Madman1978
Member
I have this urge to start turning Bottle stoppers. I know I am crazy! lol
However, What do I exactly need to get turning on this.
However, What do I exactly need to get turning on this.
They are all leather conchos I bought at Hobby Lobby.I like that Texas Ranger Badage
Thanks, I was going to ask where you got them.They are all leather conchos I bought at Hobby Lobby.
Me too, I only had 20 dollars on them at the shows I took them to.Those are some nice looking stoppers Ken....can't understand why they wouldn't sell!
For this very reason i sell my stoppers as designed for quitters....One of the problems with stoppers is that serious wine drinkers don't need them - they always finish the bottle!
It cost a little to get started. They take time and create a mess. Cannot sell for a decent amount. I'd want a least $50. BUT>>> extremely creative results. Great gifts. May I suggest start out with Niles products.I have this urge to start turning Bottle stoppers. I know I am crazy! lol
However, What do I exactly need to get turning on this.
I took the time to Lookup EZ-Pots. Decent prices but only on a few styles. The remaining was priced at the same levels as all other sellers. as well as a high shipping cost.I"ve posted this before and will sound like a heretic, but I find that while they are very very nice, Ruth Niles stopper inserts are a little pricey to really use and make any money... I use a company out of Seattle called EZ-POTS to get my SS stopper inserts... they're about half the price of Ruth's and I find of equal quality... I also don't use a stopper chuck, I still use a pin chuck in my Beall collet system... it works for me and I can knock out a bottle stopper in about 10-15 minutes, including the sanding.... I finish off the lathe, so I will have a half to dozen made up and on my finish rack before I start finishing.... I like to put multiple coats of polyurethane on my turnings, so finishing usually takes a few days.
I just happen to have the Beall Collet system, but you can mount a 3/8" rod or bolt in a 4 jaw chuck just as easily and accomplish the same thing.... I filed a flat on the 3/8" rod and put a small finish nail there, then twist the blank to bind before turning... little to no cost on the chuck.
She gave a great discount to the blind center, too. She's good people.Hey Michael. I get all my stopper guts from Ruth Niles. I use her chuck and the brass inserts that work great. I don't sell a lot of them but I've gotten some good reviews on some that I have sold. Here's a picture of some that I've done. Submit your pictures to Ruth and she'll put them on her website. Also be sure to sign up for her news letter, she sometimes has discounts posted there. Good luck on your hunt. One suggestion, go with Stainless Steel.
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I haven't bought from them in a while... prices must have gone up ... I generally watch for their sales and buy a good supply then... right now I have about a dozen or more pieces in inventory to make, but lately they have been a slow seller... too many people have "stopped quitting"....I took the time to Lookup EZ-Pots. Decent prices but only on a few styles. The remaining was priced at the same levels as all other sellers. as well as a high shipping cost.
Nothing against Ruth... from all recommending her she is obviously a great person... and I agree that building prices around her stoppers, you do wind up with prices beyond the market.... I live in a market that's not conducive to high end products.... Best I can get for a stopper is around $25....As anyone who has ever met her will attest, Ruth Niles is a very nice person, and her stoppers are excellent, but they are pricey. So if you build your stoppers around Niles components, you naturally have to ask a pretty significant price for them. And therein is the problem - if the price you have to ask exceeds the expectations of the market, you won't sell very many. My sense is there are a different markets, and the prudent approach is to tailor your product to what the market is willing to buy.
My sense is that folks who shop craft sales and farmer's markets will be comparing your stoppers with the inexpensive Chinese-made one-piece molded silicone stoppers that sell for about $1.50 each on Amazon. That creates a ceiling price for stoppers for the venue that might be around $5. Obviously, you can't sell stoppers made with Ruth Niles components at that price.
The wine shop that we frequent has a few stoppers on display, but they are all the one-piece molded silicone variety - and most of the wine they sell is $10-15 per bottle.
The situation where I think more expensive stoppers will sell at prices that are reasonable given the cost of steel stopper components is in the tasting room of nicer wineries or up-market wine shops. Someone who is paying $30-100 for a bottle of wine will be less hesitant to spend $25 for a stopper.