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John
I will now think out loud: If they were so great that we could sell them through the site as authorized re-cycled/re-painted Windstones it would be fun and solve the problem but they are not all going to be up to the same quality standard and we and the painter would have to make a profit on them. That probably wouldn’t work with the amount of time that goes into the painting and it would limit the painting to select painters. Might hurt some feelings of those who felt they should be included and weren’t. Your comments are welcome.
OMGOSH!!! I would Love the chance to be able to do this!!!!
This would be a dream come true!I could hug and kiss you!
Kalandra
Anybody care to guess at how many damaged pieces come up for sale, in say a month, or six months that might be recyclable with a program like this? How many you think may already have been repaired and re-painted?
If we had an rough idea of the above it would better tell us what we would be dealing with in terms of necessary sales per month. I would think it is awfully many pieces.
Windstone has never attended to business in a conventional manner and I really like the idea of an official way to re-cycle broken pieces. There would have to be some assurance that the repairs were done properly. The painting would, with good photography and some control over the quality of materials used, speak for itself. I would think that destroying a good piece for the sake of re-painting it would be precluded by the cost of the piece as those that are in good condition tend to sell for quite a lot.
Now there’s a thought!
To keep preliminary track of broken pieces, maybe a ‘I received/have a broken piece’ thread, with a photo or two for each report, and the numbers in the first post updated by whoever began it on a daily/weekly basis?
Windstone might think about coming up with criteria about how broken the piece has to be before it can be repaired *and* repainted instead of just repaired?
I think the idea is a good thought, but for sure needs some hashing out.
I think that this idea merits some thought. It would probably require an application process and some reasonable vetting. But, honestly, I would be interested in buying recycled pieces that are either restored or repainted, *especially* if they are “official.”
There will definitely be some complications:
1. People with broken pieces might simply want to get it repaired, and having official Windstone repair people might pull from the pool of independent repairers available. Already, there are several incredibly talented repairers, and they’re pretty booked as it is.2. How do people who want to send in broken Windstones get reimbursed? Should they? How much?
3. How do repairers get reimbursed? More extensive damage results in more work for the repairer, but potentially less return due to the original damage.
4. How can officially repaired pieces be identified? How can that identification follow the piece?
5. How will recycled pieces be sold? (e.g., simple restorations through the store and massive restorations with repainting through ebay?)
Overall, I think this is a GREAT idea if it can be reasonably organized in a fashion that is win-win-win for Windstone, the restorer, and the buyer. If anyone loses out on the deal, it might result in sour grapes, especially between Windstone and the restorer. But, it answers two unmet needs: Windstone keeping track and reducing confusion over restored/repainted pieces, and people wanting/needing to repair/restore/repaint broken pieces. And it really only applies to the sticky spot, anyway–reselling of repaired/repainted Windstones–because if they’re never sold, then it wouldn’t make any difference.
I also think that it’s not a bad idea to have a database of non-official repaints that is only privately accessible. People who have them and are willing to share the information with Windstone could do so, and if anything happens to that collector and their pieces end up sold, at least Windstone would be able to identify any non-official repaints out there.
Anybody care to guess at how many damaged pieces come up for sale, in say a month, or six months that might be recyclable with a program like this? How many you think may already have been repaired and re-painted?
If we had an rough idea of the above it would better tell us what we would be dealing with in terms of necessary sales per month. I would think it is awfully many pieces.
Windstone has never attended to business in a conventional manner and I really like the idea of an official way to re-cycle broken pieces. There would have to be some assurance that the repairs were done properly. The painting would, with good photography and some control over the quality of materials used, speak for itself. I would think that destroying a good piece for the sake of re-painting it would be precluded by the cost of the piece as those that are in good condition tend to sell for quite a lot.
John, it’s hard to say. I, myself, have at least two pieces that need significant repair (more than just a toenail), one of which might require a repaint if it’s repaired. And I don’t have an extensive collection. Just as a guesstimate, I would say that about 30-50% of all Ebay sales would need some repair, and about 1-5% need extensive repairs (maybe requiring repaint) BEFORE shipping. As many would attest on this forum, shipping is the rub. I, myself, have not gotten any pieces badly damaged during shipping, but I don’t buy a lot. Others would have to give a guesstimate as to the percentage that will need extensive repairs from shipping damage.
I would think you would handle repairs at least as a certification process – Windstone could review the repair work the repairer has done (pictures, testemonials might suffice), and offer a yearly “certification” saying so and so is a certified repairer. You could create certification numbers and a database of repaired pieces. Rather than making repairs go through the factory (though they could if they wanted!), the repairer could pay a fee to be certified so that Windstone makes some money, and then work out fees for any given repair directly with the person requesting it. The benefits to the community would be:
1.) Official repairs would keep the value of the piece static
2.) They could engage Windstone for any issues with the repair work – if the repairer didn’t resolve the issue, it could be sent to another repairer and the original repairer’s certification could be revoked.For repaints, I would think that would be done in a couple of ways:
Option 1 – The repaint pieces are puchased by Windstone, distributed to a painter to repaint, sent back to the factory, and ebay auctioned (or offered in a special section of the store)
Option 2 – Much like the repair work, Windstone approves official repainters. A set hourly rate is established and folks can commission them directly. For being a “certified” repainter doing “official” Windstone work – the painter has to agree to put photos on file in the DB and pay a portion of the fee back to Windstone. This would allow repaints and repairs to easily be commissioned.
Honestly, a lot of industries use “certified” contractors for work and require them to pay a fee for certification and demonstrate specific skills to take on this role. I don’t think it would be too much different for Windstone approved repairer/repainters.
RE: The amount of Windstones that get broken and need repairs: A LOT. I’ve been collecting for almost a year now, and I grab up broken Windstones once in a while. I personally have 6 Windstones that I consider broken enough to require repainting. If not because the repair was so big that there is a ton of paint that would need to be replaced, then because I find the production color too impossible to color-match.
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Please visit My Webpage to see my art and PYO's that I've done in the past!This may be getting way too complicated. Some pieces may require more time to repair than they are worth and need to be tossed, or if they are repaired to re-paint it would simply be at the re-painter’s expense of time. There is a limit to what is worth saving. A big problem with any of this is that the cost of a new casting is probably less than the cost of a lot of repairs.
I will have to do some math as the whole re-paint scheme may not work anyway, although I think we should continue to explore the idea. It would have to be a very simple system and easy to administrate.
We need a very close guess at how many pieces per month we are talking about and how much time re-painters are putting into them.
The simplest way might be what kiya said about certification. Just certify the repairer/repainter. Said individual pays a fee(yearly, per piece, percentage, etc) to Windstone to have piece made official and get a CoA then the individual is responsible for selling the piece. I think that alot of the repairers and painters here do what they do not because they expect a cost effective use of their time but because they love it. As for the buyers, I think many would be willing to pay extra over the current going rates to get a Windstone approved piece.
I just want to reiterate for John: I think a lot of the artists here would NOT be in it for the money, but for the prestige that it would be to have your piece approved by Windstone. That’s a HUGE compliment! I would go out of my way to repair a Windstone that you guys might consider a lost cause, or too time consuming to be cost effective. I doubt I’d be alone in saying I’d repair things and repaint them at a much lower rate of profit than normal simply to have something approved by you guys.
Let me put it this way: If Windstone took 90% of the profits, I would still be happy to do it. I care a lot about you guys and I’d love to see something like this put even a little bump in your profits.
Commission spots are currently closed! Please message me for details.
Please visit My Webpage to see my art and PYO's that I've done in the past!This may be getting way too complicated. Some pieces may require more time to repair than they are worth and need to be tossed, or if they are repaired to re-paint it would simply be at the re-painter’s expense of time. There is a limit to what is worth saving. A big problem with any of this is that the cost of a new casting is probably less than the cost of a lot of repairs.
As Hannah said many would not be in it for the money. And toss out a Windstone? *gasp* NO!! Sacrilege! A precious Windstone? There are many who consider their Windstones so special that they are given names like any living breathing thing. For some people to consider a Windstone beyond saving, it would need to be steamrolled into dust (and then we would hold a funeral for it). LOL.
Just keep in mind that some people do not collect for future investment purposes and making a profit is not part of the equation. Yes, money and financial stability drive a business but consider that it doesn’t necessarily drive your consumer base. There are many who simply love Windstones… period. They would purchase a repaired/repaint simply to give the sculpture a second chance at life (similar to adopting a dog or cat from the pound). And there would be painters who would be fine with simply breaking even if it meant a Windstone got a second chance. Yes, many of us are an insane lot. This is just another point to consider (besides the financial one). 🙂
I don’t know how we would be able to calculate a proximate for damaged windstones that show up per a month. I’ve been thinking it over trying to figure out a way to do that..but honestly I have never really kept track of damaged ones I see on ebay or on the forum. I do know though, that most of the ones I have seen only have small chips usualy, or easy fix breaks. But on the flip side, the owners usualy are trying to get back some money from them if they are for sale. 😕
I tend to agree with Hannah and Bayou. I would love to give a “recued” Wttindstone a new home. I’ve seen lots of exquisite repairs and some repaints that I would absolutely die for (okay, not really die, but you get the picture 😉 ) I don’t know how this will all end and I do know several artists on the formus that I would love to have a repaint from. I also wanted to ask about repainters banned forever from painting original sculpts. Would they be allowed to participate in this venture or would they remain banned?
twindragonsmum
tdm
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