[TheForge] Finish for repro antique hinges

Sat Sep 20 22:45:01 2003

Amen, Frosty    Grant
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jerry Frost" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, September 20, 2003 4:33 PM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Finish for repro antique hinges


> There's nothing wrong with the finish if it gives you the effect you're
> looking for. Now all you need to do is think production. Why not do them
all
> at once? If one or more don't take well enough, redo those together.
>
> I can't say if your bid was good, not knowing how much time you put into
the
> project, how fast you work in general, nor any of the other factors
> involved. You can however determine what you should bid if you go about
> systematically. Keep notes on time and technique for one. Not only does
this
> let you know how long something takes it'll also let you know which
> techniques work best in which situation. After awhile you can break a job
> down to it's components and bid by the step. For instance: 3/4" takes
twice
> the effort as 1/2" to work so gets charged accordingly, a scroll can be
> figured by diameter and number of turns, twists by the turn/linear", etc.
> After awhile you'll be able to eyeball guestimate new processes pretty
well
> but keep the log up anyway. You will get faster on repeat items no matter
> how experienced you are to begin with so bidding multiple copies needs to
> take this into account.
>
> Another major factor to bidding is process. I don't limit myself to a
> particular time period. (tradition) I will however be happy to use
whatever
> time period's techniques a customer is willing to pay my shop rate for.
Hand
> work is expensive and deserves to be paid accordingly. I charge shop rate
> regardless of process. If the customer's willing to pay me to do it the
way
> they did 400 years ago, no problem as long as the check clears.
>
> Of course you have to be worth the rate and I don't mean just quality, you
> have to be fast enough for it to be fair to everybody. In my presently
> poorly equiped and set up operation I wouldn't think of charging my usual
> $60/hr. I do however have a good handle on how fast I was able to produce
> when I did have a decent set up and bid according to that. Of course it
> takes me almost twice as long right now but fair's fair.
>
> Bottom line is: What's your time and skill level worth?
>
> On the other hand I do a lot of stuff for folk just because I like beating
> hot steel and especially like folk's look when you hand them a finished
> piece.
>
> Compensation's compensation.
>
> Frosty
> ------------------------
> If it ain't forged
> it ain't real.
> Wrought iron is.
> The FrostWorks
>
> Meadow Lakes, AK.
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Reynolds" <[email protected]>
>
> Subject: [TheForge] Finish for repro antique hinges
>
>
> >
> >
> >
> > A recent commission job was reproducing 2 broken bean strap hinges for a
> small chest.  When putting a finish on them, I ventured outside my usual
> finish repertoire, and tried a new mixture and technique. Please feel free
> to tell me a better way to achieve the desired look of 100+ years on
steel.
> >
> > I took a mixture of unnprocessed beeswax and linseed oil at about 1:3,
and
> heated to liquid in a 2 oz cat food can. Each nail I heated to black,
> dropped in the solution, left for 2 or 3 seconds, pulled them out and let
> the retained heat burn off the solution. This left a black residue burned
> into the nails. For some nails I had to repeat the above steps to attain
the
> uniform black finish.
> >
> > I then buffed the nails heads with a cotton cloth to remove the majority
> of residue, while leaving the black finish.
> >
> > It all looked uniform and was better than tolerable for reproducing a
100+
> year-old finish. Good looking stuff.
> >
> > This was very labor intensive. However, my motto is overdeliver. But how
> should I have done this? I couldn't afford to put this kind of labor into
12
> nails and two hinges, for what I bid.  That brings up another question.
What
> should I have bid this at (2-symmetrical sided 9" strap hinges with 12, 1
> and 1/2" nails whose heads needed to be ground/filed to give a low
profile)?
> I did it for $65. Not even close to paying myself a decent wage, but it
was
> another happy customer.
> >
> > Go ahead, tell me what an ignoramus I was.
> >
>
>
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