How long does it take to wire wrap

No frills fully wrapped stone I was spending about 35-40 minutes and using maybe $3 in sterling wire


Groove wrap is about 15 minutes and that includes cutting the groove. Less then $1 in sterling wire.


Chuck

How have you gone about cutting a groove?

You ever make your spoon?

I started with learning the 'traditional' wire wrapping style posted here on the board but eventually abandoned it because there were certain steps I kept screwing up (like bending the wires north where they come together at the top) plus I had no creative juices with it and felt like I was trying to get good at copying someone else's ideas. After a period of experimentation and watching a lot of Youtube videos, Wyatt White's Soumak in particular, I started doing a prong wrap style variation of his (without the weaving).

So anyway, my answer to your question would be - I do a lot of fussing and fiddling with them and just generally take my time, no rush, and each one still takes me like 2-3 hours to complete. I'm sure I'd get faster if I did more of them but I only do maybe 3-4 a year for gifts for friends and family.

If I may be so bold to steal itumble4u 's image...

This is a mood thing for me Tela. Not wrapping but anything that has to be done with great precision.
Like shaping silhouettes on glass preforms. Metal smithing. After the third one I often have to walk away as there is often an internal Jihad attacking the bodily components.
Well rested, bright eyed and bushy tailed, life going my way, wife out of sight ha, media equipment out of reach, beautiful spring morning, dreaming about past romances, duties complete, etc etc.

I see you mentioned sourcing. I have had 3 fairly successful businesses and all 3 were based on (almost)infinite easy-to-get (but difficult for others to get) source availability.
You listed 5 demands, if you can make any 5 of those easy on yourself it sure makes life easy.
Rare/hard-to-get source material can kill competition faster than anything else. Nips in bud.

I have made a living recently on arranging scrap contracts(my source material for resale) with companies.
Recently was glass blower's scrap.
I was so happy when I dragged in the last piece of glass from a 20 year old pile of fine colored/patterned COE 96 glass from Janke Glass Studio.
I have enough stock for 3 generations sitting in my back yard now. Can go sift/pick/segregate about anything I want.
Now I can focus on cabbing/photos/edits/selling.
Many may copy but there are not many glass blowers in the country that saved their scrap. A rare material that yields the most unusual products for years to come.
Got sourcing/cabbing/photos/editing under way. Lol, selling is the honker step. Have yet to whip that one, but just getting started.

That would pretty much be wholesale, right?

I tossed the dice and got that. Rarely if ever use it and I have a problem with the marks being off. I got a replacement for 2 because the finishing was so bad. I should have returned them all for the off marks. Maybe I got a bad set, but I don't think they are worth what he's asking.

eta- Even though I rarely use it, the marks are fading or rubbing off. They aren't clear and dark like in the pictures.

I know what I did was different, but my company always pitched broken glass. A guy used to come around fairly often and go through the trash. He would repair the pieces and resell them. The company owner found out that the guy was practically retired on the income and had a big summer house in Fla. All from broken glass. So, the company got me to start fixing glass pieces. I had to know how to do every piece we sold and then some. It was a challenge, I'll tell ya, and I didn't retire on it.  

I'm late to the party on this but didn't see this thread until now. In my limited experience there really isn't an "average cab" especially since I wrap mainly freeform cabs. That said, it usually takes me 1-2 hours to do a "basic" wire wrap. I probably could wrap one quicker but I don't like to rush.