Before computers I had to hand letter 100 3x8 banners for Dutch Boy Paint. They had the dutch boy sitting on a swing stage with a brush and can of paint logo, all dark blue. We hung them from the cieling to dry and after painting about fifty of them I took a break. While I was out an employee took some paper and cut out small circles and colored them blue, then stuck them on the face of the dutch boy making the eyes cross eyed on about the last 20 or so. When I returned he and some other employees sayed, hey, come here and look what you did. You made a bunch of these things cross eyed! I looked and thought how could I have done that. Well I got out a quill and went to fix them and noticed that it was just colored paper, we all had a good laugh.
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What is the stupidest thing you did at the shop?
- Thread starter AznSensation
- Start date
SignosaurusRex
Active Member
Many years ago we had 6 vans to be hand lettered in one day. They all looked identical ... 5 for one customer and 1 for another customer. Got them all done and to my horror, realized I had gotten them mixed up and had to strip and redo 2 of them. It does not pay to rush!
Pat Whatley
New Member
Her name was Crystal.
Other than that it would be my terrible "mineral spirits to the crotch" experience a couple of months ago.
GP
New Member
you sure the burning sensation was the mineral spirits?
Gino
Premium Subscriber
Received a Honda Element one morning and had to apply perforated vinyl on the back window. Busted the window while i was removing the wiper. Immediately called my glass repair guy and he confirmed that he could drop by during the day and replace it ... Informed my client about what hapened and he said no problem, i will be at your shop after i finish work .. by the time the client picked up his car .. The new window was installed and the perf was applied ... Still had tape holding the glass in place when he drove off! That was last year and since then i have seen him a few times and the window is still ok
P.S. i didn't make any money on that job :ROFLMAO:
Wow, you take wraps to an all new height.
You break the glass out so you can put in a new piece and apply it while on the workbench. Very clever. Do you handle the door handles and headlights the same way ?? Don't ever bid on doing signs for a Green House. 
.
Mark S. Adams
New Member
Used two 5 gallon buckets of paint thinner as platforms to put a 2x12 plank on, and stood on that to . . . . .wait for it . . . . weld on a sign.
Welded 12' down one side of the sign . . . moved the set-up to the other side . . . and proceeded to weld 11' 6" on the second side . . . then my luck ran out . . . BOOM! In the hospital for about 6 months with second & third degree burns over a vast portion of my body. The only saving grace . . . my welding helmet protected my face.
Dumb, dumb, dumb . . .
Welded 12' down one side of the sign . . . moved the set-up to the other side . . . and proceeded to weld 11' 6" on the second side . . . then my luck ran out . . . BOOM! In the hospital for about 6 months with second & third degree burns over a vast portion of my body. The only saving grace . . . my welding helmet protected my face.
Dumb, dumb, dumb . . .
TheSnowman
New Member
Gino
Premium Subscriber
Some time ago, we had finished lettering a truck. The guy was coming in just a little after we closed, so I said I'd wait for him. He liked it, paid me, gave him his keys and he drove off. About 20 minutes later, I had everything wrapped up for the day and I reached in my pocket and there were no keys in there. Here, I had moved my truck out of the way to get his truck out and hung my set up with his. Did I mention this was some time ago.... like before cell phones ?? I called his phone number which was a business phone and I got an answering machine. Told him to call me the next morning, so I could come and get my keys. Called my wife, she came to the shop and gave me my, or her set of keys and I went home. No call the next morning and no answer when I called him. Turned out he had gone on vacation or a business trip for almost a week. I finally got my stuff back about a week later. I now keep extra keys well hidden around the shop for this sort of stupidness. Problem with that is... I forget where I cleverly hid these things. However, I do know where my 
is at all times !!
is at all times !!
Arlo Kalon 2.0
New Member
I remember stopping similar stupidity a long time ago at a shop I was working at. A young kid was getting ready to burn a screen. He grabbed a 5 gallon container of lacquer thinner that the spigot was open on. It sloshed out as he moved it up in front of the screen. He then sat the arc lamp on top of it, which for those of you who don't know, produces a high voltage electric arc. I pointed out to him he was just about to blow us all up if he threw the switch on the lamp. He got all red in the face and removed the lacquer thinner far away from the lamp.
signage
New Member
I think there are quite a few people who can agree to this
:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
WDP
New Member
An employee wrote up for 125 tees in white so we charged for them and they were supposed to be Chocolate. OUCH! Customer was also 3 states over. This is why we have customer fill out forms online now and we follow their instructions. As for that guy he still works here as a scrapper ordered to stay away from phones lol.
Jillbeans
New Member
Well, I have never started a fire...yet.
But I have hurt myself lots of times and ruined lots of stuff.
Pretty much everything that I do right is because I did it wrong first.
At least I learn from my mistakes every day.
Most embarassing for me was once at a sign convention, I lettered a trailer for someone.
It was an ugly-ass horrible design but I did it as best as I could.
Guy comes up starts watching me.
I b!tched about the crappy layout and how you can't polish a turd etc.
It was HIS design.
Love....Jill
But I have hurt myself lots of times and ruined lots of stuff.
Pretty much everything that I do right is because I did it wrong first.
At least I learn from my mistakes every day.
Most embarassing for me was once at a sign convention, I lettered a trailer for someone.
It was an ugly-ass horrible design but I did it as best as I could.
Guy comes up starts watching me.
I b!tched about the crappy layout and how you can't polish a turd etc.
It was HIS design.
Love....Jill
iSign
New Member
before I had my router I subbed out routed signs & on a this one very large sign, I also paid to have primed & painted, since I was so busy right then... in fact I was so busy, I kept meaning to double check my measurements because I had scaled the sign off a photo, since there were 36" doors in the photo... but I was so busy & I never double checked the measurements until after the $5000.00 worth of sub contract work was done...
and guess what... those 36" doors were set back in a foyer entryway deal, so the proposed sign on the wall that was 6 feet closer to the camera was built about 10% too large
The only good news was that I caught it before putting the 50 hours worth of work still remaining to be done on that job. I just ordered the smaller one & moved on... knowing I would have a thing of beauty to be proud of... but I wouldn't make a dime.
Besides learning not to trust interpolated measurements from a photo...
...for a guy who swears like a sailor till I'm blue in the face if I make a $50 mistake.. I learned that I actually have it in me to simply accept fate, plan the resolution & move on without that anger or feeling of desperation I used to feel... how can I get 100 times madder for a $5K mistake I asked myself... not possible, so I just didn't get mad on that one & that was probably a lesson worth paying $5K for! (not that I never blow a gasket anymore, but I know I have it in me to rise above it, so I probably rise above a lot more these days)
and guess what... those 36" doors were set back in a foyer entryway deal, so the proposed sign on the wall that was 6 feet closer to the camera was built about 10% too large
The only good news was that I caught it before putting the 50 hours worth of work still remaining to be done on that job. I just ordered the smaller one & moved on... knowing I would have a thing of beauty to be proud of... but I wouldn't make a dime.
Besides learning not to trust interpolated measurements from a photo...
...for a guy who swears like a sailor till I'm blue in the face if I make a $50 mistake.. I learned that I actually have it in me to simply accept fate, plan the resolution & move on without that anger or feeling of desperation I used to feel... how can I get 100 times madder for a $5K mistake I asked myself... not possible, so I just didn't get mad on that one & that was probably a lesson worth paying $5K for! (not that I never blow a gasket anymore, but I know I have it in me to rise above it, so I probably rise above a lot more these days)
Air Art Girl
New Member
was drilling a hole in a medal award that needed to be larger. Rep had just told me my hand should not be where it was, drill bit broke, drill went all the way thru my thumb nail and out the other side. Doah!
Healed nicely though, can't even tell it happened.
Healed nicely though, can't even tell it happened.
SignManiac
New Member
After 38 years in this business I'll let you all read the book when it gets published! I have the most expensive education in the world.