Anyone else ever consider getting a "real job"?

[OceanMelt]

Scientific glassblowing. It might be hard to find anything local but there are jobs out there. The ASGS is always looking for new members and could be a good place to start.

Is scientific typically an hourly wage, or piecemeal? I've always wondered how those guys do (financially) overall.

[snoopdog6502]

That's one main contributing factor. Because of the price slashing, stores have determined the max they are going to pay.

There are several times I've sold to stores that reach in their case, pull out a similar piece, and say "I paid $X for this".

Just yesterday the owner of out local "Weedery" said " I pay $5 each for those" I told him i would not pay $5 for those carbon copy slave labor china spoons.
The employees were picking out the ones in my case they were going to buy, many were never going to reach the shelf.
like serving steak and lobster in McDonalds.

I may be a noob with almost 4 years on me but I make a much nicer pipe then those shitty import pipes.
Sitting next to those carbon copy pipes mine are all works of art. Its just a shame the Manager wants to stock that china shit at all.
The imports are gathering dust because they suck.

That "I pay $5 for those" is something I want to get out of their head by giving them a much better alternative for just a few more dollars. I did manage to get him to buy 19 spoons for $120, a whopping $6.31 each.

[Nomad]

Yeah I charge 50 cents more on everything I can too. But a $5 wrap and rake per 100 piece order is not bad.
Leaving a shop with $500 is way better than $150 arguing over nickel and dimes.

[KT-Old School Glass]

Leaving a shop with $500 is way better than $150 arguing over nickel and dimes.

No disrespect, but that is the issue that keeps driving wholesale prices down.

You cut your own throat for future sales by not standing your ground and making it seem you are desperate to make the sale.

[Nomad]

Eh it’s dog eat dog. Guy actually called me because another glassblower was selling him inside out spoons for that price. He got me confused with him. I negotiated a sample order for $100 . Then they said they would order.

[Nomad]

You are probably right that we all are kind of desperate but I really want a chain store in nyc. So I am bending over backwards to make it happen. We have been negotiating since thanksgiving.

[Misfitman]

i wont even turn my torch on for 5 dollars

[Swim]

well here is the deal, they buy those pipes for like a 1.25 actually. I have seen the catalogs. I make five dollar fumed spoons because my first distributor required it and I am a hard money hustler. In 24 hours with some prodo tricks I made 115 5$ fumed spoons and 23 5$ slide bowls, finished up the bowls in four hours last night. And I have ten or so more products I will make this store including some 35$ bongs. It pays to make these cheap products and stay in biz. I am pretty stoked that I crushed my spoon record and I swear I dont have to break my back any more, and clean as fuck #littonlovestory

[Swim]

so I wont turn my torch on for 5$ either dude, but I turn it on to make 5$ shit and its one of the most profitable things I am aware of that I can do. I suffer burn out though. getting a prodo recycler on deck soon though. when I get burn out and have the time, work on recyclers that get cut up on the wet saw and tossed.

[Nomad]

Amazing. I need pictures.

[Nomad]

I don’t get out of bed for less than $100 myself. I make a lot of different designs too for more money.

[Swim]

750$ in 2 days is not bad I dont feel like. I was in my garage, I was high as fuck, I was doing my dishes in the sink.............. I weighed 500 lbs...... see where I am going here?? Even funnier is that I did these pipes on old kimble I bought off a guy for about 10 cents a pound, and I used like 10 pieces maybe so far. I also make a one hitter chillum textured and gold and silver fumed that I learned from a glass blower on this forum named "fifdeez" and I get 4 $ a piece for those and I can do about 750 of them in two days. prodo tricks... ask every 99er their prodo tricks and their fume tricks when you meet one peace super high yal and off topic

[Swim]

I will post pics no problem I am actually making a catalog with only four products for a local chain in new orleans area, and I planned to publish it, proudly posting a pic of this 115 spoon run. super stoked on the numbers. It just shows how many I have made over these few years

[Nomad]

Pictures or it never happened. Swear impossible.

[Nomad]

Maybe we should team up because I sell a lot of glass? I sell more than I can make. I’m wondering how involved these pieces are.

[BORO]

Nomad is has never needed to work as hard as swim. So ignore the peanut gallery.

I will vouch for swim . I worked in his shop, stayed at his house.

P.s. SWIM, Dont post up those onies, they are $$. Keep that to yourself.

[Nomad]

No one called him a lier. Just I have never seen in 20 years what he speaks of.
As far as working. I have been blowing glass in 100 degrees since 7:30 am today. At 3:00 I start my second job. So I work 2 jobs for $250 a day if I am lucky.
Just say.

[MUPH]

Nomad is has never needed to work as hard as swim. So ignore the peanut gallery.

I will vouch for swim . I worked in his shop, stayed at his house.

P.s. SWIM, Dont post up those onies, they are $$. Keep that to yourself.

I know right? The most out spoken is the least relatable and the least productive.

I'll second the motion of not posting prodo. I have prodo lines that are 500 per easy day that I would never show anyone but a store. If there is one less person making my same products, the better off I am.

I certainly wouldn't post prodo just to shut up the peanut gallery, regardless of how appealing that may sound

[Nomad]

But my sales thread being that long has a lot of customers pm me on a regular basis.

[Swim]

word, I will post the spoons though, and the spoon thing is not a single bit exagerated. I have taking some classes, and made ten of thousands of spoons. I came up with a way to prep this out on my lathe with some smart thinking and of course I worked hard doing this the long way when I had to ruin myself for a day because I made 43 spoons the day before, all that shit helped. Sadly, my five dollar spoon, I could live off it if I had to and its just soooo much better than working inside the system and giving up my life. I am a very involved father and my kids know me. I have alot to be thankful for even though I get depressed. BoRo, thankfully is one of my teachers, he really upped my aesthetics on all fronts and got me started on line work (and my brother, when I get paid, I will send you gas money, just come work, come collab, I am ready to get fucking silly making lamps on the lathe, the shop is sooo much better too, and I have you a bed and bedroom this time, come take care of my chickens yo, love you) . If I actually had a pipe finisher, like someone to push bowl, pop carb, flatten and take off the handle, I could do 250ish in a day, and the spoon can be way nicer than just my 5$ shape