Today, I want to talk about an option for making money at home - making souvenirs from scrap metal.
This type of activity does not require large investments and special professional skills. Also, for this type of activity you do not need special production premises; work can be organized in a garage or barn.
We will talk about figurines made of bolts, nuts and wire. These funny figures look original and are quite popular among buyers. Also, an undeniable advantage of such production is that the figurines are not made according to templates. The flight of fancy is not limited here. There are no restrictions on size or shape.
For mass sale, figurines are made no more than 10–15 centimeters in height. They are kept small due to the marketing policy of souvenir shops. Small products sell much better and are reasonably priced.
But there are times when the author is noticed by large customers who, for example, want to design a store with similar products, but in larger dimensions. The amount of earnings in such cases increases significantly.
But let’s move on directly to the production itself and the necessary equipment.
Costs of organizing production
For production you will need a small room. Ideally, you can use a garage or other utility room in which you can place equipment and inventory.
The area can be from 6 square meters. The main requirements for the room will be: its normal illumination, good ventilation, the presence of protected sockets for connecting electrical equipment, convenient wall shelves.
Particular attention should be paid to fire safety of the premises , since welding will be used during the work.
Of the necessary equipment, the main unit will be an inverter-type semi-automatic welding machine. This is the most expensive part of the investment. It can be purchased either new or used. There is no fundamental difference, as long as the unit works properly. For a beginner, the best option would be to purchase a new device. We will use it for production planning. This device has all the necessary functions and is affordable.
Manufacturing of benches and fences
Now many summer residents and owners of private cottages pay special attention to the appearance of their garden.
That is why the manufacture of benches, fences, fences and barbecues from metal is considered not only a relevant, but also a profitable idea for business. If you have cold forging skills, you can bring this idea to life. To do this, you need to purchase a bending machine, the cost of which is from 49,000 rubles. It can be used to easily create curves of various shapes and complex details.
If you do not have such a skill as artistic forging, you can easily learn this in special courses. The average cost of a training program in Russia varies from 60,000 to 80,000 rubles. The duration of such courses is 2-3 months.
How to sell such products? Making metal products for sale is not the best option. An excellent solution would be to produce finished products to order. Construction stores can also become your partners.
Also, make sure that people know about you. This will help you:
- banner advertising;
- radio announcements;
- Internet advertising.
This business idea for metal production requires 400,000 rubles to implement.
Equipment and inventory
• Inverter-type welding machine, RESANTA SAIPA-135 – 12,800 rubles. • Carbon dioxide cylinder, volume 20 liters – 1,700 rubles. • Pressure gauge for a cylinder – 1100 rubles. • Oxygen hoses – 100 rubles per linear meter. • Welding mask “Chameleon” - 1800 rubles. • Grinder for 125 mm disc. – 1400 rubles. • Screwdriver – 2500 rubles. • Nozzles for cleaning rust, soft, 2 pcs – 350 rubles. • Metal table, size 1 meter by 1.5, - 1500 rubles. • Vise – 3000 rubles. • Screw clamps, 2 pcs. - 500 rubles. • Other necessary tools – 1000 rubles.
The amount for organizing production from scratch will be 28,150 rubles, at prices as of May 2022. But this is the maximum amount, and it is calculated exclusively for the purchase of new equipment.
You can purchase all this on the secondary market, and the cost of purchases will drop by half. In my case, the cost amounted to 13,700 rubles.
I bought the welding machine assembled, with a cylinder, hoses, and a mask, for only 7,200 rubles, and I got a screwdriver with a small grinder for 2,500. Here it’s a personal matter for everyone, which tool to use - new or old.
With an old tool, it is easier to start a business if you focus on minimal investment. The old tool can later be replaced with a new one. That's what I did. I started with the old one, and then gradually replaced it with the new one.
More about material costs
To make the first batch you will need raw materials and consumables.
Supplies you will need:
• A roll of welding wire – 650 rubles. • Discs for grinder, 6 pcs. – 150 rubles. • Refilling a cylinder with carbon dioxide – 350 rubles. • Grinding wheel – 250 rubles. • Nozzles for cleaning rust, soft, 2 pcs – 350 rubles. • Metal brushes, 3 pcs. – 180 rubles. • Rust converter, 2 liters – 200 rubles. • Solvent, 20 liters – 700 rubles. • Paint, 4 cans – 750 rubles. • Metal varnish, 2 bottles – 300 rubles. • Brushes – 150 rubles. • Work gloves, 5 pairs – 75 rubles.
The amount of expenses for consumables is 4159 rubles. These materials are enough to produce at least 90 products, and this amount will be included in the calculation of the cost of the product.
Also, raw materials are needed for production. There are no barriers here. To make figurines, raw materials can be obtained from metal scrap yards, car repair shops and auto repair shops.
If, nearby, there is some enterprise where I repair mechanical units, then the raw materials can be taken there.
For example, I get raw materials from a company that repairs transformers and substations. They sell me the necessary metal to choose from, at the price of scrap metal, 10 rubles per kilogram.
I choose what I need for the figurines, and these are mainly nuts of sizes 6, 8, 10, 12, wire with a diameter of 2 -3 mm, bolts of sizes 5, 6, 8, 10, pieces of metal 0.8 mm thick., bearing balls, springs.
Small bearings look very good as wheels. I buy them, and other little things, from auto electricians, also at the price of scrap metal.
In terms of cash costs, such a purchase costs approximately 1,500 – 2,000 rubles. I take 150 -200 kilograms of raw material, and this is enough for me to work for two months.
Profitability of production
The profitability of this production is high. Let me give you an example of a calculation.
The amount of expenses for consumables is 4159 rubles.
These materials are enough to produce an average of 90 figurines.
For 90 figurines you need to use 40 kilograms of raw iron, which costs another 400 rubles.
(2775 +400)/90=50 rubles. This is the raw material cost of one figurine.
To this amount we add another 15 rubles, electricity costs, and we get 65 rubles. 65 rubles, it costs one figurine to make.
The selling price of one piece is from 300 rubles. The price of the figurine depends on the imagination of the author.
If you depict just a man on it, then its price will be 300 rubles, and if you make a composition, then the cost will increase to 700 - 800 rubles. The cost of some products reaches 3000 rubles.
I try to make 2 - 3 products a day. When I learned this, I simply made robot figures, and they were sold for 200–300 rubles, but later my skill grew, and I began to make real masterpieces.
For example, a stand for business cards with an image of an office robot - a worker - sold for 2,500 rubles.
So, if you produce 50 products per month and sell them for 300 rubles, then the profit will be 11,300 rubles. But producing 50 pieces per month is not difficult, and the price of 300 rubles is not the limit. The average monthly income for the production of 90 products is from 30,000 rubles.
Here it depends on the individual person. If you try and find sales for your products, and this is not difficult to do, then production can be increased several times, and this will already become a good income.
This business is not seasonal and production can be maintained throughout the year. To do this, of course, you will need to open an individual entrepreneur so that you can enter into agreements with stores and points of sale of souvenirs, but these are details.
Manufacturing of metal products: where to start?
Starting a business requires paperwork. Next you will need to rent a room. If you own your own garage, then you can implement business ideas related to metal products right there. This way you will save on rent. The main stage is the purchase of equipment. You will need:
- welding machine;
- compressor;
- welding table;
- Grinder;
- slipway;
- cutting machine
The total amount of equipment reaches 350,000 rubles. Do not be afraid of such costs, because when your first clients appear, your business will begin to bring in large profits.
Market analysis is one of the important components of implementing this idea. Find out which metal products are popular among residents of your region. The more interesting the products produced, the more customers you can attract.
What can be made from metal is described below.
About production
The production process itself should be divided into several stages. First you need to sort all the elements from each other.
Nuts, bolts, balls, springs and pieces of metal are distributed into different containers, and then filled with a solvent mixed with a rust converter.
All the metal is in this liquid for one day. Then, all this is removed, dried, and cleaned with a wire brush. You can do this yourself, but I try to hire someone from outside to do this.
For such services I pay 10 rubles for each cleaned kilogram. A hired employee, he works once a month, which takes him almost two full days. He receives from 2000 to 3000 rubles for this.
This suits me, as well as my neighbor, who is happy to do any part-time work; I attract him for these purposes.
Once the material has been cleaned and sorted, the creative process begins. First you need to think about the theme of the figurines.
For example, it’s spring, and the fishing season is in full swing, therefore, the entire party will be dedicated to the theme of fishing.
By the New Year, figurines of snowmen or hares under the Christmas tree will be in demand.
In the summer, robotic swimmers and divers sell well.
In the fall, robots that pick mushrooms are sold. Seasonality in sales of souvenir products should be observed.
Stands for salt and pepper shakers, stands for pens, and business card holders are in demand all year round. The same is true with robot motorcyclists.
That is, at this stage you need to decide on the compositions. This is necessary in order to start cutting workpieces.
The robots' arms and legs are made of wire. If, for example, you need robots that play football, then the wire is cut according to one template, and if you need robots that play fish, then these are slightly different sizes.
Also, depending on the composition, platforms and additional parts for the figurines are cut.
This process takes approximately two to three days. Next, all the parts are laid out in containers, and the next stage begins - welding of the products.
If anyone thinks that for this production you need to be an extra-class welder, then they are mistaken. There is no need to weld the pipes through which water flows. This is not welding a ship's hull. This is a simple spot tack welding. You can learn how to use the device in one to two days; fortunately, there are a lot of materials on the Internet about how to do this. I learned this in one day.
The welding process occurs as follows - first the figures are made, and after that a composition is made from them. It all depends on the mood and imagination. The uniqueness of such souvenirs is that not one figurine is similar to the other. They are just like people - they all seem to be the same, but at the same time, they are all different.
If you are not in the mood to work, then the figures will turn out appropriately, and, conversely, if you are in a good mood, the figures will simply shine. It takes a week to weld the figures if you do it 2-3 hours a day.
When all the components are ready individually, the next step is to make compositions from them. Here too, the main assistant is fantasy. Compositions can be made up of one, two, or even more figures. This process takes approximately a week.
When the products are welded, you need to start cleaning and painting them. First, all welding seams and welding drips are cleaned. This work is done with a grinding wheel.
Next, when the seams are cleaned, the figurines are processed with a soft nozzle. At this stage you need to get shine on the figures. This stage is very important , since if rust remains on the product, this can lead to peeling of the paint in the future.
Cleaning with a soft wire nozzle is done using a screwdriver. You should not use a grinder for this purpose. This may result in personal injury and product damage.
After cleaning, you need to move on to painting the products.
I use two colors to paint my products – gold and silver. I simply varnish some of the products and leave them in their original metallic colors.
Products should be painted in two stages. First, the bottom of the figurines is painted, and then the top. To avoid mixing colors, you need to paint in small batches. The optimal quantity for painting is 20 pieces.
The products are ready, and the next step is to sell them.
Sales
There are several proven paths, and several original ones.
Of the proven ways, it should be noted the sale through online trading platforms. They work well, and I sell almost half of my products through them.
The advantage of working via the Internet and social networks is that you don’t need any documents, and no one has a percentage of sales. Selling online means getting maximum profit from your products.
Stores take a percentage of sales. They sell goods well, but the problem with such trade is that the stores have many types of souvenir products, and it is profitable for them to sell what they earn more from. If you give them a normal wholesale price, then with the store markup the cost of the product turns out to be, to put it mildly, overpriced.
For this reason, the goods may remain in the store. If you give stores a lower price, then the profitability of the business decreases, but the goods are sold faster. With stores you need to look for a middle ground, and work with them only if the product is not selling well through ads.
Another way of implementation is to sell figurines through your own outlet. To organize it, you need a trade tent, a table, a chair, preferably everything folding, and a permit for outbound trade.
The point should not be open every day, only on weekends. People should get used to the fact that every Saturday and Sunday you can buy handmade souvenirs in this place. They must see the product and be able to touch it with their hands.
An original solution is to make custom souvenirs. Many people want the figurine to look like the person to whom it will be given.
For example, some clients wanted to give an original gift to a businessman they knew. He doesn’t need money, and they didn’t know how to please him, until they came across a figurine made by me.
They found me and asked me to make a souvenir. The condition was that the figurine should reflect the appearance of their friend as much as possible. The task was not easy, but I did it.
I made the figure a larger nose and protruding ears, like the hero of the occasion. The clients were very satisfied. The cost of the figurine was 7,500 rubles. True, I had to give it to processing with galvanic copper, and it cost me 1,500 rubles, but at the same time, I received 5,500 net profit for this work. Now I can do this kind of metal processing myself, but then I didn’t have it.
Metal coffee tables
Today, many residents of our country pay special attention to interior design. A coffee table is an essential part of any living room. The main emphasis when choosing such furniture is on the material from which it is made.
Metal coffee tables have become especially popular. Why do they give preference:
- metal service life is from 30 years;
- metal, unlike wood, does not dry out and is not afraid of moisture (if properly coated);
- products made from this type look much more expensive and refined.
Next, to implement a business idea for the production of metal tables, you will need to select the material from which the tabletops are made. In this situation, glass would be the ideal solution.
You also need to engage in advertising activities. You can create your own website with ready-made examples and the ability to order online (including according to customer sketches), advertise on social networks, hang banners, print and distribute leaflets.
When implementing this idea for business, remember that your customers can be not only individuals, but also furniture stores.
