Who This Business Is For?

We have all seen the YouTube Videos of some guy with a tote of water applying camo to a gun. And we have all seen a custom color painted on a Glock and thought it was too cool. And, we have all seen a movie with a super cool gun and wondered how cool it would be to make our own. Well, welcome to reality - the facts are this:

• Applying camo to a gun is easy only if you are properly trained
• Custom Firearms should only be painted with Cerakote or Duracoat
• Custom guns should be left to professionals like RJF
• You never know everything about every gun - even if you own 100 of them
• A lot of parts are made in China - it is what it is - and even USA parts fail sometimes
• Budget your money - firearms will eat you alive if you do not. 
• If you want to Learn to Camo then you must first learn what NOT to do

If you want to camo a gun right now, stop reading and immediately purchase THIS KIT from our friends over at HYDRAPHICS. They have great prices and some good videos online - but no offense to them - but you will NOT have their results the first time you do it unless you have mastered a few other techniques. We will discuss that in upcoming posts.

Right now, I ask you to look at what Firearm Finishes are available on the market and see if this is something you could really see yourself doing.

Duracoat markets itself as a DIY finish but trust me - you need proper equipment to get the results a paying customer will want to see (not expensive equipment - just the right equipment).

Cerakote markets itself to military and law enforemnet style companies and consumers.

Hydraphics markets itself to the DIY "look cool" market.

However, all of these services can be used by a professional to turn out high end, durable, functional firearms. But for an end consumer - the shop they employ must be better trained than the ones that simply reference YouTube for a few minutes.

This market is tough and the secrets are well guarded. If you think - honestly - that you want to take someones firearm and add a functional yet elegant touch then this is your business. However, be prepared for red tape with FFL forms, complaints from neighboring businesses about chemical smells, and the everyday headache of dealing with the public (no offense to any of my customers).

I ask you, as a potential worker in this field - to read my blog and forget everything YouTube has ever taught you. Any relevant videos, articles, websites, etc. I will post them here and help you through your journey to become one of your areas go-to shops for firearm work.

Do not worry about your competitors reading this - everyone will eventually get their own style and own specialties thus making plenty of room in the market for professionals.

In the next post we will look at the financial burden that is "Start Up Cost" and I will go over some good ideas to look into when creating pricing and looking for a space to use.

Questions and Comments are always welcome.

Introduction: Myself, The Business, The Blog...

Myself:

My name is Ben Carpenter and I have been involved in many side projects and industries over the years. My most recent adventure was a firearms business i named Kanawha Valley Tactical. KVT was probably the most successful business venture I have been involved with to date. I currently work full time but there is still that feeling of success over KVT that keeps pulling me back. I have years of experience in various fields that have brought me to where I am. Using this experience I plan to walk each of my subscribers through Firearms Refinishing and Customization. Since I have placed it on the back-burner, I thought this would be the perfect time to share with the future of our industry.

The Business:

KVT was founded in the living room of my house after months and months of learning a few new trades. I decided, against my girlfriends better judgement, to open - promote - and operate a custom firearms company from the ground up. To all our our surprise; my local market accepted me with open arms and to this day I am thankful to all who supported me through that first year or working all the bugs out.

KVT offered many services ranging from simple gunsmith cleaning work to the "complicated" multiple layered hand painted digital camo patterns that made us stand out from the crowd. We did several restoration projects but our focus was on the "cool" guns - or yet, turning regular guns into cool guns for an affordable price.

In May 2013 I made the decision to place KVT and all its processes on hold. At this point in my/our live(s) it was more important to have free time and family time than to be consumed inside a small building covered in paint and grease. At the height of production in the shop KVT had net incomes of just over $1900 per month (that is NET - after all expenses) and a waiting list of nearly 3 weeks for a project to be completed. To this day, KVT remains on hold pending personal matters; but with hope, support, and luck - one day KVT may see the light at the end of the tunnel once more.

The Blog:

This blog is a project that I have decided to take on in order to clear my mind of everything that I know how to do - and how NOT to do. A few weeks ago I sold some left over inventory to a gentleman that owns a store about 3 hours away from me. He came to me and as a fan of my work asked if I could help him learn the trade since I was no longer active. After careful thought I took a buddy and made a trip to see the gentleman. He explained to me that he had spent HOURS upon HOURS watching YouTube, reading online, and taking to other companies and after all his work and learning he told me that he had no idea what he was doing - right or wrong. Because of this man and his honest approach I have decided to share what I know with all of you - if anyone is reading. Let me first make a quick shout out to Twisted Metal Firearms for these are the guys that I helped and in return they inspired me to share my knowledge.