Hi All. I have been asked recently to do some wax carving and am not
sure what the going rate is for providing a wax model. So far all
requests have been for one-off, rather than production pieces and I
am not expected to do the casting. Any guidance will be appreciated.
Thanks in advance, Stephanie
Stephanie, There is no one-size-fits-all rate that is charged for
doing carving. Charge an hourly rate for your work. If you have a
really detailed wax it will cost more than a plainer one. That’s
all.
Larry
Hi Stephanie, What is a reasonable estimate of the time it will take
you to carve the piece? What is your overhead and shop rate? I know
there are folks out there carving waxes for $50 but I haven’t a
clue as to how they are covering their overhead and paying themselves
a living wage. From what I have seen, the ‘going rate’ is broad from
$50 to $1,500 a wax. An intricate, well carved model takes time and
skill. Some folks charge on a ‘what is it worth for me to take the
time and energy to make this piece well?’ basis. HTH Kate Wolf,
Workshops at Wolf Designs, Portland, Maine.
Hi Stephanie, reasonable rates depend upon your shop overheads,
skill level, quality of work and last but by no means least
REPUTATION, on the whole in New England the prices are as follows
(these are averaged) Simple wax model (and I do mean simple, less
than 3 hours to carve) $200.00 for the finished wax. More complicated
models with interlocking components (over 3 hours) between $65.00
and $150.00 an hour. Cordially, Ed Dawson www.truequalityendures.com