Is there a market for this(pic)... non adult

[Minte]

After a year and a half of drawing this bonsai on autocad I had the laser department cut it. It's 30" wide by 22" tall. We could make it twice the size or much smaller. It's made of 16g(1/16th)" carbon steel, so it will rust outdoors. We could clear coat so it doesn't.

I didn't do this to sell, but as soon as I hung it in my office the first 2 guys that came in and saw it both were very disappointed when I said it wasn't for sale.

If it has sales potential, I would start drawing and making more.

What kind of a price do you think would be good to ask?

[blackmonsters]

I'll pay $1000 if you fit it up your ass and let me yank it out really fast.

[Wicked 1]

Originally Posted by Minte

After a year and a half of drawing this bonsai on autocad I had the laser department cut it. It's 30" wide by 22" tall. We could make it twice the size or much smaller. It's made of 16g(1/16th)" carbon steel, so it will rust outdoors. We could clear coat so it doesn't.

I didn't do this to sell, but as soon as I hung it in my office the first 2 guys that came in and saw it both were very disappointed when I said it wasn't for sale.

If it has sales potential, I would start drawing and making more.

What kind of a price do you think would be good to ask?

I have a friend that used to live in Australia that made custom cut metal shapes of whatever you wanted with a plasma cutter.

He was charging $80 AUD Per Hour + materials + 10% GST.
He was spraying them in rustproof paint or rhino coating.
Most of his business was coming from property owners with acreage that wanted unique front gate inserts or something to bolt on the brick wall at the entry to the property.

Horse heads,German shepherds etc were very popular among breeders that worked from home.

There is a call for it but it's a niche market

[Minte]

Originally Posted by blackmonsters

I'll pay $1000 if you fit it up your ass and let me yank it out really fast.

Hate to see you give up a month of your income..

[Minte]

Originally Posted by Wicked 1

I have a friend that used to live in Australia that made custom cut metal shapes of whatever you wanted with a plasma cutter.

He was charging $80 AUD Per Hour + materials + 10% GST.
He was spraying them in rustproof paint or rhino coating.
Most of his business was coming from property owners with acreage that wanted unique front gate inserts or something to bolt on the brick wall at the entry to the property.

Horse heads,German shepherds etc were very popular among breeders that worked from home.

There is a call for it but it's a niche market

Good information, thanks

[kane]

I would say there absolutely is!

There was a story a little while back on the local news about a guy who made something kind of like that, but he specialized in incorporating them into metal fences. They were pretty cool and he had so much demand for his product he had recently had to hire a few new workers.

With the technology you have someone could send you a drawing, you put it in autocad, and cut it out to make them custom made artwork. You could also come up with a collection of pre-made designs that you could sell.

Could be a fun business.

[SilentKnight]

It took a year and a half to draw on autocad?

Don't get me wrong...I like it - looks good.

But why so long to create?

[blackmonsters]

Originally Posted by Minte

Hate to see you give up a month of your income..

It beats the fuck out of welfare.

[mineistaken]

What about cutting companies' logos or names? So that they could put it on their buildings, doors and so on.

[Dead]

Originally Posted by Minte

Hate to see you give up a month of your income..

At least he will still get free health care and a food visa!

[Minte]

Originally Posted by SilentKnight

It took a year and a half to draw on autocad?

Don't get me wrong...I like it - looks good.

But why so long to create?

It's just something I do in my spare time.. long phone call. turn on the bonsai.
The programming software said there were a total of over 28,000 separate entities in the .dwg.

If I sat down and just started and finished I could probably do one in a couple of days.
The good news is that once it's done the file gets stored and we can open and burn production quantities..

[Minte]

Originally Posted by mineistaken

What about cutting companies' logos or names? So that they could put it on their buildings, doors and so on.

That we do a lot of. We have some software that converts text into the stencil programs.
The lasers we have are real good for that kind of work. Our large one can cut up to 1/2" think in carbon steel.

[Minte]

Originally Posted by kane

I would say there absolutely is!

There was a story a little while back on the local news about a guy who made something kind of like that, but he specialized in incorporating them into metal fences. They were pretty cool and he had so much demand for his product he had recently had to hire a few new workers.

With the technology you have someone could send you a drawing, you put it in autocad, and cut it out to make them custom made artwork. You could also come up with a collection of pre-made designs that you could sell.

Could be a fun business.

That's what I was thinking. If the price points are workable. Laser time is fairly costly. The bonsai consumed about 20 minutes of time to cut and $25 in sheet steel.

[Rochard]

I would imagine it does have sales potential.

My kid's sports team gets awards that exactly like that really.

What would be really great would be if you could make software that would allow the customer to design something like that, and then you physically make them...

[Chris]

Originally Posted by Minte

That we do a lot of. We have some software that converts text into the stencil programs.
The lasers we have are real good for that kind of work. Our large one can cut up to 1/2" think in carbon steel.

i totally want one of these done and mounted on granite

[Minte]

Originally Posted by Rochard

I would imagine it does have sales potential.

My kid's sports team gets awards that exactly like that really.

What would be really great would be if you could make software that would allow the customer to design something like that, and then you physically make them...

It's easier than that actually. AutoCAD can accept a .jpg on a layer. Then you create a trace layer and trace the outline. I could do the Nike logo in less than 5 minutes.
The amount of detail does impact the amount of cost to do the programming.

[Zuzana Designs]

Minte, I think it's fantastic art work rusted or not and could definitely sell. I have a personal art project I'm developing with wall hanging fountains with back lit LED lights. This would look awesome as a centerpiece.

[Minte]

Originally Posted by Zuzana Designs

Minte, I think it's fantastic art work rusted or not and could definitely sell. I have a personal art project I'm developing with wall hanging fountains with back lit LED lights. This would look awesome as a centerpiece.

We can cut stainless steel just as easily as carbon. The only difference is the material costs.

[Clay]

its real nice. maybe you can sell the design to whoever manufactures wall art for the big box stores like Home Goods, Target etc.

[Wellness Cash]

See what they have on some of the sites like Etsy, I'm pretty sure you'll be able to find something similar or, if you think it could be something mass produced, why not throw it up on Kickstarter as a business looking for funding and see how many idiots pay you $xxx to be one of the first to own one?

You already have the equipment so you could probably roll out a nice Kickstarter promo video that would give your project a nice boost in funding!

[bns666]

no one ever thought of cutting metal board in some shape and sell it?

[SomeCreep]

Originally Posted by minte

what kind of a price do you think would be good to ask?

$76,099.54 usd

[Relentless]

How sharp are the edges on something like that? Looks nice but I'd be hesitant to mount it at a height a child (or many GFYers) might be able to reach. You could probably make a fortune selling pot leaf cut outs to dispensaries and stoners in WA and CO if you cut them from trippy colors of anodized aluminum

[Minte]

Originally Posted by Relentless

How sharp are the edges on something like that? Looks nice but I'd be hesitant to mount it at a height a child (or many GFYers) might be able to reach. You could probably make a fortune selling pot leaf cut outs to dispensaries and stoners in WA and CO if you cut them from trippy colors of anodized aluminum

I carried it to my car and hung it without gloves. The laser cuts very straight and clean. The burr from the cut is only a few thousandths of an inch. My only problem is time to actually sell anything. This was one of *those* kind of projects. Fun to draw. After such a long time doodling with it, I finally decided it was done so I had it cut. I was very surprised that 2 people in a row actually wanted to buy it.

[Lace]

I have a huge empty wall above my triple monitor setup where that would look awesome! Throw some dimable and/or multi-colored LED's behind it and it would look great.

Nice work, Minte!

[Sunny Day]

People in Madison must not get out much. See these stuff so often, I can't even remember where I've seen it.

But I do remember life sized cuttings of cows at the KC Stockyards. Laser cut, flat metal, then 'aged' to a rust color. They're still there. Probably got black with age.



That was "cutting edge" [pun] in 1990. Guess it's so old, it's new again.

Worked at a holography lab. Boss bought a govt. surplus laser that cut anything. Before us, it cut the special metal parts for nuke triggers. He got the laser for a couple of hundred. Looked like something off of "Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea," with it's tape drives.

We were more impressed with the robotic arms for handling radioactive items. A steal at $500. Kind you see with the human on one side of the glass, material on the other. Never thought those arms might still be hot.

[Seth Manson]

Can you cut copper, bronze, aluminum?

[Sunny Day]

If the crazy redhead would wake up, she would identify the, art supply store (Hobby Lobby, etc) and the price. We might have a set right/left here but after 100,000 nic-nacs, I gave up.

[Rochard]

Originally Posted by Minte

This was one of *those* kind of projects. Fun to draw. After such a long time doodling with it, I finally decided it was done so I had it cut. I was very surprised that 2 people in a row actually wanted to buy it.

Here's what I think.... You should find someone who is a designer and wants to sell these. Have them put up a little website, they do the designs, you slice it up and ship it out.

I have a friend who does something similar with t-shirts. Designers send over designs - and there are hundreds of designers who submit every month - and he puts them up on his website. The order comes in, goes straight to the printer; He cuts the designer in on $1 per t-shirt sold with their design, then splits the costs with the printer.

[Relentless]

Minte,

Another thought is bank branches and places in need of corporate art. They are terrified of offending anyone with a wall hanging, so something like this would fit their prime objective. It's certainly nicer than the Rorschach patterns and color pallette boxes Chase has on their walls as 'art' at the moment.

[Bourke]

rather than doing custom ones, or maybe as well as doing custom ones, get a bunch of generic ones and sell them into homewares and outdoor living/ garden shops. Just go into a handful with one and ask what they would pay for something like that. While you're at it, ask what they would retail it for, so you know what to charge on the website you put up for them.

[KRosh]

there is a market for them and quite a few for sale online...

they range from $80 - $250

$600 if they are hand crafted

[ottopottomouse]

Originally Posted by Minte

I didn't do this to sell, but as soon as I hung it in my office the first 2 guys that came in and saw it both were very disappointed when I said it wasn't for sale.

Why didn't you ask what they would pay, sell it, and cut a new one to hang up for the next person to be interested in?

[Minte]

Originally Posted by Relentless

Minte,

Another thought is bank branches and places in need of corporate art. They are terrified of offending anyone with a wall hanging, so something like this would fit their prime objective. It's certainly nicer than the Rorschach patterns and color pallette boxes Chase has on their walls as 'art' at the moment.

You are right about corporate art being difficult. When we moved into the new building the main hall in the office was like a highschool. Long walk..

I searched online to buy something and finally decided to try something, I went around the plant and took a couple of hundred of digital pictures of things we make and the machines we make them on then cropped and photoshopped them. I found a company in Minnesota to print and frame them.

They were kind of pricey to get printed and framed so I don't think that they would have much of a market outside of corporate applications.

[Minte]

Originally Posted by KRosh

there is a market for them and quite a few for sale online...

they range from $80 - $250

$600 if they are hand crafted

Do you have any links? For $80 it would never be profitable. The amount of detail to cut takes a lot of laser time. $250 would make some money but not a lot left for the reseller.

[Minte]

Originally Posted by ottopottomouse

Why didn't you ask what they would pay, sell it, and cut a new one to hang up for the next person to be interested in?

It was in my office. I would never be comfortable doing that. If I do end up putting something like this bonsai into production, I'd just send them one for free.

[DevonDemon]

Hm, not too much.....you wouldn't get rich...

[pornguy]

A really good test for something like that would be to take a couple to a flea market and see if you can sell them for about 200 Depending on the cost to make that is.

But you get the idea. Just make sure it has some sort of mounting bracket on the back.

[Deej]

Shit like that is sold for hundreds all the time around here.

imagine a mural-esque 3 piece or something. bonsai, moutains, pagoda maybe?

could be lucrative.

[Sednub997]

you can buy something similar from China for $5

[KillerK]

Originally Posted by Minte

That's what I was thinking. If the price points are workable. Laser time is fairly costly. The bonsai consumed about 20 minutes of time to cut and $25 in sheet steel.

How much does the machine it was cut on cost?

If it takes 20 minutes to cut on, you could do 3 almost in an hour? Or does it take 2-3 minutes to setup the machine for the next one.

[_Richard_]

looks good! think there is a big market for specialty items like this

[Grapesoda]

Originally Posted by Minte

I carried it to my car and hung it without gloves. The laser cuts very straight and clean. The burr from the cut is only a few thousandths of an inch. My only problem is time to actually sell anything. This was one of *those* kind of projects. Fun to draw. After such a long time doodling with it, I finally decided it was done so I had it cut. I was very surprised that 2 people in a row actually wanted to buy it.

reply to offer with "how much?" sell, cut another one

[Minte]

Originally Posted by Seth Manson

Can you cut copper, bronze, aluminum?

Some coppers, most of the grades are too reflective to cut. Same goes with bronze

[Minte]

Originally Posted by KillerK

How much does the machine it was cut on cost?

If it takes 20 minutes to cut on, you could do 3 almost in an hour? Or does it take 2-3 minutes to setup the machine for the next one.

It's an Amada hybrid 2500w laser we bought new a few years ago. The machine handles a sheet that is up to 4' w and 12' long. It can cut about 6 of the pieces from one sheet, then the operator takes out the skeleton and puts in another fresh sheet and presses -start

The speed of the cutting is relative to the thickness of material. In light gages it cuts over 100' a minute. At full capacity of 1/2" thick it cuts at about 6' a minute.

[Minte]

Originally Posted by Sednub997

you can buy something similar from China for $5

Ok, I'll take 100 of them and I will pay you $20 each. FOB my plant.

The material is 16g CRCQ, the part is 30 inches wide from point to point and 22 inches tall.

Send me a .jpg of the order when you have them in and I will paypal you the money immediately. As we haven't done business, I will give you references from people here on GFY that I have done business with over the last 15 years.

[romeo22]

Great work.thiis can satisfy taste of some customers

[stickyfingerz]

I actually have a need for this if it isn't cost prohibitive. Finishing up a custom ebike build and the clamshell that holds the batteries is covered in vinyl. I was going to try to tape it off and spray the logo I want on the vinyl, but if I could send you the logo vector and have you cut it out I may go that route. Depends on what metals and thickness you have on hand, but I'll be basecoat clear coating it so just so its paintable. I'll send you a pm on here with contact info if it is something you can do. Could probably get you a lot of work from the custom evehicle people. I was initially going to have it embroidered but couldn't find a stitching in white that I thought wouldn't stain.

What is on the down tube the large DiamondBack logo in a slightly shorter smaller version. And under it would be OverDrive EV in smaller font. I'll check back if it is something you'd be interested throwing a number at. Metal would have to be able to flex and be twisted around a little to match the contour of the outer clam shell.

[stickyfingerz]

Also the possibility of having you cut it out as a stencil so I could use it on future projects. I may be building these if I get enough interest. Would just be a part time hobby building and selling them to pay for the hobby. lol

[BareBacked]

Originally Posted by Minte

After a year and a half of drawing this bonsai on autocad I had the laser department cut it. It's 30" wide by 22" tall. We could make it twice the size or much smaller. It's made of 16g(1/16th)" carbon steel, so it will rust outdoors. We could clear coat so it doesn't.

I didn't do this to sell, but as soon as I hung it in my office the first 2 guys that came in and saw it both were very disappointed when I said it wasn't for sale.

If it has sales potential, I would start drawing and making more.

What kind of a price do you think would be good to ask?

pretty cool
I would have the "artist" sign it and clear it?