# Seam Rippers



## BobBurt (Oct 20, 2010)

Been thinking of giving these a try at my next sale.....What are you folks asking for these????

Thanks in advance


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## bitshird (Oct 20, 2010)

BobBurt said:


> Been thinking of giving these a try at my next sale.....What are you folks asking for these????
> 
> Thanks in advance



Bob, I've gotten between 10.00 at a local very small show to 15.00 at a pretty large show in a well funded area, I think about 12.00 average for mine, Gary Max says he and Margie get 10 for his, but, I've had no trouble or people trying to talk me down yet.


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## Pioneerpens (Oct 20, 2010)

i've been getting $10.00 for mine...I could probably get more the way people have been ordering them.  I just got another order for 8...But the $10 has been good so far.


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## W.Y. (Oct 21, 2010)

Pioneerpens said:


> i've been getting $10.00 for mine...I could probably get more the way people have been ordering them.  I just got another order for 8...But the $10 has been good so far.


Good for you. Glad to hear it. 

It is hard to imagine  the number of those things that some are selling. It must be something to do with location.
I have only made ten to see how they go and priced at $8.00 ,  I have only sold two although I do get a lot of ooh's and aahh's  about them. Maybe closer to Christmas they will go as stocking stuffers .

On the other hand it also amazes me the way some that won't buy a $8.00 item will cough up  $80.00 in a heartbeat for a little segmented bowl or hollow turning.
Can never figure out craft sales. The secret to them is to have a wide variety of offerings to make every one a successful one.


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## Timbo (Oct 29, 2010)

I charged $12 for wood and $15 for Corian.  Took 6 wood and 2 corian to the show came back with 2 corian.


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## Jgrden (Oct 29, 2010)

Timbo said:


> I charged $12 for wood and $15 for Corian.  Took 6 wood and 2 corian to the show came back with 2 corian.


:thunder:I told you. When you say Corian to a woman, an immediate glaze goes over her eyes. No way will they be associated with a kitchen in any way.


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## W.Y. (Oct 31, 2010)

Timbo said:


> I charged $12 for wood and $15 for Corian.  Took 6 wood and 2 corian to the show came back with 2 corian.



Way to go . I'm happy for you . 
I have been doing a craft sale every Saturday morning from Sept 25  and going  to December 18 . Thirteen consecutive ones in all . Still only  sold two rippers and  not a single pen yesterday but still maintaining my $300.00 average per weekly sale  by selling lots of other items.
It surprises me because this town has a lot of seniors  and at lot of quilters and lots of people that sew other things . .


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## Rangertrek (Nov 1, 2010)

I have been selling all of mine for $10 each.  
A few have some upgrade wood and those go for $15.
So far, sold all I have made at craft shows.


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## PenMan1 (Nov 1, 2010)

My problem with the seam ripper is ME! I like to put them in a snazzy body and cut threads to make a matching cap. By the time I do all that and cut the threads so the grain matchs when the ripper is closed, I have more time than if I just made a pen.

I really need to simplify these. I think you guys are dead on target a $10-20 for these.


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## tim self (Nov 2, 2010)

*Simplify them*



PenMan1 said:


> My problem with the seam ripper is ME! I like to put them in a snazzy body and cut threads to make a matching cap. By the time I do all that and cut the threads so the grain matchs when the ripper is closed, I have more time than if I just made a pen.
> 
> I really need to simplify these. I think you guys are dead on target a $10-20 for these.



You're putting to much thought into them.  I simply pull the metal part out of the body, turn a small tenon that the plastic cap will seat on.  Drill a small hole (7/32) I think, drop of CA then insert the metal.  sell for $12 for wood.  Have sold all I've made like that.


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## W.Y. (Nov 2, 2010)

PenMan1 said:


> My problem with the seam ripper is ME! I like to put them in a snazzy body and cut threads to make a matching cap. By the time I do all that and cut the threads so the grain matchs when the ripper is closed, I have more time than if I just made a pen.
> 
> I really need to simplify these. I think you guys are dead on target a $10-20 for these.



What type of tools  are you using for cutting the threads. ? 
Please show pictures of the tools plus the seam rippers showing the threaded parts.


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## jttheclockman (Nov 3, 2010)

OK, I got to ask. I have seen these talked about on a couple forums and now people are doing them here. What is a seam ripper and what is it used for???  Why would these be so popular??  Is there a certain clientel you are targeting with these???  May have to add these to the arsenel. They look quite easy to make. Thanks


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## W.Y. (Nov 4, 2010)

William O Young said:


> PenMan1 said:
> 
> 
> > My problem with the seam ripper is ME! I like to put them in a snazzy body and cut threads to make a matching cap. By the time I do all that and cut the threads so the grain matchs when the ripper is closed, I have more time than if I just made a pen.
> ...



My edit button vanished so I am repeating this one rather than try to edit it.


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## underdog (Nov 4, 2010)

jttheclockman said:


> OK, I got to ask. I have seen these talked about on a couple forums and now people are doing them here. What is a seam ripper and what is it used for???  Why would these be so popular??  Is there a certain clientel you are targeting with these???  May have to add these to the arsenel. They look quite easy to make. Thanks



A seam ripper is made for ripping seams back out. Y'know when you sew a seam in wrong? Oh.. well maybe you've never sewn anything and wouldn't get caught dead running a needle and thread, much less a sewing machine?

I'm going back to making my quilt now...


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## Gary Max (Nov 4, 2010)

Quilters are the best customers for these.


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## jttheclockman (Nov 4, 2010)

underdog said:


> jttheclockman said:
> 
> 
> > OK, I got to ask. I have seen these talked about on a couple forums and now people are doing them here. What is a seam ripper and what is it used for??? Why would these be so popular?? Is there a certain clientel you are targeting with these??? May have to add these to the arsenel. They look quite easy to make. Thanks
> ...


 
No sewing lessons here. To me they look like something I would open my letters with


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## underdog (Nov 4, 2010)

Same kind of idea actually...

I had thought of getting some of these when that guy offered them for sale on here real cheap recently, but I didn't bite... Dunno if he has 'em for sale still or not.


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## W.Y. (Nov 5, 2010)

Gary Max said:


> Quilters are the best customers for these.



Lots of quilters and quilting bee's  and seamstress's around here but keep in mind this is a retirement area  with over half the population on government pension.  . Most of them are so tight they squeak  :biggrin: and would rather fight away  with their arthritic hands   with a $1.00 plastic handle one than spend five bucks on a wood one. They all say what a wonderful idea  but hate to part with five bucks .  I have managed to sell a total of   three out of six consecutive craft sales. Hoping to sell a few more in the next seven consecutive ones  leading up to Dec. 18 .
They are so easy to make and still pretty darn good profit at five bucks.
I started at $12.00  and came down to $8.00  and will try some more at $5.00.

It is all about location for some of us.


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## Gary Max (Nov 5, 2010)

I would never take my stuff to a show where I know it would not sell. In this part of the world a tank of gas will take you to a better market place.


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## alphageek (Nov 5, 2010)

Gary Max said:


> I would never take my stuff to a show where I know it would not sell. In this part of the world a tank of gas will take you to a better market place.



Thats probably true Gary, but William has a really good market right now, not just for seam rippers.   And taking more with him can't hurt if he's happy with the addition amount, no matter how small..

Personally, I've been pricing them at $15.   They sell ok for me at that price.   I think I could sell more at $5-$10, but I'm not really into selling that many more yet - this is still a hobby for me.


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## Gary Max (Nov 5, 2010)

Heck I could move a bunch of seam rippers -- if I gave them away. My point is you have to sell where folks are buying. We don't do loacl shows thinking that we are going to haul in the money. Southern Ky has to be one of the poorest parts of the country.


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## PenMan1 (Nov 5, 2010)

William O Young said:


> PenMan1 said:
> 
> 
> > My problem with the seam ripper is ME! I like to put them in a snazzy body and cut threads to make a matching cap. By the time I do all that and cut the threads so the grain matchs when the ripper is closed, I have more time than if I just made a pen.
> ...



William:
Apparently, I didn't do any better job of explaining my process than I do making the rippers.

No special tools needed. Just remove the ripper from the plastic housing. Put it in a wooden handle with a tenon, then thread the tenon and the cap.

I am really busy right now getting ready for a Christmas pen show, but I'll try to get some photos next week.

Respectfully submitted.


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## Timbo (Nov 5, 2010)

Timbo said:


> I charged $12 for wood and $15 for Corian.  Took 6 wood and 2 corian to the show came back with 2 corian.



Just realized a made a typo.  I started with 6 wood and 5 Corian, sold everything but 2 of the Corian.


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## W.Y. (Nov 5, 2010)

alphageek said:


> Gary Max said:
> 
> 
> > I would never take my stuff to a show where I know it would not sell. In this part of the world a tank of gas will take you to a better market place.
> ...



Yes , that is true that I do have a good market right now and where I live in the mountains the closest sightly "better market place" is 120 km in either direction and the closest much better market place would be  6.5 hour drive each way which would necessitate  lots of time and gas and motel room etc which would eat into the extra profit made by going that far. . I am not complaining about the quantity of seam rippers  I sell . They are just peanuts compared to other  things I sell at craft sales.  Different things sell in different areas . I am still averaging well over $300.00 each for my little three hour  Saturday morning craft sales . Thirteen of them in all for this pre-Christmas season.  I just have better luck with things like pepper mills and toothpick dispensers and rolling pins and bowls and platters  and turned wall clocks   and back scratchers and long handled shoe horns and wood coffee mugs and spin tops and vase's and captive ring goblets and cutting boards   and  candle holders and ice cream scoops and tea lights and potporri bowls    and  pyrography burnings  and an odd scrollsawed item  (although scrollsawed fretwork sales have died off to close to nil) . I do pick up requests fairly often  at craft sales    for cetain commission jobs  for things I have never made before but am always up to a challenge and generally oblige if at all possible and usually at an excellent profit rate. . .
Yes the economy is the pits but with enough variety of offereings and at a sensible price  people will still part with some of their hard earned cash. 

Like I have said before, the secret  to sucessful  craft sales in some areas is  variety , variety,  . . variety,
If  anyone can have as much  sucess with just pens and 100 seam rippers   and  a couple other things  and make as much as I do  every week this time of year in three hours  at a time  then more power  to them .
We have to do what works best for our particular situations.


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## Timbo (Nov 5, 2010)

Timbo said:


> I charged $12 for wood and $15 for Corian.  Took 6 wood and 2 corian to the show came back with 2 corian.



Just realized a made a typo.  I started with 6 wood and 5 Corian, sold everything but 2 of the Corian.


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## W.Y. (Nov 6, 2010)

PenMan1 said:


> William O Young said:
> 
> 
> > PenMan1 said:
> ...



Thanks for your reply .
First I though   you are using a different kind of rippers than some of us because I have not seen any with threads  like when you mentioned  **then thread the tenon on the cap**  Then I got to thinking (which can sometimes be dangerous . lol . .) that maybe when you meantioned  *threading* it on  you were actually referring to pushing and twisting it on for a snug fit but no actual threads. 
At first I thought you  were doing a male and female thread and I can well imagine how that would take longer with special equipment but would surely look beautiful.
That was why I asked for a  picture because as the saying goes a picture is worth a thousand words.
Looking forward to your picture(s) just whenever you get time. 

Just got back from a craft sale and sold lots of stuff but not a single pen  . .  again . .  although I only had 50 pens on display.  More people stopped to oooh and aahhhh my pens  as usual  and looked them all over   but said they have friends that  give them pens they make on midi/mini lathes. Makes it hard with so many people buying small lathes and cranking out nothing but pens. .
Pens are so easy to make but many of us reach a saturation point like I have and get stuck with a bunch of non saleable hardware . In the very near future I will be offering a bunch of pen kits on the buy/sell board in my own site (below my actual cost)    just to get rid of them and put the money into hardware   for faster selling items. 
 That is why I started making all kinds of other lathe turned items several years  ago  that the dedicated pen turners are not making . 

I wish you complete success in your upcoming Christmas pen sale . If you are in a city you   will probably do just fine. About the only time I ever sell a pen anymore is when people are visitng  here from big cities.


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## W.Y. (Nov 6, 2010)

Timbo said:


> Timbo said:
> 
> 
> > I charged $12 for wood and $15 for Corian.  Took 6 wood and 2 corian to the show came back with 2 corian.
> ...



 OH NO . . not a typo .  We'll forgive you this time but . . . . .   :biggrin:  :wink:.

Wish I had just a nickle  for every typo I have made in my computing years . I would  have to take them to the bank in a wheelbarrow . Maybe an armored truck ? ? ?  :biggrin:


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