Ken & Lyn Restoration Factors Supplying advice and products for more than a quarter of a century
Ken and Lyn have been supplying paint and finishing products for 25 years, so it’s about time they were celebrated. Ken is a car painter by trade, but damaged his back in 1994. ‘So, rather than spraying it, I started selling it, starting with clearing job lot of Rolls-royce paint, six barrels of Bentley racing green that we got when Bentley moved out of Crewe. I had two days to make the decision.’
That set Ken and Lyn on their journey. After that initial deal they became a route to market for end of line stock, plus clearance paint. Today, there are not many clearance lots like that around but, having become established, they started advertising in Practical Classics, quickly followed by an article written by Danny Hopkins (when he was very young) that set the phone ringing. ‘Danny wrote about the fact that we were nice people to deal with and that was it… clubs, individuals and restorers all got in touch, we haven’t looked back since. I’ll tell you, and I have calculated it,’ says Ken, ‘for every £100 I spend advertising in Practical Classics, I get £1000 back. It’s the only classic mag that can do this.’
Ken and Lyn are famously helpful on the phone. They are in business to help the enthusiast and every call is answered. ‘We are both in this for the home restorer and humans are still answering our telephones!’ says Lyn.
‘It is our USP, it makes for great customer relations and it’s good business, too.’ Detailed paint advice comes for free, and expect clear opinions as well. ‘I like to supply the right paint for the era of car. We do cellulose and twopack, and I prefer to supply two-pack for cars built after 1970, because on earlier cars, it just doesn’t look right.’
As for top tips, here is Ken’s wisdom: ‘Always use the right thinners and the best possible thinners, too, never try to cut corners. Always start your process with an etch primer, particularly if you are using more traditional paint products. Try, if you can, to do your top finishing coat in one go – and plan your entire paint process from start to finish. Finally, if you are painting at home, correctly ventilate your paint venue and, at the very least, wear an active charcoal mask, a visor and suit-up as well if you can. Remember, you must re-seal an active charcoal mask after you use it or it will cease to be active. Oh, and if you get stuck or have a question, give us a call. We are here to help!’