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Customer Purchase Insight

Joined
Apr 28, 2004
Messages
117
Likes
1
Location
Southwest Missouri
Website
www.hiltonhandcraft.com
I've been demonstrating woodturning at a regional fair (Ozark Empire Fair in Springfield, MO) for the past week or so and ran across a lady yesterday that asked me a question and thought it was interesting.

She asked .... "How should I take care of a bowl to keep it from cracking?" After talking with her a bit to try to get to the root of the question, I found that she had turned down buying an "art bowl" a few weeks back from someone and somewhere else because she was afraid it would crack on her. She wanted to know if just rubbing oil on it every once in awhile would keep that from happening.

She had enough insight that she was aware that it was still wood and it had the potential for problems. I thought it quite interesting and a bit disheartening that a sale to some woodturner went bad simply because of that concern with this particular customer. How many other potential customers have we lost because of this? How do you combat this .... or can you if you're not standing there next to your pieces to explain these things? How would you have explained it to her? Are we, collectively, suffering sales because of this perception ... which may be quite valid given some of the poor pieces being sold out there? There's only so much information that you can put on a sticker, tag, or even placard next to your pieces in a gallery or shop!

I tried to get as much information from her about that particular piece as I could and surmised that it was a heavily lacquered and buffed art or display (rather than a utilitarian or salad type of bowl) piece. I explained many aspects of cracking wood; the differences between art/show pieces and utilitarian ones; and how to protect these wooden turned items and she finally said that she hoped that next year when she was at that place with the bowl again, that it was still there so she could finally buy it .... and a few more of his work. She really liked it but, especially for the price of it, she was originally concerned about it cracking later. She now has some knowledge about what to look for and some ways to help protect her purchase.

I hate to think that a customer standing in front of one of my pieces somewhere was thinking the same thing and not buying it just for the same reason.
 
Joined
Apr 29, 2004
Messages
282
Likes
0
Location
Alpine, AL
Interesting comments. A few months back I donated several pieces of work and ink pens to the Ladies Auxillary of our State Cattlemen's Association. They asked for information on the pieces as they were so different from the normal items donated. My wife and I took a few minutes to type up a brief description of the item, wood used, finish used and some "care" instructions that we taped to the bottom of each piece when the ladies put them on display. I was impressed with how people would pick up the piece but wanted to read the description - we have to remember, we know cocobola when we see it and what it is, the general public does not know it as anything but a pretty wood. In the same manner we know how to finish or oil wood but they don't. Something for all of us to keep in mind!

Wilford
 
Joined
May 15, 2004
Messages
46
Likes
0
Location
New Springfield Oh
Just out of curiosity, how many of you experiance problems with bowls cracking?

In the little over two years I've only lost 2 after finishing, now I've lost more than that in the drying proccess but I'm not worried about that.

I've lost 2 that I know of. One was a walnut one that I sold at a show in VA 3 years ago, The lady came by with it wanting to know how it could be fixed. Sems her husbuand left it sitting in water in the sink for 2 days while she was out of town.

She bought this bowl at my very first show, bowl care instructions where not something I had though of at the time. I have since printed up a little phamplet to go with each bowl.

My solution to her problem was to sell her another bowl :D But I cut her a huge break on the price, She was so happy she bought 3 more. I brought her bowl home. The bowl had warped and cracked, when it dryed the crack almost sealed the whole way. I sanded dust into the crack soaked it with CA sanded some more and wiped it down with Claphams Salad bowl finish. The crack is barely noticable. In fact people who don't know it's there seldom see it. I shipped it back to her and she was just ticked to death. Tols me she is going to be looking for me this year :D

The second bowl I lost was one I blew the bottom out of finish turning it. I glued a piece in the bottom and made do. While my stuff was in storage this year it could not take the temp extremes and cracked on the glue joint. :rolleyes: All of the other bowls that where stored with survived ok about 70 of them. but they where all solid pieces Mostly cherry walnut maple with some locust thrown in for good measure.
 
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