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/diy/ - Do It Yourself

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2621584 No.2621584 [Reply] [Original]

How can I make money as a blacksmith?

>> No.2621585

Make a youtube channel and find a quirky format like He Forged An Old Bedpan Into WHAT [Gone wrong] ASMR

>> No.2621588

>>2621585
I think I'd rather stick my head into a forge.

Could I try selling products in a physical store or online? Mostly leaning towards the former because of fees.

>> No.2621598

Farrier

>> No.2621608
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2621608

You can earn $10,000 on a game show.

>> No.2621617

>>2621584
you're literally a blacksmith, just smelt some non-fiat currency.

>> No.2621621

>>2621608
No idea why I liked that show so much. It was the cookie cutter of a reality show but it was fun.

>> No.2621631

>>2621584
Probably the simplest way is to teach others how to blacksmith. Rent a barn somewhere rustic, put up posters at the local IPA festival and put on a course for $200 a head.

>> No.2621633

>>2621598
^This

>> No.2621651

My friend became an artist who makes aluminium sculptures, you could do that.

>> No.2621702

>>2621621
Because they cut up pig carcases with huge great choppers?

>> No.2621705

>>2621584
By selling your equipment and supplies to a better blacksmith.

>> No.2621707

>>2621633
Im afraid it is the only way.

>> No.2621746

>>2621651
>blacksmith
>aluminum
lol

>> No.2621750

>>2621584
Suck good dick

>> No.2621751

>>2621584
Seems like more of a hobby thing but I'm not expert.

>> No.2622108

>>2621584
Make swords or take any request. Most important is advertising

>> No.2622263

>>2622108
How should I advertise? Physical ads or online? Store front maybe?

>> No.2622266

>>2621584
r u fukk in the ead m8?
make shit
sell shit
don't know what to make? literally look up generic search on etsy like "hand forged" or some dumb shit
make a bunch of large hand made nails

>> No.2622269

>>2621584
Make small quick things from store bought things. You could make little hooks out of nails and sell them for like 1-5 dollars each depending on the size. Spend an hour or 2 and make 100 of them.

>> No.2622277

>>2622263
Print your advert on a sheet of paper/foil then fold it 10,000 times. Promise you will do the same to whatever nippon blade they ask for.

>> No.2622441

>>2621584
Start a youtube channel. Start making san mai, or damascus, or other flashy looking knives, axes, swords, straight razors, pizza cutters, etc. Record yourself doing so and edit them down into videos + shorts.
You aren’t looking to make money off of your youtube channel - it’s primarily advertisement for your business. Custom blades can sell for a lot and are relatively high profit margin, but not having a power hammer or press kind of fucks you up. You can also set up stalls at rennfaires and that sort of thing.

This is the route I’d take so long as I wasn’t looking to make it a full time job. This >>2622269 is also a valid strategy. You can pump out a shitload of bottle openers and sell em for $5 a pop.

>> No.2622503

>>2621584
You don't
t. actual blacksmith

The long answer is, depending on what you specialize in making (whether this be furniture, art pieces, knives, etc) and depending on the area you are in you will have mixed results. If you're in a big money area you may have better luck doing order work making furniture or railings for rich people, if you're working at a crafts fair or renn festival it'll be better to make small things like coat hooks or trinkets. Unless your skills are world class and known in many places you will not become rich as a blacksmith. Hell, I know many masters and even though they are literal masters at the craft they are mostly on a lower class income. If you really want to make money as a smith the question is, are you good? Any swinging dick can get a hammer and an anvil and call themselves a blacksmith, What are you doing to seperate yourself from every one else? The guy telling you to start a youtube channel doesn't know what he's talking about and it's not worth it.

>> No.2622504

>>2622269
>. Spend an hour or 2 and make 100 of them.
make a jig and you could do it in 20mins

>> No.2622521

>>2622503
>The guy telling you to start a youtube channel doesn't know what he's talking about and it's not worth it.
Fuck off retard, you don't know what you're talking about.

>> No.2622541

>>2622521
if youre starting a youtube channel for the only purpose of making money its not worth the time and effort put into it, youre fucking stupid and dont know what youre talking about

>> No.2622553

>>2622541
Nah, fuck off retard, starting a youtube channel is the easiest and quickest way to market your shit to the most possible people as quickly as possible, especially if you are a noob and not a well known name already.

>> No.2622567

>>2622441
I am told that if you make a YouTube channel of something, you can write off taxes on said thing. So if you have a YouTube channel on blacksmithing or whatever, then you can write off all of the equipment you used to purchase your blacksmithing equipment. Forge, tongs, metal, heat, whatever the fuck.

>> No.2622569

>>2622553
To start a youtube channel you need to show the audience something interesting. You need to be a good blacksmith and a good filmmaker and it takes time
If you are mediocre nobody is gonna care about your stupid videos

>> No.2622570

>>2622567
>tyoutube write offs
Can anyone else comment on this?

>> No.2622575

>>2622570
digging a little
https://www.theshowbizaccountant.com/what-can-youtubers-claim-as-expenses-a-complete-guide/
https://old.reddit.com/r/UKPersonalFinance/comments/oturuy/youtube_vlogging_and_tax_write_offs/
https://www.taxinsider.co.uk/is-it-a-trade-or-a-hobby-ta
the last two are uk examples though.

>> No.2622587

>>2622575
Based off of this page, it's seems like it's a bit more complicated than just writing off everything.
https://www.irs.gov/publications/p535#en_US_2022_publink1000208620
>There are many different kinds of business assets, for example, land, buildings, machinery, furniture, trucks, patents, and franchise rights. You must fully capitalize the cost of these assets, including freight and installation charges.
>Unless the uniform capitalization rules apply, amounts spent for tools used in your business are deductible expenses if the tools have a life expectancy of less than 1 year or they cost $200 or less per item or invoice.

I would speak with a lawyer.

>> No.2622608

>>2622587
Why not just speak to an accountant?

>> No.2622712

>>2621608
>$6,189 after taxes

>> No.2622725

>>2622553
wheres your fuckin youtube channel you butthole

>> No.2622727

Teaching. All the blacksmiths I know sell a fair bit of their wares, but the money they make from classes and private lessons outstrips their sales by far

>> No.2622934

>>2622503
I had a blacksmith in my town do custom railings, cabinet pulls, range hood and a fireplace screen when I built my house. It was expensive but not obscenely so and is probably the single most cohesive element that took things from "nice" to "custom build". Plus it was satisfying to work with someone that had a passion and followed it. 11/10 would forge again

>> No.2623206
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2623206

>>2621584
Start out making tools, tongs, knives, trinkets, decorative spoons, decorations, etc... when you get good enough, start doing larger projects. Also, any blacksmith that tells you I'm a blacksmith I don't shoe horses is an idiot. Yes, farriers specialize in horses, and in larger cities, you could specialize in one thing, but out with limited income, you take whatever job puts food on the table or you flip burgers to support blacksmithing. Older smith's will usually share knowledge they have skill and know theircraft. It's the younger ones hoarding knowledge because they are inexperienced, feel threatened, and see you as competition.

Pick up edge of the anvil book, don't use a cast-iron anvil, and railroad track or any thick hard metal will work just fine to start with.

>> No.2623608 [DELETED] 

>>2622553
Are you not aware of the sheer quantity of people currently trying to become youtubers you retarded nigger

>> No.2623666 [DELETED] 

>>2623608
The goal isn't to become a youtuber dipshit, it's to advertise your shit

>> No.2623673

>>2623666
Yeah with your 5 views in the ocean of people doing the exact same thing how fucking wonderful

>> No.2623674

>>2621584
>learn metallurgy
>REALLY learn metallurgy (read that Larry Thomas book)
>make things that are not possible to make by CNC cutting or stock removal (like swords, spearheads, axes and so on)
>sell them to turbo autists that practice HEMA or whatever faggotry they do
Bonus point: make famous swords and stuff and have them be useful, I would pay 10k no problem for a 1:1 fully heat treated Dragonslayer but nobody even tries to make one.

>> No.2623690

>>2621584
Yes, making custom artistic fences or unique tools.

>> No.2623812

>>2621584
Lessons pay the most. Remember that in current year you are more of an artist than a craftsman. People don't need to go to the blacksmith for nails or doorhinges. People do need to go to the blacksmith for artisanal railings, or beautiful decorative pieces.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ndf-tN8pIhc&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2F&feature=emb_title

>> No.2623834

>>2623812
nails are actually pretty good business if you can find someone that needs specifically historical forged nails and are good enough to knock them out efficiently
There's a really old church here that apparently ordered 300 rose head clinch nails for 5$ each from the local historical blacksmith for some restoration they were doing and it took him one afternoon to make 1500$
Of course you only get commissions like that after years of building reputation and contacts

>> No.2623934

>>2621584
Look up that one Cody's lab vid where he buys old golden trinkets and smelts them into a gold bar. He actually made a good bit of profit this way. Though that is maybe more metallurgy.

>> No.2623972

>>2623934
I heard it was 15k just from melting down scrap gold and putting it all into a cast, sick shit.

>> No.2624052

Have you tried looking into blacksmithing for film and tv? Honestly there’s a giant gap in the industry for it, with only a select few well known names.

>> No.2624986

Make a bunch of stuff that people want and sell it.

Renaissance festivals are the prime audience for in person sales. I went to one in MD. It was the only good thing about that state. A lot of the vendors travels from festival to festival around the country. You can also do local harvest festivals, but those are more for marketing than for sales. Otherwise, stick to online sales.