d_thomas02 wrote: »

Question for the group.

Having seen a few of the items I've forged, would you be more likely to buy one if it was forged using a renewable 'green earth fuel' like corn as apposed to fossil fuels like coal and propane, or a deforresting fuel like charcoal?

Is 'Green Earth Fuel' a selling point or not?

In marketing terms, I think it could cut both ways, depending on how you convey the information.

For sure, the "green earth fuel" featured in big letters someplace would be a selling point for some people. But it would make others eye-roll (darn hippie freaks and their self-satified greeniehood! ). Presumably, you'd like to sell to anyone and everyone. Not knowing how you plan to market (web vs. shows vs. placement in retail venues), or what kind of area you live/sell in (lots of environmentally oriented people or not), it's hard to evaluate the value of that as a selling point.

One thing I might suggest is somehow sharing your process with people (pretty easy on a web site, but maybe a poster if you're doing booth sales, hang tag mini-brochure if consignment or wholesale?), and embedding the fuel in it as a point of goodness. You could then emphasize it in in-person sales by talking with people if they seem receptive (or let people learn more by clicking through, or it's one of several bullet points in a mini-brochure, or whatever).

For in-person or web, what I'm thinking would be interesting to most people is an overview of the production cycle, maybe from finding your materials (I gather you're often upcycling), then the heating/working the metal, (where at the overview level you could mention using renewable fuels, or green fuels, or whatever you choose - link to more info about that if it's on a web page), then follow the process through to a finished product.

Your whole story of your scrounged/home-built shop is fascinating to me, and I suspect would be to a lot of people, so that could be another click through for more depth on a web site.

I'm thinking there's a way to present this so that it would appeal to the gritty get-it-done kind of people (via the whole DIY/old-fashioned ingenuity angle) and the more crunchy granola kind of people (via the salvaged/repurposed shop, recycled input materials, environmentally conscious fuel, handmade product angle).

If you're doing booth sales or the like, featuring the process along with the products is a way to talk to potential customers more - "happy to answer questions whether you buy or not" - with the understanding that making that connection with people will move a few more of them along from interest to purchase even without a hard sell.

Just my thoughts.

d_thomas02 wrote: »

Thanks for the responses.

@UncleMac Most of America's bread basket is located in the great plains area where only native grass sod was turned under the plow. Other than that, my only comment is... SHH! X-nay on the ossil-fay uel-fay. Next thing ya know, people will be finding out the nearly all feed corn is GMO.

My lips are sealed.

Actually did this last weekend. Using corn as forge fuel (note flames in background are being drawn sideways into forge hood).



(Wife took this while I wasn't looking.)

I'm not retired, which is why I'm covertly pouring over this thread at work. I am in awe of all the talent here.

cabwj wrote: »

I'm not retired, which is why I'm covertly pouring over this thread at work. I am in awe of all the talent here.

Me too... although I'm getting closer all the time...

Kirk,

Got another Dave at work so, to keep the confusion to a minimum, I go by David.

I see 'Dave' and I now think of the other guy, not me.

Fun with my own truck.

Headed home the other night and stopped at the local auto parts store to get a thermostat, radiator cap, and a couple of gallons of 50/50 for the old blue beast ('94 Toyota pickup /w a 22RE 4 cylinder) as she has been spitting up coolant lately (crossing fingers its not a headgasket... again). Turn down the onramp and gave her the gas. About halfway down, she shuts down like I had shut the ignition off. All the dash lights are on and she cranks good. But nothin'

My son stops on his way home and we cobble a short tow rope out of a couple of coils of 1/4" tiedown rope I keep in the truck.

Get home and start troubleshooting. After a couple of false leads, I find this...



That coppery rat's nest around the distributor shaft is the insides of the pickup coil, now on the outside. I've never seen one fail like this before.

$50 for a new one and then I can start troubleshooting the coolant issue. (Still crossing fingers its not a headgasket.)

Maybe its time to find a daily driver that doesn't have 300,000+ miles on it.

Really like the apple, Kirk. I've a favorite teacher as well. May have to steal your idea and try and blacksmith one when I get back on my feet after the knee operation.

New distributor pickup coil and my old truck runs again. But new thermostat did not cure the collant issue. Looks like either a bad head gasket or cracked head.

Either way the old beast is going into retirement. I may rebuild the engine and keep it as a farm truck but now looking for a new mode of daily transportation. Thinking small V6 4x4 truck w/ manual tranny... if I can find anything with a manual these days.

Thinking I'll hang loose, bumming rides off my family and friends for the next three weeks until the knee operation and then start seriously looking after mid-December with the plan to not buy until after the new year (saves a bit on property taxes not having a new horse in the stables on Jan 1).