Laser_ProtectMask_5900 vs. Laserbits LiquaMASK

[Steve Clarkson]

So I wanted to try out a liquid mask that people had been discussing on here in other threads.

LaserBits sells a gallon for $120 and someone else suggested that General Chemical had something similar (http://generalchemicalcorp.mybigcomm...Mask_5900.html) for $60 gallon.

Mike Fruciano, from Laserbits, replied once in a thread on here when asked if they were similar products:

"If a Ferrari is like a Toyota, then yes they are similar. The best form of flattery is to have someone copy your words and make them theirs."


So I contacted General Chemical and asked how their product compared to Laserbits product......their reply was that they are the same product.......Laserbits is one of their distributors.

So I purchased a gallon off of General Chemicals e-commerce website yesterday. Today my money was refunded. When I called to ask why, I was told that they would not sell to me directly, that I had to buy it from Laserbits.

No thanks.......I don't need to try that badly.

[Mark Sipes]

Strange I don't see anything on their website that states they only sell to their distributors. Pay with credit card and fill out credit terms.

[Steve Clarkson]

I did pay with a credit card yesterday.......even got a confirmation e-mail that the transaction was completed........then today, I received another e-mail that the status had changed and that my money was refunded.

[Gary Hair]

Mike Fruciano, from Laserbits, replied once in a thread on here when asked if they were similar products:

"If a Ferrari is like a Toyota, then yes they are similar. The best form of flattery is to have someone copy your words and make them theirs."


So I contacted General Chemical and asked how their product compared to Laserbits product......their reply was that they are the same product.......Laserbits is one of their distributors.

And vendors wonder why we distrust them...

[Mark Sipes]

When would you apply this material....under what conditions........why? thanks

[Glen Monaghan]

Looks like they make a variety of other liquid masks for acrylic, marble, etc., several for even less money than the "laser" mask. Wouldn't surprise me if they are same/very similar/close enough formulations and might work just as well for less money. Strange that they'd list the laser mask if they'll only sell it to Laserbits, but maybe they'd sell you one of the others such as the acrylic mask...

FWIW I bought a quart of the Laserbits product last year, I think it was about $20 on special sale, and finally got around to trying it on a fairly intricate engraving. Very thick and viscous from the bottle. I was worried because it was so uneven looking when I brushed it on and it didn't look like it responded well to rebrushing, but an hour later it had evened out quite nicely. It lasered well and large contiguous areas peeled off easily, while I removed the small, disjoint areas by soaking in water a few minutes and then rubbing/washing away the residue. Worked well enough, but the prep time (particularly drying) is a lot longer than taping, while cleanup time is a bit less if your tape doesn't soak or cleanly rub off and you have to weed all the little bits individually.

[Mark Sipes]

I guess the venturist could shell out the 19.95 for a pint from LaserBits to try it out. Always looking for new materials to make the job easier.

[Mike Null]

I would be inclined to go to a hobby/art supply store and buy a small bottle of liquid frisket first.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/ArtSchool/W...ngfrisket.html

[Martin Boekers]

Steve try calling them again, but ask for a distributer close to you, or even a list of them.
I'll bet one sells them less than LaserBits, as different markets have different pricing structures.

Marty

[Steve Clarkson]

I'm just dumbfounded by this situation.

I found a different General Chemical distributor earlier today......one that also sells a gallon for $60......he was very happy to take my order. However, he doesn't stock the stuff, so he contacted General Chemical to have them drop ship it to me. Well........late this afternoon, I get a phone call from the new distributor advising me that General Chemical will only ship the stuff to me......IF.......I contact the Sawmill Creek administrator and ask them to delete this thread!!!!!!

Are you kidding me? Obviously, someone is reading this thread and I'm sure it isn't someone from General Chemical.

Don't these people know that if I REALLY wanted a gallon of this stuff that I could have my brother in Tennessee or my sister in Iowa or any of the people on here who have offered......just buy it for me?

This is akin to a "distributor" contacting Rowmark and telling them that Johnson's Plastics, or Delvies, or any other company that sells Rowmark.......can't sell to me because I once bought something from them and now I am their "captive" customer.

Is your reputation really worth 60 bucks?

[Martin Boekers]

Steve WoW and WoW! If General Chemical is doing something that is wrong (legal or illegal) it makes
no sense that they WILL ship to you if you "pull your weight" and get this thread deleted. Seems
they could acomplish that on their own and not ship it to you. If find this stuff happens in many areas.
Take masking for example, we use little quantities and for a specialty, so they charge us lots, sign and vinyl shops
use lots and it's standard product. It's cheaper to buy from those vendors than an awards vendor. (opps, maybe
I shouldn't have said that SMC gets around!

[Steve Busey]

I'm just dumbfounded by this situation.
...
Is your reputation really worth 60 bucks?

David Bowie phrased it well: "Dumbfounded with amazement which brodered upon stupefication!"

I wonder if Mike F knows about this thread - he hasn't logged in since the end of Feb.

[Lee DeRaud]

David Bowie phrased it well: "Dumbfounded with amazement which bordered upon stupefication!"

David Hemmings actually, narrating Rick Wakeman's "Journey to the Center of the Earth", presumably (translated) from Verne's text.

But yeah, any stupification in this situation is probably on the part of Laserbits.

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

Hmmm. As I type this note, there are 63,063 members signed up on SMC. Not only will General Chemical need to go through that list to see if any of those members (i.e. potential customers) should purchase their mask from Laserbits, but they'll also need to verify if any friends or family of members of SMC are trying to purchase the mask from General Chemical or their other distributors. Then of course there are the thousands of lurkers who never even post on SMC who could be potential customers of either General Chemical or Laserbits. I guess that means General Chemical can't sell their Laser Protect Mask 5900 at all.

[Neil Pabia]

If their customer service is dealing with things in this manner I may not want anything to do with this company. So GC, if you are reading this, speak up and lets hear your side.