Brunswick centennial restoration

realkingcobra said:
Having the skills, and having the time to do this level of work don't always match up. By that I mean that in order for Mark to do this level of craftsmanship he has to sacrifice the time doing other things in order to stay on ONE job like this to achieve this kind of end results...and I don't know of anyone in this industry today that is willing to do that, I'm not saying that someone couldn't do this level of work, I'm just saying I don't know who that someone might be.

You don't get rich doing this level of work, it's more passion than anything else, the money never equals the amount of effort, time, or patience invested....while still trying to make a living....EVER!

You go into this work blind, because you don't really see what's coming your way with each project, and you don't get your vision back until after you've already jumped off the diving board and then realize...the edge of the pool is sooooo faaaar away, and start thinking to yourself..."why in the hell am I doing this"...and "I should have never agreed to fixing up this piece of shit"...along with a lot more choice words only meant for you to hear, but....you don't give up, you don't back away, you MAY take longer that what it really would have taken....if you had the RIGHT shop with ROOM to work, and MORE tools that would make the job easier....BUT...that don't exist at the time....so, head down, horns upward...charge forward, because you keep telling yourself...I CAN DO THIS, AND I HAVE NEVER LOST TO A POOL TABLE YET, AND I'M NOT STARTING NOW!!!

Then, as your project nears it's finish line....you run into your own worst enemy, that critic from hell....YOURSELF!!! And you start telling yourself....I don't like the way that finish looks on the rails...NO ONE ON EARTH WOULD HAVE SEEN OR SAID THE SAME....but you see it, and you think once, then look again...think again....THEN HOLLY SHIT, YOU START TAKING THE FINISH OFF THEM BEAUTIFUL RAILS....only to do them all over again...and again...and again....until one time when you're done....you look back at your end results and stare in wonder....DAMN THAT LOOKS BEAUTIFUL....DID I DO THAT...LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE ELSE DID THAT....NO, I SEE IT...I KNOW I DID THAT....I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE I COULD MAKE A SET OF RAILS THAT LOOK LIKE THAT....and you could stand there and admire the out come for the rest of the day...but, now comes the HARD part of the job....letting go, because now you have to deliver that beautiful work of YOUR art to someone that MIGHT not see it as YOU do, but you're done and it's time to go.

So now you have to come up with the money to deliver and set up that beauty, so now you have to go out and rob Peter to pay Paul....meaning you have to go do some side work to come up with the money to finish delivering that beauty....because you already blew though that months ago trying to keep your head above water while you were working on that beauty...or you'd never have had the time to work on it...if you took on them side jobs while trying to work on that BEAUTY!

It's called SACRIFICE, that's what it takes to do the level of work that MARK GREGORY does, because everything in life has a price, even the air you breath, you may not see the price up front...but you'll see it sooner or later, because it's NOT going to go away.

NO ONE can do this level of work with out being willing to SACRIFICE what ever it takes to get this kind of a job done, and I just don't know anyone willing to sacrifice that much...to play at this level.

So, when some of you out there want to compare Mark and myself against each other as master table mechanic's....or as I prefer Billiard Technician's....you'd have to find a level playing ground to have us compete, and I for one don't have the time, space, or will to sacrifice that much of my life to compete on this level, but please do keep in mind there's multi levels to this line of business, a whole lot of levels, but only a few needles in the haystack....and trust me when I tell you this...MARK has found his needle in the haystack, and he should and will...stick to what he does BEST!!

I for one, am not interested in entertaining the peanut gallery. Mark is on a different level to me, and I'm for sure on a different level to Mark....but we BOTH make things happen in this industry!

GREAT JOB MARK, YOU'RE THE BEST

Glen, the "Realkingcobra"
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Man...NOW THAT HAD TO BE PAINFUL...LMAO
All jokes aside....your a big part of why I'm doing this kind of work.....no you didn't teach me......we together had a lot of idea's......But I was getting burned out with pool tables when I met you......and you helped bleed new blood in me.

Glen.....your the reason people started on the talk to a mechanic......you changed the way people see pool tables....and what they expect of a table today.

You helped so many mechanic's.....as I have helped...Brian White bought the DVD you and Jay made....watched it 200 times.....now he does cloth work with and for me.....and this guy never worked on a pool table until 8 months ago. His cloth work is real good......

I see Donnie....Jack....and Zack's cloth work in pics they have posted......who could do any better work.......and some others that you helped so much.

We didn't have the luxury of master mechanic's showing us the way......I still remember the tack and magnetic tack hammer days....trying to put army-navy blanket cloth on my brunswick when I was 15.....I learned some new words that day.....LMAO
Glen your a tremendous help to this industry......you just need to understand....not everyone walks in your shoes.....nor would they ever care to.......so when the shit hits the fan.......don't turn it on high speed....bow out and help people understand....the kind of work we do....makes us no money....hell when I'm in the shop...and nothings going right......you know how many times I say to myself......man i'm doing this shit for x amount and I used to play one game of pool that took 8 seconds for twice as much..

But reality hits....and you go back to work.....you were here at the house....I might do the rails 5 times before I say.....OK that looks good......and that comes out of my pocket for all the materials that I really did need to waste in the first place........with guy's like you and I....its not about the money.

For you it's helping other mechanic learn the best ways....for me it's about....let me think....it's about......hell I have no Idea.....maybe the bills are due and the dogs need dog food....cause I sure as hell never find any money in my pockets.....LMAO

Look at the kind of work you and I have turned out over the last few years....just talking over the phone about table work.....imagine if we worked together in a real shop......look what I turn out in a 2 car garage.
But I use the best materials and tools available.

Thanks for the complements .....pass a few around to others....that makes everyone feel better.

Mark Gregory
 
Great Restoration!

Mark,

Amazing....

The attention to detail is spot on, you even detailed the factory markings on the bottom of rails, wow!

It's great to see these classic tables Centennial and Anniversary are being restored to there original beauty, keep up that great work.


Regards,

Joe Gregory
 
Ok champ

realkingcobra said:
That comment was really out of line, as Mark is at the top of his game rebuilding pool tables that come his way. No one can take anything away from him, he is truly a craftsman in this trade, if you spent some time in this line of work as Mark and I have you'd know that, and what it takes to be at this level:rolleyes:
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Blah blah blah
Lighten up Mr.
Its not like you are the best brain surgeon in the country. My grandfather would spot you the 6 with anything involving wood.

My GC 1 plays perfectly....I did everything but level it. Complete overhaul, new rubber, built out the subrails to 4 5/8 pockets, black enamel paint on skirts and pedestals, and stained the ends of the pedestals to match the rails. It ain't rocket science Glen.
 
bankoutallday said:
Blah blah blah
Lighten up Mr.
Its not like you are the best brain surgeon in the country. My grandfather would spot you the 6 with anything involving wood.

My GC 1 plays perfectly....I did everything but level it. Complete overhaul, new rubber, built out the subrails to 4 5/8 pockets, black enamel paint on skirts and pedestals, and stained the ends of the pedestals to match the rails. It ain't rocket science Glen.
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Let's see perfection please!

Post pics.

Thanks

Kevin
 
bankoutallday said:
Blah blah blah
Lighten up Mr.
Its not like you are the best brain surgeon in the country. My grandfather would spot you the 6 with anything involving wood.

My GC 1 plays perfectly....I did everything but level it. Complete overhaul, new rubber, built out the subrails to 4 5/8 pockets, black enamel paint on skirts and pedestals, and stained the ends of the pedestals to match the rails. It ain't rocket science Glen.
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Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water
 
jasonlaus said:
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water
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Give this guy's ganpop some old trashed GC II been through 8 lives and ask him to bring it modern and calibrate those rails and watch him give RKC the 6.

Kevin
 
kvinbrwr said:
Give this guy's ganpop some old trashed GC II been through 8 lives and ask him to bring it modern and calibrate those rails and watch him give RKC the 6.

Kevin
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I'd pay to watch that:thumbup:
We should get many more hrs of enjoyment/train wreck outta this thread now
 
jasonlaus said:
I'd pay to watch that:thumbup:
We should get many more hrs of enjoyment/train wreck outta this thread now
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God I hope not. I know every single thing here on AZ has to be hotly debated and turn into some name calling grudge-match, but Mark is clearly taking working on old tables into restoration.

I want one so bad.

Kevin
 
bankoutallday said:
Blah blah blah
Lighten up Mr.
Its not like you are the best brain surgeon in the country. My grandfather would spot you the 6 with anything involving wood.

My GC 1 plays perfectly....I did everything but level it. Complete overhaul, new rubber, built out the subrails to 4 5/8 pockets, black enamel paint on skirts and pedestals, and stained the ends of the pedestals to match the rails. It ain't rocket science Glen.
Click to expand...

Fresh paint on a turd, don't change the fact that it's still a turd...with paint on it, post up...don't be shy now....:eek:
 
bankoutallday said:
Blah blah blah
Lighten up Mr.
Its not like you are the best brain surgeon in the country. My grandfather would spot you the 6 with anything involving wood.

My GC 1 plays perfectly....I did everything but level it. Complete overhaul, new rubber, built out the subrails to 4 5/8 pockets, black enamel paint on skirts and pedestals, and stained the ends of the pedestals to match the rails. It ain't rocket science Glen.
Click to expand...

If I stated asking you questions about the spec's of the pocket angles and sub-rails spec's I might just embarrass the hell out of you right here I front of everyone on AZ, so do what you need to do to stay on track with this post if you're going to post comments here, and that subject is the table that Mark posted up....got it? Thank you;)
 
kvinbrwr said:
Dopc.

Forget what they build today, someone quick give Mark a Kling or an Anniversary (or both).

Kevin
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He has my Anniversary now,can't wait to see the finished table.I know it will be awesome as all his work is.
 
stevel said:
He has my Anniversary now,can't wait to see the finished table.I know it will be awesome as all his work is.
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Oh man did you see the wood and Aluminum on your legs?

Too much.

I've always been hesitant to do it, I know plenty of guys in the wood biz, and plenty in the table biz, but none that do both, not like THAT anyway.

Your table will rock.

Congrats.

Kevin
 
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kvinbrwr said:
Oh man did you see the wood and Aluminum on your legs?

Too much.

I've always been hesitant to do it, I know plenty of guys in the wood biz, and plenty in the table biz, but none that do both, not like THAT anyway.

Your table will rock.

Congrats.

Kevin
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One of the biggest improvements to the tables that Mark refinishes, is that Brunswick never finished the tables as well as Mark can, but besides that, Brunswick couldn't make them play as good as Mark can today, not saying they didn't play great before when they were built, but the demand for the playability of today's tables is way beyond that of when these tables were first built, and that's huge.

Kind of like a 1955 Corvett, with all the bells and whistles of a 2015 Super Vet...that's not even built yet;)
 
Still trying to figure out who's gonna refinish my 10' Arcade, the list may be down to 1 person:thumbup:
 
realkingcobra said:
One of the biggest improvements to the tables that Mark refinishes, is that Brunswick never finished the tables as well as Mark can, but besides that, Brunswick couldn't make them play as good as Mark can today, not saying they didn't play great before when they were built, but the demand for the playability of today's tables is way beyond that of when these tables were first built, and that's huge.

Kind of like a 1955 Corvett, with all the bells and whistles of a 2015 Super Vet...that's not even built yet;)
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Absolutely. Its the best of both words. Mid-century quality and design with modern playability.

Ernie Gutierrez does the same with his old Ginacues. Uses today's techniques to make them play and look like new.

And yeah, the finish on Dean's table is better than it was new. That's a fabulous deal.

Kevin
 
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