[Sca-cooks] Things to BUY at Pennsic

[Phlip]

Ene bichizh ogsen baina shuu...

> At 02:57 PM 6/10/2004, you wrote:
> >So do you think people would actually pay reasonable prices for early
period
> >garb?
>
> Nope.
>
> Cranky 'Lainie

She's right. Same thing happens with smithing, which is why I rarely do
commissions, unless it's a project I can use to teach my students. To take
my forge to an event, I'll need at least $20 in charcoal, $10- 20 in steel
(and I need a variety, to accomodate different projects and skill levels),
$40 in gas, (extra because of the trailer), extra for tolls (they usually
double if you're hauling a trailer) not to mention often taking longer
routes because some roads won't let you haul trailers, in addition to the
usual event expenses. If I'm lucky, I maybe make back half of what I spend
in "charcoal donations", but not having a job, I just can't do it that
often.

I could make money, likely, by turning out vast quatities of schlock, making
it at home using modern techniques, but I don't want to do that, so instead,
I take my forge on the road, as I can afford it, and try to teach. But very
few people can afford to do any handicraft and make money at SCA events-
people just won't pay a fair price.

And, btw, what I teach usually costs at least $100 per day per person, if
you get it from any of the professional smithing schools- can you imagine
the screams if I tried to charge THAT at events?

I'll stick with trying to do it as a hobby, thanks. If I can't afford to go,
then I just don't go.

Saint Phlip,
CoDoLDS

"When in doubt, heat it up and hit it with a hammer."
 Blacksmith's credo.

 If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is probably not a
cat.

Never a horse that cain't be rode,
And never a rider who cain't be throwed....