mtforge

Maybe I am wrong. One on the people I looked up to in all smithings segments told me in so many words "demo for a fee. but never demo how to make the items you are selling to the same people."

He explained that many potential buyers would think that making a certain smithing project to not be worth that amount when they witnessed the smith creating the item. everyone know some shortcuts on a project, and yes they save time.

So i am all for the demo guy, and for the smith making a living. I do not understand how you would be able to demo and sell at the same time...properly.


Carry on

In your mind what is "properly"? We might have a difference of opinion on what a demo is. I don't make a large project that takes a lot of time to do. Where I go the public gets bored easily. I can do an eight minute leaf for school days or lid lifters, forks, skewers, gun hooks, heart hooks and so on during the regular days. This lets me stop and talk when I want. My forge and anvil is front and center so I have a lot of fun with the crowd. I don't go to "art" shows I go to rendezvous and reenactments. My items are not one of a kind. They have the price tagged so they know what they're getting into. We have catalogs to handout so they can look it over and come back with their shopping list. The items I make are in use all over the camp so the camp becomes my sales people by referring people to me.

Then let me rephrase the question: why would you sell so cheaply? I've done the math and your shop rate must be around $25 an hour not counting travel and show expenses. Just to earn a bare bones living, my shop rate is $50 and on custom, it's as high as I can get the client to part with.

"Prices in the middle", who sells 18" 1/2 square tent stakes for less then $2.80 If I made them, steel alone would cost around a $1 So you're saying you're willing to forge a tent stack for $1.80?

My apologizes if I sound like I'm attacking you, but I'm dumbfounded anyone would sell this craft for so little.

Actually my shop rate is higher than yours. I would also find a new steel supplier if you can't get steel cheaper than that. As far as forging a tent stake for $1.80 each it would depend on how many I could make in an hour. I definitely make over your shop rate on tent stakes. I sell 8", 10", 13" 18" and even some custom stakes for people. In a years time I make almost 5,000 tent stakes. I don't feel that you're attacking me. More that you may not know how we work in my shop.

In my area my prices are in the middle. Lower than some and higher than others. I do time studies and with overhead and metal cost come up with a price for wholesale and retail that makes the shop rate I want. Having worked in factories I have an idea or two on how to make things.
I have one fulltime employee in the shop who also goes to some shows. When needed I bring my wife, daughter or grandson as needed.

i really don't get the demonstrating thing. You are there to sell your work right? If you are working you have no time to field any queries from buyers.

It's probably unheard of but I can work and talk at the same time. I can even explain each step and then show it around the crowd so everyone can see it as it's made. I have seen that if the anvil is ringing I get a crowd, not as much when it's quiet. Plus I love what I'm doing. I have heard more than one person complain because the other blacksmiths at the event never do anything so they come to me. Also I can get some work done for the table or a custom order as needed. And you get to be the village blacksmith for other show participants. Repair items, straighten as needed or make that skewer fork they forgot so they can make supper.
I do work all day except I'll sit down to eat a sandwich at lunch time. When I'm at the home shop I work all day so it's no different. If I go to a small show I go by myself. I stop if someone wants to buy something or has questions on certain items. Usually I'll have someone with me to watch the table/desk and answer questions on items. This weekend I'll have two in the tent as it's a bigger show. I have up to three in the tent and/or out at the displays at the bigger shows.
I have the system of dragging around the forge and items for sale down pretty well. Three hour setup and two hour tear down with the helpers.
Anybody that's close come on over and check it out http://www.mississinewa1812.com/

I've found that not gripping the hammer tight and using your shoulders helps a lot. A heavy hammer forced me to use more than my elbow early on and I continued to do this with lighter hammers. Also I keep the rubber bands from broccoli, put them on my finger tips and stretch it by opening my hand. I'm told this helps to balance the mostly used muscles closing the hand with the lightly used muscles of opening the hand. Balance is important.

I do over 20 shows a year. When I'm at an indoor show(can't demonstrate) I'm just another vendor. When I'm at an outdoor show and demonstrating I either get in for free or get a cut rate, usually about half off. The show this weekend was $90. This is half of the vendors fee. It's the most I pay to go to any show. But it has been a VERY good show in the past. I've seen pirate festivals or other such that want to charge me $200 - $300 for the weekend but that's not going to happen. I have to figure in the time and material to prebuild some products, load the trailer, cost to travel there and back, time/material and living expenses while there. I've never wanted to be a starving artist and if you've seen me you'll see I don't miss too many meals.

When I was using it it lasted the life of the teeth.

Mine were slightly beveled. The silver solder chip was held in the bevel.

We used to do this in my shop. Instead of rod I used very thin silver alloy. Cut it to size with scissors, flux it, clamp it down with a little pressure holding the silver in the joint and use a small propane torch for heat. Get the silver to run and then let it cool. You can get the whole kit or just the silver on ebay. We went to bi-metal blades from Mcmaster.com and have gotten a lot more life from them.

Thats cool. What typr of motor did you get?

Sorry, I haven't checked in for a while. I purchased my motor with reducer from Ebay. Just ran the numbers an dpicked a speed that was close. I adjusted with pulleys as needed.

My shows started in Feb. They've all done the normal amount or better.

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I do reenactments, have a web site, wholesale accounts and advertise in reenactment papers/magazines. It is going to depend on your market or items you make as how to advertise yourself.

When Rob Evans and I went to Congo we made up a forge we could take on the plane with us. We wanted to be able to also replicate it there with scrap wood and metal. We made the wheel out of wood but replaced it with a bike wheel when we got there.The forge we found in use there used a bike rim but without the spokes. The spokes cost extra because they were used for other things also like fish hooks.

I've worn the Townsend glasses for 15 years. Some places I go to wouldn't let me back with modern safety glasses.

I converted a vertical wood bandsaw to metal. I installed a gear reducer motor I bought on ebay. It's not mounted in the same place but works great. The speed you would need depends on your saws speed or pulley setup. Now I don't have to straddle my horizontal saw when cutting vertical.

Hello brian. Can't have too many Hoosiers.

One of the guys from our group had a school machining group make one for him. Large piece of mild steel worked very well.
When I make shovels in my cast iron swage block I use a 1/2" thick plate profiled to fit in the bottom of the block minus the material thickness. Set it in my hydraulic press cold with a spacer and press it down. It wrinkles a little at the curve but they get hammered back in. Works great

How much material did it take? How long did it take? I sell mine for $5. Uses about a 1 1/2" of 3/8" square and about 8 minutes when demonstrating. Mine has the stem rolled into a loop for hanging. You have on yours a little fancier being wrapped around so maybe $7 - $10. But get as much as the market will bear. And enough to make more with a little profit.

You might also look into the Rocky Forge Blacksmith Guild 8 miles south of Lafayette, IN www.rockyforge.org It's also one of the Indiana Blacksmithing Associations satellite groups
http://www.indianablacksmithing.org/satellite.html

Your idea sounds like what I did. I put a 330 gallon tanks outside ran it underground with copper, but ran it through a pvc tubing to protect it. Up the side of the shop to a shut off and into the shop in sch 40 black pipe with three taps with valves and propane quick disconnects. I plug in as needed forges, torches or heaters. Instead of taking tanks into town to fill they come out and fill it up saving me time and money.

Very nice. It was interesting to see the ideas evolve as they start working the metal. You must of been all over working with them and keeping them in one piece.

I just made a coal run 2 days ago to Dennis coal in Wauseon Ohio. but prices are going up.

So how did the coal from Dennis come out? Will it be a good supplier of quality coal?

Have you come across the Indiana Blacksmithing Association yet? http://www.indianablacksmithing.org/ Might be nice to find one of the local meetings and ask where they are getting their coal from.

I start in Feb and usually end about Nov