What to charge - sanke-to-keggle mods

Apologies if this is the wrong forum. Mods feel free to move.

I have some people who would like some sankes modified into keggles.

Above & beyond the obvious reimbursement for materials, what's a fair price for this?

Friend of mine who welds totally non professional (Colorado Pricing) gets A Dollar a minute to run his welder. If it takes 5 minutes of actual welding or cutting time, it cost ya $5 He usually includes any prep that is required, unless you bring him a mess, then he charges the dollar for that too. This seems really expensive to me, but we didn't spend 20 minutes on my Keggle...and I'd have gladly paid him $20 for that.

A lot of welders charge easily double that, and many have a 30 minute Minimum fee.

How much are you going to modify? Just a cut? Welded 1/2" coupler? MIG/TIG?

I definitely think you need to describe your services more in depth for us to respond. If you are just cutting the top off and drilling a hole, then I'd just charge for time.

More info please!

Well, that depends on what they want, really. Its more than one person.

Definitely cutting tops off
Definitely drilling holes for fittings.

Possibly welding fittings. I'll need more practice welding stainless before I attempt that, though.

Are you supplying the kegs, or just lending the cutting/drilling services?

For friends, if they supply the equipment I'll build em for free...

If I need a specific tool I don't own (drill bit, sanding pads, etc) I ask them pay for it, and they just keep the tool.

I guess it just depends on what you want to do and your relationship with the potential buyer.

I'm not into Homebrewing and DIY to make money.

NoClueBrewMaster said:

I'm not into Homebrewing and DIY to make money.

Click to expand...

Neither am I. I'm not trying to get rich, I just want to be fairly compensated. Time is money, afterall.

Then charge what you feel is fair for your time. I can't put a price on your time.

last time i talked to a welder it was 50 an hour min 1 hour time
i've also talked to two welders that have been doing it for years they say you can mig them as long as you use stainless wire

What kind of a setup are you running for welding on SS?

Yeah, if you are going to MIG it, you can use SS wire, but you will still need Argon. I think it was Yuri that used some flux instead of backgassing.

The issue with the mig is likely porosity and infection, AFAIK.

well the guy i talked to been doing it 25 years professionally....and said he could even stick weld it

Being able to do something is not the same as doing something correctly...

Bottom line for the OP, if you are concerned about your time, it should take you 3 minutes to cut the top off the keg and about 2 minutes to drill a coupling hole.

What do you charge for 5 minutes of your time??

NoClueBrewMaster said:

Being able to do something is not the same as doing something correctly...

Bottom line for the OP, if you are concerned about your time, it should take you 3 minutes to cut the top off the keg and about 2 minutes to drill a coupling hole.

What do you charge for 5 minutes of your time??

Click to expand...

Well, at my dayjob I'm billed out at $211 per hour. But, that work doesn't involve cutting holes in kegs...

I'm a fan of simple prices. $10 to cut the top, $10 to drill the hole, welding prices TBD once the job is in front of you, so you don't get screwed with a real mess of a keg.

When it comes to fixing friends' computers for them, my kingdom's currency is in the form of $20 bills and 12-pk's of beer.

You should do it for free. Ill be sending you three kegs on monday....

three kegs and TWO cases of homebrew, do I hear three cases of homebrew. It is not always what his time is worth to him, it is what the final product is worth to the customer.

If doing the work for "friends". you could use the barter system as to appear less whoreish ( hah is that a word, I like it) say a case of micro, a sack of grain, a pound of hops. Of course the cash equivelant is not frowned upon either.

This way you could fuel your own brewery.