[TheForge] Marketing Pure Iron

[Andrew Vida]

-----Original Message-----
From: MRScherm@aol.com [mailto:MRScherm@aol.com]
Sent: Friday, August 23, 2002 8:19 AM
To: theforge@mailman.qth.net
Subject: [TheForge] Marketing Pure Iron


In a message dated 8/23/2002 10:02:59 AM Eastern Daylight Time,=20
phlip@99main.com writes:


> what industries are eating up the PI in France? And, has there
> been successful marketing of the product beyond the borders? If so, to =
who?
>=20

100% of the Pure Iron sold in Europe is to blacksmiths.  Smiths from =
most of=20
western Europe use the product and the demonstrators from Europe at the =
ABANA=20
2002 meet asked that they be supplied with Pure Iron for their demos =
(and=20
were).  The real problem here is that although there are thousands of =
smiths=20
here in the US, over 90% are hobbyists.=20


	I think it's safe to say you can forget the hobbyists.  That leaves a
	couple thousand professional smiths/fabricators that would potentially
	have a use for this material.

 That coupled with the unexplained=20
trend towards making silk purses from sows ears, i.e., there seems to be =
a=20
need by many of us to pick up old automobile crank shafts for $5 and =
spend 60=20
hours heating and beating it into a 1/2 inch diameter rod for use in =
making=20
wall hooks that sell for 5 bucks.  I don't know where this came from, =
but=20
talk about false economy!=20

	I absolutely agree with you here, but I don't know of any professional
	smiths that do this.  Just hobbyinsts such as myself that spend months
	scrounging ships graveyards for wrought iron.


  I admit,=20
there is a certain feeling of satisfaction in making something nice from =
a=20
piece of junk, it's just that you cant make a living doing it unless you =
are=20
making welded (not forged) metal sculptures. =20

	YEs, but that doesn't help you one bit

As far as marketing, those involved in the Pure Iron effort have a total =
of=20
over 200 years experience in the marketing and distribution of specialty =

metals and 115 years of blacksmithing experience, included is the =
founder and=20
president of the largest specialty metals distributor in the world. =20
Hindsight is great stuff, but we're not sure what we would have changed =
in=20
our efforts, and at this point are done worrying about it.  The shame is =
that=20
if Art & Metal closes in the US, chances of it restarting are less than=20
remote as startup costs for inventory alone are well over 1/2Million =
dollars,=20
without the cost of building/racks/saws/phones/people/etc.

	Indeed it is a shame.  But that's America for you.  Typically short =
sighted
	in terms such as these.