Tarag stands concentrating for a second, doing the calculations.
"Now, you said you have 30 gold, 2 silver and 8 copper. Well, then, that's another 81 gold, 3 silver and 9 coppers you'd need to borrow from your friends. Mind you, that's just for the raw materials."
Here the smith looks at Richard sternly, speaking slowly and with emphasis (just to make sure the befuddled young man remembers).
"Once you've paid that, then we can go ahead and make the sword. It'll be a day's labour for you and me."
"After that, it'll cost you another 122 gold, 8 silver and 3 coppers. Once I have that, then the sword is yours."
Seeing Richard's look of glazed concentration, Tarag asks him,
"Look, can you read? Or can your friends? Here, I'll write the figures down and you take it to them. You need to borrow 81 gold, 3 silver, 9 copper for the materials. Then another 122 gold, 8 silver and 3 copper for the finished sword. That's 204 gold, 2 silver and 2 copper altogether."
"Now, your friends may not be able to loan you the whole amount for the sword, so here's what I'll do. If we can make the sword, then I'll hold it for you for three months, at the price we first agreed on. If you're not back in three months, then I'll sell it to whoever wants it - unless you get word to me. Even then, you'll have to pay my normal price. That's another 33 and a half gold."
"Agreed?"
[sblock=OOC] Because time is inherently flexible in an RPG, let's say we're talking real time. That gives you three months to adventure and raise the cash.

And because PbPs can drag on, sending a message will reserve it for you.
By the way, I've just checked the crafting rules again, and since Richard doesn't have any ranks in the Craft skill, it'll cost him 32 craft points rather than 16. (Inexperienced assistants contribute craft points at half the effective rate that experienced ones do.)
Now, if only Tarag had some other orders, Richard could work off his debt by assisting at the forge rather than in gold.

[/sblock]