What to Charge for Custom Etch - Cheeseboard & Glassware

[Jeffrey Aley]

Would $2 per unit be a reasonable amount since the artwork is done and he provides the glassware?

Third, I'd also love input on which works better. I cut off the bottoms of the clear bottles and slump them for coasters and will now be etching the coasters with a seashell design for a coastal shop I sell at. This means I have a bunch of bottles without bottoms I have no use for. (No, I don't want to do wine bottle candles with these.) My husband likes the bottomless cheese trays better than the ones with the bottoms. Just wondering what other people think. Prefer with or without?

1) $2 sounds cheap; how long does it take for you to etch them (including set-up time, cleaning afterwards, etc etc.)?

2) No opinion

3) I prefer the cheese trays with the bottle bottoms attached. I personally don't care for the "cut off" look.

You have really neat products!

[Doug Fisher]

What quantities? That makes a difference in pricing. It is hard to make money doing small quantity custom work. I think you are underpricing given the time, capital outlay spent and required materials/items. Do the calculation Jeffrey noted. Use $100 for machine time and at least $30 for administrative time.

With that said, the laser gift market is cutthroat. So many vendors are jumping into that market now and driving the prices to the floor.

[Gene Uselman]

You also have to be aware that the laser tube is aging all the time, not just when you are using it and sooner or later will have to be replaced. My friend Wayne does slumped glass and stained glass, a real artist.

[Pete Cyr]

Don't forget to calculate the expense for the power you use slumping the glass - a couple hours to heat - 8 -10 hours anneal
Recommend you take a look at your power meter (the one on the house) see the rate of usage KW/Hr before power the kiln and after the difference is the power used) then you can look at you power bill and estimate power usage for the kiln

100.00/hr of laser time is a good rate
I personally use 60.00 for laser and CNC work plus materials.

Copper on the cheese tray bottle looks nice - If I were operating the knife-I would remove the copper wire. It looks uncomfortable to use - although there are those who feel appearance is more important than utility.