Mazanec
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2004
Posts: 355
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Money?
Apr 5, 2004 10:16:04 GMT -5
Post by Mazanec on Apr 5, 2004 10:16:04 GMT -5
Does anybody make money with this hobby?
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bwalters
has rocks in the head
Member since March 2004
Posts: 557
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Money?
Apr 5, 2004 20:43:10 GMT -5
Post by bwalters on Apr 5, 2004 20:43:10 GMT -5
Not yet................but Llana and I are planning to! Does that count ? Barbara
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Money?
Apr 5, 2004 21:00:35 GMT -5
Post by creativeminded on Apr 5, 2004 21:00:35 GMT -5
I am planning on wrapping my tumbled rocks and sell them.
Tami
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tjmax
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since March 2004
Posts: 79
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Money?
Apr 5, 2004 21:42:15 GMT -5
Post by tjmax on Apr 5, 2004 21:42:15 GMT -5
I plan on bagging up all my emerald dust and selling it as genuine gemstone aquarium gravel at 45 bucks a pound.
Just kidding ... but I bet I could sell it if I could crumble enough up
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thewiz
has rocks in the head
"What good is money if you don't spend it"
Member since January 2004
Posts: 735
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Money?
Apr 5, 2004 21:52:59 GMT -5
Post by thewiz on Apr 5, 2004 21:52:59 GMT -5
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Money?
Apr 5, 2004 22:14:50 GMT -5
Post by creativeminded on Apr 5, 2004 22:14:50 GMT -5
Too funny TheWiz . Tami
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Money?
Apr 5, 2004 23:10:44 GMT -5
Post by docone31 on Apr 5, 2004 23:10:44 GMT -5
I exclusively live off the profits of this venue. I feel my saying this might create some contempt but I hope it will be an encouragement to others to forge ahead. I started in the late '60's sitting on a blanket wrapping stones with electrical wire, to advancing to tumbling, polishing, wire wrapping with silver and gold, to soldering silver and gold, to designing, to making intarsia, to faceting, to casting, to repairing. Today I wholesale, retail, and custom create. I teach, my wife learned from me and she teaches pearl restringing. She is the raw material buyer for us, and she organizes the shop. It was not a linear road to success. I have been a millionaire twice, homeless five times. I have been run out of some towns, been welcomed in others. Anybody can do what I do, the more people who do it the more I am accepted and the easier it is to get folks to think outside of Walmart. From reading the posts and interests of everybody here, I am certain each and everyone of us can succeed in making this a commercial venture at some level. The magic for the customer is when the person who does it shows how it is done and explains the beauty they see in it. Set up in a fleamarket, show them how it is done, and show up every day. They will come to you. You can do it.
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llanago
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,714
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Money?
Apr 5, 2004 23:41:43 GMT -5
Post by llanago on Apr 5, 2004 23:41:43 GMT -5
No contempt from me. I think it's wonderful that you are so creative and talented and able to make a living with that talent.
I am learning to wire wrap. It's a slow process because my hands are more suited for sawing, sanding, hammering, etc. It's kinda hard for me to work with wire, esp. with my right hand because I sustained some muscle and nerve damage to it years ago in a car wreck. Have a hard time holding on to anything small for more than a few minutes. But, doing it is good for my hand and it is getting a little easier.
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Money?
Apr 5, 2004 23:47:01 GMT -5
Post by cookie3rocks on Apr 5, 2004 23:47:01 GMT -5
My husband bought my first tumbler for my birthday in the hopes ( in part) we could sell the stones for profit. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D little did he know... I have since re-educated him.
cookie
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WarrenA
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2003
Posts: 1,530
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Money?
Apr 6, 2004 0:31:44 GMT -5
Post by WarrenA on Apr 6, 2004 0:31:44 GMT -5
any hobby that I have ever had will cost a little money how much you spend depends on you. If you can get a hobby so that you can make money at it good for you. the question is then if you make money at it is it still a hobby?
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Money?
Apr 6, 2004 7:28:02 GMT -5
Post by mrbrett on Apr 6, 2004 7:28:02 GMT -5
Great encouragement doc! I started tumbling in late December and now have done 5 pendants and 4 rings. The pendants and rings are sterling silver and I buy them. I would love to learn how to solder to make my own mounts. It's a good feeling when someone looks at your work and likes it.
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Money?
Apr 6, 2004 8:52:32 GMT -5
Post by docone31 on Apr 6, 2004 8:52:32 GMT -5
Soldering is easier than a person would think. First, get a piece of wood, a 2X4, or 2X6. Second get borax laundry detergent, and a quart of alcohol. Third get a propane torch and propane bottle. Get hard silver solder. The wood absorbs the oxygen that creates firescale. The alcohol and borax is the flux. The alcohol burns off and deposits flux completely on the work. The propane torch will completely melt the complete article to be worked on so complex investment is not recquired. The hard solder will match the colour of the sterling. Practice melting small pieces of copper wire on the wood so they make balls. Teaches heat control. Take two pieces of copper wire, have them touch at one point. Flux. Start heating the work. Cut a small piece of solder,called a snippet, make into a melted ball. Pick up with a T-head pin pushed into a pencil eraser. The solder will stick to the point of the pin. Re-flux the work, re-heat and when the flux has boiled down, touch the snippet to the work. Sprinkle unmixed flux on the wood to put out the small fire, and put the piece of soldered wire into a small quantity of Pool Acid, found in hardware stores. Practice this untill you can solder the smallest pieces imagineable. Now you can solder anything. Heat control, oxygen absorbtion, flux, and heat reflection. Ta-DA!!!! Now you be jeweler, have fun and create.
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Money?
Apr 6, 2004 9:26:10 GMT -5
Post by creativeminded on Apr 6, 2004 9:26:10 GMT -5
Thanks for the inspiration docone31. I know when I set up my booth at the event I went to, I worked on some chainmail for myself and I had a lot of people stop by, only two people bought something from me, but many were very interested. The next event I will be going to is over Labor Day weekend and I will try to sell my wares there. I also plan on selling on e-bay. Tami
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Money?
Apr 6, 2004 9:30:03 GMT -5
Post by creativeminded on Apr 6, 2004 9:30:03 GMT -5
The information about solder was even more helpful, I was wondering what I could use to get back into my metalsmithing, since they aren't teaching it at the college anymore. Thank you. Tami
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WilliamC
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2003
Posts: 416
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Money?
Apr 6, 2004 12:28:36 GMT -5
Post by WilliamC on Apr 6, 2004 12:28:36 GMT -5
Greetings All,
I've thought about trying to sell rough on Ebay or such, that's partly why I bought 2 metric tons worth from South Africa. But as I looked into the time it would take to start a small business I sort of gave up on the idea. I actually love my job (I'm a research scientist) and am at the lab about 10 hours a day, plus I commute an hour and a half every day (I don't mind working in a city but I enjoy living in the country) so I really don't have any spare time during the workweek. Evenings are family time, taking my son to soccer and Taekwondo, chores, reading (we gave up on television years ago, and I don't miss it). Weekends are the only time I have to spend with the rocks. But, I do have lots of rough, and will very likely buy another ton over the next year or so, (actually I plan to buy several tons of fieldstone for landscaping in the very near future, both my next-door neighbors have a lot of landscaping rock and I'm starting to feel a bit left-out. At only $100 per ton I can easily see getting, I dunno, maybe 5 tons and doing something with them in the yard.) My hopes are that as my kids grow up (only one now but trying for another) that I can teach them to be more entrepraneurial than I am. Me I'd rather give something away than try to sell it, I just have no instinct for making a profit. But maybe having all the rocks and tumbling equipment might give them head start on learning how to turn work and creativity into money. My son is 5 now, I figure by the time he's 8 or so he should be able to go through the entire tumbling process himself. Then if he wants extra money over and above his allowence I'll pay him for the polished rocks he makes, and later he'll have an inventory of polished rocks to sell. I want him to be able to start doing something at an early age, and rock tumbling seems like a good beginning.
WilliamC
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WilliamC
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2003
Posts: 416
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Money?
May 3, 2004 22:28:02 GMT -5
Post by WilliamC on May 3, 2004 22:28:02 GMT -5
Greetings All,
Well I actually paid my 5-year old son for the first time tonight and taught him how to sort rocks between stages. He had no problems learning to distinguish between which rocks needed more of the same stage and which were ready to pass on to the next stage. We sorted some mixed obsidian which had been through a 220 run, he was very keen to seperate out any that were not completely smooth from those with rough areas still needing some more shaping. Then we sorted some verdite from 60/90. Again, he understood how I wanted them sorted by watching me do a couple of rocks, and did the rest himself. He then helped me add the walnut shell, water, and grit to the barrel, and came out to the storage room with me to start the barrel going. He now understands that this is an optional way for him now to pester me for extra money by working, he 'gets it'. Hopefully I won't come to regret this, what teaching him how to think and work for himself ;D
WilliamC
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shorty
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2003
Posts: 392
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Money?
May 7, 2004 18:14:55 GMT -5
Post by shorty on May 7, 2004 18:14:55 GMT -5
williamc thats cool at least he dont say why. howcom .whatsthat whats this what does this do.why where.onand on..hahahahave fun teach hem rite and pay hem good
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shorty
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2003
Posts: 392
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Money?
May 7, 2004 18:33:24 GMT -5
Post by shorty on May 7, 2004 18:33:24 GMT -5
hi all williamc what do you have to sell if any ..i would like to se please letme now mjtaylor@localnet.com thanks shorty
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