I was thinking of selling them in the Custom EDC section. I was just wondering where in these forums do i post a thread asking the details. e.g. Colour, size of firesteel and capsule, etc.
Maybe there should be a part of the forum labelled something like "Development-Corner" for Manufacturer-Customer-Cooperation...? Cheers, Matt
Excellent! Really admire your ingenuity. Compared to the useless handle on the Swedish Firesteels, this is not only a handle, but a viable storage space as well. Well done.
nicknwong, We think it would be ok for you to start a "feeler" thread in the "keychain tools" area. Dan
I want one, all I would like to do is incorporate a spool shape into the handle so you could store tinder inside, and than wrap a little thin snare cord around the outside.
This is a neat idea. Depending on your hobbies one thing that might give you a cheaply accessible supply of spy type capsules are CO2 12g powerlets. I've almost bought a tap and dye that looks like it;d work from eBay but I don't want to waste the money until I'm certain a 3/4 NPT would work (at least thats what I think it was I'd have to check notes). Anyhow back to my thought. Drill out the neck and mount the rod in the powerlet with epoxy. drill out the other end and thread it for 1/4" bolt (or the biggest the tap/dye set includes). If you don't have a tap/dye kit they are relatively cheap for the smaller threads. Put and o-ring on the bolt and viola. You could even use one of those bolts that has an O eyelet instead of a bolt head for a lanyard/carabiner attachment. Now you could use the rest of the powerlet for storing whatever (possibly even a liquid fuel agent if an o-ring is used that is resistant to the chemicals). Dry tinder and such also works well. Oh one final thing is I think the innards of powerlets will rust. Anyhow great work. Cheers, Bill
definitely look forward to this. definitely gather input on this "prototype" from forum members, incorporate and finalize your design, figure out what options you want to offer (colors vs plain, large vs small capsule, length of rod etc), buy all the materials in bulk, figure out cost per item and tack on extra for your time to price it, then gets a sellin! definite get good quality capsules, most of the ones on ebay are pretty crappy. id also suggest dont get too tricky with it, the simplicity is a bonus. good luck!
Great idea. You should definitely have a go at selling afew on here (and other forums). I've got one or two ideas for EDC accessories that Id like to make & sell, & though Ive been in Sales &/or Retail most of my working life, Ive never actually sold my own stuff before. I found the various comments about being honest with yourself re: time spent & an acceptable hourly rate to be very interesting & encouraging, & until I read that I think that I wouldve felt rather "cheeky" for want of a better word incorporating those costs into the overall cost of the product. Like you, Im sure, MY free time (days off etc) is valuable (and infrequent!) & of course you should charge to include your "wages" for producing these items, too. I currently have two (possibly three?) items that I would like to produce, I just need to get my finger out & get on with it. I was concerned about someone ripping off the idea & patenting it themselves, but I DIDNT know that couldnt be done if the ideas posted into the public forum. Another very interesting bit of info.
As to including reasonable "wages" into the product price: I think it's something that's not only good for the maker of the product - it also ensures that people who make great stuff can keep making and improving their products, and I think I'm not completely mistaken in assuming that that's also in the interest of quite a few people here Stutoffee + anyone else: Before you rely on this information regarding "publishing = protecting from patenting", please back it up through your own research - I'm 99% sure, but there may be exceptions, also it may depend on the country. The most debated issue that I am aware of is the question what "to make public" actually means. I know there are companies that have a pinboard in a glass case on their property, facing a tiny public sidestreet, visible and readable from the pavement. They post all sorts of nonsense there that no one wants to read, and - important! - keep a excruciatingly detailed record of what was posted when and for how long (including a copy and photo of it hanging in the glass case), and every once in a million years they "publish" something there that they want to protect this way - to prevent others from patenting it so no one can stop them from selling it. Then if later someone tries to patent that thing, they can challenge it as they can prove that it has been "public" long before and thus can't be patented anymore. BUT as they publish it in such a "non-public" place, they don't exactly announce their idea to their competition either and thus preserve their development advantage in time for quite a while - because this way, competitors can only copy it once they start actually selling it, as that's usually when they first learn about it. By that time, the originator of the idea has a lot of experience and knowledge in its application. Now don't ask me for a guarantee that this method is waterproof, as it may depend on details of the process that I'm not aware of. I don't know if anyone ever challenged such a case, and if, what the outcome was. But I'm 99.9% certain that if you extensively discuss an idea with others in a forum that anyone can read, and if you disclose the exact nature of that idea during that discussion, that pretty much makes that idea public domain. Good luck! Matt
By the way: Some people say that patenting something is the fastest way to inform your competitors of what you are doing... something to think about. I think the tougher fight for a "little guy making a great product" is probably to maintain a good customer basis while the big corporations R&D your idea and flood the market with a copy product in the ten thousands for a significantly lower price. R&D here stands for "rip off and duplicate", of course. But there are many things that you can do which the highly marketed big name corporation or the cheap high volume sweatshop can't compete with. Be more innovative, be more flexible, be faster; know your customers better, be closer to them and customise to their wishes; and of course offer the better service. Just my 2 cents... Cheers, Matt
These are very cool. I have an idea for another variation, for those that value compactness: what about a smaller rod* mounted in the lid, projecting into the capsule interior? That is, closed it looks like a standard capsule. Little more compact is the main advantage, but would also keep the rod dry and protected along with the tinder. (I've heard ferrocerrium rods can deteriorate when wet.) * Something like the 1/8", so as to leave room for tinder packed around it.
I like the idea of the sealed rod but is that long enough to strike reliably when you are freezing cold and weak? :shrug: Maybe it is long enough, I try to look at worst case scenarios.
Thanks for the info, Matt. Id just make small batches of kit anyway & must admit I dont have the time (or money!) to patent something. Plus, one of my ideas is actually an existing (rather mundane!) product, that Ive adapted to serve additional/alternative uses, so I suspect Id struggle to patent something made out of someone elses product. Ive got quite alot of time off this week due to Easter, so I'll try to get at least one of my products photographed & featured on here.
