Fair price for a stainless steel cannon barrel?

[carmy53]

I've had an offer from someone to make me a stainless steel cannon barrel. 33" long with a 1 1/2" bore.
Assuming we are talking about safe construction, What would you consider to be a fair price?

[GGaskill]

You're going to need a 150 pound piece of steel to start with IF you can find 4.5" material.  If only 5" material, 180 pounds.  Surplus stainless will cost at least $1 a pound, maybe more depending on where you are.  New material probably twice that.

Then figure in the labor.  How complicated a design?  A design with a lot of fillets and astragals and an echinus is going to take a lot more time than something with mostly straight lines.  And if the maker is trying to eat from selling cannons, he can't do it at 5 bucks an hour.

I figured once that I had almost a hundred hours in my 1/5 scale 24 pounder for just the barrel.

"Fair" is a word that has been mightily abused in the past several generations.  In a free enterprise society, a fair price is one that both parties agree on.

[carmy53]

Design is going to be 1841 6 pounder so not too complicated.
I think the guy is not paying for the steel. And doing the work after hours at the shop he works at.

[carmy53]

A sample of his work. A 12" barrel with carriage.

 

[GGaskill]

Well, if you take home say $25 an hour, then I would say $25 an hour.  You're getting both his time and knowledge of how to do the project for your money.  And if he is giving you the steel, that is a great price.

[carmy53]

Well, you still didn't say what I should offer. $300, $400, $500, more?

[GGaskill]

It depends on what your take home pay is and how long he needs to make it.  My logic is that you should pay what it would represent if you had to use your time to make it.  I don't know how long he will need.  As a wild asss guess, I would say 25 to 30 hours, but that is just a guess. 

Is he building a carriage also?  By the way, the wheels on a six pounder should have 14 spokes.

[Zulu]

I think the carriage will take much longer than 25 to 30 hours.  Much longer!
Zulu

[carmy53]

All right, let me phrase this a different way. If you had a chance to buy a 33" stainless steel barrel for, say $400, would you jump on it?
And Zulu, of course I would have you make the carriage!
 

[GGaskill]

... would you jump on it?

Personally, probably not.  Not because that wouldn't be a reasonable price but because I like to make them myself.  You are the one who has to answer that question.  Basically, what is $400 to you?  To me, it is 3+ tanks of gas for my pickup truck.

Now if you are asking would I make one for $400, the answer would be I wouldn't.  My time is more valuable than that to me unless I really wanted to make a M1841 six pounder.

[DaveSB]

$400 for a properly made stainless barrel in that size isn't bad. I think it's a deal. Just as GGaskill said, I would rather make my own for less, but you would have to pay me more then $400 to make you one!!

[Mike H.]

All right, let me phrase this a different way. If you had a chance to buy a 33" stainless steel barrel for, say $400, would you jump on it?
And Zulu, of course I would have you make the carriage!

$400 for a 1/2 scale 1841 would be great and I'd be all over that!  Especially in stainless. Even $500.

If he is your friend, $300 is not treating him right!

[flagman1776]

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