Brass dip can

Hi all ,
This is my 2nd project after my 3 yr hiatus. I'm still trying to get back controll and find myself trying to go to fast making unnecessary mistakes............But I'm back on the learning curve and starting to feel complete again...lol comments and critiques welcome I'm a big boy I can take it , that's how I learn

I get plenty of views and not too many comments , so I figured I'd give you back story. About 4 years ago I stumbled on this site and scheduled a week with Sam at his home studio. Gained a wealth of knowledge that I still wouldn't have learned to date. Sam and his wife are to of the best people you will meet, and cooked the best fried turkey I've ever had...flew home and ordered tools, books,DVDs and lots of pencils.....
I then proceeded to engrave everything that would take a scratch. That was my life for about a year......looking through a microscope........and loved it. Hurricane Sandy hit my area hard and our coastline got demolished in some areas. I have a strong construction background and went to rebuilding homes. I let my studio transform into storage and that was the end of my engraving. I've been consistently coming to this site for stimulation and inspiration. I owe everyone here a thank you for allowing me a look into your lives and keeping me coming back. I feel as though I know some of you from reading your posts and looking at your pictures. And I hope that I can be of some help for those to come.
I have a year of experience at best and it was a while ago, I respect the opinions on the site because many of you are where I want to be. And I know I've got a lot to learn. I have not charged for my work yet and would like to at some point but for now I do it for the adventure
Thank you,
Ronald Cloutier

nothin wrong with a little cash to keep the adventure rolling. nice looking job. you paid for the equipment. build up a client list. if you give away your talent, you're giving away some of yourself. don't do that. thanks for showing.

I share your sentiments almost exactly.

I love your concept. While there are minor technical flaws in your execution I feel that they contribute to the whole.

you had me at "brass dip can" lol. looks great. i chewed tobacco through two deployments and recently traded it in on vaping. anyhow - great work, look forward to seeing more! remember although you see yourself as a beginner guys like me are looking at your stuff thinking... one day!

Thanks for the reply's , generally the people who see my work are close friends and family, and usually the people you eat Sunday dinner with will tell you they love your work no matter what it looks like....lol
I'm never really happy with the way things turn out but it drives me to be better in the future....as far as charging how do you know what to charge and what your work is worth? I give things away usually.....I don't want to over charge or set a precedent of being too cheap ... Its something to think about I guess
It would be cool to engrave something and it not cost me money.......


Ron

the answer comes only from you. keep a journal of every minute you spend on a project. costs of paper, postage, phone, tools, and a host of other variables. time with a customer,- it all adds up to giving your work away without an accurate record of your work, you'll never know what to charge. i ended up designing a "work sheet", which allowed keeping such information. most of what i do now, is a no-brainer to quote on. if you only want to be a "hobby engraver", all this doesn't count much. if you wish to establish a business, then all must be done in a business-like manner.