Can you ever see yourself abandoning conversion or heat-based procedures for spray on, entirely?

If the result desired by the customer is a color then yes, I would agree that spray on finishes are the future. However, a lot of people are getting away from the classic methods of bluing and browning type finishes which leads me to believe that I should invest in the older methods first. Anyone can buy a can of this spray on stuff and give it a shot on their own making the gunsmith obsolete. Sure the average joe wouldn't spend the money for a full Cerakote kit with sprayer and all but you can purchase some of this stuff in rattle cans now making it cheap and easy for anyone to give it a try. I think investing in hot bluing tanks and the chemicals and equipment needed to brown is smart and having everything needed to offer the classic finishes will always pay out because most people have no idea where to begin in that type of process and would feel it necessary to find a gunsmith who specializes in it. Would I consider offering the spray on finishes once I get my FFL up and running? Yes but only to offer color options to customers and that is it. Being a clients one stop shop for all their gun needs is a great thing so I would offer as much type work as possible but investing in something countless others already offer becomes competitive and I would not see the return on investment I would like. My advice is to look at your local competition and do everything they are not because once the lowest price battle begins on the same work everyone losses.