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Items in the shop
General | Posted 9 years agoThings are still hard going, as stated in the previous journal.
However I have managed to get enough will together to list the paw-pads in my Etsy shop.
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/StarborneWorks
I'll also be adding a couple more old-stock horns in the next couple of days once I finish the info-graphic. There may be some other clearance items as well.
However I have managed to get enough will together to list the paw-pads in my Etsy shop.
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/StarborneWorks
I'll also be adding a couple more old-stock horns in the next couple of days once I finish the info-graphic. There may be some other clearance items as well.
Rebuilding, restarting
General | Posted 9 years agoMy last journal entry here was overly optimistic. The tragedies of this past year have broken me, and it's been a struggle to put my life back together in even the most rudimentary of ways.
May 22nd last year I was informed my closest friend Lara/Jocasta/Corvidy had died. Unexpectedly, and with police who refused to help for three days despite my begging until her husband came home and actually found her body. For a month after we all thought she had killed herself, but the coroner eventually said not. She just died in her sleep. Likely a combination of the emotional strain she was under and a weak heart.
I laid crows wings on her coffin. The trauma hasn't lessened.
A few months later, and shortly after my last journal we got news that my grandmother, my last living grandparent, had died. She had been nearly deaf and blind as well as experiencing increasingly violent dementia for several years, so in many ways she had been gone for a long time already.
There was a small silver lining that she left a small inheritance for me. Enough to give me some working capital again, as I had been unable to work since May and my finances had dried up as a result.
It has been a struggle to do anything at all. There doesn't feel like there's a point to anything. Bereavement counselling is helping a little, as is working through a long list of unfinished projects and to-do tasks. I've also been working to revive this business, and I hope it will give me some sense of purpose again.
For the first time in a year there is fresh stock in my shop, and more to come. Some equipment has been upgraded and more is due to be soon. I hope to get some momentum going again. At very least I have a long list of jobs still to do.
Further journals will hopefully be focussing on new products again. But I felt I should explain where I've been for the last year.
May 22nd last year I was informed my closest friend Lara/Jocasta/Corvidy had died. Unexpectedly, and with police who refused to help for three days despite my begging until her husband came home and actually found her body. For a month after we all thought she had killed herself, but the coroner eventually said not. She just died in her sleep. Likely a combination of the emotional strain she was under and a weak heart.
I laid crows wings on her coffin. The trauma hasn't lessened.
A few months later, and shortly after my last journal we got news that my grandmother, my last living grandparent, had died. She had been nearly deaf and blind as well as experiencing increasingly violent dementia for several years, so in many ways she had been gone for a long time already.
There was a small silver lining that she left a small inheritance for me. Enough to give me some working capital again, as I had been unable to work since May and my finances had dried up as a result.
It has been a struggle to do anything at all. There doesn't feel like there's a point to anything. Bereavement counselling is helping a little, as is working through a long list of unfinished projects and to-do tasks. I've also been working to revive this business, and I hope it will give me some sense of purpose again.
For the first time in a year there is fresh stock in my shop, and more to come. Some equipment has been upgraded and more is due to be soon. I hope to get some momentum going again. At very least I have a long list of jobs still to do.
Further journals will hopefully be focussing on new products again. But I felt I should explain where I've been for the last year.
No Subject
General | Posted 10 years agoIt has been the worst few months of my life.
Production has now begun again.
Production has now begun again.
Starting the year by clearing the deck
General | Posted 11 years agoWant a bargain? Want to help me clear space? I've just listed 14 clearance items to start the year right!
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Starbo.....tion_leftnav_2
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Starbo.....tion_leftnav_2
Last chances for Halloween!
General | Posted 11 years agoFolks, Halloween is just around the corner now, only a week away.
If you're in the UK and want some horns, you've got a few days to get them in advance.
International Signed-For shipping (my default) has an advised delivery time of 5-7 days though, so anyone outside the UK will need to order right away so I can post them tomorrow! This is to have any chance of them arriving before the 31st.
So yeah, last chances folks!
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/StarborneWorks
If you're in the UK and want some horns, you've got a few days to get them in advance.
International Signed-For shipping (my default) has an advised delivery time of 5-7 days though, so anyone outside the UK will need to order right away so I can post them tomorrow! This is to have any chance of them arriving before the 31st.
So yeah, last chances folks!
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/StarborneWorks
Starting on Etsy
General | Posted 11 years agoPrices for horns have now been updated across my FA, Weasyl and DeviantArt galleries as well as my homepage compact price list.
As I may have mentioned, I'm aiming to move to an Etsy-based business setup selling horns I have already made rather than making them on demand.
The shop is located here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/StarborneWorks
While I will still take customised orders as well, I'm hopeful this arrangement will get more orders out, faster, and reduce the amount of micro-management I found myself doing.
As an aside, during my preparation for Etsy selling I thought it best that I tidy up my spreadsheet of casting recipes, which also holds my costing calculations. While doing so, I found a mistake that's been buried there for a couple of years, effecting all my costing calculations in that trickle-down way only spreadsheet formulae can.
Without wanting to go into details, it can be summed up with; "Oh, so that's where all the money's been leaking away."
The horn pricing was being adjusted to more sustainable levels anyway, but the larger horns have gone up a little more than originally intended to account for the corrected costings and difficulty producing successful castings in those shapes and sizes.
With a view to providing buyers with clear information, I've also produced a "datasheet" for the first type of horns I've listed on Etsy, the #10 Springbok.
I will be adding horns to Etsy in type-batches like this as I need 6 pairs in the various colour and effect combinations to photograph together for each datasheet.
Which ones do you think should come next?
As I may have mentioned, I'm aiming to move to an Etsy-based business setup selling horns I have already made rather than making them on demand.
The shop is located here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/StarborneWorks
While I will still take customised orders as well, I'm hopeful this arrangement will get more orders out, faster, and reduce the amount of micro-management I found myself doing.
As an aside, during my preparation for Etsy selling I thought it best that I tidy up my spreadsheet of casting recipes, which also holds my costing calculations. While doing so, I found a mistake that's been buried there for a couple of years, effecting all my costing calculations in that trickle-down way only spreadsheet formulae can.
Without wanting to go into details, it can be summed up with; "Oh, so that's where all the money's been leaking away."
The horn pricing was being adjusted to more sustainable levels anyway, but the larger horns have gone up a little more than originally intended to account for the corrected costings and difficulty producing successful castings in those shapes and sizes.
With a view to providing buyers with clear information, I've also produced a "datasheet" for the first type of horns I've listed on Etsy, the #10 Springbok.
I will be adding horns to Etsy in type-batches like this as I need 6 pairs in the various colour and effect combinations to photograph together for each datasheet.
Which ones do you think should come next?
Details updates
General | Posted 11 years agoPrices, weights and available options have been updated for all horns.
I had intended to do this as part of sorting things out for shifting sales to Etsy, but in the final stages of tidying up my spreadsheets also I found a mistake that's apparently been hiding in there for a long while, so hopefully that's resolved now too!
More types of horns will be listed on ebay as I produce enought to make the new "datasheets" for each type.
I had intended to do this as part of sorting things out for shifting sales to Etsy, but in the final stages of tidying up my spreadsheets also I found a mistake that's apparently been hiding in there for a long while, so hopefully that's resolved now too!
More types of horns will be listed on ebay as I produce enought to make the new "datasheets" for each type.
The heat
General | Posted 11 years agoApparently it's the hottest July on record. This is making it problematic to cast my horns as the resin goes off much faster than usual.
My etsy shop is technically open, but it's only got a couple of old-stock items on it right now. I'm trying to fill it up as I can.
My etsy shop is technically open, but it's only got a couple of old-stock items on it right now. I'm trying to fill it up as I can.
An update!
General | Posted 11 years agoOkay, long time no speak!
I've been away, trying to get my life in order. Mostly this has involved getting an awful lot of loose ends tied up. And I think they're now sufficiently reduced that I can open my doors again.
Fresh resin is on its way to me!
There will however be a change in the way I do things.
For starters, I'm going to be selling through Etsy from here on. It should make the ordering process a lot easier for folks, and less paperwork for me.
That in turn means I'll be holding a stock of pre-made horns, and only listing them when available. Not casting to order anymore, so shipping times should come WAY down.
I'm afraid it probably means no more custom colour mixes though. I may open specifically for custom mixes now and then, but it's not something I'll be doing via the shop and it'll likely run a lot pricier than the £5 a pop extra it was.
I'll be doing a standard colour set of plain, brown and black for the horns and I'll be aiming to keep one set of each in stock at all times. The black/brown colour wash will likely remain an option.
The fill selection will be changing too. There's only a few grams difference between regular and hardened foams, so I'll be switching to using hardened foam exclusively (except maybe on the very largest horns).
Other items will be re-emerging once that's all set and running. New claws, paw-pads and noses are in the lineup, as well as hopefully a couple more horn varieties including some smooth toony ones.
I hope you'll spread the word once the shop starts up properly next week! A couple of test items, clearing out old stock bits, will probably go up first.
I hope to earn your patronage once again soon. :)
I've been away, trying to get my life in order. Mostly this has involved getting an awful lot of loose ends tied up. And I think they're now sufficiently reduced that I can open my doors again.
Fresh resin is on its way to me!
There will however be a change in the way I do things.
For starters, I'm going to be selling through Etsy from here on. It should make the ordering process a lot easier for folks, and less paperwork for me.
That in turn means I'll be holding a stock of pre-made horns, and only listing them when available. Not casting to order anymore, so shipping times should come WAY down.
I'm afraid it probably means no more custom colour mixes though. I may open specifically for custom mixes now and then, but it's not something I'll be doing via the shop and it'll likely run a lot pricier than the £5 a pop extra it was.
I'll be doing a standard colour set of plain, brown and black for the horns and I'll be aiming to keep one set of each in stock at all times. The black/brown colour wash will likely remain an option.
The fill selection will be changing too. There's only a few grams difference between regular and hardened foams, so I'll be switching to using hardened foam exclusively (except maybe on the very largest horns).
Other items will be re-emerging once that's all set and running. New claws, paw-pads and noses are in the lineup, as well as hopefully a couple more horn varieties including some smooth toony ones.
I hope you'll spread the word once the shop starts up properly next week! A couple of test items, clearing out old stock bits, will probably go up first.
I hope to earn your patronage once again soon. :)
Orders closed
General | Posted 11 years agoI am not taking any more orders at the moment.
I will be completing the remaining couple of outstanding orders, then taking some time to work out if and how I will be continuing in this line of work.
I will be completing the remaining couple of outstanding orders, then taking some time to work out if and how I will be continuing in this line of work.
Updates and where else to find me
General | Posted 12 years agoHey folks! Been rather ill this past month, but should be back in step soon.
They'll be some more remaindered horns up for sale soon, progress reports on some new bits and finished bits being made available.
I'd also like to note that this account will be remaining active on FA for the time being, but those that are leaving or diversifying to other sites can also find my items listed and sold at;
They'll be some more remaindered horns up for sale soon, progress reports on some new bits and finished bits being made available.
I'd also like to note that this account will be remaining active on FA for the time being, but those that are leaving or diversifying to other sites can also find my items listed and sold at;
https://www.weasyl.com/~starborneworks
and
http://starborneworks.deviantart.com/Sorting sh*t out
General | Posted 12 years agoSo about 4 weeks ago my main PC died. This is the PC I do all of my emails, accounting and graphics/photo editing through as well as website updates.
Rather than throw £60 at it for a new HDD and wait for the next failure in 6-8 months, I went for financing and got a loan to make a spanking new PC along with a tonne of NAS for syncing work files between indoors & the workshop including videoblogs.
Took a week or so to get it all setup & tweaked right, as I'm a bit behind on cutting-edge hardware & Windows 7 configs.
Then back to work & finding the workshop PC was also dead.
Thankfully in all this faff I didn't actually loose any files, but I did come close. Machines are rebuilt & running, new procedures are almost all setup with automated scripts.
Winter's also looming on the horizon and I don't want to be fumbling in the dark again like last year or be forced to run an electric heater for months on end to make work borderline possible.
Winterproofing the workshop means re-leak-sealing the roof, fixing up the mains wiring, the lighting, the draughty gaps..
Rebooting the business from it means scrapping a bunch of personal projects both to make workshop space and to provide less distractions & diversions of funds.
I've got new carpets & rugs down to insulate the floor, I've made a TONNE more space thru scrapping projects, I've got the wiring part way done and I'm working on the rest.
Things keep cropping up you see. Like fixing the gaps around the door has revealed some major rot, meaning I'm going to have to replace the whole door. Prepping to heat the place in winter means sourcing some flue for the wood-burner I've built.
Still looking at if or how I'll be changing the lighting, but I have a local breaker box to tie in to the power circuit and a small central-heating setup to finish as well as improved ventilation too.
I'm trying to do this at the same time as getting all new moulds readied.
My goal is to have all the horns re-mastered with rigid resin copies for making reliable future moulds, instead of the varnish-peely original natural horns. I'm also putting the finishing touches on the claws to get them on sale again as well as the paw-pads.
The new PC came with some nice video editing software, so my intent is to get the range on the go then make product videos about each one and their use as well as get back on the workblog routine.
Tomorrow I pop the new fibreglass shells on the horn moulds and make some new masters after I run off a couple of orders. Then more mastering work on the claws.
Kinda dead on my feet & winter is looming large. Glad I managed to find a replacement main door which'll fit. Going to be fun to hang that I'm sure.
More news as it warrants. Being organised is a pain.
My apologies that this has meant a breakdown in communications and a few order delays.
Rather than throw £60 at it for a new HDD and wait for the next failure in 6-8 months, I went for financing and got a loan to make a spanking new PC along with a tonne of NAS for syncing work files between indoors & the workshop including videoblogs.
Took a week or so to get it all setup & tweaked right, as I'm a bit behind on cutting-edge hardware & Windows 7 configs.
Then back to work & finding the workshop PC was also dead.
Thankfully in all this faff I didn't actually loose any files, but I did come close. Machines are rebuilt & running, new procedures are almost all setup with automated scripts.
Winter's also looming on the horizon and I don't want to be fumbling in the dark again like last year or be forced to run an electric heater for months on end to make work borderline possible.
Winterproofing the workshop means re-leak-sealing the roof, fixing up the mains wiring, the lighting, the draughty gaps..
Rebooting the business from it means scrapping a bunch of personal projects both to make workshop space and to provide less distractions & diversions of funds.
I've got new carpets & rugs down to insulate the floor, I've made a TONNE more space thru scrapping projects, I've got the wiring part way done and I'm working on the rest.
Things keep cropping up you see. Like fixing the gaps around the door has revealed some major rot, meaning I'm going to have to replace the whole door. Prepping to heat the place in winter means sourcing some flue for the wood-burner I've built.
Still looking at if or how I'll be changing the lighting, but I have a local breaker box to tie in to the power circuit and a small central-heating setup to finish as well as improved ventilation too.
I'm trying to do this at the same time as getting all new moulds readied.
My goal is to have all the horns re-mastered with rigid resin copies for making reliable future moulds, instead of the varnish-peely original natural horns. I'm also putting the finishing touches on the claws to get them on sale again as well as the paw-pads.
The new PC came with some nice video editing software, so my intent is to get the range on the go then make product videos about each one and their use as well as get back on the workblog routine.
Tomorrow I pop the new fibreglass shells on the horn moulds and make some new masters after I run off a couple of orders. Then more mastering work on the claws.
Kinda dead on my feet & winter is looming large. Glad I managed to find a replacement main door which'll fit. Going to be fun to hang that I'm sure.
More news as it warrants. Being organised is a pain.
My apologies that this has meant a breakdown in communications and a few order delays.
Auctioning off a pair of Kudu horns
General | Posted 12 years agoClearing out some things, and as it was a free-listing weekend I put the original pair of Kudu horns with the mismatched lowlight washes up on ebay.
If you're handy with paint, you're sure to get a bargain.
No support tubes in these though, so for display only I suspect.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151090795493
If you're handy with paint, you're sure to get a bargain.
No support tubes in these though, so for display only I suspect.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151090795493
Cost correction
General | Posted 12 years agoJust a note that I've changed the pigment costs on the Kudu horns. Those huge things were actually under-priced on the amount of pigment they used.
Video workblogs!
General | Posted 12 years agoI got an HD webcam running in the workshop and I'm trying to do some update workblogs as and when I can. If you don't follow my associated youtube account, you may wish to for sneak-peeks of interesting orders being shown off or talk about upcoming products. :)
http://www.youtube.com/user/StarborneWorks
Channel needs a little tidying up, but I'll get to it when I can!
http://www.youtube.com/user/StarborneWorks
Channel needs a little tidying up, but I'll get to it when I can!
No Subject
General | Posted 12 years ago>_>
<_<
May have something to show off before the weekend~
<_<
May have something to show off before the weekend~
Progress report!
General | Posted 12 years agoSo, where were my updates the start of this month? Well mostly it was producing prototypes I want under-wraps until they're totally done... but mostly I forgot to upload anything because I was busy making things. :P
So, here's the sitrep:
New silicone paw-pads: 90% done. Currently duplicating the finger-pads to make moulds for full sets of 10. Footpads too thick on first pass, 2nd pass in progress.
New claws: 60% done. Finally found a cupola the correct size however which should speed things up!
Orders: Lots in-progress. More resin arrives monday.
So, here's the sitrep:
New silicone paw-pads: 90% done. Currently duplicating the finger-pads to make moulds for full sets of 10. Footpads too thick on first pass, 2nd pass in progress.
New claws: 60% done. Finally found a cupola the correct size however which should speed things up!
Orders: Lots in-progress. More resin arrives monday.
Horn prices update and Kudu horns now on sale
General | Posted 13 years agoSpent a few days making up a new spreadsheet of prices and costs for all my casting recipes. This is to get a few things up to date before rolling out the product pics on Weasyl & DA.
So, all the horns have had their descriptions updated to better explain the options available and the individual prices for each.
Also, as I don't have a "clean" image of the #9 Kudu horns, this journal will suffice for it's info. Please see another horn for descriptions of what the terms mean. The #9 horns will also contain about 8" of 20mm PVC tube in the base to make mounting easier. They're too long to reasonably expect to mount by any other method and will allow them to be removed from costume heads when not in use or travelling.
"Hardened base" is very much the recommended version.
these are also the only horns I won't be doing lowlight paint on, at least until I find paint with a longer drying period. Currently it starts to dry why I'm still rubbing it on because they're so long.
Pricing:
Standard
Plain: £55 GBP
Pigmentation: +£5 GBP
Hardened base
Plain: £59 GBP
Pigmentation: +£6 GBP
Fully hardened
Plain: £60 GBP
Pigmentation: +£6 GBP
Lowlight paint
Not available on this size horn
Stats:
Approx outer dimensions of those shown: approx 800mm long (will correct soon)
Raw cast weight: (pair, without wastage removed for shipping as pictured, without pigment added)
Standard: 810g
Hardened base: 970g
Fully hardened: 970g
So, all the horns have had their descriptions updated to better explain the options available and the individual prices for each.
Also, as I don't have a "clean" image of the #9 Kudu horns, this journal will suffice for it's info. Please see another horn for descriptions of what the terms mean. The #9 horns will also contain about 8" of 20mm PVC tube in the base to make mounting easier. They're too long to reasonably expect to mount by any other method and will allow them to be removed from costume heads when not in use or travelling.
"Hardened base" is very much the recommended version.
these are also the only horns I won't be doing lowlight paint on, at least until I find paint with a longer drying period. Currently it starts to dry why I'm still rubbing it on because they're so long.
Pricing:
Standard
Plain: £55 GBP
Pigmentation: +£5 GBP
Hardened base
Plain: £59 GBP
Pigmentation: +£6 GBP
Fully hardened
Plain: £60 GBP
Pigmentation: +£6 GBP
Lowlight paint
Not available on this size horn
Stats:
Approx outer dimensions of those shown: approx 800mm long (will correct soon)
Raw cast weight: (pair, without wastage removed for shipping as pictured, without pigment added)
Standard: 810g
Hardened base: 970g
Fully hardened: 970g
Weasyl and R&D uploads
General | Posted 13 years agoI've created an account over on Weasyl too now. No harm in spreading to new pastures. :)
https://www.weasyl.com/profile/starborneworks
It's a bit spare aside from the following atm, but want the new pics up there since they're not long away now.
Okay, so 4 uploads detailing some of the development work I've done this last month.
I figure if I've done some dev work, I'll upload an update at the end of each month and dump any previous update to scraps.
Hope you enjoy seeing what's in the works and what you have to look forward to. :)
https://www.weasyl.com/profile/starborneworks
It's a bit spare aside from the following atm, but want the new pics up there since they're not long away now.
Okay, so 4 uploads detailing some of the development work I've done this last month.
I figure if I've done some dev work, I'll upload an update at the end of each month and dump any previous update to scraps.
Hope you enjoy seeing what's in the works and what you have to look forward to. :)
You know something's organic..
General | Posted 13 years ago..when you have to spend an hour cleaning dried poo off it.
In related news, I've gotten the cutest set of small Sprinbok horns from Africa! About 9" long with a lovely smooth curve and tasteful ridges. Should go down well for dragons.
In related news, I've gotten the cutest set of small Sprinbok horns from Africa! About 9" long with a lovely smooth curve and tasteful ridges. Should go down well for dragons.
Clearance sale paw-pads..
General | Posted 13 years ago..are available again after a non-paying party.
Todays shipping
General | Posted 13 years agoOrders 0059, 0060, 0062
Such updates also available on my Twitter account;
http://twitter.com/StarborneWorks
Such updates also available on my Twitter account;
http://twitter.com/StarborneWorks
Clearance sale
General | Posted 13 years agoClearing out my old stock of discontinued, odd or con-table items. All in prep to new items and photos.
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9768545/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9768850/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9768867/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9768964/
Help me clear some space, scratch together a little free cash, and get yourself some cheap useful supplies at the same time?
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9768545/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9768850/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9768867/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9768964/
Help me clear some space, scratch together a little free cash, and get yourself some cheap useful supplies at the same time?
Calculations
General | Posted 13 years agoBeen running the numbers based on the worst-case costs* of my casting supplies, something I've neglected to do for a couple of years despite changing suppliers a few times.
The new year's going to see some price revisions, particularly to colouring fees. Turns out I've been making a loss on those. Oops.
An upside though is that thanks to Sleetfury I may finally have a better option for mounting horns. There's a foam filler I discounted for general usage due to being 4 times more expensive for the amount it fills (the double-density foam option). The idea I intend to test is doing a part-fill with the low-density foam and doing the base of the horn with the high-density. This should mean the horn's base can still be cut to length/angle, but be firm enough to better take drilled holes and cord/wire threading without it tearing through. The stuff has a texture like cinder-toffee.
Of course fursuit heads don't need this in general. Gluing the base and wrapping the base in fur and foam seems to be fine. But it'll increase the options for mounting directly on headbands. I'll be working out separate prices if it works out, rather than universal "add cost X" options.
* Worst-case costs being the most I should ever have to pay for a particular supply; the smallest quantity, on it's own with fastest delivery. Basically the "shit, I've run out & need this NOW" cost.
The new year's going to see some price revisions, particularly to colouring fees. Turns out I've been making a loss on those. Oops.
An upside though is that thanks to Sleetfury I may finally have a better option for mounting horns. There's a foam filler I discounted for general usage due to being 4 times more expensive for the amount it fills (the double-density foam option). The idea I intend to test is doing a part-fill with the low-density foam and doing the base of the horn with the high-density. This should mean the horn's base can still be cut to length/angle, but be firm enough to better take drilled holes and cord/wire threading without it tearing through. The stuff has a texture like cinder-toffee.
Of course fursuit heads don't need this in general. Gluing the base and wrapping the base in fur and foam seems to be fine. But it'll increase the options for mounting directly on headbands. I'll be working out separate prices if it works out, rather than universal "add cost X" options.
* Worst-case costs being the most I should ever have to pay for a particular supply; the smallest quantity, on it's own with fastest delivery. Basically the "shit, I've run out & need this NOW" cost.
No Subject
General | Posted 13 years agoOrders 50 and 51 shipped today. :)
