Our Story

Greetings!  This is Millo, the founder of New England Dry Stripping, and this is a little of the story
behind the creation of our place.

Since 1966 the Bertini family business had been primarily subcontract machining, providing various small components for a wide array of customers.  My father took the company from idea to reality in those early years where in 1972, at the age of 14, I had the good fortune to join him.  The best claim of those times is having put parts on the moon, [if you believe man did indeed travel there] where aboard the lunar rovers affixed miniature load-cells — small devices sensing stresses and forces that could benefit future moon goers with valuable information.  I always thought that was pretty damn cool in itself.  Thereafter throughout the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s the business remained busy with the fluid control, robotic and load cell industries.

 

Millo Bertini owner New England Dry Stripping

There were always up and down times, as in any business, but after the infamous day of 9/11, business went flat.  It was then that we found ourselves wondering how to fill the void in the work load.  The possibilities were many, as we had space, personnel, time and economic means to endeavor into most anything. Having always wanted to do something in the automotive field, [as the passion for some of the world’s finest art I find to have four wheels and a stick shift], we discussed automotive machining, body and paint, the customization of one-off parts, and even chassis work.  None fit very well.  It was then I learned of a process offered to folks restoring older automobiles, a process that our shop had already been providing to its aerospace customers for decades -‘surface preparation’!  Many of the components we were making for our customers required different types of surface finishing, and those needs were much more critical than anything the automotive restoration industry was asking for.  That’s when the light turned on.  NEDS’ path was set.

Anyone that has followed New England Dry Stripping through the years noticed the tribulation during our initial growth period.  From simple cabinet work to a designated room within the building to a raised platform and a drive-in booth attached to the rear of our place, we continually grew with bigger demands.  New England Dry Stripping now boasts a new facility of 6000 square feet just across the lot from our original 9000 sq. ft. facility.  Within houses state-of-the-art drive-in booths, cabinets and convenient ‘priming’ facilities.  We’ve added an array of primers we can apply, including 2-part epoxy-types as well
as other popular name brand coatings.  We can handle anything from small parts and components to full size cars and trucks.

NEDS has expanded its services beyond that of coatings stripping with the application of powder coating [Prismatic Powders®] and hi-temp coatings [Cerakote™].  Our recently installed burn-off oven, [Connecticut’s largest], at 18 ft. in depth is capable of burning off paints, coatings, rubber, grease and
oil in a quick and inexpensive manner.

The ‘dream’ part of this whole adventure comes in two parts: first, to be honest and true to our craft, providing the best service to the customer while keeping costs reasonable.  The second part is to enjoy what we do as we do it.  I have long believed that most of us go home to watch a little television, get a bite to eat, rest, but in reality we live where we work.  Remove the time spent sleeping at home and it’s easy to see that more time is spent at work than anywhere else.  Looking at it this way, where do we actually live?

This place hosts music, usually 50’s & 60’s style streaming from the computer. There are speakers in both buildings as well as outside in the parking lot.  The atmosphere is pleasant, with much camaraderie among employees.  It’s a different environment as far as work places go.  Employees are free to travel to their homelands and stay for months at a time if desired, knowing their jobs are here when they return.  My father came from another land, so I grew up understanding the value of being able to ‘go home’.  This is truly a ‘different’ place.

We entertain the wide array of car clubs in the area, having installed a 50’s style soda fountain we picked up in Milwaukee.  [Check out the photos here on the site or our Facebook page].  After some TLC, the fountain is looking great, and soon we’ll be serving Italian Ices and Ice Cream Sodas, gratis!  With the addition of an outdoor grill, we wish that when car club members depart they will do so with some-thing to remember as well as a reason to return when they need our services.  The way I look at this is that we’re here for the long-term, and with that we promise to treat each and every person entering our doors with respect and pride towards their projects.  Like the tagline says, “we will treat your project like it was our own!”  It’s what we do!

I try to personally welcome all customers. With that welcome comes an offered friendship and a promise of professionalism to be applied to any project big or small.  We are exactly that, professionals, and we are sincere in our approach to our customer’s requirements.

We hope to see you at one of our weekly Friday night open houses or at one of our other events.

With a sincere desire to provide excellent service, fair pricing, and with open invitation,

Millo Bertini

Be safe and bring it on!

Prime and Powder Coat
American Graffiti Coupe