MMI Enterprises

RS came from TX and been here for two days already. Now where is my Warm Honey coming from?.. Maybe Pooh Bear got it instead... :)

If you got only a couple bays then yea. You got sump in yer place? What happened to your Hotsy? They sell them about 5 mi from my place.. p.s.... oh wait a second, your not a shop owner looking for a unit!.... To be more productive you better get more gpm version.. Landa makes good stuff, so does the Hotsy And about the 700 psi... it don't feel like much which is good for what your using it on in vehicles but I still think you want more gpm for rinse factor. That is where the ability to move through hard surface jobs comes from not the pressure..

Do I dare compare the speed at which my sample is coming to the speed at which an order will come?... j/k..good things come to those that wait..

So did they decide on a stain yet?

Whaz the matta man..you don't like Ricky Booby?? You can keep the crepes I'll take a little 'shake'.. and then a little 'bake'. Yea baby... Ricky Bobby rules!! ps. The Lady in the Water was interesting for a fantasy movie....haha. j/k.. luv lot of movies over here except for The Talented Mr. Ripley.. most boring movie of all time..

So far I'm calling the inside joist factor as 1.56.. Please tell me if this example is wrong-- 1k deck (20 deep/50 long): 50/12=600"/16" center=37.5 joist .. Now subtract 1 joist worth of the left and right outer joist (counts as outer trim face) = 36.5 joist 2x10's- 1.75+9.75?+9.75=21.25"/12=1.77' per lnft. x 20' deep joisting=35.416' x 36.5 joist= 1292.684 under/inside of front trim = 9.75/12=.8125 lnft.x 50' deck length=40.625' +another 40.625' for inner face at house=81.25 + joisting=1373.934 How much more is missing in the way of joist seperator material I do not know...but woudn't it be a few more of the 1.77lnft.x 50' = 88.5' x 3? = 265.5? +1292.684=1558.184' in joisting top deck- 1k underneith- 1k joisting- 1559' =3.56k not counting posts, railings, steps, landings, trim face

Ok..just go ahead and throw out all the portable shurflow contraptions...j/k :) Keep your shurflows attached to a lid with suction tube going down with a filter/check valve on end. Make the line going into chemical a good few feet longer than normal and rely on the weight of the filter to keep it submerged or even add a weight (you'll see why in a moment). Run about a 10 to 15' of clear hose for the outlet side of pump. Attach a barbed 3/8 male quick connect that can be hooked to whatever kind of wand you want to spray (caustic,bleach, acid, stain,etc.).. Cut a fiver in half and use it to cover the shurflow and wiring if you like.(If done correct the cut piece goes right into the main lids slotted lip and a single wing nutted bolt straight down through both holds it together).. This part is for portable close in/low volume work and is attached to a regular five gal. bucket only when you really need it or for stain or whatever you choose really.. Use a small tip angle size (my normal high pressure tip works fine 15055..up to about a 30) to achieve spray of cleaning type chems. Larger sizes will just flow the water out tip and not achieve a controllable spray pattern for this use...Seymore uses another size for stain (Unijet 500033 tip) that still works due to the smaller 3.3 orifice size... Now onto the main course! :) Have an anti-backflow type device installed at machines main High pressure outlet before the downstream position and then install high draw rate type dowstreamer (maybe like a Super Sucker) as normal. Now convert the chemical hose barb that hangs down into a 3/8 female quick connect via hosing, plumbing, or what have you. Take your shurflow lid off your portable fiver and lay it over your open chemical tank with chemical line stuck down in whatever chemical ya shooting. I am currently using a 27 gal. Tuff Box bought for $25 at Kmart. It has yellow lid with a depression perfect for the fiver lid to sit on. Is cheap but I can't do a real fixed tank cause I carry portable autoscrubbing equipment in trailer. ..So anyways, Crank open the downstreamer , hook your 3/8 male outlet from shurflow into the female chemical quick connect of the downstreamer, turn on shurflow but leave main machine off. You are now portable/low volume/straight chemical via your main high pressure hose and wand. Use same tips as before. Turn on your machine and you got chemical induction at far better rate then the downstreamer could suck on it's own. The only limit of draw rate is the sizing of shurflow gpm, the venturi sizing/ chemical barb inlet sizing, and how much water your machines rpm is pumping. Turn your machine's rpm way way down if you like to increase chemical ratios more as the shurflow just keeps on pumpin it's gpm rate into your line depending on normal downstreamer operation. You still got to use low pressure for downstreamer to allow chemical through by changing tips as usual or turning the adjuster on your dual lance. A pocket full of tips and your set for just about any job....walla!! throw out the long chem lines, throw the empty fiver in the back of the truck and let it wait for its fill of stain or whatever your too scared to put through your main line. This may not fully work for the shurflows with the pressure sensing switch built in. (let us know) I'll probably double wire my shurflow to work manually when machine is off and then automatically on off when I want it to via trigger pull when machine is on. One direct circuit to power source with an on/off switch inline will handle manual and another circuit with an on/off switch into my pressure switch (?) may handle the automatic. Don't want to burn it up by having it running all the time so something has to be worked out other than walking back to rig after spraying..Although that is not nearly as intrusive as all the lugging around of the portable fiver setup. I worked on and tested this all out with my 5gpm machine all day Sat. but of course can't say it will work for you.. Basically it is about same as what the Allison Iron Horse chemical injection system does but with your existing equipment....sorry guys.. :)

I imagine the Iron Horse can be used for many chems same as the flojet/shurflows... The various flojet/shurflow type pumps that can handle all sorts of chemicals will never go obsolete. They are the bread and butter of the specialized aspects of this and many other industry. Maybe you miss the point or concept of DIY with what you already have.... What I actually have under the cover of my setup is a 2000 series flojet harvested out of a commercial carpet cleaning machine and I got another wanting to go in there next to it as backup or for more flow. Anyone having info on how well that works.. please speak up..

psst..btw, I not really using shurflow pump. I got a gas motor under that hood...lol :)

I have a 20", a 20" auto, and a 32" auto. Been using very openweaved 3m Hipro for stripping inside vinyl for about 20 years. Haven't tried dry on wood though. Also use the round sand screens (at HD) for floor machines on vinyl,concrete,and interior wood floors. I would question them working on decks though. I think they would rip apart in nothing flat. On the Osborne... Not sure if it is round or square bristles but Osh (Orchard ) has them way cheaper then what I hearing here...

Well then hey folks, what do you sell them on?... Am thinking brighten and RS, or full on strip, sand, prime, solid stain on bottom with semi on top. The PITA part must be if there is old coatings under there they don't like to come off near as easy as up above in the weather and sunlight.

Suppose that why I am a decent salesman. I do end up delivering the goods though. :)

I try to be informative of what is going on or what can be done... For instance... In the following pics of my injection setup you'll note that I run female out of my machine to a male of the injector that way if injector gets clogged and I'm in a hurry I can remove in a jiff and still go straight to my high pressure hose. If case be that your downstreamer don't allow chems in from shurflow while running straight chemicals with machine off or the flow is simply too low then a female to female quik connect can be used to bipass the chem inlet restriction point of the downstreamer also. (male quik of clear bucket sprayer hose>f/f>high pressure hose reel) I run 110 pump. Note that my on/off switch has a built in light telling me visually while my machine is running that I do indeed have power to the shurflow. Ground fault should be installed to be safe. If you run 12volt I suggest using the Beldin type quik connects(Napa carries). The cut bucket used for a cover of the lid sprayer is 7.75" and done with jigsaw and the power cord has it's own rubber bulkhead screwed down to the lid to where it can't pull out and mess up the wiring. Tieing a knot in cord will serve same purpose. Another thing of note about this setup is that I use rope tied around top cover and to the rope fashioned handle to do 3 things at once. It keeps the cover for the lid on without a bolt, it keeps the rope handle in place for when top heavyness comes to play.(after chem is sprayed the setup is top heavy), and then the 3rd thing it does is it keeps the lid/pump part portable to where I can throw just the lid sprayer part on top my main chem tank......sorry for the long windedness Ken :)

Sorry how long that was...just plug shurflow into downstreamer with quik connects . :)

It maybe handy but it aint pretty (yet) so I never been around to take pics after rebuild... I have it crammed in front of trailer with a couple floor machines I run out the back..Is like an ugly kid that gets chained up in a closet...lol.. I take it out to service it or to save weight when doing long distance interior floor jobs or going up the Sierra Mountains.

True true on the depreciation . Think he means that huge chunk of cash lost the moment it is driven off lot. Jeff if your not mechanical and you want new then I see two options. Ford (the more expensive option) has real low interest rate incentives right now. Or better yet just go snag an 06 Dodge 1500 Quad Ram before they all gone. You can get them dirt cheap for less then 17k with 12k off a 29k msrp. Can't beat it considering 7 yr/70k mi powertrain warranty. Heck you don't even have to have a Hemi in it for around town with heavy trailering. Fit all your guys in too if that the way you work it.

Irony has it that I heard on radio just the other night something about a new EPA push for an attempt to get new voc limitations in respect to stains into effect by 2009. Sorry no link or info beyond that though.

First off..My copy of the deck calculator doesn't seem to work correctly in carrying over the main sq. ft. formula results when used in Open Office software? ...Anyone got a tweaked tested version or something better for me I can use temporarily?.. Think the one I got came by way of Reed... A version that can easiliy be hooked into a.dot or .odt template format would really be good too... At some point the creating of inventory items in my accounting software (peachtree) is going to be the best end way of both estimating andthen quoting customers. Only problem is that I would have to form design new quotes and new invoices specific to wood that will total and display the amounts in an understandable way on screen for me internally and then with slightly less info for customers use in printed form. Probably take the better part of a week to do it correctly but once it is done.. the billing and tracking of jobs and their customers will become real fast and almost automatic. Currently all my inventory items are not wood related and they have to be selected one by one in a line item type way while a quote or invoice is being made specific to a customer. Once multiple items are placed it can then be saved in memory for repeat customers but they are almost useless when considering workingon new customer estimates and quotes. I am not about to be able to remember all the measured items to be placed line by line so gotta be working off a form that asks for input. If anyone understands what I am saying to this point and currently actually uses their accounting software for both estimating and invoicing together I would also be real interested in discussing how or if your able to easily export the documents into existing bid package documents like within Word or Open Office. Currently I print the quote or invoice to MS Document Imaging and then combine manually with other documents of my bid package before either mailing or sending to a fax printer or email for commercial customers. The combining them into full on .dot or .odt contract packages is pure PITA!!

umm... not sure what the designer intentioned or if it is all correct yet on the spindles and fascia stuff but on a 20x10 deck with approx. 10+20+10 amount of railing I put in 40 under railing Length and then 6 under Size and it seems to work. Under the column Size...size means linear feet apparently so you put in whatever factor you want to use. ....I have two versions of the same calculator that are almost the same. One wasn't transfering figures over correct and already had figures in the spindles, posts, joist sections. That was Mike Hughes version and must not be in a template format that my Open Office reads correctly. The other version I am unsure if it has been posted up or offered in the open forum so maybe if yea ask yea shall receive it from him..don't know.. :)

Ok...the deck calculator is workin for me thanx to a replacement copy. ..Thank you woodie!! Anyone else got anything in way of software, templates, or idears?

Anyone got a good pic of Omax cedar?

Michael, ..meant .30, plus cleaning (your .08), plus stain cost. You actually got to charge more though since that product really wants 2 coats. And you might like to sell them on the top seal that Sherwin recommends also as apparently the Shield Plus info implies it needs sealer over it....(already has silicone in it though so probably no need) I'de throw on 2 more cents per coat in labor however many coats you were to end up doing beyond the initial single coat of stain. Since this is commercial and large it might be wise to realize they'll likely pass without a real competative rate. You really want them to sign on for the whole job before you clean it though...They may end up thinking that it looks swell enough after cleaning and their goes the money on the table. Ken, I would think it's at least 75% if not same amount of work as a deck of same size. Could be considered more work in comparision to wood work being that much of a 14k deck measurement would often be tied up in railings,or other multi faceted surfaces that don't demand as much of a walk to work on. 14k spread out flat is just plain work anyway you consider it. He's got to powerwash it, etch it, do one to two coat stain, and perhaps a coat of sealer. It'll take him 2 to 4 days perhaps more.

With commercial payables coming in upto 90 days out, and on the fly invoicing of route customers on a pay out basis there is no way I can keep track without dedicated software I been using for the accounting side. Dedicated spreadsheet for estimating is almost not worthy less I can easily get it into my existing setup. Would really like to do my quoting on the spot out of the truck with a note book printer but not quite there yet. I always preprint invoices or send them after via mail or fax for non payout type customers.With the dedicated excel deck calculater I suppose I can taylor it and print off it for on the spot quotes and then re-enter info again into the other softwares.. Still sounds PITA though.

Yea that method is suitable for many so it seems and the accounting softwares use same methods but with their own internal databases. Once I got spoiled with them years back I got owned by them in basic trems and now not know enough with the basic spreadsheet/database usage to do it from scratch. I really only use my Open Office these days for word processing and templating. The error I am getting with the deck calculator should be easiliy fixable but the underlying cell formulas are almost greek to me at this point of dependancy... I'll keep discretion if someone has something for me.. :)

Yea, looks real hot and better than many new jobs. I'll be going with that product and color for sure... You sales people feel free to quote me some real sweet pricing out here to a West Sac dock...ok?..thanx :)