Autobody News: Painter Names His 38 SATA Guns and Uses Them With Amazing Results

CARLSBAD, Calif., May 1, 2018 (Newswire.com) - NOTE: This October SPS profile was originally published in print in September 2017, and published online in October 2017.

Travis Harris of Braggs Body Shop in Charlottesville, VA, is only 34 years old, but has been painting cars since the age of 12 and is already a veteran of the industry.

They appreciate their customers, and that's what sets SATA apart. Tony Larimer from the Dan-Am Company and my SATA rep Keith Hoffnagle have been amazing! What really impresses me is the warranty, because they take care of problems without making excuses or avoiding the situation. I had some minor problems with one of my guns and they sent me a brand new one right away. When SATA sells you a gun, they sell it for life.

Travis Harris, Lead Painter, Braggs Body Shop

By working at five shops throughout the past 16 years, he was able to learn the body shop business from a wide range of very different perspectives, making this millennial an early seasoned veteran of the paint booth. Since 2011, Harris has been the lead painter at Bragg’s Body Shop, a 52-year-old, second-generation shop that is run by Wayne Bragg (the founder’s son), along with his wife and son.

Earning a wage that most people in his age group would be surprised and delighted to receive, Harris credits three things for his success—his father, his aptitude for painting cars and his 38 SATA guns, all of which he has named over the years.

“My three favorite SATA guns are named after the ladies from the TV show “The Golden Girls”—Blanche, Dorothy, and Sophia, but my #1 go-to gun is Rose,” Harris said. “I call my SATA guns ‘my ladies,’ and they’ve never done me wrong.”

The very first car Harris painted was a 1984 Toyota pickup, which he remembers as if it happened yesterday. 

“It was my dad’s truck and I was really worried that I was going to mess it up, but he told me, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll re-do it if we need to,’” Harris said. “I did it in a beige butternut color and it came out great. I realized way back then that I can spray just as well with either hand, which alleviates some wear and tear on the body.”

When the time came, Travis’s dad handed him his first SATA gun—another day he will never forget.

“My father was using a SATAjet 90 for quite some time, but he was old school and he never cleaned his guns like you’re supposed to,” Harris said. “So, one day I took the thing entirely apart and my dad said it will never shoot right again. I always take things apart to see how they work. So, I cleaned it real good and re-assembled it and it worked like it was brand new. To this day, I know my SATA guns like the back of my hand. If I run into a problem with any of them, which is rare, I know how to fix them and get them back in my arsenal.”

Once his father introduced him to the SATA brand, it was definitely a clear case of love at first sight for a 14-year-old rookie painter looking to further improve.

“I thought, ‘Wow—this is it,’” Harris said. “It was like a light went on and I knew this was the right gun for me. It was more balanced than anything I had ever worked with before. Now, every two years when SATA comes out with a new gun, I am right there to buy it. They all have a definite purpose, but the main thing is that they’re well-made and I can rely on them to perform for me in every situation.” 

Some painters become very possessive over their SATA guns, but Harris said he makes his available to friends, colleagues, and associates. 

“It’s a small community of painters in this area. We all know one another and try to help one another out if we can,” Harris said. “My cousin works for a small shop where someone stole one of his SATA guns and I told him to try this one. If another painter runs into an issue on a job, I will loan him one of my own without hesitation. Some of these painters became SATA users after borrowing a gun from me. Of my 38 guns, I must have 10 or more of them out on loan right now, because I believe in them that much.” 

Obviously sold on the product, Harris is also enamored with the company’s amazing support and technical know-how. 

“They appreciate their customers, and that’s what sets SATA apart,” Harris said. “Tony Larimer from the Dan-Am Company and my SATA rep Keith Hoffnagle have been amazing! What really impresses me is the warranty, because they take care of problems without making excuses or avoiding the situation. I had some minor problems with one of my guns and they sent me a brand new one right away. When SATA sells you a gun, they sell it for life.” 

Always focused on doing a superior job, Harris believes that the right equipment and tools can enable him to continue to improve and grow as a painter, just as SATA has done.

“If you know the gun and the gun knows you, what more can you ask for?” Harris said. “I have always said that there is a definite difference between a painter and a sprayer. Anyone can pull the trigger, but a real painter knows the equipment, the product they’re spraying and what they’re doing. To me, that’s a real painter.”

Braggs Body Shop
Location: Charlottesville, VA 
(434) 979-3025
braggsbodyshop.com

Company At A Glance...
Type:  Collision Repair
Facility Employees:  18
In Business Since:  1964
Number of Locations:  One
Combined Production Space: 13,000 square feet

Dan-Am Company
One Sata Drive 
P.O. Box 46
Spring Valley, MN 55973
(800) 633-7282
sata.com

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Source: Autobody News