Pricing for welding wrought iron bed?

Hi,

I'm a self taught MIG welder and might be able to make some extra bucks helping out a friend weld some old wrought iron beds... basically raising them for modern deeper mattresses and eventually I might be widening the beds which would involve expanding the decorative iron work in the headboards.

I have no idea what is usually charged for this type of work. Of course, I wouldn't charge a professional fee but I was hoping I could get some feedback as to how much that would be and I could go from there.

Thanks, Brett

Reply to
Jen
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Things to consider:

Is he going to bring the things to you, or do you have to take your stuff over there?

Are they ready to weld, or will you have to cut and grind and fit, too?

Is this for a favor, or is he going to make some money on them?

What is your time worth?

How much are you going to charge for the consumables ...... wire, gas, lenses, gloves, tips, etc. Not a lot, but you DO have to go buy those things now and again.

Saying how much to charge is a tough thing to say. When dealing with friends it is different than dealing with a customer. Friends trade goods and services back and forth, and so long as it is a fair give and take, sometimes money never comes up. With customers, you have to charge what the going rate is or what it is worth. You have to check around and see what the going rate is, and you have to set your own worth.

I charge on a combination of several things:

How much would a shop charge? How much is the item worth? You need it WHEN? How much work is actually involved? Do I have to pick up and/or deliver? PITA factor? Friend or foe? Others that slip my mind ..........

Lots of variables.

At an hourly rate, you should be worth at least $25 per hour or a piece rate that will let you make that amount or MORE. Welding is a skill that takes time and money to learn, and it takes specialized equipment that co$t$. If you can do it and do it right, don't give it away.

HTH

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

My freind wanted some brackets made for his fireplace mantel thay are of oak he wanted something with radius not stright cuts .I did not have a cutter longer then a 4 inch cut it was ok to cut a half inch off the top i used bobcad to do the rough cuts 4 in deep. He ask me how much i want i said i am not worryied about that he gave me a twenty spot i got something to eat . and more experiance .

I approve this message not spelled right or any other thing you see wrong

Reply to
HaroldA102

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