Forging as a mini business. Production of forged metal products. Cold forging of metal as a business idea Forged products workshop
![Forging as a mini business. Production of forged metal products. Cold forging of metal as a business idea Forged products workshop](/uploads/b6666d1c19eb13e06fac5240e4a76b1a.jpg)
- Kind of activity: production of forged products
- Capital investments from 230,320 rub.
- Average monthly revenue from 429,000 rub. per month.
- Net profit from 109,800 rub. per month.
- Payback from 2 months.
Over the past two years, the demand for forged products has significantly increased in Russia. Every month, more than 300,000 people on the Internet are interested in elements of artistic forging, and this figure is growing by an average of 7%. The trend is explained by the fact that in the regions there is an active improvement of megacities and the construction of countryside villages.
As a result, there is a high demand for all types of metal structures: from small decorations for a garden plot to massive fences for a cottage. In the next six months, the dynamics will be even more significant. A blacksmith shop, open during the “peak” spring-summer period, is an ideal option for a start and a quick payback.
Who is this business for?
Today, the blacksmithing business is available to beginning entrepreneurs. It does not require large capital investments and is easy to organize and produce. The entire process is automated and carried out on modern machines. Manufacturers are willing to provide assistance in training and business organization. To purchase equipment that even one person can operate, a little more than 200 thousand rubles is enough.
In this case, there is no need to undergo licensing or certification, and production can be established in any technical room, even a garage. Manufacturing forged products is an excellent opportunity to expand an existing business. In Russia, construction and finishing companies, interior design studios, and furnace construction specialists open their own forge workshops.
Competition in the market
This niche is simply empty. Unlike other business models with a low entry barrier, there is little competition. In cities, the number of blacksmith shops number in the dozens, while “popular startups” - retail enterprises, car washes, catering, tire repair - number in the thousands.
Where to look for clients?
The first step in this direction is to create a website. To do this, you can turn to professionals or do the work yourself. Today there are many free editors that will help you create it without programming knowledge. The site will attract its first customers within a month, and their flow can be increased with the help of contextual advertising. It is easy to customize and will allow you to attract your target audience even with minimal budgets.
The second opportunity is cooperation with trade and service companies. Construction stores, utility services, funeral service agencies, interior design studios - these and other organizations actively use forged products in their work.
Word of mouth is another effective way to attract customers. Finished projects are the best advertisement for a workshop, which means that beautifully completed work will attract new customers.
Additional channels for finding clients can also be posting information on websites with advertisements (Avito, “From Hand to Hand”, etc.), placing an open workshop on public streets, or opening your own store of finished products in shopping malls.
How a blacksmith shop can earn money:
- Fences
- Gates
- Chimneys
- Fencing (garden, balcony)
- Window bars
- Braziers
- Interior items, furniture (tables, flower stands, hangers in
hallway, etc.) - Other metal structures
- Welding work
Business plan "ECONOMY"
Suitable for those who want to open a blacksmith shop with a minimum investment. Having one universal forging machine “AZHUR-1M”, you can start producing: window grilles, forged fences, gates, gazebos, forged furniture, canopies, stair railings and much more.
Technical characteristics of the machine "AZHUR-1M".
The cost of the machine is 217,670 rubles. To expand the range of products, we recommend purchasing a set of rollers that allows you to produce forged products from profile pipes for 12,650 rubles. Additional equipment you will need to purchase is a welding machine and a grinder.
Calculation of monthly profit of a blacksmith's workshop. Option "ECONOMY".
Products | Product cost (per sq. m. rub.) | Market price of products (per sq. m. rub.) | Sales per month | Profit, rub. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Window grilles | ||||
Stair railings | ||||
In brackets are the prices of products made from solid rolled metal.
From the profit, we subtract the costs of maintaining the workshop: rent, advertising, electricity, transportation costs, taxes.
Business plan “OPTIMAL”
Suitable for those who wish to organize large-scale production of forged products. To extract maximum profit, production is organized using a set of machines. Some machines will give workpieces a sophisticated, expensive look, while others will create forged elements from processed workpieces. The resulting products will look expensive and sell faster.
Workshop equipment:
- Machine "Azhur - 1M". Equipment No. 2, costing 307,160 rubles. Additional equipment worth RUB 28,810. In this configuration, the machine allows you to produce the entire range of forged products. For more detailed information, please contact our specialists.
- Machine "Azhur -2" for 262,400 rubles. Additional equipment in the amount of 51,700 rubles. Covers the workshop's needs for metal finishing.
- Hydraulic press "Azhur - 3M" for 335,000 rubles. A set of molds worth RUB 29,900. allows us to produce forged products in large quantities.
- Machine "Azhur-4" for 392,000 rubles. manufactures decorative twisted pipe.
- Cutting machine "OS - 7" for 71,000 rubles. designed to prepare blanks for production.
Total: investment in equipment will amount to RUB 1,477,970.
Calculation of monthly profit of a blacksmith's workshop. Option "Optimal".
Products | Product cost (per sq. m. rub.) | Market price of products (per sq. m. rub.) | Sales per month | Profit, rub. |
|||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stair railings | |||||||||||||
Window grilles | |||||||||||||
Benches and swings | |||||||||||||
Due to the low entrance ticket to the artistic forging market, a large number of small firms and “handicraft industries” have sprung up. Garage production does not interfere much with large manufacturers and is mainly active only during the construction season. The products of such manufacturers are not of high quality, so the demand for their products is maintained only by low prices. Most of the products here are made by hand, so the result largely depends on the physical strength of the master and his dexterity. Meanwhile, about 60% of all orders are carried out by large firms, most often equipped with high-performance equipment. Their main clients are rich, solvent people. What orders are most often made?Orders are very different. The trend of the last few seasons is fireplace sets: poker, scoop, tongs. Classic products that are traditionally ordered are fences, canopies, canopies, window grilles, gates, monuments, gazebos, railings, benches and flower stands. What you need for a successful businessAccording to experts, to open a successful business you must have either extensive experience or appropriate education in the field of blacksmithing. Or better yet, both. Before starting the case, it’s a good idea to study the relevant literature, for example, Fedotov’s book “Metal”. Study drawings, diagrams, drawings, metal processing techniques. Then, if finances and time allow, you should receive a special education. The best of the best, real blacksmithing professionals are trained at the St. Petersburg State Academy of Arts and Industry named after. Baron A. L. Stieglitz. You don't have to start with a big investment. Blacksmithing for the most part is based on the enthusiasm and efforts of the organizer. An example of this is Sergey Shevchenko, an aspiring businessman from Omsk. The entrepreneur needed not much more than 300 thousand rubles to start fulfilling orders. “Having received a grant from the regional administration in the amount of 200 thousand rubles, I bought gas and electric welding, a special table for work, and with the remaining amount I purchased a tool for bending metal,” says the blacksmith. Such a set of equipment fits freely in “garage” conditions, on an area of 15-20 m2. How much money do you need to start a business like artistic forging?Of course, if we talk about a serious matter, completely different investments will be required. At least 300 thousand rubles will be spent just on preparing the production site. For production 200 sq. m of finished forged products per month, you will need to rent a room of 60 - 80 sq. m. m. Plus, some area (15-25 sq.m.) is allocated for storage space, where finished products and raw materials for production are stored. It is desirable that the room have high electrical power (the equipment consumes up to 7 kW), be connected to a water supply and have good supply and exhaust ventilation. Renting such an area, depending on the region, will cost from 70 thousand rubles per month. What equipment is best to choose for the production of artistic forging?The next investment is the purchase of equipment. Experts advise purchasing only professional forging equipment. You will need machines: for bending, twisting, shaping, cutting, forming and straightening rolled metal. In addition, you need a welding machine, a straightener, an anvil, one or two welding stations for assembling products, a cutting machine, an angle grinder for cleaning weld seams, a compressor with a spray gun for painting finished forged products, as well as a workbench with a vice. The total investment in such a set of equipment will be no less than 1.5 million rubles. In order not to waste money on delivery of raw materials and materials, it is advisable to acquire a personal truck. Boo. a Gazelle van will cost 150 - 250 thousand rubles. On it, if necessary, it is possible to deliver finished products to the customer. The total investment in the business will ultimately amount to at least 2 million rubles. No one can say the exact payback period for such investments - everything is very individual and largely depends on the organization of the business. You can make a profit after just six months of work. The average return on investment in blacksmithing is two to three years. RecruitmentNow about the employees. You will need to employ at least three workers: a welder and a couple of mechanics. Physically, one cannot handle the entire production process, and one also needs to accept orders, pay off payments to suppliers, ship products, do accounting, etc. Finding qualified personnel is not easy, and most likely a person will have to complete their education on their own or be sent to appropriate courses. Wages are set as salary plus a percentage of the volume of manufactured products. Financial calculationThe main materials in artistic forging are rolled metal (square or circle 14x14) and paint (such as Akrem metal). The price of rolled metal is on average 24 rubles/kg. The cost of paint is approximately 60 rubles/kg. For 1 square m2, 18 kg of rolled metal (415 rubles) and 0.15 kg of paint (9 rubles) are required. In addition, when calculating the cost of goods, you should take into account material costs per 1 m2: electrodes - 10 rubles. (or argon + additive), abrasive wheels - 8 rubles. and propane gas - about 5 rubles. Electricity costs per shift are about 35 rubles. The wages for three craftsmen are 200 rubles, based on 1 m2 of finished product. About 20% or 100 rubles are overhead costs. The total production cost of one square meter is about 800 rubles. The average selling price of forged products of the “houndstooth” or faceted lance type is 3,000 rubles per 1 sq. m. m. Thus, profit per sq. m. m is equal to: 3000 (selling price) - 800 (cost) = 2200 rubles. By producing at least 100 m2 of forged gratings per month, you can make a profit of 220,000 rubles. This calculation shows that one machine worth 350,000 rubles pays for itself upon the sale of 170 sq. m. forged products. If you produce at least 50 sq. m., then the machine will pay for itself in 3.5 months. Video about artistic forging: |
History of forging. Since ancient times, blacksmiths have been held in high esteem in Rus'. They were endowed with supernatural power, giving opportunities inaccessible to ordinary people. People often turned to them for help and advice, and during times of illness, a common person often went to a blacksmith rather than a doctor. There was always a lot of trust in them. In the old days, blacksmiths even sealed people's unions. There was a belief that such marriages would be even stronger than church ones. And iron itself in Rus' has long been considered a talisman, and horseshoes to this day adorn many entrances to the house. They are hung to protect against uninvited guests and evil spirits; it is believed that an evil spirit will not be able to pass under the horseshoe. In the old days they believed in the power of a horseshoe attached above the bed. It was believed that it would protect a person’s sleep from nightmare visions. Since the times of Kievan Rus there has been no replacement for blacksmiths. From their forges came agricultural implements and craft tools that fed families, household items, weapons and armor for warriors, and harnesses for horses. None of these things can be made with low quality; the life of a person of that time often depended on the skills of a blacksmith, so people who went into this profession were famous for their hard work and attentiveness. Artistic forging gained momentum in Russia later, in the 17th-18th centuries. This was largely due to the sufficient development of metallurgy. A large amount of metal gave blacksmiths the opportunity to put into practice the experience accumulated over centuries not only to create ordinary things, but also to create mesmerizingly beautiful decorative elements. Around this time, the weight of the blacksmith's products also increased. This became possible thanks to the technological progress of that time. Forges received “samokovs” or, more simply, mechanical hammers driven by water. What is metal forging? Types of forging. The definition of forging is given in various regulatory documents of the country as metal forming by local application of load. This strict concept in many ways clearly explains the images of a hammer and an anvil that pop up in the head. Cold forging. Cold forging is often used instead of stamping or casting, which are much less suitable for creating sufficiently strong parts. This is ensured by simultaneous bending and pressing of the rod during processing. However, forging also has its disadvantages: in case of an error, correcting the mistake on a finished part that is practically not subject to deformation is not always possible in practice and is very labor-intensive. Thus, correcting a defect in one element entails heating the entire product, directly changing the problem area, and then bringing other sections of the structure that were deformed during heating to their original shape. The scope of application of cold forging products is very wide: Automation of the cold forging process and the ability to “cut” products according to a given stencil allows us to produce gratings, stairs, fences and other popular products in fairly large quantities. With this technology, the metal is not heated, with the exception of partial heating of the connecting nodes of the product. The artistic component of this type of metal processing is highlighted by the price issue: the exclusive work of a master costs several times more. Equipment and tools for cold forging of metal. |
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Buyers for artistic forging are more difficult to find, but competition for this item is quite acceptable. Decorative metal products are often needed by people with good or moderate incomes who want to decorate their homes, as well as wealthy offices for decorating office facades. The experience of cooperation with construction teams engaged in the construction of individual houses, cottages, estates or administrative buildings will also be positive. They will take upon themselves the coordination of product sketches with clients, and all you have to do is complete your work on time and with high quality.
It’s good if the work is done to order, but this also needs to be earned. A person usually trusts either something that someone has already tried and given personal positive recommendations, or a well-known brand that will not fail to maintain their own reputation. Any company, even the smallest one, can make its brand popular through advertising. The main thing is not to miss when choosing funds.
The following PR moves are suitable for artistic forging:
- personal contact with the consumer. A face-to-face conversation always gives better results than empty chatter on the phone. The buyer will be more likely to be interested in you if he personally sees your work and is convinced of your professionalism.
- advertising in the media. The cheapest and most expensive type of advertising at the same time. It all depends on the choice of location. The most affordable option is free. This is an advertisement on the Internet on popular sites that have a suitable contingent of visitors. The most expensive is television. The roller will hit your pocket hard at the most opportune time.
- outdoor types of advertising in “suitable” places, for example, a billboard near the entrance to a new cottage community, the construction of which is in full swing.
In any case, you can find a bunch of options both for a well-earning business and for beginners, for whom advertising is a necessary event, but due to the low turnover it is low budget. For industries that have not yet reached full strength, advertising on the Internet or simply submitting an ad in a newspaper is suitable. At the initial stage, you should not shell out money for expensive television or radio commercials; the effect of them is not always immediately visible, and the cost is not always reasonable. Remember, your money should not be wasted.
Financial plan.Costs and profit per unit of production:
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This calculation shows that having spent 9,905 rubles on production and sold for 29,700 rubles, you get a pretty good profit.
Investments in a metal forging business.
Equipment:
Necessary elements for the production of forged products - 200,000 rubles.
Grinding machine – 2,000 rub.
Welding machine – 10,000 rubles.
Compressor – 15,000 rub.
Welder's table - 20,000 rubles.
Rack – 10,000 rub.
Slipway – 15,000 rub.
Cutting machine - abrasive - 15,000 rubles.
Ventilation – 15,000 rub.
Total for equipment: RUB 302,000.
Premises:
Rent of premises – 30,000 rubles. per month
Grand total: RUB 412,000.
If the business plan is implemented correctly, the payback period for the business should not exceed 6 months.
Options for manufacturing forged products.
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Artistic forging— production of decorative and household items from metal using forging methods. After such processing, the products receive a final appearance that has not only practicality, but also artistic value and functional decoration. Metal art products have always been valued. In the 21st century, the production of forged products is a highly profitable business with an inexpensive cost of entry into the business. Let's look at the details of opening a business and a blacksmith shop.
Modern blacksmithing usually produces gates, fences, architectural elements of buildings, garden furniture and decorative elements, forged stairs and railings, furniture and interior items. And the list is not complete. Modern technologies make it possible to realize almost any fantasy in metal.
In everyday classification, forging is divided into two types - hot and cold forging.
Hot forging- a classic type of forging metal processing by heating products to high temperatures and giving them a finished shape using mechanical action - under a press, hammer, hammer and other tool. It is used for the manufacture of piece, unique, complex and very individual products.
Cold forging— the main processes of this approach are bending of finished rolled metal and its forming. A modern type of metal processing, where, using various types of mechanical action, the metal is stamped, bent, and takes on its final shape. So-called forged elements are manufactured, which are then assembled into the final product. Used for mass production of standard metal products. Suitable for products for which increased requirements for reliability and individuality are not applied.
Since we want to open a highly profitable forging business with a low opening cost, a cold forging workshop will be the most preferable. Let's consider the moments of such blacksmithing.
We are opening a blacksmith shop for artistic forging. Business plan
Cold forging imposes a number of restrictions. The production of forged elements occurs from standardized rolled metal - round and square pipes of certain cross-sections, sheet metal, metal rods and strips, therefore, the equipment used for cold forging can only work with the specified range of rolled metal on standard templates. Consequently, the range of products obtained is limited by the capabilities of the equipment. But don’t worry, you can combine standard complex and simple forging forms with each other as you wish, which means you can easily create a completely original product.
The advantages of such forging are also obvious - the availability and low cost of the range of finished metal products, equipment from different manufacturers is interchangeable for finished products and there is no need to stop the workshop for re-equipment. A wide selection of ready-made equipment in terms of price and operating principle allows you to “assemble” a workshop gradually, based on financial capabilities.
So, for example, equipping a workshop with manual mechanical machines (equipment) will cost you 100-200 thousand. Such a workshop, due to physical limitations, will not be able to produce products en masse, but the business will already be working - you can serve 5-10 orders per month .
And equipping the workshop with similar but semi-automatic electromechanical or hydraulic machines will allow you to produce forged products in large quantities, up to 500 pieces per shift, which will expand the number of orders served to 50-100 per month. However, the cost of equipping such a workshop will cost you 1.5-3 million rubles.
To open a production workshop you will need a production space of about 80 m². The workshop must comply with fire safety standards, since it will involve working with welding and hot metal.
Mandatory equipment for the workshop are:
- Racks for rolled metal and finished forged products,
- Cutting machine or scissors. Allowing you to cut the required length of rolled metal and form a cutting angle.
- Pipe bending machine. Allows radius bending of pipes of various profiles and diameters.
- Bending machine. Essential for the production of basic bent forged products.
- Rolling machine. Allows you to apply a relief pattern to metal and process the edges of the product.
- Twisted Pipe Machine. Allows you to produce a “twisted” pipe or rod.
- Presses. For the production of small, uniform forged design elements.
- Horn. The forming of some elements such as metal balusters, peaks, etc. requires preheating the metal.
- Assembly table with welding machine. Welding of finished forged elements into a single structure according to the order sketch. The device is standard for MMA or TIG welding.
- Spray booth. Where the finished products are painted and dried.
As a rule, sellers of equipment for a forging shop provide free advice and provide the necessary support (necessary documents, business plan) for opening a cold forging shop.
We invite you to watch a video showing manual equipment for cold forging
Also, you can watch a video showing the operation of a universal cold forging machine
The profitability of a forge shop easily reaches 300% of the cost of the rolled metal used. Since it has traditionally been the case that the cost of a forged product is measured in square meters, and starts from 2,000 rubles per square meter. Thus, a forged grille for a window measuring 2 square meters will cost the customer at least 4 thousand rubles, and the set of rolled metal necessary for the manufacture of such a grille will cost a maximum of 400 rubles (a linear meter of rolled metal starts from 30 rubles). The “blacksmith” takes the rest of the cost for the work and consumables - paint, welding, work on machines.
Artistic metal forging is not very expensive, but quite a profitable business idea. This project can be implemented in any city and district, village and regional center.
What it is?
Artistic forging products have recently become quite widespread. These are textured gates and fences made of metal, balcony frames and gratings. These beautiful products are also used for front gardens and as fences in cemeteries.
In former times, the artistic forging method was used to produce all these items. This required special equipment and tools. A workshop was also needed where the forging process itself took place. However, over time, everything changed.
The old technology was replaced with a new, more improved one. It's called cold. At the same time, products are produced whose appearance resembles ancient ones, but forging in a forge is not used in their production.
First steps
In order for the planned project to be successful, you will need to have at least the minimum necessary equipment, have ingenuity and good physical strength. An idea can become a reality and allow you to make money only if a competent business plan is drawn up.
Artistic forging will bring the desired profit if all points of this document are strictly observed. The business plan should consider all the details of the future project, including the location where the workshop will be located and the choice of necessary equipment.
Stages of business development
The choice of location where the workshop will be located is of great importance. Currently, a large number of elite class villages are being built. The houses in them will belong to successful entrepreneurs, officials, and the Russian elite. The location of the workshop on the way to these places should be included in the business plan being drawn up. In this case, artistic forging will quickly become in demand.
However, it is not always possible to achieve our plans. Therefore, you will need to provide for the costs of conducting an advertising campaign on the Internet. They should also be taken into account during the period when a business plan is being drawn up. Art forging can be advertised through advertisements on street billboards, on television and in local media. Only in this case will the business idea begin to take on real shape.
Selecting a room
The next stage in business development will be finding a place for a future workshop. In this case, the premises must have an area of at least one hundred square meters and be equipped with sewerage, water supply, and electricity supply. If the scale of the future project is small, then a garage will be enough.
Equipment
The clause that provides for the purchase of a small universal machine should also contain a business plan being drawn up. Artistic forging does not require the purchase of expensive equipment produced by a foreign manufacturer. A domestic machine designed for the production of “crow’s feet”, “peaks” and “baskets” can be purchased. The resulting blanks, then brought to marketable condition, will help you get your first money.
An artistic forging machine from a domestic manufacturer can perform spirals, curling, and longitudinal twisting. This universal equipment will need to be supplemented with the following:
Drilling machine;
Welding machine;
Bulgarian;
Other small improvised tools.
Purchasing good equipment will increase the profitability of your business to impressive heights. Ideally, it is advisable to equip the workshop with machines designed for twisting, bending and applying designs to the strip. It is also advisable to have equipment for forming, sizing, pressing, stamping and straightening.
Products in the creation of which artistic forging was used will be of high quality if you use such specialized equipment as a semi-automatic vertical press with a force of up to one hundred tons, saws designed for cutting metal, a lathe and milling machine. Spray guns will be required for painting finished products, and shelving will be required for storing tools and workpieces. All this equipment can be purchased for 3-4 million rubles.
Required material
After equipping the workshop with equipment, you will need to invest money in the purchase of consumable raw materials and hardware. First of all, these should be metal rods with a diameter of eight to twenty millimeters. Such consumables will be required for the manufacture of spiral curling and longitudinal twisting to obtain a “basket”.
Do-it-yourself artistic forging will require squares and corners, sheets and pipes. As a rule, the range of procured raw materials directly depends on the type of order. As for the characteristics of the metal, experienced blacksmiths recommend purchasing low-carbon steel marked “St0”, “St1”, and also “St2”. This material is best suited for artistic forging.
The list of consumables includes paint intended for anti-corrosion protection. You can even buy a car. Two or three layers of such paint will highly reliably protect products from exposure to adverse factors.
Cleaning and cutting wheels, primer and electrodes, as well as solvents must be purchased as consumables.
Assortment list of products
If you are organizing a workshop where you will produce artistic forging with your own hands, samples should be displayed in the room to demonstrate the products to clients. For clarity, an advertising colorful booklet with finished products or a photo album can be issued. It is advisable to place high-quality photographs of products on your own website on the Internet.
The finished product will look good even before entering the workshop itself. You can place garden benches and window bars there.
A workshop for the production of artistic forged products can produce gates and fences, iron furniture and fireplace accessories, exclusive lamps and benches, awnings and window grilles, as well as much more.
Features of the technology
The production process in which artistic forging is performed has its own characteristics. First of all, it is characterized by minimal costs for purchasing equipment, which makes it possible to make the price of finished products affordable.
In addition, artistic forging, the equipment for which in the form of a press, hammer and hydraulic apparatus is made independently, will pay for itself within a short period - from one week to a month. Such machines can, if necessary, be transported to another room.
Artistic forging, done with your own hands, does not require special skills and knowledge, because mastering a hammer, press and other necessary equipment cannot be called a complex process.
At its core, cold forging is a process in which a fairly thin sheet of metal is bent. The material does not require preheating. The purchased rod is cleaned of rust with a metal brush, which is put on the grinder. Next, the frame of the future product is assembled on any flat surface (table, workbench, etc.).
The corners are welded. Then the future pattern is applied to the asphalt or chipboard, its elements are measured, and the rod is cut according to their sizes. In order to deform the workpieces, a special device is created, which consists of two pins welded to a flat surface at a distance of two to three centimeters from each other.
After this, the rods are bent with a hammer. During the production process, the workpiece must be constantly compared with the stencil. The next stage is assembly, and after that – welding. The elements are laid out on the stencil in such a way as to assemble the required pattern. Excess pieces of rods must be cut off. The product is welded first on one side and then on the other.
Shutdown
The next step is cleaning and welding ready-made forging elements, which are purchased in advance, to the product. The metal is then coated with white primer and painted. To make the product more attractive, it can be aged and gilded, and it will practically not differ from what was forged in a forge.