I should start by saying that I have friends that participate in
historical reenactment. So there is a market for items that look
correct for a certain era for the costumes they wear. Especially the
buckes and chapes for sword frogs (hangers).
I have been thinking about making some replicas of sword frog
hardware to sell as there is a definite market for these. By the
time I make each set to mold and have them cast in brass, I can sell
a set of about 8 to 10 items for a couple of hundred and still make
a profit. But I am running into big one problem. You can buy from
the internet a set of sword frog hardware for about $30 to $60. Yes,
the quality is lower then what I would produce, but where are they
casting these? To be competitive, I need to be able to sell these
sets of hardware for less then my casting cost right now.
Does anyone have a contact they can share for casting houses that
can cast multiple brass items and do it less expensively so I can at
least try to be competitive?
Thanks in advance for the advice
Gerald A. Livings
Livingston Jewelers