Tools USA Blog

BODY SHOP HAZARDS: MIXING PAINT

Body shop hazards exist in every body shop. When body shops paint vehicles, the workers have to use a paint mixing station to get specific colors. There are many different types of chemicals present in materials such as primers, sealants, catalysts, hardeners, additives, pigments, solvents, and isocyanates (highly reactive, low molecular weight chemicals). Most of these substances are toxic, and exposure to them can be hazardous to health. Isocyanates are the leading cause of occupational asthma in the United States.

According to OSHA, workers in auto body shops are exposed to a variety of chemical and physical hazards. Chemical hazards may include paints, fillers and solvents from spray painting operations; silica from sandblasting operations; dusts from sanding; and metal fumes from welding and cutting. Continue reading BODY SHOP HAZARDS: MIXING PAINT

How-to: 5 TIPS ON A SUCCESSFUL PRODUCT RETURN

5 TIPS ON A SUCCESSFUL RETURN We want you to LOVE your purchase from us. But, we understand things happen and you may need to make a return. As long as it is an unused stock item, still in the original packaging, you have 30 days of purchase to return it to us. There is a 20% restocking fee & you must pay the freight. All returns must be authorized prior to shipping. Contact our customer service department for instructions.

Custom items can not be returned.

To make it as easy as possible, here are 5 tips on a successful return.

STEP ONE: Contact Customer Service

It’s important we know what your returning and why. We need to issue you a return authorization (RA Number) so that our receiving department will sign for it and know what it is when it appears on our docks. No credit will be given on unauthorized returns.

STEP TWO: Make sure your item is properly packaged up to prevent damage on the return shipment.

STEP THREE: Make sure your return is properly labeled.

We will provide a call tag (via email, fax or mail) and assist in scheduling a pick-up for the freight company to pick up the equipment. Once you receive call tag/pick up label, place on the package for return.

*UPS label (Drop off at any local UPS branch)
*Pick up label (wait for pick up by trucking company)

STEP FOUR: Item is returned back to warehouse and the equipment is inspected once received. If we find that the equipment is damaged, or is not being returned for the reason the RA was issued, we will contact you. This could affect your refund. If you item is not used, damaged or otherwise unusable… then …

STEP FIVE: Your return is processed and your credit is issued.

To read our full Term & Conditions on Returns or Exchanges, click here.

ROTARY SCREW COMPRESSOR OR RECIPROCATING COMPRESSOR

ROTARY SCREW COMPRESSOR OR RECIPROCATING COMPRESSOR: WHICH ONE’S RIGHT FOR YOU?
By: Julie Surprenant, Sales

Compressed air supplies power for many different manufacturing operations and is often preferred to electricity because it is safer and more convenient. The basic compressor converts electric, gas or diesel engine power into kinetic energy by pressurizing and compressing air. The air is then released in short bursts.

In the automotive field alone, compressed air is speeding up processes and body shops are relying on it for their daily operations. Auto body shops utilize compressed air for fast tire inflation and finishing services, such as painting. Vehicles are given precision paint jobs in shorter amounts of time with paint spray guns. Additionally, most of the hand tools found in auto body shops run on compressed air. In vehicle repair shops, air compressors are a necessity for plasma cutting and welding operations as well as drills, screwdrivers, nutrunner sockets, fasteners, and sanders.

I have sold a lot of compressors recently and I am always asked why one is better than another. What’s the difference between a rotary screw compressor and a reciprocating air compressor?

Rotary screw compressors, like these from Tools USA, tend to be compact and are the right choice for you if your application requires air all day or has multiple shifts that use air on a consistent basis. It has the ability to run all day, every day.

Rotary screw compressors are perfect where large volumes of high pressure air are needed. For example, large industrial applications or to operate high-power air tools such as jackhammers. Applications above 30 hp and for air up to 150 psig.

According Plant Engineering, a rotary screw compressor, if well-maintained, can provide a decade of dependable service. This type of compressor, that operates above 30 horse power, also has the ability to tell you when the oil is low and indicate oil change intervals based on operating temperatures. This will increase reliability and longevity for your compressor. The rotary screw compressor has lower costs to maintain, and cost less to purchase.

A reciprocating air compressor, or piston compressor, is a low horsepower compressor for applications where reliability is vital. Reciprocating compressors are best for applications that require air for shorter durations of time and have breaks between uses. The reciprocating compressors cost more, are louder to use, but more energy efficient. Energy costs are reduced by as much as 20%!

If you know you will be relying on your new compressor for daily use, Industrial Gold recommends you consider a form of backup compressor. As compressors are mechanical devices, they will need to be serviced and repaired over time. When installing a new system, look at your air needs and make sure you have a backup that will be able to handle at least 50% of your usage. This will enable you to continue working while the main compressor is being maintained or serviced.

Tools USA sells a wide variety of compressors, both vertical and horizontal… rotary screw and reciprocating. We proudly sell a full-line from Industrial Gold and have all the specs and models available on our site. Give us a call with any questions. We would love to help you decide which compressor is best for you!

Change is coming with aluminum alloy body … we’re getting ready.

The new pickups from FORD feature a high-strength, aluminum alloy body and bed can reduce the weight of that vehicle up to 700 lbs.! It has also increased mileage and towing-hauling capacity. Body shops will need to prepare for new challenges that aluminum body repair work will entail. At the top of the preparation list is the proper handling of messy and potentially explosive airborne dust caused by grinding or sanding of the aluminum panels.

The aluminum body revolution is a body shop industry game changer, and thoughts are, its impact will only increase in the years ahead. General Motors has already given notice that its new Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups will feature weight-saving aluminum bodies by the fall of 2018.

By 2025, “Seven out of 10 new pickup trucks produced in North America will be aluminum-bodied” and “every leading automaker will have several aluminum body and closure panel programs,” according to a 2015 North American Light Vehicle Aluminum Content Study by Ducker Worldwide, a premier consulting and research firm.
To meet the coming demand, body shops will need to adapt to the challenges of working with aluminum with dedicated tools, equipment, and proper training. Failing to do so may mean missing out on one of the fastest growing markets in the next decade.
Ford, for its part, is at the forefront of setting the guidelines and requirements for working with aluminum bodied vehicles for both Ford dealership and independent body shops. Stay tuned as we at Standard Tools and Equipment address the full range of aluminum issues: from isolating aluminum vehicles from traditional steel repairs with a separate room or curtain system to dealing with aluminum dust to dedicated aluminum welding, and dent removal systems.
We’re preparing now because we want to be ready for the opportunity to help equip our customers with safe, quality, cost effective solutions in this arena. Tools USA has booth products available for aluminum prep work and painting. Give us a call.

Protect Your Investment: Paint Booth Protective Film

Paint Booth Protective Film

A customer sent us a photo of their booth, which looked like one they ordered recently. The walls were a beautiful white and the filters had been recently changed. The floor in the booth was also a beautiful grey with little residue of paint or over-spray. I was shocked to hear that this booth was 10 years old, used every day….. and still looked this great!

I had to know what the booth owner was doing to keep his booth so nice. His answer was paint booth protective film, ordered from ToolsUSA.

When protective films are used on the walls, floors and lighting glass in your booth, they protect the surface, while being able to easily be replaced. You can easily get more out of your paint booth, while reducing the booth maintenance and improving the booth brightness.

ToolsUSA is an exclusive distributor of RBL Products, who manufacture protective film for the spray booth’s walls, floors and light boxes. It eliminates the time-consuming task of cleaning of your paint booth floors, walls and glass. Just use the film, and replace every 60-90 days to keep your paint booth looking brand new.

The floor film is a clear heavy-duty protective film to keep floors clean. It is easy to apply and comes on a reverse wound roll with the adhesive to the outside that enables easy layout of the film to the floor.

Dry, non-skid surface
Film resists temperatures up to 200⁰ F which is great for booths with an air make-up unit.
Eliminates cleaning the floors with chemicals
Resists tears, punctures and disintegration
Replace every 60-90 days

The wall film comes in a clear, non-yellowing film and applies directly over booth walls and doors.

Durable puncture resistant plastic film with UV inhibitor.
Self-adhering film leaves no adhesive transfer.
Easy to apply. Easy to cut film with SNIPPET KNIFE or razor blade.
Remove when desired and apply new film.
Film resists heat up to 200°F (93.3°C).
Preserves booth lighting without distortion or deflection

The self-adhering light box glass film covers light box glass. The adhesive is designed for glass only, not recommended for booth walls.

Eliminates the labored cleaning method of glass cleaner, razor blades and rags.
Temperature resistance up to 200°F (93.3°C).
Fast, accurate and economical!
Preserves booth lighting without distortion or deflection
At end point, tear at perforation or if between perforations, cut with razor blade or SNIPPET Knife

Whether you are awaiting your new paint booth to arrive, or have an older booth you want to protect, check out the adhesive films from ToolsUSA.

CALLING ALL CUSTOMERS… WE WANT YOUR … PHOTOS

I have heard the phrase imitation is the sincerest form of flattery many times throughout my life thus far. Today, I spoke with a new customer, who had reached out to us for pricing on a new spray booth for his growing business. He mentioned in our conversation that he had a buddy down the road who bought one from us years ago and was thrilled with it. Based on this word-of-mouth testimony from one buddy to another, this guy did not even bother to look anywhere else … he just picked up the phone and called us. Word-of-mouth is a pretty sincere form of flattery too…. and we want more of it. Read on to see how you can help.

Testimonials are the best form of advertising to us at Standard Tools. What better way to decide on what product to buy than to read how much others love it? Now, I understand that price plays a big role in a person’s decision when it comes to buying equipment… but if your buddy has one and he is thrilled with it… is price alone really the deciding factor? Something to think about anyway.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and testimonials are the best form of promotion, then a product photo of the equipment in use in a shop are the best way for us to show off our products. Who doesn’t love to see some equipment being used? (Most of the time, the photos also have some pretty cool cars to show off as well).

If you have a piece of our equipment in your shop and you want to share a photo with us, along with a brief testimonial, we would love for you to send it our way so we can share on our social media sites!

If your photo is used, we will send you a great big thank you and a little surprise for giving us your time, testimonial and photo. So, if you have a paint booth, automotive lift, frame machine or tire equipment … send it to us.

Here are the details to include in your email to Katm@standardtool.com

Subject Line: Customer Testimonial

Your Name and Business Name
Your City and State
Product You Have?
What do you use it for?
Why Do You Like It?
Would You Recommend it? Why or Why Not?

Please make sure that any junk or trash is removed prior to taking the photo, it helps make a better photo. That’s it!

What does our Customer Care Team have in Common?

At Tools USA we have an awesome Customer Care Team (CC Team). On hand to help you with your purchase, before, during and after the sale. They are there to answer your questions, find solutions for your shop and make sure you know what you need to know to make a smart and informed choice. We know that you can buy from several places: eBay stores, amazon or Craig’s list. We offer a higher level of service and a happier customer.

What all of our customer service members have in common:

PATIENCE- What an important tool when a customer may be confused or frustrated. The extra time that is taken to help the customer figure out what they want or need makes the difference in whether or not that customer will order from us again. From our CC Team Member Gina, “I always focus on the person, not the issue, to make them feel important and that they have my undivided attention for whatever they may need.”

KNOWLEDGE- Knowledge is important. Each member of our team know the in’s and out’s of how our products work in the same manner that our customer uses our products every day. With many of our members working here for over 10 years, our CC Team has decades of combined experience in our products, the customers we serve and the industry we love. From our CC Team, “We have the most knowledgeable staff in the industry. I feel like our customers have such an advantage in the market because they have a team behind them to help them select the right equipment to succeed.” Let us share our experiences with you and help you find the perfect product for you needs.

SOLUTION-ORIENTED- A unique personality trait of everyone on our CC Team is their ability to stay focused on solutions. Weather it’s an issue that needs a solution, or a shop who doesn’t have the room for a paint booth, or the auto repair shop that needs a lift. We keep our focus on our customer’s satisfaction and try everything in our power to find solutions and answers for them. We want our customers to feel that we are right beside them, to help and guide them through quality products, knowledgeable sales team and the desire to grow both our business and theirs.

Our Mission Statement: Delivering Excellence to the Automotive and Painting Industries. Every Product. Every Customer. Every Day.

Our Customer Care Team Members are the backbone of our company. Give Gina, Jennifer, Rosie, Kelly, Mark, Zach, Andy, Heather or Ryan a call at 800-451-2425! We love them all and know you will too!

Air Compressors

Compressed air may not sound very important to most people but it is life’s blood of a collision repair facility due to the fact that most of the tools that are used to repair, paint and finish a vehicle are powered by compressed air. Many shops have more technicians than their compressor can supply which causes delays and lost productivity. Higher end shops are leaning toward the Rotary Screw Compressors due to the higher duty cycles.

When deciding on a new compressor for your shop you can use a simple formula to calculate the required CFM (cubic feet per minute). Collision Repair Facilities will need 8 CFM per Technician and Automotive Repair Facilities will require 5 CFM per Tech. Some shops may require more or less air so this should be considered as a guideline.

It is also a good idea to run more than one compressor so that your shop could operate on a limited capacity rather come to a full stop if you happen encounter compressor problems.

Need an Air Compressor? Check out ToolsUSA’s full line of compressors here.

Infrared Curing Lamps -Plug It In & Get To Work

Infrared curing lamps are a cost effective way to speed up the process of drying or curing most air-dry coatings. Infrared curing technology has been used by auto body repair professionals for a long time. The vast majority of infrared curing lamps are using short-wave infrared lamps to speed up the drying process of putties, fillers, primers, base coats and clear coats.

Why do auto body repair professionals use infrared lights?

–          Accelerated drying times of all painting materials
–          No need to use spray booth for smaller jobs
–          Lower energy bills
–          Mobility of infrared lamps allows more efficient exploitation of body shop space

Infrared’s main focuses is exceptional speed, high efficiency, precision control and zero emissions. Infrared heat dries one-quarter to one-tenth the time needed when air-drying finishes. It also requires little to no air-flow reducing the possibility of dust or debris contaminating the finish. The heat is more cost efficient than convection heat since it reduces cycle times, transfers heat directly to your product and doesn’t require an expensive enclosure like an oven to keep and recirculate the heat. These heat lamps generate zero emissions and will not pollute the air.

So…plug in your lamp and speed up your work times!
If you paint and cure full vehicles often, you should consider the benefits of a paint booth.

Collision Repair Technology Degree

Did you know that you could earn an Associate degree in auto body repair?

With so many skilled trades falling by the wayside in our country, it is truly refreshing to know that some things will always be done by the hand of another competent human being. Competent that is, if they are trained properly. I was pleased recently when I heard that a local community college in our part of the country was expanding its program for auto body repair training. It has recently changed from Auto Body to Collision Repair Technology, Associate of Applied Science. Now I know, that sounds kind of fancy, but it is a great program to help young people learn a skill that pays well and provides an immediate self-satisfaction opportunity. A quick Google search and I was surprised by how many colleges are offering education in this skilled field.

The Collision Repair & Refinishing Technology curriculum provides training in the use of equipment and materials in the auto body repair trade. As a student, you learn structural repair, non-structural repair, mechanical & electrical repair and painting & refinishing. At the completion of the program, you should be able to:

Perform structural analysis and damage repairs
Perform non-structural analysis and damage repairs
Refinish vehicles or vehicle components
Read repair estimates
Write repair estimates
Repair plastics and adhesives
Replace vehicle components

These skills set you up for a successful career in a variety of areas:

Franchised independent garages
Dealerships
Race teams
Truck companies
Glass shops
Boat shops
Start your own business

If this sounds like an opportunity you would like to take advantage of then look to your local community college for similar opportunities. Please contact us if we can help equip you with the necessary trade tools and equipment to be successful in this field.

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