Work slacked off and I wondered what to do next. I was now married. One day my wife, Marion, said she had noticed in the paper under business opportunities an ad for a partner in an auto paint shop, no experience necessary. It sounded interesting so I looked into it. The owner, whose name was Jack Barber, was smooth. The price of the partnership was about $600.00, half down. I was told that we could make not less than $40.00 per week each plus profits. He had a shop full of jobs at prices ranging up to $200.00. There were several employees. Barbers excuse for selling a half interest was that he needed capital to carry on the high toned business, which I learned later he sort of fell heir to from the former owner.
I made the deal and said I was willing to learn. He put me to work cleaning grease and mud coated chassis with a putty knife and a can of gas and a wire brush. There was no steam cleaning then. After a while I graduated and was given a job of scraping rust from all over the fenders, wheels and chassis. However, I did not fail to take a keen interest in all phases of the business. It seemed to me that 10 or 15 coats of varnish, each one sanded down, were unnecessary and unprofitable. We were paying up to $40.00 per week for finishers. We also painted a lot of used cars for from $30.00 to $50.00. A good deal of work went out and I made it a point to keep records, collect bills and pay bills. One day Barber said to me "I must have some money." I replied "your are the one who said we would make at least $40.00 per week each. So far we have made nothing, and I intend to pay our bills before we take out any money." Since we both had to sign checks, he could do nothing. He got a night job as janitor in a club house or church, which gave him very little. One day a young attorney friend of mine brought in an old Model T Ford and asked what was my cheapest job. I said "$10.00 without any wheels or chassis." When Barber came in he wanted to know where that junk came from. When I told him my deal he raved, saying we had a high class shop catering to good trade. I explained that my friend's car could be painted with one coat of black paint in an hour or so, which would show more profit than some of the fancy jobs that took 3 weeks to finish. He said he or any of the painters would have nothing to do with my car. I answered "very well, I will paint it myself." I got a can of black paint from one of the boys, and a brush. He informed me that to get a good finish the enamel must be flowed on and allowed to level out. After everyone had gone home I went to work. I did not understand that after flowing on the paint the surplus runs must be picked up in the brush and wiped off. I tried to make the paint stay up. It was very late when I got through and the job did not look too hot. In the morning everyone laughed at my job. I had the last laugh when my friend got his car and sold it the next day due to the beautiful paint job.
Things were not going too well when one day I went to collect some bills from used car dealers. They told me that Barber had collected the bills and showed me his receipt. It amounted to 2 or 3 hundred dollars. I went back to the shop and jumped Barber, who admitted it, saying he wasn't going to let his family starve.
I replied that we were through, and that I would buy him out or he could buy me out. I said I would give him $100.00 plus what he had collected, or he could pay me $100.00 plus what he had collected. He said he would see his mother-in-law to try to borrow the money. This did not work so I took the business for the $100.00.
From then on I made money by eliminating the old multiple varnish system and largely substituting a new Pratt and Lambert colored enamel which I had to order directly from Chicago. This was a beautiful colored enamel which, after a car was sanded smooth, would finish the job in one coat. Furthermore it was far more durable than the old 10 coat varnish jobs which were actually very inferior, since the only coat which took the weather and wear was the final one. I was the first shop to use colored enamels, and in time nearly got a monopoly of the used car painting business. There were a limited number of colors available, but they were a good selection and there was no difficulty in satisfying the customers. When the first Model A Ford came out it was said facetiously that you could order any color you wished as long as it was black. I suggested to some of the Ford dealers that I would paint the new Fords almost any bright color they wanted. After painting a few samples, all the Ford dealers in town sent me new cars to paint in bright colors, some even in two tones. I charged about $15.00 per job and made a lot of money.