Finding a niche

[M3F]

Just a rant. What are your thoughts? 

I found a niche in the market awhile back, don't get me wrong I'm grateful, but making the same thing can get tiring. They're not special, anyone could make them but as far as I can tell nobody does.  It's not life changing money or anything and it comes in waves but it does keep me from digging into my primary income to keep the hobby going. Sometimes I lose the passion to make them though and have to take a break. 

I suppose it's a good problem to have. I have no online presence, no online store but that day might come. I've been smithing now for 5 years so that seems like the next logical step.  Maybe it's human nature, after all as the saying goes don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Anyway like I said. Just a rant. 

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

I just celebrated my 81st birthday a while ago and haven't found a niche yet. I'm still  trying to decide what I want to be when I grow up.

I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s.
Semper Paratus

 

[George N. M.]

For me, making the same thing over and over again gets pretty boring.  I once took an order for 500 hand forged nails from the Wyoming State Museum and I still hate making nails as a result.  Even though it has been 40 years, I now only make them when needed for another project.

Yes, you get pretty good and efficent at making X but if it stops being fun it is a boring job and not an enjoyable hobby.  It can be anything from simple bottle openers through elaborate gates but if you don't enjoy it and don't look forward to going out to the shop and making X you have an unclear idea of what a hobby is supposed to be about. 

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand." 

[Frosty]

One trick for making repeated but profitable items is to make a few every time you light your forge as a warm up. Warm up exercises aren't supposed to be fun or even enjoyable they're supposed to get you warmed up, stretched, limbered, etc. 

If you light the forge 3 times a week and make 4 thingusses each time you'll be stocking 12 a week. If you get an order for 45 and you already have 24 - 36 on the shelf, it's just one more warm up. Hmmmm?

I used to make leaf finial coat hooks for a demo, they combine lots of different processes and went quickly enough the audience wouldn't lose interest before I was done. It didn't take too long and they weren't that much fun but I could knock one out in about 7 minutes while maintaining a patter, answering questions, joking, etc. Talking to the audience was what I really enjoyed and I could zone out on the hooks. It made them tolerable enough I don't hate forging a hook now and then. Usually as a demo for someone taking their first try at the anvil.

Frosty The Lucky.

[swedefiddle]

Finding a niche, happens after you File a Niche. Lots of little Niche's sometimes leaves marks for dressing up your handi-work.

When you are making a lot of the same things, it becomes a Job, not a Hobby. You have to create tiny little things that only you know what is different. Call it a tint Touch-Mark. Handmade stuff is not all identical, Machine made stuff could be.

Neil

[Jason L]

I've said the same thing many times. As soon as there's a deadline, it's a job. I do things at my pace these days and I enjoy it more. There's no sense in rushing when there's no money on the line. 

On the subject of niche products, while looking through Etsy for something in particular that was blacksmith related, I came upon someone selling little vials of forge scale for witches or some such. I dove down that rabbit hole and found several people selling these little vials of scale for $10 a vial! I've been sweeping it off on the floor all this time! I also found that nails were being sold in lots of like 3 or 4 or something like that for an equally ridiculous price for the same target audience. They all had quite a few reviews for this stuff so it's apparently selling. I showed the wife and a few days later she brought me a package of empty vials lol. I stuck the vials off in some corner somewhere till it was forgotten. I don't want to get into making a business out of my zen time.