Getting A Feel For Clicker Services Needed.

[DoubleC]

Well I see there's been some action on this post since I was here, I see. What started out as a simple poll has turned into a 'to click or not to click' question, LOL. Conrad if you can click out several hides for wallet parts in 15 minutes I think YOU should be a reseller. That doesn't seem possible to me but maybe it is and one kit would make your money back you spent clicking all of them.

Jeff as usual I don't know what you mean, must be the water around there.
Randi you bring up some very valid points some of which I'll try to answer in a post here. I simply wanted to see if there was an interest in clicked products. I seem to be getting everything but that answer although my psychic senses tell me there is I will put how I see the services working below in a post and maybe then you can judge better if you think the services will work. I really thank all of you and enjoy everyone's input. Cheryl

[DoubleC]

Big Lew I didn't answer your post and I apologize. i don't see where living in MI would make this more difficult for you. You order a die and have them ship it to me instead. But I like your idea about buying little things in batches I've already done. I intend to do that. Maybe I should just make this post the one where people 1/2 way understand what I'm going to do.

I'm buying a clicker next month. I'm buying it for myself so I can spend less time on cutting out small things over and over. A friend suggested I:

1. click for other people. This would include me having the die sent to me, storing it for the person and also using my dies if the person wanted. I could do t on any leather the person wanted but would raise the cost per sq. foot to the next even number. Meaning if someone wanted me to use Herman oak back for 8.99 it would cost them 10.00 a sq foot to have that done. If you want something in Milliflora don't think I'm going to charge $10.00 a sq. foot for that. If it's 18.99 then it would cost the customer 20.00 a sq foot. Or 14.99 would go to 15.00 so it wouldn't be that much of a handling charge. Because that's what it is. I am handling the leather, buying it up front assuming you're going to pay me, and storing the rest in rolls until you want more so I have to 'handle' it. Simple. You don't pay for what I click? That's simple I'll just use the leather myself and keep your die until you do. Like Sioux said, I won't be buying dies up front for people, that will be totally on the customer. I'll keep it for you, take care of it for you but I won't buy it for you. Too much room for error there. You know exactly hat you want get it made. So say you sent me a wallet die for Horween lather. At 15.00 a sq. foot assuming i could get two out of a sq. foot your cost would probably be 12.50 plus shipping. I'm assuming unlike my speedy friend above that it would take me 10 minutes to click out all the wallet parts getting the most use out of the leather. So it would be 1/2 the Horween sq ft. for one which makes it 7.50 plus 5 minutes for me to click out the parts for one wallet which is 5 more. This is not rocket science. The main costs to the customers is buying the dies. From then on they're not going to be able to make a Horween wallet cut out for $12.50.

2. People that wanna use my dies.I intend to have dies for several different projects that I do, guitar strap ends, guitar strap punched slots, bracelets, cuffs,wallets, interiors, geometric shapes for inlay work, etc. If you want these things clicked for you it would be the price of the leather plus my time x 2. That means for a guitar strap, prepunched for you out of Herman Oak leather might end up being 2 sq feet (i haven't measured this) plus 5 minutes to click x 2. Total cost would be $30.00 plus shipping, ready for you to finish. This is probably more than Tandy or other places charge for a guitar strap but Tandy isn't using HO to cut their's or cutting them to length. This is an example of one of the more expensive projects. Key fobs you could probably get at least 10 from a sq. foot, again I haven't measured times 4 minutes x 2. Would make the individual keyfob $1.80. That's if you use my dies. I have to sharpen them, keep them in shape and store them. And I won't use cheap leather. If you want that I'm sure other places, those thousands I keep hearing about LOL will click them for you.

3. Kits I will sell on my website. Maybe I will want 5 wallets to work on and get in my booth. While I'm clicking I might as well click 20. Sort them out, bag them, and I keep 5 and put the other 15 on my site. Since I was already c,licking for myself and didn't have to change hides they might go for 15.00 a wallet with all the parts clicked out, including the one for the top inside that hides the flesh side of the leather. Those would not be made to order so wouldn't cost as much. You could purchase them on my site.

4. ME I'm buying the clicker primarily for me so if no one is interested in 100 key fobs in 5 different shapes, or 5 different kinds of bracelets, then I still have them for me. And maybe there are thousands of people who will do this, I don't know. I just know no one has ever returned a product of mine and hopefully never will do to shoddy craftsmanship. As far as people clicking out their own scraps, I think that's a wise use of them. But I won't be accepting anyone's scraps for this project.

All of the examples here are estimates off the top of my head. I seriously doubt it will cost $1.80 to click a key fob or 30 for a guitar strap but was using them as examples. Chryl

[Northmount]

I'm curious. Which clicker are you getting?

Tom

[DoubleC]

I'm getting the heavy one at texas dies Tom. Was gonna go for the smaller one but for 150.00 seems to make sense to get the bigger one. Cheryl.

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

You asked, we're telling you how we see it. My clicker paid for itself in time it saves me, increased production and uniformity of parts. If I had wanted it to pay for itself in custom clicking, I'd still be waiting, and I've owned it about ten years. That's how it is around here. And for a direct answer to your original question, no I would not utilize the service; that's the reason I bought the clicker, so I wouldn't have to.

[25b]

You asked, we're telling you how we see it. My clicker paid for itself in time it saves me, increased production and uniformity of parts. If I had wanted it to pay for itself in custom clicking, I'd still be waiting, and I've owned it about ten years. That's how it is around here. And for a direct answer to your original question, no I would not utilize the service; that's the reason I bought the clicker, so I wouldn't have to.

+1

[Northmount]

I'm getting the heavy one at texas dies Tom. Was gonna go for the smaller one but for 150.00 seems to make sense to get the bigger one. Cheryl.

This clicker (hydraulic shop press), assuming I picked the right one, is not a fast operating clicker. It will take 2 to 5 minutes for repeated cuts using the same die. You have to position the leather and the die, close the bleed valve on the hydraulic jack, pump the handle 20 times or so (depending on how much clearance you left when positioning the die and leather, then release the bleed valve, move/reposition, and repeat.

It is heavy duty, and will make very nice repeatable cuts. Still faster than you or I can cut by hand, just slower than the clickers that run $5k to $10k or more, monster swing arm types like this.

I have a 20 ton shop press that is nearly ready for clicking. Need to get a couple steel plates, then I'm ready to go. I bought a replacement pneumatic bottle jack to replace the typical hydraulic bottle jack. Will help speed things up a little, I just won't have to wear out my arm pumping the jack.

You are on the right track to be able to click out repeatable items saving a lot of time, just not at the speed you have estimated. Neither you or I can afford the big swing arm type, so we use what we can afford and make do.

Tom

[DoubleC]

Big Sioux I wanted to hear about your experiences. I'm not expecting the clicker services to pay for it, that's still too up in the air. I have said repeatedly that I'm getting it for me to save me time. If I get some clicked services out of it that will be gravy, but the meat is saving me time.

[DoubleC]

Hi Tom. I didn't expect it would work that fast or no one would ever buy a tippman or a cobra clicker. BTW they sell the plates on texas custom dies and one of the places someone gave me on this thread has them already bored out. Until I see mine in person I don't expect to understand the differences. Might be exactly the same plates. I didn't know it required that kinda work so if it takes 20 clicks to get on product I would have to adust my my prices. See? This place is full of info. Thanks Tom. I didn't know that although I plan to talk to Texas Dies before I buy anything. Cheryl

[Art]

I have a bottle jack 20 ton press that can be used as a clicker. Instead it is used as a holster press. It also works great for pressing bearings and sleeves in and out. However, I do have a real clicker that holds down the southeast end of the garage. It works for some parts I do a ton of. If you want to come down and use my clicker (the real one) I expect $20 and hour or so, or something in trade. If you bring a case of Heineken, please don't try to drink it all yourself; I don't let drunks use my equipment. Even at these reasonable rates, I don't have a line waiting to use the clicker. I probably do more clicking for the Boy Scouts than I do for others, and I don't charge anything for that, and they usually get the leather for free too. I usually don't let the Scouts click, but the leaders are usually capable (although rather slow). You set-up rules and they comply or leave.

I think even with the air assisted bottle jack press (I put an air drive jack on mine), your throughput isn't going to be very great. Nevertheless, you are not putting much at risk giving it a shot.

Art