People forget that not every job requires 0.0001 inch precision, many things that you are doing is only going to need 0.01 or 0.02 inch precision. Other jobs might require 0.003.
Just had the same thing today with the trade lads paying for 1 job and not the other 3 jobs thay took early on in the week so thay all been told fech ya card when u pick ya car up or ya not getting car back
Friend or not, when you find someone who's really good at what they do and isn't a complete arse, you do what you can to stay a customer. That almost always includes paying then.
You aren't going to jump through burning hoops for a "mate" who didn't pay u for the work last time you go to someone you know because you can trust them.not to rob them
Get yourself a tap follower. You have a lathe so make an extension for the tap so you can use a proper tap wrench instead of faffing about with that spanner. Save you loads of time.
You are your own enemy doing favors. All of your business starts and finishes at your front counter. They drop it off you do the work and they first pay and then get their item back. Quite simple.
As a longtime machinist, there really isn’t a proper way of doing things, all the ways you get the job done with the tools you got are proper! All those keyboard machinists can go learn stuff and stop complaining that it’s not proper on this and that. There are easier ways and less easy but they all work proper. As for the “friend” all my real friends know the worth of my work, and there’s never really a problem. Have heard the you sure it’s enough questions from friends. Friends dont try to get an advantage over you, not true friends. You are right by refusing to do anything for that non friend.
The clients I like the most are the clients that nick me; it’s great because I never have to do things for them & know they are going to hire some Bozo who really does a bad job & charges more than I charged them.
did a water pump and timing belt on a pinto to help a neighbour all done car fine got nothing few weeks later asks for more help no mention of last job door closed in his face
Play nice, take on his "new job". When you get the piece, feed it to a 200 Ton Press and turn it into a freakin cannonball. Hand it back to him with a note that says "I don't have stupid tatooed on my forehead."
Good on you we all like mates rates but when they don't even pay wot you have asked for is rong . But it's hard when £50 can brake a friend ship but it shows there Not thinking about you just them self,s
I have been a machinist for 45 years now retired and love your videos if it works it works you know what u are doing , short cuts are great doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.
A mate of mine always says "Friends and family. Charge them double as they're twice the trouble"
Agree with you 💯 on friends and family they do not ring me up at all except when they want something. I know exactly where your coming from
Love your videos, I'm fascinated by people with genuine old school skills. I also battle with anxiety and depression. I had a massive RTA, a year ago, and you are a constant source of inspiration. All the best , and don't let those "mates" take the piss. I am a musician and sound engineer, and was forever explaining to mates, asking me for "downtime" mates rates... FFS, if I'm working, it ain't downtime. They fail to understand, that A, you can do stuff they can't, and B, it costs a lot to keep all that good machinery in tip top shape
Lee, would love to see the squirters working if you set up a dummy oil pressure rig.
Things to remember with machining.
Are you getting the job done.
Are you breaking tools.
Is it cost and time effective.
Is the customer happy and paying for your work.
Are you having comebacks.
Then it’s not your problem if someone else doesn’t agree with your way of doing it.
Plus if your demonstrating a procedure that would get someone out of trouble if they haven’t got the right gear, it’s a bonus for someone else.
Take care n play safe.
well said
My mentor, years ago asked me a question when we were discussing a similar situation to the block tapping. He simply asked, "Does it work? If it does, it's the right way." I went on to have my engines doing things that some people said couldn't be done. In fact, that was usually a challenge. As for working for friends, I may be a touch too nice, but I was taught to never expect payment, be happy when I got it. I also went with the screw me once, shame on you, screw me twice, shame on me. Each of us has to determine our own limits. I can say, when on the second job, you make them pay up front, it's amazing how memories can come back
"I only have X amount."
"Great! I only have 0 amount of engine for you."
Good genuine 'mates' don't short change you.
If your mate is okay with sticking it to you then he REALLY ISN'T YOUR MATE !!!!!
Blimey, if this is what happens after one session of therapy, its money well spent! I was getting flashbacks to college, sitting in classes that were steamrolling me with tech data! At least now, I get to press pause and rewind, with coffee and a biscuit. Good stuff, Lee. Glad you're feeling on the up. 👍
Say you'll do the job when he's paid up the 50 quid then say"you know what I can't be arsed" and walk away.
OMG! Yep. Trusting friends to pay is a lesson in futility. Like you said (and I mentioned earlier) everyone is your friend as soon as they come in the door. Great technical video Lee!. Go out and have a DELUXE time at the Fair with your family, Be good. Remain safe.
Friends will always pay for your services without whining. Your part is to charge a fair price.
Before she retired my wife worked for a small trucking company. They had a customer ask for a special overnight delivery of a 40 foot trailer of stuff to a destination 400 miles away, then stiffed him on payment. A year and a half later they made the mistake of asking him to do another similar job. He had the trailer picked up, then called them to say that it will be delivered only after both the last bill and the current one are paid with a cashiers check. They argued for two days, then gave him the check for both. Karma!
cheque!
Americans spell it check!
Another great video Lee. When I was working on a Bidgeport milling machine I used to rest my head on the handle ball to put pressure on the centre/tap, a bit unconventional but it worked 😄. I used to give multiple lifts, free of course, to a work colleague. But when I then had a small Chauffeur (South Wales Chauffeur) business taking mainly businessmen/ministers to the airport he was quite put out when he asked for a very special price to take his family to the airport and it wasn't as low as he expected. People have short memories. Best wishes for the weekend, Bob M. South Wales
One contact you may not know of for really old school stuff including white metalling - Cox and Turner from Yeovil. They have parts for old engines such as Series One Land Rovers.
I did work for a mate as an accountant. He was pissed that he had a lot of debtors. I nailed in on them and got most back - only because they needed his unique products - say 80% of GBP 60K. I demanded no credit from anyone except a credit card upfront or cash on the counter. His stress was overcome. To me, just common sense. I love watching your work.
A true friend would not expect any favours!!.... simple!
Totally with you on the Mate thing, I have the same.. even worse when they recommend their other mates,...simple really, good people don't take the P*ss.
Great technical video, I share your frustration regarding "mates" expecting special treatment.
I had a mate who owed me 50p from the 70s.I have not forgotten
Back in the 80s I made a spring loaded centre to allow ‘hand tapping’ on lathes and milling machines at school… still use it to this day.. 😎😎
Love the technical stuff,more please love this channel great content...glad your feeling better keep up the great work ❤
I love the rants....
The reason why I never ask you mates rates. To be honest it always catches me out too dude, and you end up making a loss. I’ve only ever had top quality work from you for myself and for my customers. Proper engineer with proper morals. And you must remember these Karens haven’t the equipment or expertise to do it end of!!!! You even did that bloody VFR gearbox for me. Wouldn’t use anyone else. Karens need not apply. Proud of you mate 👍
Yeah everyones a friend when they want something done 😂😂
Marvellous - reminds me of meme, 5 rules to remember in life, it's on the Internet somewhere - No. 3 - "Help someone when they're in trouble and they will remember you when they are in trouble again!" 😁
Exactly right once bitten twice shy don't go back to get your hat.
I agree if it works but in this case you can get a spring loaded centre for less than a tenner which will be a lot easier to use and will not wear out the cs bit or damage the centre in the tap. Just a thought mark you I did not buy one, I made one 🙂
Thank you for your videos. You definitely go above and beyond in your explanation of the machining involved. A lot of people out don't understand that making chicken salad out of other people's aged chicken shit takes time and lots of experience. Go with your gut feeling when talking to a first time customer. If they can't rely on you to make the right decisions then why are are they wasting your time. Time is money. As for " friends" at the end of the day they are just a normal customer and business is business. TIME is money. Losing a friendship over 50. quid.Wasn't there to begin with. Chancer more like it.
Thanks again
My brother is a car mechanic, he always does maintenance on my car. I pay him what ever he charges other people, because I don't want to take adventage of him. I just want to be sure the job gets done right. Something you can not always be sure of somewere else. He doesn't want to take my money, he only wants me to pay for the parts. I understand he wants to do me a favor so in the weekend I buy the beer and other drinks... and we have a good time.
I like the barrel tap method, I've seen it so often when people use a quicker less accurate method snapping taps in equipment and metal with megga issues to solve after.
Txt him back a ridiculous price
I see you've nicked your flooring mat from the old CEGB.
Central Electricity Generating Board
@@davidpowell1215probably from the old east Yelland power station.
Right on, brother. When one has a business all of the hangers-on become your close relations. Perhaps a notice on the fron door with a scale of discounts for various mate/relation levels and including VAT.
I have a builder friend He was a friend long before he was a builder When he comes to do any work it is understood that he gets paid his day rate of £200 He doesn't do M8s rates at all
It seems to me a real friend would make sure he'd NEVER shortchange his buddy. Actions DO make a difference.
Surely by now, you have learnt lessons about mates and favours. Lee, no favours, you are a business, with an ocean of experience, people have to pay!
With friends like that, who needs enemies
Not a mate.
I was in business for 19 years running my own garage.
Didn’t do “friends and family,” cars unless they paid by card, and
No “mates rates” either. 👍🏼
When I come across something that I can’t or don’t want to do, I drop it off at a friend’s shop when he’s not buried (recreational car), pick it up, give his dog some love, maybe BS a bit, and pay the bill. That’s just what you do, particularly for friends. Yes, it can be a pain (and expensive) sometimes, but he’s really good.
Cash up front plus the extra $100 for interest on the $50 😂 I had a bloke get me to remove his engine then sent a mate to pick it up saying pay ya latter, well I didn't put the engine or accessories in, year later asked for the engine, sent his mate with the same excuse 😅 sent him to get the money before I released it, 😅 thanks for sharing, all the best to you and your loved ones
Any copper crush washers to seal the piston squirts? What’s to keep it from getting loose and going out of alignment without a pin once she’s good and warm.
There's no friends when you're in business.
My brother had a similar customer a few years ago, when the guy wanted more work done he said yes bring it over, the the next day told him to pay the last bill and the new one or you don’t get your stuff back, he paid in full. 😊
Once the jets are positioned, would you Loctite the banjo bolt in?
Did you know some people actually take courses to say no - don't mix business with pleasure etc - its about having the cojones to say no sometimes - how much does your desire for the vision of the business compare to wanting/needing friends - friends don't even come in to it! Ha ha you remind of a time when my mate was owed £80 for some plumbing work the guy on the other end of the line actually used a crunched up crisp packet to replicate a bad line " cant hear you mate im in the really bad line" 🤣 my mate was so flabber ghasted he laughed and wrote off the debt --
Lucky you can afford therapy! I got divorced , robbed by a pregnant woman at gunpoint (not really gunpoint but might as well of been lol) ,(also left a lot of other trauma out ) slipped two discs at work and when i found a office job i got diagnosed with cancer the day my dog passed away - still on waiting list for therapy - keep going pal!
'Favours' for friends, and the other way around, always works with me as a cheap price cash plus barter system. Tins of beer or any tools triplicated I never use, as well. That sort of thing.
Remind him about the $50.00, and then insist on cash before return to him.
Sorry to hear about a "friend" not paying. Perhaps you have to decide that next time you don't give anyone their done work without complete payment. It is the only way to insure all the money you have earned. A friend that doesn't pay is he really a friend? Not a Karen .. he is a loser.
A true friend would not want special treatment or discount quite the reverse would go out of there way to be the best customer you could ever deal with.
Don't forget the debts. I won't lift a finger to help those who owe me.
Get his next job and refuse to start it until he squares up his last bill.
I had lots of "mates" when I "had" my own body shop. Total assholes.
In my later years I adopted a credo of neither beg nor lend... Years ago I used to go to the steam fairs and earn a bit of drinking money helping out folks with their traction engines and it was solid hard and dirty work and they used to bung me a drink and stand me some beers but then something changed, the beers stopped and so did the "drink" like a few notes in me sky rocket and the attitude was I should have felt grateful for doing them a favour. I did kinda pee the bed with it all when I said to this chap after working my nuts off helping to take a complete wheel off the back, says hoping this earns me an extra pint or two and he was like not gonna happen so I picked up my tools, rags and whatnot and told him to jeff the heck on as he could have been lumbered with the cost of a full on labourer but enough was enough. Chap spent rest of the weekend getting the wheel back on, just a shame I had already done the tricky part of the bearing and key replacing but no one would lend him a hand serves the moody effer right grr grr
Great video. Enjoy the fair
Love the little rants.....gotta be done.
My favourite bit is "rght guys....thumb nail and title time".....
A friend in need is a bloody pain.
I worked for a company a few years back and the customers where forever saying "how much for cash". My boss would give a price but and this is a Big BUT, He'd include the VAT in his quote. So the price would have been the same,but he didn't have to pay the VAT. I'd deliver the machine and the customer would be gob smacked. I had to stop working for him because of his dodgy practices. He never left his office and I was getting all the flack
Mate the scene is perfectly set for you two to go on Jerry Springer and have it out proper. Excellent rant. Not bad machining either😉
Loaned a very good friend some money a decade or so back. Was meant to be only a few months but turned into a couple of years.
Got the money back eventually and grudgingly despite saving him a while world of pain.
Never again and it soured the friendship for a long time.
Never again
In my own experience never lend money to so called friends who say will pay it back when they say they will.
You know you should make it clear from the outset, the “relationship/job” is business, not mates nodnod winkwink and job returned on payment. I guess this is from way back
I have always said that I will help anyone out , but I WILL NOT be taken the mickey out of, or be out of pocket.
I have no prob;em if this happens. I'll lose the fifty to find out who you are. And you're GONE.
I can not believe you don't understand that when you do a job for friends or family the rule of thumb is you do it cheaper you also have to look after vehicle free off charge for the rest of their ownership and when they sell it they let the new owner know that you'll look after them and it will be cheaper. I serviced and repaired a mini free of charge for 4 years which I sold to a uncle for £60 over 50 years ago, when he sold it fo £100 he still believed I conned him.
Love the video. Nice, have some technical stuff
I would have taken the second job on, then while in possession of the components 'reminded' him about the money he owes you and pointed out you wont do the job until all money has been paid or the components would be sold to recoup the outstanding balance!
EDit-
Wouldnt copper washers either side of the oil jet be a good idea from a sealing and positioning point of view?
Do please keep showing your 'alternative' method of doing things, I know it drives some ex-spurts up the wall!
Can you recommend a Thread tap manufacturer and UK supplier for the M8 one in the video. Thanks .
If they are a mate they will pay you exactly what was agreed. If they don’t, they aren’t mates. You still have to earn a living.
Doing work for mates can be a disaster all round. I welded up and reshaped bodywork for my oldest and best mate basically free, he'd done things for me free before so I was happy to but, suddenly lots of people who were friends saw what I could do and next I've got tons of work welding up rusted out sections on cars for "friends" but, all expected it free or near free and I just couldn't bring myself to argue about it. Next one tried getting me to do FREE work for some guy I didn't even know because that guy had influence with council and he wanted to get on his good side to help with building permits and that was IT! I said sure, for a very high hourly rate, paid on the hour at the end of each hour and that that's my rate for EVERYONE from now on. Funnily enough, they all stopped bothering me, well, mostly and a lot tried riveting plates in, body puttying etc and doing horrible looking work lol. A few still actually did pay the big money but I wasn't dropping the price because I do actually like welding but, super thin rusted body panels is something I HATE doing so, I didn't want that work anyway.
Clever idea for your tapping there. I actually never even thought of that but, it's a good clever idea. Purists might say you should have used a live or dead centre but, your way would be just as accurate, and better than free hand like I would have.
I use to make them taps and they had to be perfect , we also did them for the ministry of defence ,sadly the business has been liquidated like many others in the Birmingham City
The place is dead now
BSA have gone to Coventry , it is like a ghost town.
£50 is a small price to pay to keep him from your door.
Tell him he to pay upfront +50+ interest or he can go elsewhere.
Failing that, just tell him no way josè
Just take the job in from your “mate” as it’s being booked in and on your side of the counter tell him the price and include the £50 he didn’t pay last time. If he complains at the price just say you have had to increase prices as a few customers have paid short recently.
I had the opposite to a "mates rates" A guy i knew, was desperate for someone to maintain his fleet of wrecks, yep, wrecks, for a cleaning business, although i was already full time employed, i took the mission on, he paid well, cash to start with, then proper on the books stuff, (not vat reg) i was raking it in, money for old rope, he paid well, and monthly with an invoice, until he went bust, my monthly income went down 70% yet i had been accustomed to a wealthy lifestyle, although was working 16 hours a day for 6 out of 7, and overnight, not so...........
Have you done any undercrown jets on the A Series?
Gets my Goat
or
Grinds my Gears
People forget that not every job requires 0.0001 inch precision, many things that you are doing is only going to need 0.01 or 0.02 inch precision. Other jobs might require 0.003.
Yes been there so don't have mates anymore.
Just had the same thing today with the trade lads paying for 1 job and not the other 3 jobs thay took early on in the week so thay all been told fech ya card when u pick ya car up or ya not getting car back
Could you not use a long series tap, could you have taken on the second job and held it as ransom
dont know wether it would be worth it but have you not thought of a used Hurco cnc machine, 3rd gen programming with no g and n codes
Friend or not, when you find someone who's really good at what they do and isn't a complete arse, you do what you can to stay a customer. That almost always includes paying then.
You are a soft touch lee lol
You aren't going to jump through burning hoops for a "mate" who didn't pay u for the work last time you go to someone you know because you can trust them.not to rob them
Get yourself a tap follower. You have a lathe so make an extension for the tap so you can use a proper tap wrench instead of faffing about with that spanner. Save you loads of time.
Are you able to use the same oil pump after the modification?
You are your own enemy doing favors. All of your business starts and finishes at your front counter. They drop it off you do the work and they first pay and then get their item back. Quite simple.
As a longtime machinist, there really isn’t a proper way of doing things, all the ways you get the job done with the tools you got are proper! All those keyboard machinists can go learn stuff and stop complaining that it’s not proper on this and that.
There are easier ways and less easy but they all work proper.
As for the “friend” all my real friends know the worth of my work, and there’s never really a problem. Have heard the you sure it’s enough questions from friends. Friends dont try to get an advantage over you, not true friends.
You are right by refusing to do anything for that non friend.
no friends in business who needs bad payers
Why not get a long series tap 😂
and a very good day to you and thanks for the video
The clients I like the most are the clients that nick me; it’s great because I never have to do things for them & know they are going to hire some Bozo who really does a bad job & charges more than I charged them.
did a water pump and timing belt on a pinto to help a neighbour all done car fine got nothing few weeks later asks for more help no mention of last job door closed in his face
Play nice, take on his "new job". When you get the piece, feed it to a 200 Ton Press and turn it into a freakin cannonball. Hand it back to him with a note that says "I don't have stupid tatooed on my forehead."
There are no friends in business...
Good on you we all like mates rates but when they don't even pay wot you have asked for is rong . But it's hard when £50 can brake a friend ship but it shows there Not thinking about you just them self,s
Cash is king for me, discount or not.