I have a friend who I occasionally do work on his mandolins. Recently he approached me and asked for a quote on stripping the nitrocellulose finish off the top of his f4 and refinishing in a blackface with f.p. I can accomplish the work without problems, but I'm curious what a "professional" (anyone who makes his living in this game) would charge for this job? I don't want to rip him off, but I also don't want to under value my own time.
Rob, until you get some familiarity with such a situation I suggest you tell the customer that you will charge at an hourly rate for the job plus materials. That is what I have done in the past and continue to do if I feel unsure about the project. If you just want a ball park price for the stripping and refin I think that here in the States such a job would be at least $500. A really nice job would be more, maybe around $750. and if you were dealing with oil varnish the job would be quite a bit more than that. You are charging for your time AND skill, so the price should reflect the final results, or vice a versa.
hehe It's expensive, but someone has to do it!
FP over black, we would charge around $1200-$1400.. that would be varnish, with polish.
M
I am somewhat appalled at the prices here...assuming we are talking just the top of the mandolin as I think Rob is suggesting. Am I missing something
Darryl G. Wolfe, The F5 Journal
www.f5journal.com
Oh! Just the top? I was talking about the whole thing.
Basically I'm only talking the top. I did the neck several years ago when I put veneer on the front and back of the head stock, installed new tuners, made up a radius fretboard with banjo frets, a pearl nut and rebuilt the adjustable bridge. I won't say what I charged for this work, as I don't want to be swamped by yanks looking for "cheap foreign labour."<G> Needless to say it was much less (and in Aus $) then either Michael's or L.V.'s quote for the refinish in blackface.
Michael's idea of the hourly rate charge plus materials is the logical choice. My big problem is that because this is a "hobby" and not my "bread-and-butter," I often take on selected outside repairs or modifications for the challenge, love of the instruments or the desire to help out a mate. Ultimately it's also based on what the local market will bear and musicians, at least around here, are always short on "kanga"($).
Thanks for the response.
I was talking about just the top.
$2,200 for a complete instrument in Varnish/polish. Randy won't refinish them anymore because he's busy, and I *am* expensive.
Did I mention I hate scraping.. I hate scraping refins 100x as much.
M
To quallify that refin, it's lacquer to varnish. The removal of the old finish, and prep is 1/2 the job, at that point.
Varnish is easy to remove cleanly, and is cheaper.
Miles
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