Please give me ideas

[bud_2005]

I weld in my dad's shop and now that summer has come I am becoming worried about my job at the moment. My main projects are hay bale feeders which I make out of 2 7/8 pipe and 7/8 sucker rods. But no one needs those in the summer. I have some towel and hat racks which I made out of horseshoes but I don't know where I would go to begin selling those. Gates and panels are the only other ideas I can think of but I don't have the right pipe to make those. Any ideas? I love owning my own company but I'm afraid none of the bale feeders will sell til fall.

[Bob Miller]

Internet

Try ebay or craigslist.
Good Luck
Bob

[SmokinPRanch]

Who are your clients? What is your location?

I've sold some hitch covers I used to make. Materials were cheap but need a band saw, plasma or some other way to cut them out. Also made a lot of bridle brackets and shelf type units. Can also make saddle stands, stocks, pipe fence, stall doors, bale handling equipmentetc. If you are in ranch country could make branding irons, stock handling equipment, etc.

If you want to stay with local clients you have to get your name out and find what people want and need. Livestock shows, rodeos, livestock auctions, etc. If you are capable of mobile work get out and stop at a few places and talk to the owner or foreman of the ranches and facilities.

If there is a market for it don't let your material supply hold you back. You have to make what people want and need even if you have to obtain the right materials.

Al

[bud_2005]

I live in a really good area, western ND, heart of oil country. I don't have any clients its just me. Thaks for the replies

[Broccoli1]

I don't have any clients its just me.

In that case sell yerself a Horse shoe rack for 1 Million dollars and retire

[welder_one]

In that case sell yerself a Horse shoe rack for 1 Million dollars and retire

baaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhahhahhahahhahahhaaaaa!!!!!!!! if only it were that easy, yeah?

[NoogaD]

I live in a really good area, western ND, heart of oil country. I don't have any clients its just me. Thaks for the replies

If you are in ND, then you are in a good spot for welding. That area's oilfield is supposed to ramp up even more in the next couple of years. However, you are going to need some credentials. Some guy doing gates and sculpture in his garage aint gonna cut it (no, offense, that's the kind of welding I do.) Especially after the Gulf disaster, but even before you'd need to be able to pass X-ray, cold work, hot work, confined spaces, etc. And being mobile is the way to go there, unless the rig is in your backyard that is.

[NoogaD]

Also, if you are in oil country, then there are bound to be plenty of scrapyards. One thing we are good at is generating waste materials. If you are near one, you should be able to find plenty of cheap materials for non-code work (i.e. smokers, sculpture, zero-load structures, etc.)

But, look through these threads on "Welding Projects" and just read through them. And look at the welding projects section in the big green box on the right. Ton of ideas. Go by a sheet metal shop and just look at what they have sitting in front for sell.

Then go by furniture stores and farm supply stores and see what they have and what you might be able to make like what they have (i.e. light fixtures, feed troughs, etc.) Talk to the manager or buying agent and sell yourself. Spend $30 and get some business cards made. But don't misrepresent yourself by agreeing to do something you aren't certified to do.

[dairyman]

ok

Bird feeders,basketball poles

[Sberry]

This isnt idea but advice,,, get this book and read it. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/007...PV2YE8FHBPW944 You can find it used for a couple dollars.

[fendermender]

Affordable Feral hog traps that are fool proof?

[jarred.chance]

how about making some heavy duty mail box posts. (easy to make). use scrap pipe, or tubing, all available on the cheap. hand sand/paint then sell online or setup in back of your truck on side of road. You probably got enough scrap laying around to do a couple.

[SmokinPRanch]

You might also want to get a hold of the chamber of commerce in ****inson. I done some prairie dog hunting around the Medora area and they were a were a very big help. They can also put you in touch with the cattleman's association.

That area seems like a good location for a mobile rig. Quite a few good sized outfits running cattle in rough country. Cowboys are hard on equipment and despise doing anything that can't be done from horseback so you should be able to get some decent repair work.

Take a few days and see if you can get out to a ranch and see what they are doing. Think of how you can make their life easier. How they move their equipment and feed. Do they use portable corrals? What do they use to put out hay in the winter? Check with the dude ranches for some ornamental work.

If you want to keep mostly shop work might offer pick up and delivery service for equipment.

Build it bull strong, hog tight and horse high.

Al

[walker]

Saddle racks, furniture (headboards and small tables seem to sell well) buy the book about 1,000 things to make with horseshoes ( I initially mispelled it as *****shoes which might be even more interesing!) Home furnishings, truck tailgates, tractor implements, mirrors, picture frames, screen/security doors. All depends upon what sells in your area. I have a few pictures posted if you click on my name of some things that I sell. I also do a LOT of welding repairs and make a lot of money fixing broken stuff! From trailers and truck bumpers, to appliances, to fences and gates that other people installed poorly. Print up cards and go door to door letting people know what you are doing, start close to the shop.

Good Luck

[bud_2005]

Lol I didn't realize what I was saying at the time. I meant I have no employees. My current clients are just my neighbors.