[TheForge] materials vs. final cost

[Stephen Snow]

This *is* an excellent little article and great food for thought. A good starting place for thinking through the issues of an iron-working business. There are many more issues, as he notes (amortization of shop, equipment, etc., and other things) but a great little eye-opener.

thanks for the link.

Steve Snow

-----Original Message-----
>From: Peter Hirst <saltydog335 at aol.com>
>Sent: Mar 27, 2008 10:49 AM
>To: Sponsored by ABANA <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
>Subject: Re: [TheForge] materials vs. final cost
>
>At ten times materials I'd be selling my lamps for $40, shop time $10/hour. 
>Now if I were using wrought iron from the UK, that lamp would go for $800. 
>Or at least it would be so priced. It wouldn't go at all.  I think shop time 
>is a much better starting point.  A few years ago, Nol Putnam published a 
>guide to blacksmithing as a business.  Absolutely far and away the best 
>discussion I have ever seen of the realtionship of cost, value and price. 
>Applicable to all crafts, amyber all businesses . If its still there, its 
>available at
>
>http://www.anvilmag.com/smith/blcasabs.htm
>
>An absolute must-read for this discussion.
>
>
>Keziah
>
>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "Woolley" <wjec at comcast.net>
>To: "Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
>Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2008 8:53 AM
>Subject: Re: [TheForge] materials vs. final cost
>
>
>> Four times materials as a labor cost?  I'd be giving away my railings. 
>> And just about everything else come to think of it. IMHO this formula is 
>> way off.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Rich Maynard wrote:
>>> My tutor said 4 tmes materials for a farication job, 10 times materials 
>>> for
>>> hand forged. Not as a basis for quoting, but it's a useful check I find.
>>>
>>> Richard Maynard - Artist Blacksmith
>>> The Forge, Much Hadham, Hertfordshire SG10 6BS
>>>  rich at muchhadhamforge.co.uk
>>> www.muchhadhamforge.co.uk
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
>>> [mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Andy Gladish
>>> Sent: 25 March 2008 21:26
>>> To: Sponsored by ABANA
>>> Subject: [TheForge] materials vs. final cost
>>>
>>>
>>> On Mon, 24 Mar 2008 07:36:33 -0700, Peter Hirst <saltydog335 at aol.com> 
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>   Can anyone think
>>>
>>>> of another craft where top quality materials represent less than 10
>>>> percent of  price?  So yeah, for the next order I take, where the extra 
>>>> quality will show, I am definitely in the iron market.
>>>>
>>>> I would be interested in knowing how other smiths'  economics --or math
>>>> --  compare to mine.
>>>>
>>>> Keziah
>>>>
>>>
>>> About fifteen years ago I was doing a lot of very careful house painting 
>>> for very wealthy people.
>>> 10% was one of my rules of thumb- not applicable to everything of course, 
>>> but it averaged out about there.
>>>
>>
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========================================
Stephen Snow, PhD, LPC
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