I Guess CNC Plasma Cutting is not 'In The Circle'

[The Hobbyist]

Johnny Cash and June Carter-Cash got married in a church on the Square here in Franklin, KY. They had a 50th year Johnny Cash Bash here, and so I made this piece to display in my store. I donated it to a church to sell at an auction. I don't know where it is now. Someone bent one of the slats to see if it was really metal ^%&#*

Joe

 

[Geneva Olson]

have you thought about working with local sign companies to help them out with maybe some custom stuff for their customers? perhaps working hand in hand..
have you thought about selling as artwork on etsy?

 

[Stacey K]

Hi Stacey,

Yes, COLOR makes metal art "pop!" I do use spray paint and primer, etc. I am currently in the process of building a powder coat oven. You are correct, in that I am a single MALE, and so my stuff certainly lacks "the feminine touch!" Vive Le Differance!

Everything I make is original. I do not like to copy the work of others, although I occasionally adopt a concept, and then do my own thing with that.

It is a shame, really, and my own fault. I haven't found "her" yet. I am sure I would be producing metal art and other art made from other materials at a feverish pitch, if only I had a "her" to motivate me.

Joe



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My BF does a lot of random welding jobs for people, he made an aluminum pier, a trailer, lots of fixing broken farm equipment, mostly just word of mouth. We bought a plasma cutter and have dabbled around a bit. This spring I'm putting in some flower gardens and I plan to design some larger metal art for him to make. I'm not sure how excited he is about it, but I am! We thought about selling some stuff on Etsy but then we get too wrapped up in other things and never do it. I'm OK just doing stuff for myself, if someone sees it and wants one then that's ok too.

It looks like you do craft shows, I think that's a great way to meet other people and possibly find someone to work with or even hook-up with! When I did craft shows, I got to know quite a few of the vendors and it made it fun.

 

[The Hobbyist]

have you thought about working with local sign companies to help them out with maybe some custom stuff for their customers? perhaps working hand in hand..
have you thought about selling as artwork on etsy?

I have an ETSY store, but almost nothing on it at the moment. I hope to change that very soon.

Local sign shops ... it is a funny thing about "competitors." I am the kind of guy who believes we should all meet, and KNOW each other. We should KNOW what this guy can and CANNOT do, and that guy, and that gal, etc. When things get tough, you can rely on a friend who is in the same business, and may be able to take some of the load off of you, or get you out of a tight spot.

NOPE! That does not seem to be the case. Too many small business owners see other owners in the same business as COMPETITION. While that may be PARTLY true, I see it as ... collectively, "we" have what the customer needs! If the customer wants a metal sign, I can cut it. If he wants a wooden sign, John can make it. If he wants a lighted pole sign, Danny has the U.L. permits to make it and the crane truck to mount it! In that way, not EVERY sign maker needs to fork out the cash for things like CNC machines, powder coat ovens, forklifts, crane trucks, etc., etc.

I ran a motorcycle towing service in Southern California for 13 years. 888-BIKETOW I was originally the ONLY guy doing this, but eventually I had six competitors, once they saw the need for a specialized towing service that knows how to handle motorcycles without damaging them. I did not see them as "competition." I saw all of them as an asset! It was difficult to do, but I was able to get us all to work southern California TOGETHER. We were each located in different regions of the seven counties that make up SoCal. So I reasoned that if my customer called, and he was 100 miles away, I could pass the job to Dave, who was only 20 minutes away from him. Dave knew what he was doing, and he could do the tow quickly and efficiently, and make the money for it. If Dave got a call for a customer up in North County where I was located, I would go handle the customer myself. This saved Dave the 1-1/2 hour drive north through rush hour traffic, just to get a guy who might have been only ten minutes away from ME.

We all worked together, and it worked out very well. We all got tows. We all passed tows to others. The end result was that no matter WHERE yo broke down on a motorcycle in SoCal, there was a specialized motorcycle towing service not far from you.

So I approached the "Big Guys." you know ... the long established towing companies with the monster trucks. I suggested that they should pass their motorcycle tows to ME, since I had a truck specifically designed to handle bikes. I told them it would free up their big trucks for the more profitable calls that REQUIRE their heavy equipment. I was unable to even get the various owners to gather together for a friendly Meet-n-Greet lunch, JUST to have a chance to talk about the business. "Oh, you'll NEVER get Hank and Woody to sit in the same room! They HATE each other! ..." I thought, HOW STUPID and MYOPIC of these beer guzzling Neanderthals, to refuse to take advantage of the assets that are around them!

With only one exception, most of the local "sign guys" in my area have given me the same response... "Why should I give YOU business?!" My answer was, "Because I will give YOU business! I don't have a vinyl cutter, for example. so when someone asks me for a vinyl sign, I can pass the job to you! When someone needs an electric sign, I can pass the job to YOU since I do not have the proper license to make electric signs!" NO WAY. NO CHANCE. NO HOW! The narrow-minded thinking of some people really irks me!

Joe



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[The Hobbyist]

My BF does a lot of random welding jobs for people, he made an aluminum pier, a trailer, lots of fixing broken farm equipment, mostly just word of mouth. We bought a plasma cutter and have dabbled around a bit. This spring I'm putting in some flower gardens and I plan to design some larger metal art for him to make. I'm not sure how excited he is about it, but I am! We thought about selling some stuff on Etsy but then we get too wrapped up in other things and never do it. I'm OK just doing stuff for myself, if someone sees it and wants one then that's ok too.

It looks like you do craft shows, I think that's a great way to meet other people and possibly find someone to work with or even hook-up with! When I did craft shows, I got to know quite a few of the vendors and it made it fun.

I think I would enjoy the craft show circuit. Load up the trailer with some machines, tools, hardware, etc. etc., and roam the countryside in search of craft fairs, art shows, flea markets, etc. I could set up and make a few signs and things just for FUN, and maybe make a buck or two in the process. The trailer I was going to buy had "bare bones" living quarters in the front half, and a large workshop in the rear half. The plan was to search for the shows, and reserve a space, make some crafts, meet some people, and ENJOY LIFE!

Then this whole covid hoax hit, and the world went bat guava crazy. I canceled my trailer order, because I was not going to make payments on a trailer if the shows would all be shut down, or I would be forbidden to cross a State or County line, or enter a venue as a "pureblood." So I abandoned the whole idea.

Joe



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[The Hobbyist]

The most AMAZING woman I ever met was a gal named "Jackie." She and her boyfriend were hitchhiking West, so I picked them up for a long ride to California.

We talked about how they afford to travel around. She told me she is an artist! So of course I asked her if she paints, or does the strings and beads jewelry, or ????

She reached into a small pouch and pulled out a small assortment of magnifying glass lenses. "I use these." I was intrigued!

We stopped at a rest area, and she picked up an old piece of wood that looked like a broken board from a pallet or something. NO ONE would see it as anything but trash. On the road, she laid the wood on her lap, pulled out her lenses, and with the sun coming in through the windshield, she began to burn the most beautiful scene of cowboys driving the herd home, using ONLY the sunlight and her lenses! It took her about an hour to make the scene. I asked her if I could have it, but she said, "I can sell this for $50.00 at any truck stop or rest area. This is how I make our money." I didn't have $50.00 cash, or I would have bought it myself. She said she can burn her art into anything, wood, leather, any material. All she needs is sunlight. No paints. no brushes. No solvents. No blades. NOTHING! She turns sunlight into CASH!

She was so cute, but like I said ... there was her boyfriend traveling with her, so ....

Joe



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