Hi Gerry,
As you have troubled to reply it would not be honerable of me, not
to respond.
We do need to look at this closer.
Now Ganoksin is really a bench jewellers forum.
As such, what you are helping with, are bench jewellers problems,
and teaching that kind of work. which is fair enough.
However theres the other type of working which is quite different.
as in my case im actually a manufacturing silversmith, using all the
techniques available to the UK Birmingham jewellery manufacturing
area.
To give you another example, I mint lots of buttons mainly in
s/silver.
love making them, but there in the dozens not singy. Bangles by at
least 20 off in a day and I have at least 40 different designs.
so being a single handed worker I have to make fast, efficently,
which leads to profitability. tho thats not the object, I love making
beautiful things, no matter what it is.
As to marketing, well, i was selling in markets for 16 yrs on a
weekly basis.
My principle? make what I like, if it sells make some more.!!.
With a family to keep and everything else, got to get a move on.!!
then into big events at the top of the game here in the UK and by
sponsorship througought Europe during the 1990’s all to do with the
fully transportable mint that needs a proper sized 10 ton truck in
which to move the 3.5tons of equipment, plus a caravan, you call
then trailers>? up the back. “a right big road train” If you have
moment google for Ted Frater bronzesmith and minter. Read my cv. I
hope you enjoy.
How I came to aquire a fully equiped 1889 jewelly makers minters
workshop in 1987 is another story! Now to be a bit more serious, in
the commercial world, businesses like for example My metal supplier.
Johnson Matthey in Hatton garden. London. a wonderful old established
co. with all the tech support for their gold, silver platinum metals
plus all their brazing alloys plus all their fluxes for our use plus
all of the industrial brazing alloys,. their fluxes are superb, with
all the temp ranges soluability data you could wish for. BUT the
formulae? NO way, thats a trade secret and rightly, like mine is kept
for commercial reasons. after all their in competition with Degussa a
in Germany and Eutectic in Switzerland who also keep formulae secret.
Im in competition with the painters sculptors and other applied art
makers. One needs to be really different to succeed.
Another example is M/soft who licence their s/ware and keep their
source code SECRET!! When you have a commercial advantage one has
spent a long time developing does one just give it away to someone
who would profit from it without any similar effort? come on! do you
still think what I keep to myself then is a sin? More power to your
elbow keeping this trade alive via your teaching.
Ted