[E.B. Erickson]

Hey All,
For the last ? number of years Angus and I have collaborated on 5 swords every year. However, for the next few years I'm going to be slowing down on my hilt production, as I'd like to be doing more things with my family. Along with this change, Angus and I are simplifying our financial setup to make his bookkeeping easier. So see below for the new procedure that we'll be using for the Atrim/EBE collaborative efforts.

1. I'll do 3 hilts for Atrim/EBE collaborations per year until further notice.
2. It's understood that these 3 commissioned hilts will be sent to Angus Trim for a blade.
3. If you'd like one of the 3 Atrim/EBE collaborations, CONTACT ME. DON'T CONTACT ANGUS. There's no need to pester Angus until he's got your hilt in hand. At that point you can work out blade details with him.
4. Payment for hilts will be due to me in late May of each year. Payment for the bladework will need to be arranged with Angus and sent separately.

For my 2007-08 workyear, there are two hilts commissions left (one hilt got reserved earlier today).

--ElJay

[Angus Trim]

Personally, I'm glad that the number of hilts are going down. This last year got pretty hairy for a while, and I'm in the recovery mode........... without the smaller number of hilts, I'd have asked that we take a year off, as my overriding short term goal is to get my business debt buried........six more payments of $3600/ mo.

http://forums.swordforum.com/showthread.php?t=79354

and

http://forums.swordforum.com/showthread.php?t=79228

The links of this will give folks an idea of some of the hard luck that has dogged me since November. Actually, I have never really recovered from the collapse of Allsaints, but that's another thing altogether.......... Once this debt is buried, things change drastically, here at what has been popularly called the Batcave over the years........

I'd said I was unwilling to do anymore custom stuff. Well, I've reconsidered, but since some of the worse "alligators" I've had to deal with, are over custom stuff, things are going to be different.........

The custom stuff has been pretty cheap, particularly when you look around the industry. Unfortunately that's going to change. Once upon a time, I'd do my "custom" programming when I could create the time, "on my own time". This sometimes meant that even without disasters happening it took longer than planned. Once disaster strikes it makes things even worse..........

Ideally, in the job shop world, you charge "shop rate" for everything. A machine like my 50 inch travel Daewoo attracts $100/hr right now {minimum} locally. Well, since it'll be paid for in six months, for the purpose of this post, lets think $60/hr, and include programming time, prototyping time, grinding time, assembly time, fiddling time to make things right, etc.........

The typical relatively simple double edged blade can easily take 4 hours, from the time I sit down in front of the computer, to having it downloaded into the machine's control ready to run......... Ohh wait a minute, that's just the programming time, doesn't include the "layout" of the blade, so to speak.......

But lets think about a four fullered blade for a baskethilt, that will be as accurate for "period' as I'm capable of doing. The layout time, studying photos, and handling an antique or too, might easily have 6 hours into it.......{$360}. Programming something extra like this could be 8 hours {$480}. "Prototyping time" could easily be another 8 hours $480), and better plan on two pieces of stock {$50}. Already we're close to $1320...........

Now, if we add the typical blade price of $350 {which includes things like tools, abrasives, heat treat, and the like}, before I start the handwork, we're at $1670. These blades however, really need something "extra" from me, that maybe a typical stock blade doesn't get, things like, just maybe a bit more work on the finish, and extra touches I haven't consistently done, like convex edges........another $200. Then we have the fiddling time to make this all work with Eljay's hilts. Yes, sometimes its a slamdunk, works the first time, and everything is hunky dory. Most of the time however, it takes just a bit of fiddling, at the fitting bench, back to the grinder, back to the bench, then everything fits right, but now needs an extra clean up..... Another $240................

I haven't been charging enough for some of this, and it adds to the workload, adding to the schedule problem.........

That's $2100, but you know? A true professional in another industry would then add a markup. This could easily be $3000, and that's not adding in Eljay's work.............

Am I going to charge something like this? Probably not, but what I intend to do is get thing priced right, so that I can take a commission like this, and ship within 16 weeks consistently. I can't do it if I'm "giving away" much of my labor.........

This goes for things like longswords too. I have the ability to do really nice type XX blades, with say, three fullers blending into two, blending into one........And coupled with Christian Fletcher's hilts, these could be really nice. But even with a Gus hilt, something like this won't go for the Dawg's likely summer "LPM" longsword price of $650.............probably going to be substantially more...........

[E.B. Erickson]

Another hilt was reserved a few minutes ago. There's now one spot left for the 2007-08 workyear.

--ElJay

[GG Osborne]

Dear Eljay....

Have you been receiving my PMs regarding getting on the build list? Just checking.

GG

[E.B. Erickson]

Th-th-th-that's all folks! George just reserved the last spot for the 2007-08 workyea

--ElJay