The Business Side of Blacksmithing

"So...how do you figure out how much it'll cost?" There's a lot to it but everything builds on one concept; estimating is about systematically getting closer to the answer. The most simplistic method is bounding the answer. By defining the range that contains your answer, you've reduced the problem. The next step is to determine what you need to know to reduce that range further. As counter-intuitive as it may seem, asking yourself what you don't need to know can be very helpful. The idea is to reduce uncertainty by systematically answering questions that divide the range sort of like playing "I spy". For example: a client asks for conceptual pricing on an office re…

Show me your sales or demo booth. How did you set up your products for display?

Hello all. I tried a search for this topic, but didn't come up with anything although I'm sure it's been discussed. This treads closely to the trade secret discussion, but is different enough for me to start a new topic. If this has been already discussed, please point me in the right direction, if not, I'm curious as to everyone's thoughts. I'm wondering what the consensus is on selling items you forge that are based on designs that found here on IFI or other places. I know of at least one printed discussion involving one highly successful professional smith who feels that if you didn't come up with the design, you shouldn't try selling it, and another profession…

Hello! I hope this topic fits in this category... some people have contacted me about, and I have also done, some private forging classes. and I guess in simple terms, I would really not like someone to file a lawsuit because they hit there hand while they were punching a piece of steel. should I not be worried about something like that happening, or is it worth wile to have them sign something? is there a law about this that I should probably know about? any words of wisdom are welcome. if there is another thread addressing this topic, please point me in the right direction. Ethan

Hello, Im at an intresting point in my life which can be a blessing or curse.. my job of 11 plus years is going through changes in which my hours will be cut basically in half....So Im left with either quiting and starting over or pursuing a pipedream I have had for years which is to open my own small bussniess selling items I make through my hobbies which iclude blacksmithing, lethearwork, fabercation and airbrushing. If I pursue the later i would still work where I currently am until I would be able to make my small bussiness profitable enough to quit the day job so to speak. I have been researching opening a etsy or ebay store to start off and posibbly looking into ope…

As blacksmiths we tend to be people who want to be self reliant and able to do anything in our shop. I am as guilty of this as anyone, my shop is really tight for space largely because of all the machinery. That being said I have always subbed out some work and find myself doing more and sometimes am surprised at how I am saving money on materials as well as my labour. Here are a few examples of where I have saved money lately Laser and flame cutting shops get better prices on plate due to the volume they are buying often some of this saving will get passed on to you. For years when I needed pieces of heavy plate I would go to my local steel supplier and search h…

I wonder if something like this could be a marketable item for people that sell things at hammer in's and festivals, etc.... The turner, not the spike knife.... I know I could scale it up to 150 lb anvil or more. Table top ones for little smithed items or floor models for big things. This ones going a bit fast.

Artist-blacksmith and teacher Celeste Flores has an interesting blog post on Eight Ways to Make A Living as A Blacksmith that's worth a look. While not an exhaustive list, it's certainly a good and realistic summary of some of the basic strategies. For example:

Normally I wouldn't consider charging someone to come out to their event and demonstrate because I take the store with me and I have the proceeds from the sales. That being said, I was asked if I would be interested in demonstrating in February here in Wisconsin. The forge will be warm enough and I'm planning on buying a the sided tent to have some cover from the weather but the problem is I won't be able to take the store with me. My GF doesn't like the cold enough to want to go stand outside for 6 or so hours. Backstory covered. I've decided if they want me there then they would have to pay for my time, setup and breakdown, and materials. But putting a nu…

I used to give all my stuff away, but I found a store that likes my face sculptures and want's to do them on commission, which is ok with me. I just decided on a fling to take some samples and a portfolio of sorts in and ask if they would be interested, it's 30%. It's an eclectic little shop, but in a pretty high end area. The owner has a bird shop too and said if I could come up with something unique along those lines, he would sell them too. I was thinking of making some bird houses, textured sheet metal, maybey a twisted roost or porch with handmade (small) hinges and hardware, similar to this old beat up wood one I have: I could fashion it as an…

Back in the 90s a lot of work I did came from interior designers and decorators. There was a year in the mid 90s where I don’t think I made much in between drapery rods and hardware. It seemed a lot different then. I have been away for a while but returning, all the folks in that field seem to be just painting homes shades of grey, filling them with cheap big box store furniture and not using any ironwork. Have things really changed that much?

Yes, I've thrown the gauntlet down... I've entered the world of taboo and have started to talk "Blacksmithing shop rate".. No one.. I will say it again.. No one wants to talk about shop rate... Either because they are afraid of being judged by others (embarrassed) or it's because they are like, "Oh it's none of your business" There is so much difference not only in area/location of the USA, but also quality of work, person is part time, a hobbiest, a professional, retired with full income.. Small shop, no shop, lean to. large shop, rich, poor, etc, etc, etc.. Truth is in 38 years of doing this it is in large part never talked about and if you…

So, I guess this is the place to post this, I fairly recently got a job working at a small butcher shop that focuses on farm to family meat products. Long story short they offered me a chance to sell small blacksmith made products in their shop on a small rack. They mentioned making fire-pokers and steak turners but I’d like to offer more but I’m drawing a blank as to what to make. I would like to get as good of an idea as I can as to what to make so I can order steel and quit buying steel from farm stores. I was thinking about little trinkets like leaf key-rings as well. If we’re ever able to get electricity back or our shop and we’re able to get a welder, I’ve thought a…

Mighy have missed it in a search, but was wondering what type of video equipment is recommended, and any tips or tricks currently being used. Obviously not wanting to invest in a Red, I don't want to try to make money shooting videos, maybe advice on entry level, mid level, and third preferred tier after that when money makes more money. one simple tip: Just ran across a few videos and noticed the ultra-violet purple glow. Easy fix is just a simple sheet of polycarbonate like Lexan (not acrylic or plexiglass). Polycarbonate as an amazing side effect is a light filter below 400 nanometers. Almost as if it was designed for it. So a small piece of…

I've been mulling over a pet theory of a writer I admire. They start with Gresham's law which is a monetary principle that applies to the debasement of currency. There are several ways to debase a currency, but the easiest example is in coinage of precious metals. Imagine a silver dollar which was originally made to contains one dollars worth of silver. When mints reduce the total silver content of that same silver dollar coin, they debase the currency. Gresham's law states that "bad money drives out the good". Let's say we have two forms of currency in circulation, which are accepted by law as having similar face value, the more valuable commodity will gradual…

It's been a frustrating week at work because I've spent nearly the entirety of my time trying to talk highly educated, credentialed people out of doing stupid things. It has come to my attention that the cultural response to many derogatory terms has been to lump them into universal meaning, so they can be dismissed as dismissive, divisive, rude, or otherwise not germane to polite discourse. So terms like stupid tend to get interpreted as meaning the same as uneducated, inexperienced, mentally deficient, or ridiculous. In fact, stupidity is a property entirely independent of education, mental acuity, or character. It's a field of special study by a gent named …

I know most that read this form blacksmithing is a hobby or another way to make some cash. But me being new to this, just how many still make a living into days world? Now I know many do, which I applaud you. I,m not taking shoeing horses. But with CNC machines & all the advancements in fabrication how can it still be possible other than making things of art. Now I can see that. I was just wondering? Me being a retired tool & die maker there are fewer of us left. With cad cam & all the new programs available in this new world so many of the old craftsmen are gone. Even with my background i,m amazed at what you guys can achieve wit…

I last bought steel in early 2020. I am due for another big purchase. I know prices have gone up, my question is how much? I know what my order would have cost but am curious to hear from those of you who have kept up. Is it like 20 or 30% or a whole 100%+ more now? I know this isn’t a question with a precise answer, just trying to get an idea before they shock me with that invoice with way too many zeros on it…

About a month ago I was sucked into a zoom conference which included the Owner, Architect, and Contractor. This meeting was like so many others in that it could have been entirely replaced with a single articulate email to all concerned. I thought of the old expression "the more things change, the more they stay the same". Then it struck me that there were some pretty significant differences. For example, the meeting began with the host doing the perfunctory "is everyone on this call" roll call, exclusively on a first name basis. This is noteworthy because there was no reason to expect that anyone attending had previously met. I had no idea who was working for t…

At least once every year, I'll have a situation where one or more of the jobs will encounter a delay at the start which leads to a pile up of manpower with nowhere to go. I'm very careful about what I bid to ensure that we can always deliver the necessary manpower and resources to honor our commitments to our clients. This leaves few options on how to proceed. Layoffs are a non-starter because our people are our product. If I want the best work from them, I have to offer them security and opportunity to earn. In the rare case that a client is forthcoming and accurate about their actual start date, I can sometimes find a quick-hitter project to fill in the gaps. …

When you go to a craft fair and such what is generally the breakdown between large medium and small items you take? I'm trying to build my inventory to get to my first craft show this spring but am not sure on what to focus on. Obviously the small quick items, like the leaf Keychain, decorative hooks, and such are easy to stock large numbers. I guess I'm looking at items like fire pit tools and pricier items. I'm looking for a general starting point and modify from there.

Hey guys, I'd love to chat some of your experienced smiths about the business side of things. I've taken a few courses, including a tool making seminar. I'd love to start selling some pieces. But I'm just not familiar with the market at all haha. I make and sell knives quite a bit, and that's generally been my focus, but their return per hour invested is pretty harsh, and I just really enjoy tool making and spending more time on the anvil. If anyone that's experienced and would be kind enough to chat and help me out, please send me a message, it would be very appreciated. Here's some of my shop's heavier equipment, just to give a vague idea of what I have a…

I had a conversation with a client a while back that was very thought-provoking. He's working at a General Contractor as a Project Manager / Estimator. Without question, this gent is more successful than at least a dozen past hires at this firm. He's not only landing profitable work, he's delivering the jobs on time and on budget. As with most stuff, there are a few qualifiers that matter. He's primarily working with repeat clients who typically have a committee that makes decisions. There doesn't seem to be much evidence to suggest that he's actually competing against other contractors for the bids. That being said, he's actually able to get some of the most indec…

Anyone renting space to run your blacksmith business out of? If so any advice, lessons learned, do's and don'ts you would share?