Custom Paperweight

[ofanera]

Just bouncing ideas here.

A potential customer called today with a request for some leather, sand-filled paperweights, cut into a specific shape, embossed with their art. In a maroon color. Of course, they want to resell it for $20 and can't go a dime more. They are willing to purchase and "own" the die and embossing plate. 75 at a time, need by Sept 1st.

This is really not my area, but I am researching nonetheless since this is a potential good future customer. I have no way to die cut or emboss, so these parts of the project would have to be farmed out. I can sew them together, but worried that the sand will fall out between the stitching and that the shape would be too complex to stitch well.

1) Can anyone advise on an embossable leather that does not need to be finished after the emboss? In a maroon or neutral brown color?

2) Where would you go to get both the die and the plate made and also have the clicking done at the same time? Any one-stop shops like that?

3) Would you tell this person it can't be done? I am heading there. Fast!

[dirtclod]

I wouldn't do it. Tell them to buy the stuff and do it their self and sell them for 20.00. That way the make all the money. Bet they find out it's not as cheap or to do as they think.

[WinterBear]

I think dirtclod has the right idea. I can't see how it can be done without you taking a loss on it, to be perfectly honest.

If they want to resell for $20, I'm thinking that they want to buy them for something like $10 each, right? And say each one costs a minimum of $2 in supplies to make. So you're only going to get $8 of that $10 to pay your wage, the wear and tear on your tools and equipments, and your overhead (cost of the building, electricity, water, insurance, etc). If I've puzzled this out correctly, you'd have to complete 2.75 to 3 per hour to come out even with a "wage" of $20/hour, not including anything left over for the overhead or wear and tear on the tools. If these paperweights are an odd shape, embossed, dyed, burnished and finished, I don't know....do you think you could make 3 in an hour for 3 solid 8-hour days to complete the first order of $75? Maybe, possibly, if the shape was simple--a square, oval, or round--and if you have a machine to do the sewing, but even then....might not be possible to meet those goals and come out ahead.

As for the sand, that's actually pretty easy. Glue or sew the seam except for about an inch, feed the spout of a funnel into the gap, pour your sand in, a little glue to hold the gap shut, and finish sewing.