Author Topic: A Zulu Dictator (Read 2443 times)

Double D · « **Reply #30 on:** January 31, 2010, 12:15:32 PM »

You might be surprised what they will pay. Talk to the designers and architects. Ordinary old gunsmucks like what hang out here are not going to be buying these. The folks that buy the guns from Seacoast will stand in line for you work.

Build one of these guns so it can be fully disassembled for easy shipping. Get a pretty girl in a bikini with pirate bandana and a linstock and take a picture with hee behind the gun. Put the picture up here first---we want to make sure you get the picture layout right. Then put one of these guns up for sale on EBay and see where it goes.

Houston use to have all those home decorating and builder shows. Make yourself some business cards and a port folio of pictures of the different guns you have built go to the show and look for the architects and designers who build the fancy home and offices, Visit with them. Show them what you can do, no pretty girl pictures here. Don't try to sell them a finished gun. Sell them your skills and even offer to work with them on specualtion. Don't build to sell, sell to build.

I would guess you could get at least $1500 for these and probably more. If the designers or architect, don't tell them a price, just say you can build to fithis budget. But tell them no if they try to low ball you.

GGaskill · « **Reply #31 on:** January 31, 2010, 03:16:59 PM »

It is a typical artist problem.

It's a typical unknown artist problem, and you should have learned this long before you started trying to finance your eating with your artwork. The difference here is you don't need to sell a new style or any arty thing like that; you are making models (full scale to be sure) and that is a different market.

And certainly you need to figure materials cost into the sale price. But think about your competition; a cast iron reproduction costs many thousands. In fact, you might even keep some business cards from the better known repro makers to give to potential clients so they find out that a real one costs real money. Then yours won't seem so expensive.

GGaskill · « **Reply #32 on:** January 31, 2010, 03:25:32 PM »

One more thing about the wooden artillery. After paying a fair sum for one, a customer is not going to be happy if it splits some time down the line. Even if they moved from Las Vegas to New Orleans, or vice versa.

Zulu · « **Reply #33 on:** January 31, 2010, 04:18:02 PM »

Wood is going to do whatever wood wants to do. So far, I have had no problem with anything I painted right after I finished making it. I've had a slight problem with the unpainted gunade barrel. Slight glue joint seperation. It can easily be fixed but I attribute the problem to not painting when finished.
Zulu

Double D · « **Reply #34 on:** January 31, 2010, 04:35:32 PM »

What a great beer or wine keg that would make!

BoomLover · « **Reply #35 on:** January 31, 2010, 09:02:23 PM »

Zulu, nice looking gunade there, but I also like your background scenery! Crossed Swords...Cavalry? Civil War? Is the naked blade a Schrade "Old Timer" 152? Just wondering! BoomLover

dan610324 · « **Reply #36 on:** January 31, 2010, 09:54:33 PM »

a full scale shooting repro is very very expensive , $15 000 and up

check out the prices for carriages only and you get a nice surprise

1 500 is cheap for that dictator

carronader · « **Reply #37 on:** February 01, 2010, 01:59:28 AM »

talking about making money Dan.............where you at ?

Zulu · « **Reply #38 on:** February 01, 2010, 04:33:50 AM »

Quote from: BoomLover on January 31, 2010, 09:02:23 PM

Zulu, nice looking gunade there, but I also like your background scenery! Crossed Swords...Cavalry? Civil War? Is the naked blade a Schrade "Old Timer" 152? Just wondering! BoomLover

Boomlover,
Good eyes

It is indeed a Schrade Old Timer 152. I found it in the woods one time when I was hiking. The swords are replicas. One cavalry and one artillery (Civil War).
Zulu

Terry C. · « **Reply #39 on:** February 01, 2010, 06:12:40 AM »

Schrade Old Timer 152.

aka the "Sharpfinger."

Got one sitting in front of me on my desk right now.

Zulu · « **Reply #40 on:** February 01, 2010, 08:51:44 AM »

The things we keep on our desks

Knives guns mortars

Zulu

Cannoneer · « **Reply #41 on:** February 01, 2010, 09:26:00 AM »

Zulu,

I really like these two mortars you've recently finished.
This isn't a suggestion having to do with selling your work, it's just a question posed to satisfy my own curiosity. Have you ever considered making smaller scale artillery models (say, 1/4th - 1/6th) that were made out of exotic woods sealed with only some type of clear gloss/semi gloss finish?

Zulu · « **Reply #42 on:** February 01, 2010, 10:04:10 AM »

Boom J,
I did this one. White Oak carriage with walnut accents. Ash barrel. Just clear laquer finish. This is the smallest gun Iv'e done. The barrel is 18" long. I gave it to a friend for his birthday.
I really like the bigger guns but they obviously have their down side. When you have as many as I do they really take up a lot of space.

Zulu

Zulu · « **Reply #43 on:** February 02, 2010, 10:45:01 AM »

Quote from: Double D on January 31, 2010, 12:15:32 PM

You might be surprised what they will pay. Talk to the designers and architects. Ordinary old gunsmucks like what hang out here are not going to be buying these. The folks that buy the guns from Seacoast will stand in line for you work.

Build one of these guns so it can be fully disassembled for easy shipping. Get a pretty girl in a bikini with pirate bandana and a linstock and take a picture with hee behind the gun. Put the picture up here first---we want to make sure you get the picture layout right. Then put one of these guns up for sale on EBay and see where it goes.

Houston use to have all those home decorating and builder shows. Make yourself some business cards and a port folio of pictures of the different guns you have built go to the show and look for the architects and designers who build the fancy home and offices, Visit with them. Show them what you can do, no pretty girl pictures here. Don't try to sell them a finished gun. Sell them your skills and even offer to work with them on specualtion. Don't build to sell, sell to build.

I would guess you could get at least $1500 for these and probably more. If the designers or architect, don't tell them a price, just say you can build to fithis budget. But tell them no if they try to low ball you.

DD,
Did you mean like this?

Zulu

Double D · « **Reply #44 on:** February 02, 2010, 11:36:26 AM »

Your real gun, real girl, not suggestive

Especailly not here.

It would be interesting to see how one would go on Ebay.

I haven't sold anything on Ebay in years, but you use to be able to list in several catagories, Home and garden, antiquities-maritime, architectural and what ever else.

Try and see what come up.

Zulu · « **Reply #45 on:** February 02, 2010, 11:59:24 AM »

My wife put this on Ebay a few years back. I think the bidding went to $250. My reserve was $1500.
Zulu

GGaskill · « **Reply #46 on:** February 02, 2010, 12:34:46 PM »

I'm not sure eBay will get it before the correct market, at least initially. Face to face contact with potential buyers, maybe trade shows, etc., is the way to start.

Or maybe find some appropriately themed places that need a cannon or mortar to tweak their ambiance and loan them one. It's always good to have some references.

Soot · « **Reply #47 on:** February 02, 2010, 02:04:55 PM »

I think one of the real keys to getting money is to play up the "Artist" angle and putting it in front of the right people.
When people believe that you're an artist, they will throw money at you, weather you believe it or not. It's all in perception.
Call that garage or basement shop that you make these in, your "Studio" and fill your portfolio and business cards with key words like that.
There is a site for selling handmade things, it may be worth a try: Here.

RocklockI · « **Reply #48 on:** February 02, 2010, 05:19:39 PM »

Did you notice she's rifled ?

A Regular Spinner she is ! ........

Double D · « **Reply #49 on:** February 02, 2010, 06:17:59 PM »

Quote from: GGaskill on February 02, 2010, 12:34:46 PM

I'm not sure eBay will get it before the correct market, at least initially. Face to face contact with potential buyers, maybe trade shows, etc., is the way to start.

Or maybe find some appropriately themed places that need a cannon or mortar to tweak their ambiance and loan them one. It's always good to have some references.

Ebay isn't the right market, Ebay is a market, nothing more. It's a good test market.

Theme place with ambiance is a good idea also.