TIME required to do engraving like this

Frank P · Mar 6, 2017

I think you better do the job yourself.. learn it.. it s a nice profession
and it will reward one day...
Maybe that is what really interests you ;-)
after some years you ll find out yourself
the answer to your question too
..

highsierra · Mar 7, 2017

I'll make the question simple. Assume a new gun, needing very little or no prep work, not including refinishing, how much would you charge to engrave a gun as the one shown?

Frank P · Mar 7, 2017

Ask a beginner, an intermediate, a pro, a master and a grandmaster and you ll
have different answer.. Quality and time are related..

John B. · Mar 7, 2017

highsierra said:
If it takes 60-70 hours to do this type engraving as was stated, even at $50/hour, that would be $3000-3500. And no way can you get a legitimate plumber or electrician for $50/hour. I can not imagine anyone paying that $3000-3500 for engraving like on this gun. I now buy all of my engraved guns on the used market, they apparently sell second hand at a fraction of what having the work done would cost.

highsierra,
Think about it, not all engraved guns sell for less on the used market.
Well engraved guns by well respected engravers often sell for much more than original cost on the secondary market.
Just check the auction prices at some of the well respected auction houses. Especially after an engraver has passed away.
Lower end engraving sometimes sells for less than the original engraving cost because it was someones request and not well conceived.
The engraving quality,style and execution may not fit the firearm. Or the firearm itself may not be a quality engraving candidate.
The original buyer may have gained more knowledge or maybe their inheritors need money fast.
An example would be a beautifully engraved rifle or shotgun with a poor stock or wood of low quality.
It maybe was someones dream, but it's like a bride in a wedding gown and dirty tennis shoes.

monk · Mar 7, 2017

highsierra said:
If it took that long, 60-70 hours, for this simple engraving style, how much could you possibly charge for engraving on a gun like this?

the word, "possible" concerns me in your question. heck, i could charge $50,000 bucks. that's possible for me to charge that. practical ? no! my reputation ( if i even have one) and my skill level ) would surely not get me that kind of money. there are those that would get that level of cash, but the engraving would be vastly superior to what is shown on the gun in the foto. check out brians' post. that will give you a bit of a clue as to what most would charge to do this gun.

gcleaker · Mar 7, 2017

Highsierra you are asking for an exact price from x number of engravers, all of them here to help, make money, teach, so I personally respond when someone asks how much? I respond we will start at a million and go from their. In other words there are on set prices. The market place will bear what someone is willing to pay.
Skill comes from Diligence.

Andrew Biggs · Mar 7, 2017

Let’s face it. The engraving on the gun is very basic and not particularly good. And not bad either. A very basic job at the low end of the spectrum.

It strikes me as a gun engraved on a budget for a low end collector or someone that wants a gun blinged up for their own use who is on a tight budget. Either way it was done by an engraver with basic skills to get the job done without any fanfare.

So I would expect the cost of the engraving to be at the low end. Maybe around the $2500 ~ $3500 mark depending on the engraver and how long it takes them. There are some guys out there that can pump this type of work out at a rapid pace and could possibly charge cheaper than that.

After that, well, the sky is the limit depending on the collector/customers budget and the skill/reputation of the engraver.

Cheers
Andrew

highsierra · Mar 7, 2017

That is why I now buy all of my Colts already engraved. At shows and auctions a 3rd gen SAA engraved like this is readily available for about $3K, and that is including the gun (about$1500). And I find that the full retail price at the show/auction market.

Mike_Morgan · Mar 7, 2017

Quite frequently in the custom motorcycle world, people put $20,000 paint jobs on $50,000 motorcycles that end up selling for $18,000 on the used market. Custom work is expensive, and generally very limited in interest once a bike, or a gun, or a piece of Jewelry hits the secondary market because people want their own version of custom, not somebody else's. That's what makes it custom. This fact doesn't make a job take any less time to perform. I would hardly say it's in any way fair to say it's not worth it to have something customized since it may be worth LESS than you have invested once you're done enjoying it.

It reminds me of the time I put a $45,000 kitchen in a $95,000 house. I raised the resale value of that house by upwards of 10 grand, but I sure did enjoy that kitchen when I was living there!

Dave London · Mar 7, 2017

I have a quick question ,just who are you and where are you located. Or just a troll looking for free information. MTC

highsierra · Mar 7, 2017

A conversation among collectors came up that wondered how long it would take an engraver to engrave a gun like the one shown, and how much that level of work would cost. We can only judge by what we see used engraved guns sell for, apparently those sales do not accurately show what the person who had the engraving work done originally paid for the engraving. Even though we do like to enjoy our guns for what they are, we also like to think when we spend our money we are getting a good investment.

Mike_Morgan · Mar 7, 2017

There seems to be the sentiment that some engravers charge too much for their work, relative to the return on investment for the gun-owner. At least that's the way this thread has been reading to me.

dlilazteca · Mar 7, 2017

Custom work is not for everyone, wants and needs, sure feels nice when something is made to order, vs picking from the line, was talking about food of course.

GunEngraver.com Custom Guns Knives and More PAYMENT PLANS Available

Dulltool · Mar 8, 2017

If I liked a person I would quote them a fair price... If I feel like they will be a pain and hard to work with, then I would quote them a much higher amount..... I am thinking you would be on the high end. :tiphat:

Sam · Mar 8, 2017

highsierra said:
Even though we do like to enjoy our guns for what they are, we also like to think when we spend our money we are getting a good investment.

A good investment would be a gun you make a profit on or at least break even. If that's your goal, then there aren't that many engravers who produce investment grade work. It's very easy to turn $1000 guns into $200 guns with poor engraving.

Mike_Morgan · Mar 8, 2017

sam said:
It's very easy to turn $1000 guns into $200 guns with poor engraving.

I would be happy to demonstrate this phenomenon if anybody doubts that!

Flashmo · Mar 8, 2017

Mike_Morgan said:
I would be happy to demonstrate this phenomenon if anybody doubts that!

As pic heavy tutorial would give you a lot of clout...

Flashmo · Mar 8, 2017

I don't think highsierra has any alternate agenda. The question is very cut and dry when rephrased as "about how much should something like this cost?". I can go to the Colt catalogue and look up a price for several amounts of coverage.

Take that same Colt engraver and tell him to put this same factory type engraving on a SigSauer...the costs will have to change because the time will have to change due to altering the design to fit, metal prep times, hardness, etc.

Not any different than having to explain why engraving the simple design a customer sees on a punched copper pendant blank will cost exponentially more on sterling...metal price, having to hand saw the shape and working with the different material all change the time something takes.

I think the average person does not get a gun engraved because of the varied costs associated with anything " custom". The average person will never order anything "custom" their entire lives because of the cost unknowns, that is just human nature.

The secondary market that highsierra and the collectors he references operates more in the "knowns" than "unknowns". Custom often sells for less than expected due to the increased maintenance cost over its lifespan if you want the " custom" preserved. I can't use a custom engraved gun to the same extent as a factory original without extra upkeep or the value will drop. I can't take a motorcycle with custom paint off road as the use will make it lose value faster than if I just ride it to Starbucks weekly.

Crossbolt · Mar 8, 2017

I think the best analogy here might be the guns themselves. Consider how much high end custom / bespoke gun makers charge for their products then look at what those products sell for on either the retail or auction market after a few years. Does that give you insight into the value of the gunmaker at the time of initial sale? Does it tell you about the market value of their work? Not really. It tells you about the secondary market.

It seems to me the question is confusing primary and secondary market and assuming that the one should relate directly to the other. They don't do so very directly from what I see. Items seem more likely to depreciate than appreciate; just because work is performed doesn't mean it causes the item to appreciate and become a gambling return, or "investment". I can't think, off hand, of any case where labor applied to any items translates directly to follow on value, let alone increased value.

To take an extreme case, what's the added value of a highly figured cross over stock added to a gun for a left eye'd shooter? There's a lot of cost and skilled work involved but the gun is worth significantly less on the open market due to it's unique nature no matter what the level of workmanship.... unless it fits a similar wealthy individual who wants it. ... or it happens to somehow become a sought after Veblen good

At the risk of diverting off topic I'll add here, as a gun "collector", most guns don't actually seem to be really effective investments, engraved or not. Like many physical items reputed to be investments they typically don't provide returns better than passive stock investing. Art investments like this rely on popularity (fads) and the presence of disposable income derived from success in the general economy in order to appreciate.

But I digress. Back to your regular programming.

Jeremy

highsierra · Mar 8, 2017

I come from a different perspective than many of you, and I respect your position. In the gun collecting world we are very conscious of getting a good deal and not losing money on our acquisitions. I go to the major gun shows, and buyers and sellers battle to make sure they each feel they won the price war. Even the very wealthiest gun collectors are looking for the best deal possible, and consider their purchases enjoyable investments. I am certain there are gun/art buyers who want engraved guns and money is not an object, and they do not care if they lose money in the end. I have not interacted with those people in my 50+ years of gun buying and selling. The base guns go up in value every year and are almost always a sure fire good investment. Engraving them to end up with a possession that in the end loses us money is not appealing. I love engraved guns, but I make sure I buy them at a price where I can at least get my investment back when I decide to sell. From my experience that is the philosophy of most gun/antique collectors. The gun shown by me in this thread would sell to us gun guys for about $3K full retail, and the gun itself costs $1.5K. And that gun would be tough sell at $3K. Factory engraving is sought after, and the first question is always "is it factory engraved". A non factory engraved gun is also a refinished gun, and refinished guns themselves are highly discounted from guns that have original factory finish. The secondary market is well aware of that.

TIME required to do engraving like this

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