Brass Model Train Tech Support and Consulting

Welcome to Brass Model Train Tech Support and Consulting at Jeff Lemke Trains, Inc.

Our tech support and consulting services are designed to:

  1. Increase your awareness about your models;
  2. Improve your skillset when repairing and painting them;
  3. Optimize your workspace and processes to create more consistent, higher quality output;
  4. Help you to make better, more-informed buying and selling decisions;
  5. Educate you about better ways of selling your Brass Model Train collection.

Jeff's more than 40 years of working in the field of Brass Model Trains makes his industry acumen second to none. He gets right to the point by first listening to understand your needs. Then making recommendations for next steps that will increase your understanding and capabilities including making better informed go/no-go decisions about your Brass Model Train collection.

Brass Model Train Tech Support is priced at $39 per hour of phone consult.  PURCHASE HERE.

This fee-based consulting covers our time to provide you with a Brass Model Train Tech Support Service you won't find elsewhere. The process is simple. We cover a ton of ground over the phone so be prepared to take notes.

Here's how it works:

  1. You book an hour of time.
  2. We contact you through email.
  3. You respond with a list of topics you want us to address.
  4. If any part of your request is beyond our scope we'll let you know.
  5. We schedule a time that's convenient for both of us.
  6. Then we call you. If more time is required that's easy enough to add.

Please consider scheduling a Brass Model Train Tech Support call today. Especially if you have serious need to know more about any of these things...

 

Knowing Your Models

  • Differences between builders and importers
  • Best brands
  • Sources of inherent quality problems
  • Scale fidelity differences
  • Operational considerations
  • Collecting trends and fads
  • Determining scarcity and value proposition in the marketplace

 

Working on Your Models

  • Important safety considerations that most craftsmen overlook—for your safety and the safety of your Brass Model Trains.
  • Optimizing your workspace for the task at hand.
  • Must have tools and why they're worth the investment.
  • Things in your work area that negatively impact high quality results.

 

Work Area / Paint Shop Design / Custom Painting 101

  • For serious beginners and experienced modelers alike.
  • Paints, primers and final finish recommendations.
  • Airbrushes, air compressors and air line filters.
  • Spray booth choices.
  • Proper blowers, ductwork and air flow.
  • Ultrasonic cleaning.
  • Grit-blasting.
  • Paint drying ovens.
  • Proper lighting and magnification.
  • Cleanliness, organization.
  • Following a process to create consistency.
  • Indispensable accessories to have on the ready.
  • Shop safety concerns and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

 

Problem Solving for Intermediate Skilled Custom Painters

  • The top 10 things that even experienced custom painters don't know about painting Brass Model Trains
  • Examining your current processes to find the good, the bad, and the ugly
  • Solving a recent problem with the quality of your output
  • Solving a lingering quality problem
  • Determining if quality issues are anomalies or systemic process issues
  • It's how you finish that counts—so why do your finishes look unpolished?

 

Consult with other Professional Painters and Repairmen

  • You're not alone!  If you're known to us as "the pro" in the pro shop who is doing the pro work, then we are always available to help you problem solve and to increase the perceived quality of your work.
  • It never hurts to ask for a second, qualified opinion.
  • High end clients with high end models can have unique issues that require a supreme level of experience to understand, work through, and manage. Count on us to be that confidential, high-end sounding board for whatever consult you require. 

 

Selling Your Collection of Brass Model Trains

  • Learning how 80% of the value will likely come from 20% of your models.
  • Sorting out your models to correctly identify both the gems and the more common models is vitally important when evaluating a collection's worth.
  • Considerations for how not to waste your/our time on the models that few buyers want these days. This is important because there are only so many work hours in a day. Focused effort will make the most of your/our time investment.
  • Inspecting the models to determine if they even belong in the box. If you have models out of their boxes, how will you match proper model to box? Collection value plummets when models and boxes are mis-matched or improperly identified.
  • Testing models to see if they work. Models that operate as intended always bring more value from a sale.
  • Grading models to TCA standards provides potential buyers with confidence about each models current condition.
  • Inspecting the model boxes and interior foam padding is very important today. Many models have old, rotted foam that is ruining models while they rest in those boxes. We advise on proper remediation of box and foam problems.
  • Knowing your selling options, then choosing the right sales channels to use. Often, it's wise to sell some models outright while auctioning some of the others. We work with other shops and professional auction houses. If we're at capacity, we'll find a right fit for you with another trusted firm.
  • Creating a plan to get the collection inventoried, inspected and graded, then marketed. It's very much about taking a first step because nothing happens without it. 
  • Working with a company you can trust is paramount. When we know what your goals are we can help you get there. And when that's unclear for you, then we'll figure it out together.

That's it in a nutshell.

We look forward to learning more about your Brass Model Train needs.

Cheers!

Jeff Lemke