With the release of Artificer and the elimination of crafting xp costs, I feel that something needs to be done for them.
By default, the first changes that would be made would be the increase to d8 hp, and the artificer spells that use xp now use 5x that in gold value, as all spell xp costs have been dropped.
I've put some time into this, and as I haven't been able to find any conversion for them listed anywhere, I decided to come up with my own. I would like any constructive suggestions regarding these ideas.
The craft reserve would be lost, I would suggest giving them an equivalent version of a sort of a gp reserve. Since they use a 1:5 conversion for spells that use xp, I'd simply make it 5x the listed value for gp, and give it a new description
Craft Reserve: An artificer's deeper understanding of magic items enables him to use various objects gathered while traveling in order to enchant items. An Artificer receives a pool of resources he can spend instead of gold when crafting a magic item. Each time the artificer gains a new level, he receives a new craft reserve; leftover points from the previous level do not carry over. If the points are not spent, they are lost. An artificer can also use his craft reserve to supplement the cost of the item he is making, taking a portion of the cost from his craft reserve and a portion from other materials.
Retain Essence (Su): At 5th level, an artificer gains the ability to salvage the crafting materials from a magic item and use those materials to create another magic item. The artificer must spend a day with the item, and he must also have the appropriate item creation feat for the item he is salvaging. After one day, the item is destroyed and the artificer adds the materials it took to create the item to his craft reserve. These points are lost if the artificer does not use them before gaining his next level.
To be more Pathfinderish, The artificer should also get something on most of the later "dead levels." I'm not really sure what to put in there aside from possibly more bonus feats.
If somebody has some other conversion for Artificers, or feedback for what I've suggested, I would appreciate it.