Looking for Grumbler in the Awards Engraving and Tropy Business

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My father was (and once a year is) in the trophy business. He used to make attendance trophies for elementary schools. the only serious equipment to making trophies is a circular saw (for cutting tubing) and an engraving machine and plate cutter (for engraving name plates, if you choose to do it yourself). engraver machines were and probably still are a hefty investment. everything else can be assembled by hand with most standard trophies (base, tube, caps, figurine).

I know one of his major marketing strategies was focusing on quality (as framers that shouldn't be a problem). he used marble bases instead of plastic, brass name plates instead of stickers, and unique tubing and decoration.

hope that helps,
matt.
 
Yeah, you're not handling other people's property, and archival concerns are not an issue. I would think that nowadays having a laser engraver like Bob and some others have invested in would be a big plus in that business. Perhaps you could get a leasing arrangement.
:kaffeetrinker_2: Rick
 
I too have been considering adding this to the biz. We are having a terrible time finding a engraver that does a reasonable job and charges reasonable prices. Or does them in a timely fashion. It shouldn't take 2 weeks to get a brass plate should it???
 
Is there an Engraver's Grumble?
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well, why not??You know... "Hi, I'm new to the Engraver's Grumble, and I don't know a thing about engraving, I'm thinking of doing it myself because all the engravers nearby are awfully expensive and I can't find one who does very good work and it takes them so darn long. How hard can it be?? Can you guys tell me how to do my own engraving?"........:shrug:


(hoo-boy, I'm gonna catch it for that one!)
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Val said:
Is there an Engraver's Grumble?
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well, why not??You know... "Hi, I'm new to the Engraver's Grumble, and I don't know a thing about engraving, I'm thinking of doing it myself because all the engravers nearby are awfully expensive and I can't find one who does very good work and it takes them so darn long. How hard can it be?? Can you guys tell me how to do my own engraving?"........:shrug:


(hoo-boy, I'm gonna catch it for that one!)
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AHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Thats hilarious!!! NICE VAL...NICE!!!!

:party::party::party::beer: :thumbsup:
 
You crack me up, Val ...

But seriously ...nobody would ever act like that or say such a thing...would they?


;)


Dave Makielski
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I guess the first time I heard Jerry mention this was probably over a year ago. I know you have been considering this for a while.

I'm guessing that Dave and Jerry both are considering this as a legitimate business and not some cutsy way to engrave 15 plates a year for "cheap".

On the surface it seems like a great addition to framing. The local trophy shop sells flag frames and jersey plexi boxes. They probably sell more than I do. This should work both ways right? I hope you can make a go of it and I can possibly learn from your experiences.


Val said:
Is there an Engraver's Grumble?
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.
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well, why not??You know... "Hi, I'm new to the Engraver's Grumble, and I don't know a thing about engraving, I'm thinking of doing it myself because all the engravers nearby are awfully expensive and I can't find one who does very good work and it takes them so darn long. How hard can it be?? Can you guys tell me how to do my own engraving?"........:shrug:


(hoo-boy, I'm gonna catch it for that one!)
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I remember a while back we would include in our questions a line about keeping the responses on topic if sarcasm wasn’t appreciated in the thread. I guess we might need to resort back to that because it seems that Jerry's question had more than a hint of seriousness to it. Comparing the intent of this thread to some recent distasteful threads is equally distasteful.
 
Thanks for the LOL Val.

I am taking steps to add this to my business. It is to replace the lost revenue from art sales. In the near future, I will only offer a customer PC to purchase art prints from Artiassance and one supplier of posters. All the hanging art will be for the purpose of samples and would be sold if the consumer really wants them.

There is a trophy shop in town that grosses over 1/2 Mil a year and has 5 full time employees. One local framer in town is offering the same and seems to be doing quite well.

My engraver arrived yesterday so my learning curve begins today. This weekend I plan to build more samples and will be advertising the venture in 2 weeks.

Even Bob C has a laser engraver in his store. I would even bet he makes money with it.
 
Jerry, what machine did you get? A laser or somthing like a roland engraver?

HAHA Val. I to would add it to my stores offerings, with 3 stores and truly having trouble with quality from the local shops, it is time to get into this field.
 
Check out...

Check out Framemasters & Awards in Cary, North Carolina.

The framer that used to work for me worked there and they had quite a business that included framing and engraving. On average, there were 6 people working at any one time. They seemed to have quite a biz. Since the framer left, it has changed hands and I thought I recognized a "grumbler" from that area, but she never responded to any of my emails or posts.

I have investigated this for my area, but the market is small. IF you do this, go for the UP-TO-DATE Technology; Engravograph gift model seemed to be the most all around best machine. They are availabe for leasing or purchase. Engravograph has been around the longest and the machines are to quality along with the price, but I think if you have a market, it will pay for itself in no time.

my 2 cents

Elaine
 
Jerry, please accept my apologies for my sarcasm. I meant no harm, honest. *

Please keep us posted with your research, it would certainly be an asset to your framing business. I'm lucky to have an engraver/trophy shop in town that does great work, with an acceptable turn-around time and reasonable prices. I'm grateful.
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* (HAL made me do it!)
 
Congrats Jerry. You need to let us know how it goes! Our engraver that we use is great right now, but she is getting ready to retire out of the business so I agree with others, it may be something worth getting into. Keep us in the loop!

Justin
 
Jerry,
How's the Roland working out. I'm looking to possibly buy one and wanted to get a word from your experience if possible. Any input good bad or indifferent would be appreciated.

QD
 
Quickdraw

I love the machine so far. Just like in our industry, there are quite a number of different suppliers and equipment manufacturers. After spending some time on the 'engravers grumble', it seems that most of the folks there like the Vision machines more than the Roland's. The difference is, the Vision machines cost 2 to 3 times as much as the Roland's.

I guess it is kinda like saying 'I like Cadillacs a lot better than KIAs.

FrameMaker Dave got his for less than 4 grand. Over the next few years it will more than pay for itself.

As soon as I feel like I have engraving down, I will be looking at a wide format printer.
 
If anyone is interested...

I have an older Engravograph and all of the tools & supplies to go with it. Easy start to engraving & trophies without a huge investment. Best deal you will ever find - - it is heavy stuff, so it would have to be picked up. I ran out of time and inclination to get this up and running. Email me if you might be interested.

Elaine
 
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