gsomdahl on sun 7 sep 08
I can fire a small electric kiln with 30 pots for under $10. The actual
time minding the kiln is very small. At NCC I remember firing a 250 pot
gas soda and reduction kiln for around $70. This did involve more direct
time than my electric does. The loading and unloading time per pot is
about the same. So I would judge that the cost of firing per pot is the
same at somewhere around $1 per pot.
The five day wood firings are a different matter. These involve 10 to 12
people with 50 to 100 pots each for a $100 firing fee and several
stoking shifts. It takes a couple of days to load and one to unload and
clean up. So depending of the hourly rate for about 40 hours the cost
per pot is in the $5 to $10 range.
The other costs (time, clay, glazes, studio overhead, etc.) will be the
close to the same independent of how the pot is fired. With a 50%
markup, a cost based price for a wood fired pot would be $10 to $20 more
than an electric or gas fired pot. YMMV.
I know there have been discussions of "value" based pricing, but if the
price is lower than base costs you will go out of business. So, I'd like
to hear a discussion of what the base costs are for the various aspects
of a pottery.
Gene Somdahl
Lee Love wrote:
>
> What will allow it to cost less than wood fire is the reduced time in
> the making and cost of firing. It is ridiculous for folks not to
> charge what it costs to woodfire.
>
> They will also have different venues.
>
> Right now, my woodfired standard sized koshigaraki yunomi from
> Japan go for about $45.00. About $5.00 is shipping from Japan. My
> glazed yunomi fired in gas, made in Mpls. go for $24.00 There is no
> way the earthenware would sell for $8.00.
>
> I believe the cost of a pot you sell should have some connection to
> what it costs to make it.
>
>
--
This is a post only account. Send replies to "gene" at my ".com" domain named "somdahl".
Lee Love on sun 7 sep 08
On Sun, Sep 7, 2008 at 8:23 AM, gsomdahl wrote:
> I can fire a small electric kiln with 30 pots for under $10. The actual
> time minding the kiln is very small. At NCC I remember firing a 250 pot
> gas soda and reduction kiln for around $70.
The costs have gone way up. Twice as much for the small soda kiln
. We fired the woodkiln for $505.00 And that doesn't count 2 days
(only 8 hours off for sleep) loading and firing and a whole day of
clean up, the labor of four people. Labor in woodfire is a larger
factor than wood cost.
> close to the same independent of how the pot is fired. With a 50%
> markup, a cost based price for a wood fired pot would be $10 to $20 more
> than an electric or gas fired pot. YMMV.
I believe it is more, if you only count minimum wage for labor.
In Mashiko, it took me about 20 hours to prepare my wood for a
firing. My wood only costs half the transportation cost (the pallet
maker paid for half of delivery.) So, the delievry cost is only $8.00
a glaze firing for delivery, but if you say I pay myself $10.00 an
hour to prepare the work, that is $200.00. My friend Euan switched
from the wood I use to prepared wood from tobacco drying palettes.
These came in nice, precut bundles costing 100 yen each. He needs
about $60.00 of this wood to do a glaze firing. So, counting
labor, it cost me $208.00. And Euan's wood sans cutting labor is
$60.00 And $10.00 an hour would be a very low estimate compared to
how many pots you can make in 20 hours.
Don't forget to count the sweat labor. As a hobby, it isn't so
important. But if you gotta buy food and pay the bills with the pots
fired, you can't ignore it.
--
Lee Love in Minneapolis
http://heartclay.blogspot.com/
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/
http://claycraft.blogspot.com/
"Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground." --Rumi
W J Seidl on sun 7 sep 08
Gene:
Wouldn't that depend at least somewhat, on local conditions?
In FL (US), workers at Booger Kink were making $12/hr. Here in ME
it's minimum wage or just over.
If one is to intelligently discuss "value" based pricing and base costs,
we must first find a common
denominator for adjusting things like electric rates, cost per cord of
wood, cost per therm of natural
or LP gas, labor etc. depending on locality. Then, worldwide, we can
adjust accordingly and make our comparisons, no?
I'm sure someone has already done that work for us. Maybe US Department
of Labor?
Best,
Wayne Seidl
gsomdahl wrote:
> I can fire a small electric kiln with 30 pots for under $10. The actual
> time minding the kiln is very small. At NCC I remember firing a 250 pot
> gas soda and reduction kiln for around $70. This did involve more direct
> time than my electric does. The loading and unloading time per pot is
> about the same. So I would judge that the cost of firing per pot is the
> same at somewhere around $1 per pot.
> The five day wood firings are a different matter. These involve 10 to 12
> people with 50 to 100 pots each for a $100 firing fee and several
> stoking shifts. It takes a couple of days to load and one to unload and
> clean up. So depending of the hourly rate for about 40 hours the cost
> per pot is in the $5 to $10 range.
> The other costs (time, clay, glazes, studio overhead, etc.) will be the
> close to the same independent of how the pot is fired. With a 50%
> markup, a cost based price for a wood fired pot would be $10 to $20 more
> than an electric or gas fired pot. YMMV.
> I know there have been discussions of "value" based pricing, but if the
> price is lower than base costs you will go out of business. So, I'd like
> to hear a discussion of what the base costs are for the various aspects
> of a pottery.
> Gene Somdahl
| |
|
