Jazborocketman

It is very much a random arrangement I'm thinking of; nothing regular at all. I agree that I should try to make some money on it for the reason JNewman suggested. No matter how hard I try not to get involved with the visiting smith and no matter how hard they try to keep out of the way and return everything to its proper place I always end up being slowed down and at the end of the day having to put stuff back where it belongs and do extra tidying etc. I always arrange visits so that the equipment they wish to use is not something I'm planning to use that day but it always slows me down by about 30% somehow. I do quite like the idea of charging shop rate minus labour I pay to some one working for me. On the issue of how much people would be prepared to pay I'm thinking that you can do an awful lot of stuff in a few hours if you come prepared and , in addition, the visitor is not tied to the premises. He or she can just walk away. If I had a small workshop without all the big kit I'd find it pretty handy to use all that equipment every now and then.

Thanks for all your responses. What they have revealed is what I guessed would be the case; there is no normal rate. There are 2 ways of looking at the problem of working out a fee. You can look at it from how much I need to charge to cover my costs or, on the other hand, you can imagine how much it would be worth paying if I were the person renting. The 2 figures are going to be quite different. Ultimately it comes down to how much you like or dislike other people using your stuff and how much emphasis you place on maximising profit. I'll ponder this and work out a figure and perhaps give you an update when I've decided on it and give a synopsis of how I decided on that figure. There is also the aspect of different rates for different people. I too have close friends come in and have a bash for nothing sometimes but my fee would only apply to other smiths I don't necessarily know very well, if at all. My forge is very close to the biggest college for blacksmithing in the country, Hereford, so that brings up the further question of the possibility of inexperienced people using the kit, increasing the chances of damage to kit or themselves. It is indeed a tricky subject.

Hello fellow smiths. I have a well equipped forge and amongst the usual essentials I have a large Massey power hammer, a Sahinler power hammer with several sets of dies, a large lathe, a 100 tonne press, a bandsaw , a large milling machine/pillar drill, a coke forge and a big propane forge. I list these items specifically as they are the things used most by other smiths who use my forge because they haven't got those things in their own forges. I have a question to which any opinions would be most gratefully received. How much should I charge per hour for the use of this equipment? As you can probably guess, not all my time is taken up using this equipment. It's a large workshop so I don't necessarily have to stop working to allow another smith to use this kit. I can do some welding or some other task which doesn't get in the way of the person I would be renting the stuff out to.

Hello all. I have now looked cursorily at the forum in general and it's great. If any one notices that I've not made any contributions for many days it's not because I've abandoned the site but I simply don't have much free time these days. If I do ever get a moment it's normally eaten up by demands form my two boys (2 and 4). I'm also flat out in January but come late winter -early spring I'd like to get more involved for sure. Jaz

Thanks Phil. I'm just starting to get an idea of how the site works. I'll have another good look tomorrow. (It's late here in the U.K.)Jaz.

Thanks John B. I'm taken aback at how quickly I've got replies to my 1st message. I'll have a look at the links you sent. Am I supposed to write a message in this thread or send it directly to you if it's addressed mainly to you? Sorry to be such a novice. Jaz

Thanks Glenn, I think it was more luck than judgement that I did the right thing. I still don't know for this is going to end up in the right place either. A sole trader is a UK term for anyone who works in any profession principally on their own without official employees or employers. I must come clean and tell you I am still unclear ehere to find the archive pages. I have a website with a small selection of my work; Welcome | Jaz Asbury Metal Design. I listed it in my profile details but I don't know if other people can see that or even whether I can find it again. I hope it all comes clear. I'm sure it will. Jaz

Hello. I have absolutely no idea whether this is even the right place to write a post. I'm a professional blacksmith (17 years working as sole trader) from England, Herefordshire. Can some one tell me if they managed to read this and is it in the right place ? I need guidance! Jaz