Damascus Split Cross

[HEAP of JEEP]

In trying to come up with smaller items that I can knock out for my first craft show at the end of the month, I decided to try my first split cross.  I went a little large, but it came out pretty good, and didn't take much time at all.  So, feeling confident, I decided to see how difficult a damascus one would be.  Got the billet forged up from scrap that I won't use for knives, and aimed to go quite a bit smaller than the first.

I don't know if its because I was going so much smaller, or if I was just over confident, or a combination of both, but somehow I screwed up on cutting the slits, so the hole in the middle came out anything but square.  I like the uniqueness, but it wasn't what I was shooting for.  Finished it up after the etch by giving it some blue and purple temper colors and then sprayed it with a couple of coats of clear lacquer.

Took longer than I wanted it to, but if I can get my time investment down, I think these will be winners at the craft show.

 

[Latticino]

Craft shows are all about the spiel.  Customers want a story to go along with their purchase, and the Damascus cross can have a great one.  You can talk about the whole process of making billets as well as the tricks involved in making Fredrick's crosses. If you can, I would recommend having an album at your booth that has photos of you  (or someone) doing both so you can show off the process.

You can even get "creative" and have some kind of story worked up about the symbology of marrying the hard and soft metals together and how that relates to your take on the religion.  Or maybe how the polishing, then acid etching to reveal the hidden beauty, is analogous to the life experiences we all must suffer.  Not my kind of gig, but I've seen it be very successful for others at craft and art shows.

In any case I think you do have a winner there if you can make them easily enough that the price point isn't too high.

A couple of recommendations for you for the fair:

1. Be prepared to answer the same questions again and again without getting exasperated
2. Have someone there to spell you periodically at manning the booth if possible
3. Use a taller, director style, chair, or stand, so you are closer to eye level with the shoppers
4. Paradoxically, congested spaces that encourage clumps of shoppers seem to work better than wide aisles, if you have a choice of booth location (people tend to gravitate towards booths that are already "validated" by being blessed by other shoppers)
5. If you have a functional item (s-hooks, drive hooks...) try to illustrate how they can be used in your setup
6. Don't crowd your items too close together, and don't feel you have to put out many different copies of the same item in your display (unless they are selling hand over fist that is).
7. I am a fan of clearly marked pricing, and only gave discounts for multiple purchases.
8. Pay attention to your booth background.  Light colors will help the work stand out as folks walk by.
9. If you are going to show your knives, you might want to have a closed glass covered case and a policy regarding age you will sell to (maybe even a disclaimer noting that they really are sharp and not toys)
10. Showing a couple of higher end items (Damascus Chefs knives, sculptures, coat racks...) can not only lead to commission sales, it can also help with the sale of the $20 items

Good luck

[Michael Cochran]

I like it. The 'unique' nature of the hole really a sets it apart from all the rest of the others I've seen with the same old nice clean and even hole.

[HEAP of JEEP]

18 hours ago, Latticino said:

A couple of recommendations for you for the fair:

Good luck

All great advice.  I appreciate it all.  In real life, I host an afternoon radio show on a classic rock station so I'm quite used to talking to people, but I've never been much of a salesman, so that part may be a bit challenging.  I'm a showman... my job is to entertain and maybe get a laugh from time to time, so hopefully, my natural persona will suffice when it comes to selling my own wares.  I like the idea of coming up with stories about the items... one thing I'm pretty good at is making stuff up... heck, I make a living doing that. lol.

 

7 hours ago, Michael Cochran said:

I like it. The 'unique' nature of the hole really a sets it apart from all the rest of the others I've seen with the same old nice clean and even hole.

I decided that the hole in the damadcus cross resembles a country that I'm very familiar with... The People's Republic of Screw-up-istan.

[SLAG]

Have a look at a copy of Joe Girard's "How to sell anything to anybody." it 's a classic and, in my estimation, superb read on the subject. Long out of print, there are all manner of copies floating out there. (try ABE books or Amazon or etc.) Mr. Girard was the top car salesman in the U. S. for years. The book was a best seller for a long time.

SLAG.

[Frosty]

Don't TRY to sell too hard, you don't want to come off like a furniture store liquidation SALE commercial.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Michael Cochran]

6 hours ago, SLAG said:

Have a look at a copy of Joe Girard's "How to sell anything to anybody." it 's a classic and, in my estimation, superb read on the subject. Long out of print, there are all manner of copies floating out there. (try ABE books or Amazon or etc.) Mr. Girard was the top car salesman in the U. S. for years. The book was a best seller for a long time.

SLAG.

Walmart has it listed for sale online for about $10. I guess they started reprinting it.

[SLAG]

Michael,

Thanks for the heads up. At $10.00 it's a bargain.

Latticino's specific suggestions are excellent. Mr. Girard's book covers successful selling in a general treatment. I.e selling all manner of things for every occasion.

Regards,

SLAG.