Q: What do you do mostly?

A: The repair and restoration of sterling or silver plate items has been my specialty for over forty years. I also work with pewter, brass, copper, and occasionally an aluminum or steel piece. I am kind of known as the guy who will fix anything, so sometimes I might be working on the odd pair of glasses, piece of sculpture, and in a couple of cases, lingerie that had some metal components. As they say, "Bring it!"

Q: What are some common job examples?

A: Handles & feet that have broken off of coffeepots, teapots, candlesticks, and trays. Also sterling flatware that has gone down the garbage disposal comes in pretty much every week.

Q: Do you have a minimum charge and/or hourly rate?

A: My minimum is $25 and I have a sliding scale depending on what type of job it is, from $100-$150 per hour. Most jobs fall into the $100 and under range.

Q: What about plating?

A: I don't get into that at all - leave plating to platers. Unfortunately I've seen too much damage that can occur in the process, as it goes through many hands and harsh chemicals that can destroy delicate items.

Q: Polishing?

A: Yes! Both sterling and silver plate, along with the aforementioned metals. Due to limited shop space I do have a size limit - I will not do brass beds, but just about anything smaller is fine!

Q: How about custom work?

A: Bring me your idea, and let's see what we can do. I've fabricated everything from jewelry to custom car parts.

Q: What's your turn-around time?

A: One week usually, custom work takes a little longer depending on difficulty, design, or the ordering of special materials.

Q: What's your favorite shop motto up to this point?

A: "SKUTZ CO. - Restoring America One Teapot At a Time - Now Go Get a Drink!"