Thread: hand made goods

Originally Posted by jballs918

well i would like to pose this to you all. why when you make something by hand its is so hard to get any money out of it. for example, i turn pens. i use high end figured wood with a mirror finish on them. but pretty much for me to make anything off them i would have to charge about 20 bucks for one. all said and done the supplies run me about 11 bucks for a nice kit and he wood and finishing materials. well when you tell a person that you would like 20 dollars for a pen they scoof at the idea of that. i enjoy what i do but when you cant recoup your cost sometimes and try to pass on a nice product it is a bit discouraging. well this is just my 2 cents. anyone else got any thoughts on this one

I do not know but i think there are not so much people collecting pens. Unless you are able to make it a brand of some kind then you can ask for a lot more.
I know it is frustrating when using your time, skills, equipment and material to make something beautiful and not getting a decent price for your efforts or not even enough to cover your costs.

I've made all kind of stuff from wood and metal etc during years, and found out a long ago that it is almost impossible to make myself a living of it. So i make things only for myself and my family unless someone asks me to make something.

Just went through this same thing here in Michigan. I became a residential builder and produced only the highest quality homes. I knew what I wanted and low end skilled trades need not apply. I even went so far as to test the moisture content of my framing lumber and would not apply drywall until I felt the moisture content was low enough to create a stable platform for the drywall. My houses were expensive but worth it - to me that is.

Generally (but no always) people are addicted to cheap stuff. They wanted the McMansions as they are called. Walmart Houses. When the bubble burst, I got stuck with a million dollar piece of inventory that drove me into bankruptcy.

I value high quality, and I will pay for it, even if I have to defer the purchase until I can afford it. Art is a funny thing. Markets for art are not very big. I go to the music store and see an Al Di Meola CD for $2.00.
Doesn't seem right, but that's the market.

Somehow I think you have to find a way to be happy if you sell no pens and then be ecstatic if you sell one. JMHO.

i would first like to thank everyone for their thoughts on this. i think one of the points that i was trying to get acorss was that it is getting harder and harder to be a craftmans and to make nice items. im not even talking about pens, but just things in general. one of the best things i love about this board is the people who come here understand what things like what im talking about are. as alot of folks talk about high price razors. i myself cant afford a 800 dollars razor, but i can understand why the craftmans ask for that price. it is a true one of a kind piece of art. function art. poeple seem to have a hard time understanding that i guess. anyways here are some pictures of the stuff i have done so far. please keep in mind i have only done a few pens. so here goes.











i hope you all enjoy them i do.

Wow ! That is some good work. Thank you for showing it. Those are beautiful.

Very nice hand work. I also make pipes. Here are some of my pipes.

Those are really beautiful ! I have made a few but they are not nearly as artistic as yours. Here is the only pic I think I have. It's not even made out of briar like yours. It is maple.

That's what I like about SRP[ all of the hands- on. People that create stuff are cool to me.

What does handmade mean to you?

As a patron I expect one of two conditions to be met. 1. It be exemplary. 2. It be cheap as hell. One or the other.

I would like to be a good craftsman someday. I wanted to be that artisan guy but ended up as a facilitator purposed in constructing hotels, stores and banks. It's kinda fun in its own way.

I have a band of interests revolving around wood and steel, stone and mountain metals- like copper and silver. I am not interested in marketing any of those crafts..... you asked; why won't it sell?

It is either #1 or # 2 above.

As an example of your pens, the price is not high for your time and effort, but you have sorta put yourself in competition with poverty stricken workers around the globe. Since they made all the other pieces, they could just as easily have finished.

....i'm not expert on pens. I am unsure if the mechanisms of pen kits are of the highest quality or how'd you'd make your own. but all the other parts you could:ferrules caps clips stuff like that.

The idea being to get as far from 2 while getting as close to 1 as possible.

If you've ever had a job making something, you may have learned before your first vacation that making one is just like making the other. It's a job, and for most people that means it sucks. If you find some work equal to entertainment, the time spent does not especially matter.


I think beyond the learning curve of knowing your basics- like suggesting a new hone start with an average blade not high value rarity- one can work with junk. Handmade need not mean you make everything from scratch. I've never made a set of hinges. Just don't add good work to bad. Apply that both ways.

Originally Posted by jballs918

i would first like to thank everyone for their thoughts on this. i think one of the points that i was trying to get acorss was that it is getting harder and harder to be a craftmans and to make nice items. im not even talking about pens, but just things in general. one of the best things i love about this board is the people who come here understand what things like what im talking about are. as alot of folks talk about high price razors. i myself cant afford a 800 dollars razor, but i can understand why the craftmans ask for that price. it is a true one of a kind piece of art. function art. poeple seem to have a hard time understanding that i guess. anyways here are some pictures of the stuff i have done so far. please keep in mind i have only done a few pens. so here goes.






i hope you all enjoy them i do.

You're saying you can't get $20 for those?....man. People must be skimpy with their cash.

Maybe we should talk. I've been in the market for a nice wooden ballpoint or rollerball pen.

Originally Posted by LX_Emergency

You're saying you can't get $20 for those?....man. People must be skimpy with their cash.

Maybe we should talk. I've been in the market for a nice wooden ballpoint or rollerball pen.

That's not a bad thing though.

I agree those are nice pens, but people who only care that it writes use the free pens they get from everywhere. They save their money to buy the things they care about, like razors, computers, or malt whisky.

Not talking about the people that don't care really. Talking about people who see them, ask him how much they are and then look at him like he's crazy.

It's ok to not want to spend a lot of money on something. However it something else to tell someone that something they've made isn't worth the small amount he's asking for it.