2/1/2007
I have found that running a two part business can be difficult at times, in that one part of the business can get in the way of completing work on the other side of the business. I have been getting more and more knife business and the gunsmithing has been keeping me too busy to allow time for me to work on knife orders, complete work on my model knife lines and make knives for the knife shows that I attend. As a businessman, having too much work is a good thing and not something to complain about, but I have had to make some decisions about the gunsmithing jobs that I will continue to take into my shop.
I have decided to quit doing gun restoration work. Restoration of a firearm, if done properly, is a time consuming and therefore expensive process. I have a lot of customers come into my shop asking to have a gun re-blued. The bluing itself is not complicated, but preparing the firearm for bluing requires sanding and buffing, and sometimes filing, to remove scratches and pitting from rust and years of handling. If you search the internet for shops offering refinishing services, you can find huge differences in the prices quoted for refinishing firearms. I’m not sure if the shops offering lower prices are actually willing to do a complete restoration for less that I am willing to do it, or if they are not really quoting the cost of a complete and proper restoration. The restoration shops that I respect for their work charge many hundreds and even thousands of dollars for the restoration of any firearm. Their starting prices begin at $600 to $800. I understand that it is difficult to justify spending that much money on the restoration of a gun that will only be worth a few hundred dollars when completed, and I sympathize with folks that want to restore grandpa’s old rifle or shotgun when they find out that the cost of restoration is more than the gun is worth. I have tried to keep my charges for restoration down, especially for people who want a family heirloom restored, but I find myself working on a project that is not profitable for me because the job consumes more time than the customer is comfortable paying for. As a businessman, I have to make decisions about the work that is profitable for my shop to perform. As the gunsmithing has started interfering with my knife work, it is time to make decisions about the gunsmithing services that I offer. As refinishing has not been profitable for me, I have decided to discontinue the service. I have added links to the Links Page for two restoration shops that I respect for their work. I still have all of my bluing equipment and will be happy to blue new items as needed for general gunsmithing jobs. An example would be a new gun barrel used in a custom rifle build job
Along this same vein, I will not be taking gunsmithing work into the shop for completion during the months of March, April and May. I still need to make the five knives required for the Master Bladesmith’s test. I have to have these knives completed to submit for judging at the Blade show in June. In order to focus on the test knives, I cannot do gunsmithing during this timeframe. At the time that I write this, I have enough gunsmithing in the shop to cover most of the month of February. I will accept guns with the understanding that work will not start until late June, or customers can simply wait until June to contact me about repairs. I will attempt to find other gunsmiths in the area who can help cover gunsmithing needs during these months. I apologize for any inconvenience to my gunsmithing customers.
Enough of the sad news for my gunsmithing customers. I hope that my knife customers will be happy to hear that I am turning my focus to making knives. This week, I have been getting ready to go to the Arkansas Knifemaker Association Show in Little Rock, AR. The show is this weekend (Feb. 3rd & 4th). This is a great show with some of the top makers in the country displaying their work there. For those who have never been to a knife show, or even those who have, this show is a “must see”.
Have a great February!!
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