April2015

The Leather Retailers' and Manufaturers' Journal

April 2015

Shop Talk!

With Boot and Shoe News

Precious Metals

* Glendo * Scott Hardy Since 1984

* Dave Elliot * Bob Marrs

www.proleptic.net

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The Leather Retailers’ and Manufacturers’ Journal

with Boot & Shoe News

Laugh Lines 6 Hide Report 12 News, Notes & Queries 44 Classifieds 60

Pg. 18

Goods & Services.......................... 9 Glendo: The Engraver's Art............18 Scott Hardy: Precious Metals..........30 Wilson Capron Releases 2 DVDs......39 Dave Elliot..................................40 Leather Worker of the Month.........49 Bob Marrs: Cowboy Rides Away.....59

Read Shop Talk!

Online with links to advertisers and online information www.proleptic.net ShopTalkLeatherMagazine

Pg. 30

Cover credits: Engraving by Scott Hardy of High River, Alberta, Canada.

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published by Proleptic, Inc. P.O. Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816 Ph (828) 505-8474 | Fax (828) 505-8476 www.proleptic.net

Shop Talk! is published monthly (ISSN 1547-0121) by Proleptic, Inc. Subscription rates are $36 annually, $39 (US) for Canada and Mexico, and $54 (US) for all other countries. Shop Talk! is the official monthly publication of the Saddle, Harness, and Allied Trades Association (SHATA). SHATA members receive a $4 discount on annual subscriptions. For more information on subscriptions, advertising rates, or SHATA membership, contact us at (828) 505-8474 or www.proleptic.net

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april 2015

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Laugh Lines Even the best of neighbors poke fun at one another. It’s like the joke about the two Amish men: One Amish man said to his Amish friend, “Everyone’s queer but me and thee and thou art a bit.”

It’s true even on a national scale. Here in the US, people in the south make jokes about their stupid yankee neighbors while folks in the north always get a kick out of telling stupid red neck jokes.

In Canada, you hear a lot of “Newfie” jokes—jokes about people who live in Newfoundland and tend to be the butt of Canadian humor.

Over the years I’ve come across a number of “stupid Belgian” jokes in different detective novels and mysteries which are set in France, and it’s made me wonder just how commonplace this sort of joke might be so I did a little digging and discovered that, in fact, telling “stupid Belgian” jokes is a time-honored French national pastime.

Of course, Belgians have been known to tell their own “stupid French” jokes occasionally!

Here are a few funny bones that I dug up in my search for international humor so enjoy!

Protects from moisture

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april 2015

A Belgian was carrying a car door in the desert and, when asked why, he replied, “Well, if it grows too hot, I can wind the window down.”

A Belgian went hunting big game in Africa and thought it would be a very good idea to take along a heavy stone so that if he came across a lion he could drop the stone and run faster.

A Frenchman and a Belgian are sitting in a bar, watching the evening news. They see a woman ready to jump from the 6th floor, shouting, “I’m going to jump, I’m going to jump!” The Frenchman says, “I bet she’s gonna jump.” The Belgian replies, “I bet she won’t.” So they bet and the woman jumps. Then the Frenchman tells the Belgian, “I have to confess that I cheated as I already saw it on the 1 pm news.” “Me, too,” says the Belgian. “I saw it on the 1 pm news already. But I didn’t think that she would be stupid enough to jump twice!”

A Belgian was walking through the forest when he heard a cry for help. He found a dwarf, stuck in a trap, and freed him. The grateful dwarf granted him two wishes.

“My first wish,” the Belgian said, “is a bottle of beer that will never be empty.” And flash— there was the bottle. The Belgian opened it, drank it empty, and

Shop Talk!

the next moment the bottle was full again. The Belgian was very happy.

“What is you second wish?” asked the dwarf.

The Belgian replied, “I want another bottle.”

A French bartender was sitting behind the bar on a typical day in Paris when suddenly the door bursts open and in come four bawling Belgians. They come up to the bar, order five bottles of champagne and ten glasses, take their order, and sit down at a large table. The corks are popped, the glasses are filled, and they begin toasting and chanting, 51 days, 51 days, 51 days!”

Soon, three more Belgians arrive, more drinks are poured, and the chanting continues. “51 days, 51 days, 51 days!” Two more Belgians show up and soon they are also drinking and chanting. Finally, the tenth Belgian comes in with as picture under his arm. He walks over to the table, sits the picture in the middle, and the whole able erupts!

Everyone jumps up and starts dancing around the table, everyone chanting, “51 days, 51 days, 51 days!”

The bartender can no longer contain his curiosity so he walks over to the table and there in the center is a beautifully framed child’s puzzle of the Cookie Monster.

When the frenzy dies down a little bit, the bartender asks one of the Belgians, “What’s all the chanting and celebration about?” The Belgian who brought in the picture piped in, “Everyone thinks that Belgians are dumb and they make fun of us. So we decided to set the record straight. Ten of us together bought that puzzle and put it together. The side of the box said 2-4 years, but we put it together in 51 days!”

A Belgian, a Frenchman, and a Dutchman were just about to be executed. The Dutchman was first and he was given a choice of how he would be killed. He chose the guillotine. But then when they tried to behead him, the machine broke so they let him go free.

As the Dutchman walked away, he whispered to the Frenchman and the Belgian, “Pick the guillotine—it’s broken!”

So the Frenchman who was next chose the guillotine and, because it was broken, he too was set free.

So the Belgian was last and he thought, “Oh, no— the guillotine is broken! I better choose the electric chair!”

Now Let’s Hear What the Belgians Have to Say! Q: Why don’t the French eat M&M candies?

A: They’re too hard to peel.

Q: Why did the Frenchman sell his water skis?

A: He couldn’t find a lake with a hill in it.

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Three guys, a Belgian, a Frenchman, and an American are walking along the beach together one day. They come across a lantern and a genie pops out of it who says, “I will give you each one wish.”

The American says, “I’m a farmer, my dad was a farmer, and my son will also farm. I want the land to be forever fertile in America.”

With a blink of the genie’s eye—poof! The land in American was forever made fertile.

The Frenchman was amazed so he said, “I want a wall around France so that no one can come into this precious country.” Again, with a blink—poof! There was a huge wall around France.

The Belgian then asked, “I am very curious. Please tell me more about this wall.” The genie explained that the wall was 150 feet high, 50 feet thick, and nothing could get in or out.

Then the Belgian made his wish—“Fill it up with water.”

A cannibal went into the butcher shop to buy some brains for dinner. She saw that American and British brains were $4.95/lb. and French brains were $322/lb. She gasped and asked the butcher if the price of the French brains was a misprint.

“No, ma’m,” answered the butcher. “That is the correct price.”

“Well, why are the French brains so expensive?” exclaimed the cannibal.

“Do you have any idea how many French it takes to get a pound of brains?” replied the butcher.

Q: How do you get a one-armed Frenchman out of a tree?

A: Wave to him.

Q: What’s the difference between God and a Frenchman?

A: God doesn’t think He’s French.

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april 2015 APRIL 2015

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GOODS & SERVICES

INVENTORY and EQUIPMENT and UPDATES

*

Sometimes you might get a wooden chair in your shop that needs a new leather bottom. Easy!

Now—there is a company that carries the embossed seats which may be leather or hard paper but they look pretty good and will probably match the original. They also carry strips of the upholstery nails with the big heads which work out pretty nice if you have a lot to do.

That would be Lee Valley Tools P O Box 1780, Ogdensburg, NY 13669-6780, (800) 871-8158, www. leevalley.com. Lee Valley has all sorts of interesting gizmos as well as supplies and hardware. Good to know about!

*

If you are needing a wholesale source for English strap goods like bridles, martingales, halters, and girths, then you might want to get a catalog from Choice Brand Equestrian at 254 N. Cedar St., Hazelton, PA 18201, (800) 214-4295, www. cbeq.net.

Another wholesale supplier is Bobby’s English Tack which has a 60 pp. catalog that shows many styles and sizes of bridles, brow bands, nosebands, reins, saddles, and lots more.

Contact: 4982 Avocado Ave., Yorba Linda, CA 92886, (714) 970-3778, www.bobbystack.com.

*

Here’s a supplier of oil tanned leather belts which will stamp your name in gold on the flesh side of each belt—

HANSEN

WESTERN GEAR

Conchos Saddle Trim Hand Engraved Silver Products “For those who want the very best”

HansenSilver.com

209-847-7390 Marie, Tim & Kelleigh Hansen

800-970-7391 Oakdale, CA 95361

Contact: Marc Wolf, Ltd., 1911 S. Allis St., Milwaukee, WI 53207, (800) 544-2358. Dress belts also available.

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you are needing someone to supply you with *bagsIfand other leather accessories, why not contact Coronado Leather—they use leather from Horween as well as bison. Contact: 1961 Main St., San Diego, CA 92113, (619) 238-0265, www.coronadoleather.com.

Kids and their toys! They just have to have them and aren’t tractors and horses a whole lot better than Barbee? Big Country Toys carries 1:20 scale farm and ranch animals, accessories, and vehicles— great for girls and boys who want to rope and ride!

They have a 160 pp. catalog which lists about anything you need for your shop in the way of strap goods, spurs, bits, pads as well as leather and hardware. They also carry trail and pack equipment. Need saddle trees? They have a nice selection. What about fancy silver horn caps? Colorado has them!

Contact: 228 Springdale 40th St., Springdale, AR 72762, (888) 801-4391, www.bcfarmtoys.com.

Contac: 765 Moss St., Golden, CO 80401, (800) 521-2465, www.coloradosaddlery.com.

*

*

A company that’s always had a reputation of making solid saddles and strap goods is Colorado Saddlery.

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APRIL 2015

If it’s boxes or shipping supplies you’re in need *of, you better get a catalog from Cornell Paper & Box Co., 162 Van Dyke St., Brooklyn, NY 11231, (888) 2511297, www.cornellpaper.com. They have twine and different types and weights of wrapping paper as well.

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Tandy Leather Introduces TerraFlex™ Fort Worth, TX -- Tandy Leather has introduced a natural, moldable material that has many applications in the world of leathercraft.

TerraFlex™ is a versatile product that can be used to create durable templates which can be marked on with pencil, pen or felt tip marker and easily cut with a stencil knife or shears. It can also be used as a customizable bag stiffener that is more water resistant and less likely to crease or crumple than traditional materials.

The real value of TerraFlex™ lies in its ability to be molded into virtually any shape by heat. When heated by heat gun or hair dryer, this material is easily moldable and can add firmness to projects without adding significant thickness. When cooled, the product maintains its molded shape and returns to its original firmness. By using adhesives to attach softer leathers such as suede, this material can be used to stiffen and give shape. TerraFlex™ offers an increased versatility of projects that can be created with different types of leather.

TerraFlex™ is a unique material that features two distinctly different sides, each with varying applications. The rougher side offers texture that is useful for using adhesives to bond to leather. The other side has a smooth, semigloss appearance and contains a natural, heat activated adhesive used to bond the material to itself. This product may be reused by heating the material together and rolling it out flat again. TerraFlex™ is available in 29 ½” x 19 ½” (749 x 495 mm) sheets and is a fully recyclable and solvent-free thermoplastic.

For all the details on this and other Tandy products, please visit www.tandyleather.com or call (800) 433-3201.

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april 2015

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The Hide Report

your global perspective

The following articles originally appeared on www.hidenet.com, the leading source of news about the global hide and leather market. The information is dated from the middle of March 2015.

Hide Market Steady to Lower The most prevalent price for Heavy Texas Steers in mid-March was $96. Seasonal weights were typically 62/64 lbs. with deliveries into April and May. Last year Heavy Texas Steers (6466 lbs.) were selling in the $105-107.50 range.

Volume seemed to be moderate at best.

Part of the reason for the upsurge in the price for Butt Branded Steers was a large leather order placed in Korea that required a large number of hides from this selection. Most business in mid-March was concluded at $103 on 62/66 lbs. averages and also at $102.

Heavy Native Steers were selling in the $102 range on 64/66 lbs.

sitions. . . . For all of 2014, JBS’ net profit totaled BRL 2 billion ($638.7 million US), up 120% from the previous year. . . .

JBS’ global exports totaled $16.2 billion US in 2014, up 38% from the previous year, with growing demand in emerging economics highlighted by the company, especially those in Asia served by its Australian operations. . . .

The division covering beef in the US, Australia, and Canada reported net revenue of $5.9 billion

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APRIL 2015

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US in the fourth quarter, up 23% from the same period in 2013. . . .

Brazilian Leather Exports Up 6.4% February saw a brief expansion of Brazilian leather shipments overseas. During the second month of 2015, the value of exports reached US $195 million. When compared to January 2015, the number represents an increase of 6.4%. In comparison to the same period last year, however, when Brazil exported US $250.1 million, there was a decrease of 22%.

Argentine Tanners Under Pressure to Drop Prices A newly established Price Observatory in Argentina could have an effect on finished leather.

Commerce Minister Augusto Costa wants tanners to decrease the price of finished leather.

Costa said recently that tanners were quick to ask the government to intervene when hide prices rose. He added that he wants “tanners

to explain why they haven’t lowered the price they are charging their customers for finished leather.”

Government sources report Argentina’s hide prices have fallen by 30% since November 2014. The new Price Observatory unit wants tanners to pass savings on to footwear and leather goods manufacturers. . . .

Brown Shoe Profit Doubles Brown Shoe reported in March that profits more than doubled in the fourth quarter of 2013, reflecting gains from the disposal of Shoes.com as well as improved operating margins and net sales growth. . . .

Strike in China 5,000 workers recently struck for three days at Dongguan’s Stella International, the multinational company that ranks among the ten largest footwear companies in the world. The reason for the strike at the “Guangdong’s ti-

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PLASTIC & METAL HARDWARE for webbing & miscellaneous items Grommets Washers 3 colors & Snaps 39 cap colors.

Firewood Bundle Webbing Handles Automated Hot/Sear Cutting on webbing, Elastics and Hook & Loop. For no-fray ends use Hot cutting on webbing for belt tip ends.

2-1/4” Electric Webbing & Rope Cutters for cut it yourself.

Self-Locking Nylon Ties (Cable Ties) 4” thru 15”.

BIAS or STRAIGHT CUT fabric binding tape slitting SINGLE & DOUBLE folded Bias Tapes * 200+ colors.

CORD EDGE PIPING 200+ colors & Asst. Cord Fillers for horse blankets.

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april 2015

| 13

ger” is that the company’s workers have not been given housing assistance for eight years.

Dongguan was also the location of the biggest strike in the history of the People’s Republic of China as 40,000 workers folded their arms at the Taiwanese company Yue Yuan.

Based on the largest outstanding sales total since October 2013, the market should be “as strong as horseradish!”

However, the markets during mid-March could best have been termed steady; in general, this has been the case for the better part of the past month. This regardless of historically low slaughter for the year to date (6.6% below last year and down 7.6% the year before that or a total of 14% lower kills in 24 months which is 836,000 head.

Another argument for the market to go higher is the abnormally high outstanding number. If

true, this would indicate the US export customers are well supplied and have no need to buy in any quantities for quite some time. However, we think that this number has been convoluted by the West Coast port slowdown and the total should be viewed accordingly.

With a few exceptions, tanners have reported leather business that is slower than a year ago, regardless that we are still in the leather selling season which will start to slow down in April and May. But in trying to determine the market’s direction going forward, we are suspicious of prices remaining steady, given the low supply of hides has not resulted in higher prices. . . .

Packers tell us that they are anticipating larger slaughter in the second half of the year which is the time when new leather business seasonally slows down. China, while still enjoying a good economy, is not booming as it has in the last decade. . . . Excess money is not sloshing around the country like it was for so many years which is also being seen in slower sales

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800-4LEATHR (800-453-2847) Fax: 800-255-6160

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april 2015

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of luxury brands like Prada or Coach, etc. Even their booming automotive business with the largest amount of leather seating is hampered by pollution issues and limits in some big cities on new car purchases.

Then there’s Russia whose economy is on the ropes and, due to the political situation with the west, has stopped buying the large quantities of Italian footwear and other leather products, not only from Italy, which enjoyed significant trade with them, but also Chinese tanners and footwear manufacturers that sold vast quantities of leather goods to Russia.

So? Low American slaughter may have kept prices from falling but when the inevitable kill occurs, where can the market go then? The “slow” season will deter tanners’ need to buy. . . .

first flagship store in Paris. It will be located at 372-374, Rue Saint-Honore, a former Hugo Boss store, in one of the city’s most prestigious shopping districts and is expected to open this fall.

The 6,500 sq. ft. retail space . . . will feature an interior that has a distinctive New York City attitude with the latest modern luxury evolution of Coach’s deign and positioning. It will include an unique VIP shopping salon and monogram shop.

Nigel Darwin, President of Coach Europe, commented, “The opening of our first flagship store in Paris is a pivotal moment for our development across Europe and demonstrative of our increased relevance in the fashion arena . . . .”

Coach recently announced the opening of its

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april 2015

| 15

Selection

Weight (lbs.)

January (early)

February (early)

March (early)

Price Last March (early)

Heavy Texas Steers

64-66

$98-100

$98-100

$95-98

$105-107.50

Heavy Texas Steers (Hvy)

74-78

$109-113

$107-108

$104-106

$114-116

Branded Steers

64-66

$96-98

$96-98

$95

$105-106

Branded Steers (Hvy)

74-78

$106-108

$106-108

$102-103

$112-114

Colorado Steers

66-68

$94-96

$94-96

$92-94

$103-105

Butt Branded Steers

66-68

$108-109

$104-105

$102-107

$110-112

Butt Branded Steers (Hvy)

74-78

$101-103

$107-108

$102-104

$116-119

Heavy Native Steers (Hvy)

74-78

$116-118

$108-110

$105-107

$118-120

Heavy Native Heifers

48-52

$87-90

$87-90

$85-87

$97-98

Branded Heifers

48-52

$90-91

$82-86

$83-85

$95-96

Heavy Native Cows

48-52

$66-67

$68-71

$69-72

$85-88

Branded Cows

48-52

$53-57

$58-61

$65-67

$73-75

Spready Dairy Cows

48-52

$75-79

$77-79

$79-82

$90-93

100-110

$78-83

$80-83

$78-81

$91-93

Native Bulls

8149 Twp. Rd. 662 | Dundee, OH 44624 Ph: 330.359.0147 | Fax: 330.359.0196

Z Manufacturers of Z • Old Style formed steel eveners • Pipe Eveners & Neck Yokes • Clevis & Tongue Hardware

Dealers’ Inquires Welcome 16 |

APRIL 2015

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The Late Fred Hermann Played Critical Role in Rebuilding of Hermann Oak

by Jennifer Fulford, Senior Staff Writer Fred Hermann, who passed away this past January, is the main force that took his family’s tannery in the late ‘40s and revived it from next to nothing. Hermann Oak Leather Co. survived as a tannery because Fred resurrected it in the aftermath of WWII. “It was closed,” Shep Hermann, his son, says of that crucial time in the company’s history. “We were not producing during the war years.”

The war interrupted the economy of the entire country. Most major resources were channeled to the war effort, leather included. Hermann Oak did what it could for the war. Initially, leather was sent over for harness to pull cannons, as it had been during WWI, but quick advances in mechanization made the use of leather harness largely obsolete.

However, after two years of non-infantry service within Patton’s Army, Fred returned to St. Louis in 1948 and pumped new blood into Hermann Oak, which had remained essentially idle for four years. At 24 and newly married, Fred faced many obstacles: old buildings, old processes, old machinery, and little capital.

“The biggest challenge was finding a new market,” Shep says. The harness market had died with the advent of the tractor. Farm mechanization took off with the development of war machinery. Leather markets dried up. Shep says his dad, who worked side-by-side with his grandfather Fred, Sr., redirected sales into the accessories markets—purses, wallets, belts—which also lead to craft markets. Later, skirting leather for saddles and the Western market became important. Fred focused on vegetable tanning which appealed to leatherworkers who wanted superior material for tooling, carving, and molding.

“My grandfather loved it,” Shep says of Fred’s enthusiasm. “It was his life.”

From only two employees, the two Freds turned the company around. By 2000, when he finally retired at 75, Fred, Jr. had significantly increased its size and staff. Today, the company is 30 % larger onsite, and the payroll is up to 70 %. But he did it with integrity, not success at any cost. “Just the opposite,” Shep says. “If he had wanted success at all cost, he would have ended up at a very large company, and it would not have turned out like it did.”

Fred had at least one offer to work for someone else but turned it down.

Today, the company remains in the same location it has for 134 years. Fred’s legacy lives on.

“He always wanted to make a positive difference in all he did,” says Shep. “He took care of his customers. He took care of his family.”

Fred Hermann died January 14, 2015. He was 90.

A brief history of Hermann Oak Leather Co. is on the company’s revamped website, www.HermannOakLeather. com. A video of its tanning process is also available on the site. A tour can be scheduled by calling the company at (800) 325-7950. The address is 4050 N. First St., St. Louis, MO, 63147.

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april 2015

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Learning the Engraver’s Art

Glendo, LLC, maker of hand engraving tools, offers expert instruction at its fully equipped GRS Training Center

by Lynn Ascrizzi,

Staff Writer A starburst concho embellished with hand engraved leaves and flowers. A monogrammed belt buckle trimmed with a rope edge border. Steel spurs overlaid with ornately worked silver.

Who hasn’t admired the decorative artistry of hand engraved works like these? But, have you ever thought of learning the engraver’s art yourself?

Independent artisans, in particular, may want to spark up their saddles, boots, belts, spurs, bits, scarf slides, purses, knives, and more with their own engraved ornaments.

But, as you might suspect, hand engraving is a challenging skill. There's a lot more to it than simply laying out a design on silver, steel or other metal and Engraved concho with sterling silver eagle and 14k gold shield with solver flower and ribbon border motifs. By Diane Scalese.

cutting away with a graver. It takes knowing the right tools to use, how to use them—and very importantly—how to sharpen them.

Those skills are what master engraver Diane Scalese of Big Sandy, MT, has built her life’s work on since 1986. Besides being a full-time engraver, she is an accomplished silversmith who creates her own conchos, bridle silver, and jewelry.

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APRIL 2015

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Solid sterling silver belt buckle with patina and rope edge border. 14k gold brand. Inset with diamonds. By Diane Scalese.

Silver spurs with a seal, hand engraved by Diane Scalese of Sweetwater Silver, Big Sandy, MT.

Scalese is a rare breed, one of a handful of engravers in the US who teach their art. Three times a year, she shares her expertise at the fully equipped GRS Training Center (GRSTC), a division of Glendo, LLC, in Emporia, KS. The family-owned company has been designing, developing and manufacturing innovative hand tools for the jewelry and engraving arts since 1977. (http://www.glendo.com/)

You're seeing more bright cut technique in steel and more line cutting in silver and softer metals," she said.

"The instructors have a fully equipped bench and also cameras, so their work can be projected on a screen," she added. "Students can sit at their bench, which is their bench for the week, and watch me doing engraving while I'm doing it."

Scalese is Glendo's only female instructor, one of eleven expert artisans who teach five-day, intensive courses at GRSTC. There, she teaches both basic and advanced courses in bright cut or Western style engraving. "They are faceted, deeper, and mostly wider cuts. As you cut these softer metals, like silver, gold, brass and copper, you make wide, sparkling cuts that catch the light," she explained.

She also teaches single point or line engraving. "Single point is mostly done on steel. The last six years, there has been quite a crossover in the [engraving] arts.

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"With bright cutting, it's important to learn each step at a time. We start with simple patterns and get more complicated as we go.

Sometimes you push a graver by hand, sometimes you 'chase' patterns with a hammer, and sometimes you use the pneumatic hand pieces."

— Diane Scalese, master engraving instructor for GRS Training Center, Glendo, LLC Diane Scalese of Big Sandy, MT.

Glendo's line of hand tool is trademarked as GRS Tools, a division that includes an entire line of engraving tools and accessories such as chasing hammers, pneumatic powered hand tools, and small chisels called gravers. Other Glendo divisions include Hand Worker, a pneumatic production tool to hold many kinds of hand tools; Accu-Finish, for the building and sharpening of tools; and a full machine shop.

niques, deep relief engraving, and drawing and engraving animals.

Obviously, a company that designs and manufactures highly specialized products for a unique niche like engraving is interested in teaching folks how to use what they make.

In 2001, she earned her master's status at the Firearms Engravers Guild of America Exhibition in Reno, NV. That year, Glendo representatives saw her work.

"We have to offer the training. We manufacture the tools, but to get the tools in customer's hands, we have to show them how they work," said Glendo sales manager Joshua Hamlin. "Most of the people who come into the training center for a basic [engraving] class have no prior knowledge. We have two week-long classes every year dedicated to Western style engraving," he said.

GRSTC also offers courses in stone setting, single point, steel engraving, micro pavé (the setting of small diamonds or colored stones in multiple rows, using high magnification) and other jeweler's tech-

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"I started with Glendo tools long before I started teaching with them," Scalese, 59, pointed out. "I have used my GraverMax since 1986. It has never not worked. I also have a GraverMach, which I adore. They never quit."

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Engraving instructor Jeremiah Watt of Horse Shoe Brand Tools assists a student at the GRS Training Center in Emporia, KS.

Cap: Engraving students engage in a roundtable discussion with instructor Jeremiah Watt at the GRS Training Center.

"They asked me if I would be interested in teaching.

I didn't know anybody taught classes at GRS, or anywhere," she recalled.

Most of the students attracted to Scalese's course are bit, spur or saddle makers, and jewelers who want to learn the bright cut technique. "You don't need an art background, but it helps. It does help if you're not intimidated by equipment, like the grinding wheel. It is important that you are a hands on person," she said.

The five-day classes are held at the training center from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. , with one hour for lunch, Monday through Friday. "Emporia is a cozy town of about 30,000 people. It has lots of places for lunch, and Glendo provides tables and chairs, vending machines, a microwave and coffee machine," Scalese said.

Naturally, leather and wood carvers have a head start in the course. "They understand a scroll design

GRSTC has two large classrooms, with a limit of twelve students per class. Two instructors teach at the same time. "The dynamic between the two classes are amazing. Evening studio hours have a lot of back and forth between students," she said. For GRSTC courses and schedules visit http://grstc.com/ schedule Classes fill up fast. "We have waiting lists, and we plan to add one or two more classes this year because of the high demand," Hamlin said. (Dec. 1 is the "reveal date" for class schedules for the next calendar year.)

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A student practices engraving on a copper plate.

Belt buckle with lady bronc rider in solid sterling silver overlaid with three colors of 14k gold. By Diana Scalese.

and the carving of flowers, leaves, and birds. They are familiar with the tools of the trade. They are using their hands. Model builders also have a step up. It's helpful, but not necessary," she said about having shop experience.

TOOLS & LEARNING CURVES Students at GRS Training Center are given all of the practice materials they need for the course, such as copper, brass, and steel plates, so they get a feel for cutting according to Scalese.

According to Scalese, "Not only do you get the hand tools you need to use for the course, but you get

to take them home with you. In my class, you get seven or eight gravers and two gravers called liners.

You get a handle and a graver tool holder.”

"For each class, we get together with each instructor and establish a customized tool kit, such as gravers, laser practice plates, and hand tools. What is not included are the bench top tools, like the pneumatic hand pieces, the sharpeners, engraver's block [ball vise], and the like," Hamlin said.

In Scalese's class, practice plates come pre-marked with her patterns. "GRS has a laser marking machine that puts the patterns on the plate. The students can work from there. It's almost like paint by numbers, until they can understand what they're doing," she said.

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Pre-patterned plates give students the courage to perfect their cutting techniques. "With bright cutting, it's important to learn each step at a time. We start with simple patterns and get more complicated as we go. Sometimes you push a graver by hand, sometimes you 'chase' patterns with a hammer, and sometimes you use the pneumatic hand pieces," she explained.

you make the money. A lot of cowboys want silver on their spurs. You cut a pattern out of your silver —a brand, decorative scroll or a piece of silver on the side of the spur— and silver solder it down onto the steel. He [Rob] does them one at a time, by hand. I engrave the overlays and the steel," she said.

Gravers manufactured by GRS Tools are inter-

About three years ago, custom saddle maker Janneman Pienaar of Ellensburg, WA, decided to add hand engraving to his list of skills.

"The biggest aspect of the business is the hand tools. The air assist or pneumatic assist tools like the GraverMax revolutionized hand engraving. Before that, engraving was a dying art."

— Josh Hamlin, Glendo sales manager

changeable, she added. "You can put a graver in your hand piece, or in a steel handle, so you can tap it with a hammer, or put it in a pneumatic hand piece. The action of the engraving is the same, whether you use a pneumatic piece or not."

Proper tool sharpening is a challenge. "The most essential thing is to understand how to sharpen.

Two-thirds of the students get it the first time. But not everybody learns the same way. I have to present it so it makes sense to the student. We go over sharpening several times a week," she said.

Her next biggest challenge is teaching design. "You have to know how to make scrolls and other design elements that fit your project. There are some rules, but you have to know how to break or manipulate the rules. That only comes with practice.”

GRS Training Center classes range in price: beginning, intermediate and advanced courses cost $795, $1,100, and $1,600, respectively.

SADDLEMAKER ADDS TO HIS EXPERTISE

"I like doing things myself. I want to be in control of the whole process," he said. "If somebody wanted their saddle decorated with silver, I'd have to call a silversmith or engraver and pay them. That expense never really came back to me. I figured, I could make those small items," he said.

So he signed up for a week-long, basic engraving course at Glendo's GRS Training Center. His instructor was Jeremiah Watt. "I wanted to learn Western, bright cut engraving, specifically," Pienaar, 34, said.

He wanted to learn from instructors who have a lot of teaching experience. "Someone may be very good [at engraving], but they may not know how to teach," he said.

His diverse experience in saddle making, blacksmithing, leather, and woodworking gave him a step up when it came to tackling the engraving class. But he also discovered that learning how to engrave metal gave him a surprising new perspective on carving leather.

"I had already been carving leather to decorate saddles, and I understood carving in one way. But

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Scalese and her husband, Rob Scalese, are cofounders of Sweetwater Silver, also based in Big Sandy. She engraves the bits, spurs, and buckles that her husband builds from scratch.

"The steel in spurs and bits is not worth anything until you decorate them. It's in the decoration where Shop Talk!

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when I did engraving on metal, and learned new techniques and how to use different tools, all of a sudden, I could do leather carving better. You can transfer your knowledge to other mediums. When I take leather working techniques and apply them to silver, I can mix up the two mediums and make something that is totally mine," he said.

Before the course, he had never tried his hand at engraving. "Now, I can do a silver trim for the saddles, like conchos, horn caps and cantle plates.

I also use the engraving to make custom knives. It gives me ability to engrave them." He has also extended his products by making bracelets, earrings. and necklaces.

Janneman Pienaar of Ellensburg, WA.

Pienaar, an avid tool collector "obsessed with old quality stuff," was pleased with the Glendo line of GRS Tools that he used in the course. "Everything they make is very high quality. You can buy things other places, but they're always a knock-off. Every GRS tool compliments its own tools. The whole system—from sharpening tools, to work holders, to a stand that holds a 20-power microscope, to the

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pneumatic driver—is well thought out, well tested," he said.

He works with a couple of GRS pneumatic hand pieces, such as the Magnum. "I put a wide, number 45 graver—a flat graver—in this hand piece. I like using it for the Western bright cut. I have smaller hand pieces, but I use the Magnum the most."

He also uses a GraverMax, the control box for the hand pieces, the piece of equipment where air pressure from his compressor enters. "You can connect any hand piece to the GraverMax. You can set this control box to adjust the stroke of the hand piece and the force it vibrates with. And you can also adjust the sensitivity of the foot pedal," he said.

Pienaar's custom roping and Wade style saddles are sold under the brand Janneman Pienaar Custom Saddles. He makes his own saddletrees; also, he builds endurance saddles under the label Pienaar Brothers Saddles, an enterprise that was originally run by him and his late brother, Stefanus.

Eighty percent of his saddle sales are international,

"I had already been carving leather to decorate saddles, and I understood carving in one way. But when I did engraving on metal, and learned new techniques and how to use different tools, all of a sudden, I could do leather carving better. You can transfer your knowledge to other mediums."

— Janneman Pienaar, custom saddlemaker

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Horn cap with four leaf closer design by Janneman Pienaar.

Silver bracelet engraved in Western bright cur style with wild rose design.

shipped to places like Dubai, a city in the United Arab Emirates, and also to South Africa.

A versatile artisan, he also makes custom cowboy boots. "I learned from Carl Chappell," he said, of the master boot maker who lives, works, and teaches in Saint Jo, TX. He has three workshops in Ellensburg: a leather working shop, a woodworking shop, where he builds saddletrees, and a fully functioning metal/ blacksmith shop where he creates custom Damascus knives, bits and spurs. He does his engraving in a small room dedicated to that work in his house.

Pienaar, who grew up on a 300,000-acre cattle ranch in Namibia, South Africa, came to the United States right out of high school to study horseshoeing in Oklahoma. "I was infatuated with Western gear, saddles, boots, the lifestyle. I am used to a lot more open space and less people. If I could have my way, I'd be more in the middle of nowhere. I like it here [in Ellensburg]. In South Africa, the crime rate is really bad. Here, you don't have to worry," he said.

Monogrammed antiqued silver saddle horn for a Wade saddle.

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Engraving Machines Glendo, LLC, of Emporia, KS, has been a world leader in hand tools for the jewelry and engraving arts since the company was co-founded in 1977 by the late Donald A. Glaser and his son, Donald J. ("D.J.") Glaser.

The company, however, got its initial start in 1965, when D. J. Glaser's dad, who was a mechanical engineer, and his brother-in-law, firearms engraver John Rohner, brought the field of hand engraving fully into the modern era through the invention of pneumatic powered engraving tools.

It all started as a hobby. "My dad got interested in firearms engraving, so he and his brother-in-law hung out together. My dad wanted to learn how to engrave.

But when he saw the hammer and chisel technology, he said that was ridiculous. My dad worked with pneumatic systems in printing equipment. So, he developed an engraving tool powered by pneumatics. He is credited to be the first one to make a pneumatic power tool for engraving."

Glaser and Rohner, who both had full-time jobs at the time, formed a "hobby company" called GRS Tools. The company designed and serviced the equipment but did not manufacture the tools. Their side business produced a small profit. And, it was growing.

But in 1977, the company in Wichita, KS, that had been manufacturing their engraving tools sold to another company, and they were no longer going to make GRS tools. So, Glaser asked his son, D.J. Glaser, also a mechanical engineer, to come and head up the business.

Glendo, LLC became the machine shop that made the products. Today, Glendo owns the GRS trademark. GRS is a trade name for the tools Glendo manufactures.

"The biggest aspect of the business is the hand tools," company sales manager Josh Hamlin, said. "The air assist or pneumatic assist tools like the GraverMax revolutionized hand engraving. Before that, engraving was a dying art. The pneumatic tools made engraving easier, with far less physical stress on the body because of reduced hand and arm fatigue," Hamlin said.

"In the olden days, you used a hammer and chisel. Or, you had to use brute strength to push the engraving tool into the metal. The pneumatic machine controls pulses of air and sends it to the hand piece, like a jackhammer. All the inertia is delivered in a forward motion, as you apply minimal pressure to the back of the hand piece. It gives a smooth and consistent cut," he explained.

Later, D.J. Glaser bought the business from his father, and, when his dad passed away, he continued to steer the business. "My father's succession plan was me," he said. In recent years, however, since no one in his fam-

Glendo, LLC, of Emporia, KS, designs and manufactures innovative hand tools for the jewelry and engraving trades. The GRS Training Center, located in the same building, offers a number of engraving classes taught by skilled professionals.

ily was interested in carrying on the business, he had to look elsewhere for a successor.

In July 2014, Glaser sold the company to an undisclosed colleague. "The owner is a very private guy. His belief is that the company goes on like it has been . . . We haven't lost a single employee over the sale," he said.

"It is operating today as it has prior to the sale. Nothing has changed," Hamlin said. Today, Glendo, LLC operates in a 48,358 square foot facility and has approximately forty-five full-time employees.

Glaser is currently vice-president of product development for the company, a position he is contracted to hold for at least another two years. "We have a very strong company. . . .Our product is the world's best in a very small market. Now we know it will go on," he said.

Glendo representatives will be at the Rocky Mountain Leather Trade Show in Sheridan, WY, May 15 - 17, 2015. They will also attend the Pendleton Leather Trade Show, Pendleton, OR, Nov. 6 - 7, 2015. And, they will be at the 16th annual Southwest Leather Workers Trade Show, Prescott, AZ., in February, 2016.

Contacts:

Glendo, LLC. 900 Overlander Road, Emporia, KS 66801 USA 1-800-835-3519 • (620)-343-1084 glendo@glendo.com • http://www.glendo.com/ GRS Training Center schedules: http://grstc.com/schedule Bob & Diane Scalese Sweetwater Silver, Box 1, Big Sandy, MT 59520 (406) 378-2414 • bscalese@gmail.com http://www.rggtrappings.com/sweetwater.htm Janneman Pienaar Janneman Pienaar Custom Saddles P O Box 727, Ellensburg, WA 98926 (360)-481-6422 • jpsaddles@gmail.com www.jpsaddles.com/saddles/ https://www.facebook.com/jpcustomsaddles

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Scott Hardy:

Making the Metals Precious

by Nick Pernokas, Senior Feature Writer

T

he plains around High River, Alberta, Canada, run open into the mountains to the west.

The grass is abundant, and the towns are sparse. If you stop in the little town of Black Diamond for coffee and directions, you can buy some pretty good pastries from French speaking bakers. A couple of doors down is a saloon with a stock trailer in front of it. Heading south, and a couple of long, straight, roads later, you'll find a small shop atop a hill with an incredible view. Inside this studio, Scott Hardy works at producing the very best silver that he can.

Many years ago, Scott Hardy was doing a number of jobs. He was packing and welding, both good trades to have in ranching country, and trying to save enough money to buy some land for a ranch. That's when he decided to become a silversmith.

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Scott’s unique style is demonstrated in this filigreed horn cap with matching conchos.

"I said to myself, ‘Silversmithing would be an easier way to do it because they all get rich don't they’," laughs fifty-seven year old Scott. "So thirty five years later, I've got my land."

Scott started out wanting to work with silver as a hobby, but it was hard to find someone to help him get started. He studied work in magazines, took a jewelry course at a community college, and then had the good fortune to meet saddle maker Chuck Stormes. In 1983, Stormes sent him to Cliff Ketchum who was mainly a saddle maker but also did silver work. Scott spent a week with Ketchum, and, when he came home, Scott got to work. He called Ketchum on the phone and sent him work to critique. Two years later Chuck arranged for Scott to go to well known silversmith Mark Drain and Scott spent a week with

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Scott created an unusual saddle horn by covering the neck with scroll work and the cap with a bouquet of gold and silver flowers.

him. Then later he went back again later. A visit with silversmith Al Pecetti in Reno followed. These guys.

Drain and Pecetti, were some of the best in the silver business, and they pointed Scott in the right direction.

"That was my formal teaching, the rest was just trial and error," says Scott.

Scott started out by making trophy buckles which had started out originally as the plaques on the backs of the oversize bronc riding belts that were awarded at rodeos. Early on, these buckles were made by craftsmen who tried their best to produce a work of art that would immortalize the victory, and the rodeo, forever.

By the 80’s, making trophy buckles was the only way a silversmith in Alberta could make a living because there were still a lot of roping clubs and rodeos that

needed prizes. Eventually, Scott started doing some horn caps for saddles, but there wasn't that much demand for custom saddle silver.

One day in 1987, Scott had a cup of coffee with a local production trophy buckle maker. He told Scott that he had to get back and fill an order for 250 buckles at $85.00 a piece. At the time Scott was getting $100.00 for a trophy buckle that took him a day and a half to build.

"I decided that it was time to get away from the rodeo buckles and get into the custom stuff. It was a big decision in my career."

That was when Scott decided to be the best silversmith possible. He studied art and composition and various

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These solid sterling saddle corner plates are made from heavy 14 gauge silver.

styles of engraving. He studied companies like Tiffany, and a lot of great silver companies that never expanded into Western products. He studied more modern companies that did and found that they used "Western" as an excuse to be crude. This never sat well with Scott because he found that high quality silver had been an integral part of the West. For example, the King Ranch had been decorated by Tiffany and Co. Many of the ranches in Alberta were founded by European nobleman who brought with them an appreciation of silver.

Scott remembered holding his great grandmother's handsome silver tea service which she'd brought over from England. He continued to learn on his own, and Chuck Stormes continued to critique his work.

"It was the only way to get better back then. The TCAA has changed that now with their fellowships, scholarships, and workshops," says Scott who is a founding member.

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Scott feels that people in the high end Western industry need to pay close attention to the world and how things are being produced. The trend seems to be for a large portion of traditional work to become production quality or slightly better. The higher quality is approaching a more artistic level. As the divide grows, it becomes more difficult for a custom saddle maker, or silversmith, to find a place at the table. This makes it harder for a young craftsman to get started.

"I believe the days of just getting good enough to build cowboy saddles are coming to an end. If a guy is standing in a large retail store, and he's looking at a saddle for $1,400.00 and one for $3,600.00 and he can't tell the difference, he's going to buy the cheaper production saddle. It's frustrating to see the term fine quality tooling come to mean that someone's pulling a lever."

Scott thinks that this problem can only be solved by education of both the maker and the buyer.

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®

These conchos show what can be achieved with the contrast of gold and silver as well as the randomness of the flowers against the flow of the scroll work.

Today Scott makes a lot of custom buckles. The three piece sets make up the majority of his orders. The average ones take him 25-30 hours to complete. He only works in solid materials and precious metals. An engraved set runs about $1,500.00 to $2,000.00. Filigreed ones run about $3,500.00 to $5.000.00. Little ovals for a man's dress belt can start around $600.00.

"You have to be a good business man to survive in this business. Most of the guys who started out when I did aren't around anymore. The guys that said I was too expensive are the ones that are gone. You have to price stuff so that if something happens, and you have to go buy a new graver, you can. I've been told that I'm the most expensive guy in this field, and that blows my mind because I'm just getting by."

Scott has seen guys doing really good silver work and selling it for less than he could buy the materials to do it. He contrasts this with doctors, lawyers and even plumbers who get paid enough so that they don't have to worry about the cost of doing business and can concentrate on being the best in their fields.

"If you're just trying to get a job done so you can pay some bills, you can't reach your full potential in your work. It's to your customer's benefit that you do. I want to build silver for Donn Leson's or Cary Schwarz's saddles that someone will look at in a 100 years and say, ‘Damn that's nice.’ ” 35 | 34

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"Cliff Ketchum used to say to me, ‘Figure out how you want to live and price back from there.’ ” Scott sets his prices and lets his customers come to him rather than the customer dictating what his prices should be.

Scott's saddle silver has become fun for him because he collaborates with saddle makers so his silver ties in with their designs. He also feels that a fine saddle is a sculpture and should be seen as such. He likes making silver gullet covers which he forms on the saddle tree itself. Scott's 1 ½” solid sterling silver engraved conchos start at $135.00 each. They’re made out heavy 16 gauge solid sterling. For other saddle silver he uses 14 gauge. He feels that if a horse rubs on it, it won't dent or bend and can be polished out. Scott uses 14 and 18 carat gold for trim as well. The 14 carat is used on men's buckles as well because it stands up the best.

The 18 carat has a brighter, contrasting, color. Figures are cut out by hand and then hand sculpted.

Scott recommends using a silver tarnish cloth for polishing saddle silver routinely. A buff cloth is more than enough to polish every week for horse shows. A soft cloth should be used to finish it but never a paper towel. Some of the liquid cleaners are too aggressive for this much polishing unless something is really dirty.

Scott works in a 1024 square foot shop that he built a few years ago. In the front is a small gallery showroom

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Scott uses only precious metals in his work like these sterling stirrups with gold butterflys.

Scott’s shop looks over the Alberta plains.

for the customers, and the rest of the building houses the shop. This room is comfortable for Scott and is decorated with the things he likes.

There are lots of windows, and skylights, for good light, and a great view of the Canadian plains.

One of his sons, Colter, also works on silver in the shop, although his projects are less traditional and incorporate things like skulls in their design. He makes some beautiful personalized dog tags. His other son, Tyne, also works on silver occasionally as a hobby. The shop has multiple work stations and is roomy enough for several people. Aprons underneath the work areas catch all the silver and gold scraps.

Today Scott he has eight or nine horses and runs a few Longhorn cows on his small ranch. The house that Scott and his wife, Leslie, live in is only a short walk away from his shop. When he has time, he still likes to ride in the mountains with friends.

"If I couldn't look out my window and see a horse, I don't know what I'd do," says Scott.

Over the years Scott's work has been recognized by his peers. In 1994, he won Best of Show at the Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, NV. In 2001 he won the Will Rogers Award for Engraver of the Year. In 2006, Scott was invited to the Smithsonian as a representative of Western Heritage and Craftsmanship in Alberta. In 2009, one of his

Scott’s silver work enhances one of John Willemsma’s fantastic saddles.

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Scott’s work area has multiple work stations. The high ceilings and good light create a good environment for him to work in.

three piece buckle sets was chosen to be displayed at an international craft exhibition in South Korea. In 2012, Scott was chosen to make the limited edition belt buckle for the Calgary Stampede's Centennial.

The buckle ended up appearing on a Canadian postal stamp.

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april 2015

Scott is shown working on the 2012 Calgary Stampede Centennial buckles. There were a 100 made. Although this picture was taken in 2013, Scott still had a few to make.

"I love the West and I love to do silver and gold work.

I want to do work that will still be here in two hundred years," Scott reflects.

Scott is well on the way to accomplishing that goal.

To find out more about Scott's saddle silver call (403) 558-2337 or visit www.scotthardy.com.

Shop Talk!

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www.Nickosew.com • 7745 Hwy 76 S • Stanton, TN 38069 1-800-526-4256 • ph (731)779-9963 • fax (731) 779-9965 Shop Talk! april 2015

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Everything That You Need To Start Engraving Silver

by Nick Pernokas Although Johny Weyerts has engraved a lot of silver in his career, he enjoys engraving guns the most.

A lot of silversmiths were originally leatherworkers that started doing their own silver for their leather projects. We decided that it might be nice to have a list of what was needed to get started working with silver so we asked Johny Weyerts of Alpine, TX, what he would recommend. Not only is Johny a top silver and gun engraver but he hosts an engraving school periodically at his studio in Alpine (See Shop Talk! Magazine, June 2014). Many of these items can be found in the Rio Grande, Gesswein, and Indian Jewelers Supply catalogs.

General: 1. Jewelers saw and blades.

2. Blade lubricant.

3. Foredom flex shaft with #30 handpiece.

4. Sanding discs with quick snap mandrel.

5. Doming blocks (your choice).

Polishing: 6. A polishing lathe (machine).

7. 5" yellow or red muslin wheels for #8 item.

8. Brown tripoli.

9. 5" soft white wheel for #10 item.

10. Red rouge.

Soldering: 11. Soldering equipment - a torch (Johny uses a

Meco Midget Torch).

See Frei and Borel - Oxy/Acet.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

Handy flux.

Sparex #2.

30 gauge Extra Easy Wire Stay Brite solder and flux.

Soldering bricks. (Johny gets his from Stuller).

Engraving tools: 17. Engraving tools include any of the modern air

powered machines. (Johny uses the Grave mach AT). Silver engravers traditionally use the

flat gravers. Flat gravers include liners. (Johny

uses 18/10 liners in his class). Some engravers

are now using and adapting square gravers.

18. Magnification. Optivisors and microscopes are

used for this.

Johny offers a five-day class almost every month for $795.00. He supplies all the materials and tools for the class so it's a good way to test the water and see if you like engraving before you invest in a lot of equipment. He is also a dealer for GRS Equipment. To find out more details you can call Johny or Charlsie Weyerts at (432) 837- 2969.

Rio Grande Supplies can be found at www.riogrande.com.

Gesswein can be found at www.gesswein.com.

Indian Jewelers Supply can be found at www.ijsinc. com.

Wilson Capron Releases Two DVDs on Engraving

by Nick Pernokas, Senior Feature Writer

Wilson Capron enjoys working in steel and precious metals as this beautiful silver inlaid bit attests to.

TCAA member, and bit and spur maker, Wilson Capron, of Christoval, TX, has released two DVDs on engraving. They were produced by Schwarz Productions and cover the basics. "Design Concepts and Exercises" deals with laying out and drawing a pattern, and "Fundamentals of Engraving" deals with the mechanics of engraving. They are available for $55.00 each through Schwarz Productions and can be found at www.schwarzproductions.com.

In addition, Wilson puts on schools at his home for four to six students at a time. These can be tailored to fit the individual’s needs, but Wilson aims them at students who already know the basics. In fact, Wilson recommends his friend's, Johny Weyert’s, classes for beginners. For the engraving classes, students must bring their own equipment. Wilson provides everything for his bit and spur making classes.

A graduate of Texas A&M, Wilson was rodeoing and a team roper when he was staying with well known bit maker Greg Darnall. He began working for Greg to make some entry fee money and found that he really liked engraving. His work was acknowledged by his peers in 2008 when he was named Spur Maker and Engraver of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists. Later Wilson was further recognized by being invited to join the TCAA.

"Initially, when I started out, it was all about the engraving," Wilson says of his love of engraving. "Greg told me it was just like my roping. It was a lot of practicing. I got the bug, and it was a lot of fun. Now it's the whole cake, the metal work, too, that really interests me."

Wilson recommends that anyone interested in advancing their skills in any of the Western arts introduce themselves to the TCAA members and take advantage of some of their educational programs.

"The openness and the community created by the TCAA is priceless," says Wilson.

You can find out more about Wilson's schools by going to www.wilsoncapron.com or calling (432) 967-0684.

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Dave Elliott:

It's All About the Education

by Nick Pernokas, Senior Feature Writer

This Santa Barbara spade bit features a solid sterling silver concho with 14k gold spots, and the outside cheeks are inlaid with silver. The insides of the steel cheeks are single point engraved. The rack was made by Dave and the concho on the base matches he one on the bit.

Just off the highway outside of Fort McLeod, Alberta, Canada, is a modest shop with some beautiful work in it. It belongs to silversmith, bit and spur maker, and horseman Dave Elliott. When you walk into Elliott Bit n' Spur you can see that there's a lot going on. There is an engraving bench with silver work in progress, racks of completed bits, and ones under construction. A beautiful silver and gold mounted Las Cruces spade bit is on display on a matching bit rack. Some beautiful silver mounted spurs are on display as well. Yet none of this great work might even be here if Dave had enjoyed leather work a little more.

leather ground seat in that saddle, I sat in that thing a thousand times. It's all about educating your ass, and learning what's going on," says Dave. "He knew I wasn't going to be a saddle maker but he was a friend, and he allowed me to come and learn."

Dave built one saddle under the guidance of saddle maker Matt Eberle who was from High River, Alberta. It was a valuable learning experience for Dave, even though he didn't end up becoming a saddle maker.

Now 57, Dave grew up on a ranch and farm in central Saskatchewan and his experience ranged from riding horses to driving them to feeding cattle in the winter. He worked on some other ranches until he found that he was good at shoeing horses which he did for twenty-five years. Dave really worked at this profession and enjoyed it. As he got older, however, he realized that he would eventually have to do something else for his "day job". Eventually, he used his experience in working with metal and horses and began building bits. Dave built some bits for well known barrel racer Sharon Camarillo and realized that there was a great market for this type of gear.

"You never have enough time to spend with people like that. I didn't want to be a saddle maker but I loved the way he thought. When we put an all

Consequently, Dave spent a week with a silversmith in Nebraska to learn how to engrave silver and then he did a lot of practicing. Gradually he phased out

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This bit is a popular seller for Dave. The cheeks were inspired by a pictre Dave saw of a bit that was unearthed in an ancient Siberian tomb. He realized that the shape was as functional now as it was centuries ago.

These silver mounted trophy spurs by Dave Eliot have an unique maple leaf rowel.

his shoeing business. The Elliotts moved west to Alberta where a large portion of their customers were. Today they retail all over the U.S. and Canada, with primarily word of mouth advertising, without having to get into wholesale markets. Dave does have several barrel horse trainers who endorse his products, and they sell some of his bits as part of their royalties.

He's spent a lot of time studying equine anatomy and how it functions. Dave feels that anatomy is the one thing that bit makers, saddle makers, vets, and farriers all have to be knowledgeable about.

"A lot of times people want a bit to fix a problem," says Dave," and sometimes it's not the bit that's the problem but their lack of understanding in what the capabilities of the horse are."

Dave sells a lot of barrel racing equipment. He went in that direction because his wife, Louise, is a barrel racer, and they were involved in that business themselves. Their involvement with their own horses lets people see what can be accomplished with the correct equipment. All of Dave’s barrel racing bits have an exchange policy; if a bit isn’t working the way a customer wants it to, Dave will try to provide one that will.

"I can build traditional stuff and artistry stuff, but I choose to make more of the functional using stuff," says Dave. Most of Dave's bits are gag type or built with more moving parts for barrel racers.

They start at $150 with stainless steel cheeks and iron mouthpieces.

Dave does a lot of educational programs on how bits function, and their relationship to horse mobility. Clinics start at around $1,000.00 for a group.

"If I can get that horse to respond before the rider has a chance to pull on him," says Dave, "that's my goal."

Dave thinks you can go through an assortment of mouthpieces to find the one that works for the

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Shop Talk!

Carriage Harness, & Custom Show Harness

april 2015

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Dave always has a lot going on in his shop.

The stopwatch on the wall of the shop was a suggestion from Joel Gleanson of Avila’s Pro Shop. Dave uses it so he knows exactly how long each job takes him and he can charge accordingly.

horse. Then the shank selection is made to fit the rider. For instance, a swept back shank will "slow" the rider's hands down. Dave likes to sell a headstall with the bit because riders have trouble finding a short enough one to accommodate the high "purchase" (distance from mouthpiece to curb) on many of his bits. He has these custom built, and they come with ž� hole spacing for easy adjustment. He also sells curb straps that are long enough. Dave tries to offer the complete package so the customer won't have to hunt around for accessories before they can use it. Leather straps on the curbs instead of knots that need to be tied are a pet peeve of Dave's. He thinks that leather can be adjusted precisely while knots can loosen and be hard to adjust in the heat of competition.

ing mounted with silver for barrel racing but the spurs that Dave makes generally are. Along with the spade bits and bits for other disciplines that he makes, Dave gets plenty of chances to do his silver work.

The "using" bits may not lend themselves to be-

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"I always have something on the table to engrave."

Dave builds saddle conchos and bridle silver for saddle makers although he doesn't advertise it as much as his bits. He makes his conchos from both sterling overlay, and solid sterling silver as well as some blued steel conchos. Dave likes do make unique items so he does a lot of silver filigree work on his silver mounted bits and spurs. He keeps some copper plates handy so he can show customers how the silver is engraved.

Shop Talk!

"I've had people ask me if I put the silver on with something like you decorate cakes with," laughs Dave.

At one time Dave rodeoed and roped calves and team roped. He even did some cutting. "Right now I don't have the time to stay tuned up for those events so I stay focused on the business and maintain our own barrel horses. It doesn't make you wealthy but there are a whole bunch of things that are good about it."

To find more out about Dave's saddle silver, bits, spurs, and clinics, call (403) 687-3000 or go to www. elliottbitandspur.com.

Some of Dave’s bits in production.

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News, Notes & Queries

Business and updates and happenings

CERF Celebrates 30 CERF—Craft Emergency Relief Fund—has been helping out artists and artisans for the past 30 years who’ve experienced an emergency of one sort or another—fire, flood, natural disaster. They put out a newsletter which keeps you up-to-date about their activities. To find out more about CERF and the good things it does to help folks who get in a bind, please contact: P O Box 838, Montpelier, VT 05601, (802) 229-2306, www.craftemergency.org.

Plan Now for Pendleton The next Pendleton Show is scheduled for this coming November 6-7, in Pendleton, OR, and hosted by the folks at Sheridan Leather Outfitters at (888) 803-3030, www.sheridanleather.com.

Big Spring Tool Sale!

Boy, is it a dandy!! We got 100’s of leather stamps starting at $3.15 each with 100’s more to come. We

have splitters, stapling machines, hammers, mallets, clicker dies, embossing rollers, any size of punch you can imagine, zippers, saddle hdw., etc.!

And everything is priced to sell, sell, sell! Lots of closeouts and specials. So don’t miss out on these “not to be repeated” deals! Visit www.proleptic.net and click on “Big Spring Tool Sale”. All items must go!!!!

Please visit www.proleptuc.net. The web site has been fixed so ordering should be a lot quicker now.

Should you have any problems, please call (828) 505-8474 or e-mail: shoptalk@proleptic.net.

Thanks.

Harness Maker’s Get-Together 2015 Gary Miller at Miller’s Harness called into let us know the correct number to contact him about the Get-Together is (217) 543-3238. The address is 431 N County Road 100 E, Arthur, IL 61911. The

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Buggy Builder’s Bulletin 795 Mason St.., Dayton, VA 22821

(540) 879-9260

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april 2015

Shop Talk!

consignment auction is scheduled for July 16th and the Get-Together is on the 17th.

e-mail: shoptalk@proleptic.net. Whatever you send will be returned.

Leather Workers Behind Bars

Thanks and we look forward to hearing from you.

Shop Talk! has a number of readers who are guests at a variety of state and federal prisons, and we’d like to find out more about their lives as leather workers behind bars. What’s it like? Are supplies hard to come by? What about machinery? How did they become leather workers? What do they do with the work that they produce?

Sixth Annual Bootmaker’s Gathering

We’d like to hear from you. If it’s possible for one of our writers to interview you by phone, please let us know. Or please send us your story along with any pictures you may be able to send to: Shop Talk!, P O Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, (828) 505-8474,

Where Are You, Australia?

It’s scheduled to be held on April 25 at Johnny’s Bar-Be-Que in sunny downtown Salado, TX. Starts at 10 am. There will also be an open house at Texas Traditions, 2222 College Ave., Austin, TX 78704, (512) 443-4447. Bring your boots!

We’ve gotten several nice letters from folks in both the US and Down Under, letting us know that— yes!—there are quite a few good leather workers in

Now with Double Steel We dges!

Shop Talk!

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Oz. Now all we need is someone to do a story for us! We’d be happy to hire a freelance journalist there to put together a nice story. So please—someone give as a shout! Please e-mail: shoptalk@proleptic. net. Thanks.

Got a Question? Need a Hand?

If you’d like to be considered for this monthly honored, please send us a picture of yourself, a couple pictures of your work, and a few words about yourself—that’s it! Pretty easy. If you can’t send a pictue of yourself for whatever reason, that’s OK.

Contact: Shop Talk!, P O Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, (828) 505-8474, e-mail: shoptalk@ proleptic.net.

If you’re chosen, then we’ll send you a check for $49.94 PLUS give you a free year’s subscription to Shop Talk! Now that’s a deal!

Mark Your Calendar!

Leather Worker of the Month

Please send you information to Shop Talk!, P O Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, e-mail: shoptalk@ proleptic.net.

Give us a shout! We are always happy to run down answers to any questions you might have about where to find supplies or help out with a particular project that might have you temporarily stumped.

Let us hear from you!

Rocky Mountain Leather Trade Show will *be 22nd held in Sheridan, WY, at the Sheridan Holiday

Inn, May 15-17. Hosted by The Leather Crafters Journal, 222 Blackburn St., Rhinelander, WI 54501, (888) 289-6409.

The Weaver Auction is scheduled for June 17-18, *in Mt. Hope, OH. Makers’ Get-Together will be held on July 16-17 *at Miller’s Harness Shop, 431 N. County Road 100 E, Arthur, IL 61911, (217) 543-3238.

*

The next Custom Boot & Saddle Makers’ Roundup will be this coming October 2-3, in Wichita Falls, TX. For all the details, please contact

A. Lyons & Co., Inc. The Best Quality Components since 1933 • Leather Components • Leather Insoles • Leather Heels • Leather Midsoles • Leather Counters • Leather Bends A. Lyons & Co., Inc.

40 Beach Street • Manchester, MA 01944 Phone 978-526-4244 • Fax 978-526-1445 email: info@alyons.com

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Eddie or Kathy Kimmel at 2080 County Road 304, Comanche, TX 76442, (325) 356-3197, www. bootandsaddlemakerstradeshow. com.

*

Pendleton Leather Show, Pendleton, OR. November 6-7. Hosted by Sheridan Leather Outfitters, (888) 803-3030, www.sheridanleather.com.

Southwest Leather Workers Trade Show *will15th be held at the Prescott Resort & Conference

Center in Prescott, AZ. Hosted by The Leather Crafters Journal, 222 Blackburn St., Rhinelander, WI 54501, (888) 289-6409.

Shop Talk!

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The Venus Rosewater Dish has been awarded to the women’s singles champion since its introduction in 1886. The salver is 18.75 inches in diameter, is made of sterling silver and has a mythological-themed décor. The trophy bears no writing other than the engraving showing the dates and names of all the Champions. The winners from 1884-1957 are inscribed around the inside of the bowl and champions from 1958-2012 are around the outside of the bowl.The trophy remains at the Wimbledon museum, and champions take home a 14-inch replica. Blanche Bingley Hillyard was the first Wimbledon champion to be awarded the Venus Rosewater Dish. Made by Elkington & Co., Birmingham, England in 1886. Photo of Althea Bibson, s957.

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APRIL 2015

Shop Talk!

Leather Worker of the Month!

This month’s winner is retired border patrol officer Jim Kitchens of Brady, TX, who sent us the following—thank you, Jim! For your trouble, we’ll be sending you a check for $49.94, and you'll also receive a free year’s subscription to Shop Talk! Thanks!

Today I received my copy of Shop Talk! and, as usual, I immediately sat down and started reading. When I got to the part where they said they wanted pictures and articles about local shops I stopped and started thinking. So here I am and here are some pictures of my small one-man business in Brady, TX. Since moving to Brady in 2005 from Marfa, TX, I have grown in my business sense and knowledge about leatherwork. Mostly, I do a lot of boot repairs such as half soles and heel, but every so often I get in a full repair job.

Then I relish the idea of taking the boot apart to see how the marker did the work. What I have found out in recent years has been a revelation. Like did you know that some of the well- known companies do not use real leather in their heel stacks? Some of the soles I am asked to repair have false welts that do not mate with the midsole. I have had to learn a new kind of repair or I replace the whole project and do it the way it should be done which is

using real leather and real welts that are sewn in as they should be.

Most of my machinery is older than both of us but was manufactured when people took pride in workmanship and used real materials that lasted. For example, I use a Landis Model G to sew boot soles on which is an old machine but still works well and sews a beautiful stitch.

I love to use a swivel knife and tool leather. As you might see from my tool bench I am really well set up. If my neck and back would not give out I could sit and tool leather all day, but at my age I have to take breaks. I’m 74 years old and have the only boot repair shop still running

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at full speed in five counties. There are some twelve small towns in the surrounding counties that come to me to keep them walking on good leather soles. I love it, it keeps going, it gets me up in the morning, and I have a lot of good customers coming and going all day.

Some of my recent work on small projects are chinks for a rancher living in Menard and a holster and belt for a .357 revolver for Michael Hughes in Midland. I do some charity work and have two checkbook covers tooled and ready for an auction for “Hope for the Heart” located here in Brady.

My machinery consists of one Pro 200 Bull harness stitcher, a Pfaff 1245 flatbed machine, my curbed needle Lands G for boot work, and a Singer long arm patcher. I also use a nibbler and an Auto-Soler and have one ladies’ taps puller. So I do a lot of different kinds of shoe and boot repairs. I am a small one man shop and like to converse with the customers when they come in. I keep a coffee pot on but no domino tables as I do not have room for one.

Profitable Holster Business For Sale 20 years of providing holsters to the concealed carry and law enforcement communities.

468 CANAL ST., STE. 201, LAWRENCE, MA 01840

This is a turn key business, all equipment, supplies, inventory and website are included.

Informational web site: http://leathershopforsale.com/ Please email me at: andy@shottist.com or call 603-630-4072.

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APRIL 2015

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Come see me if you come through Brady—just ask anyone where the Boot Man lives and they can tell you.

Jim Kitchens, Kitchens Custom Saddles and Boot Repairs, 246 Open Country Rd., Brady, TX 76825, (325) 597-4360.

Thanks very much, Jim! Now let us hear from YOU! Contact: Shop Talk!, P O Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, e-mail: shoptlak@proleptic.net.

Shop Talk!

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What Is It? Can anyone identify what sort of sewing machine this is? Give us a call at (828) 505-8474 or e-mail: shoptalk@proleptic.net.

Thanks!

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www.TECHSEW.com 52 |

APRIL 2015

Shop Talk!

How to Repair a Rotary Punch You know that we buy and sell a few tools from time, and we can get in some pretty rough looking—used, and abused—rotary punches.

Like this one—

It needs a new anvil and a few new tubes but then it will be in great shape and ready to give some lucky leather worker years and years of happy service.

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Shop Talk!

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Lots of times when a punch needs a new anvil, we can sand down the face of the old one and make it serviceable, and the machine we use to do that is a little belt sander like this—

punch to mark where we want to drill our first hole.

Start with a 1/16” bit and please be careful NOT to break the bit off in the hole which is a real PAIN! Be careful!

What a great tool! We use it almost every day to sand, sharpen, and polish. Of course, we have several belts with different grit—everything from 80 to 600 and even finer than that.

After you’ve drilled that first hole then use a bit that’s a little larger and then finish up with another larger bit.

You may have to use a pair of nippers or vise grips to pull out the remainder of the anvil. Good job!

If you can’t sand the face done enough, then you’ll need to remove the old anvil.

So let’s begin by pinching the punch upside down in a big vice and using a center

Then you can sand either side of the punch smooth if you need to.

1967

Since

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APRIL 2015

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6/19/13 9:42 AM

Next you’ll want to install the new anvil. I use a big loop iron and pinch it in my vice to give me an anvil to beat on which is mighty handy for little jobs like this. Now you’ll want to cut off the excess stem of the anvil sticking out there BUT not too close. You

have to leave at least 1/8” above the surface of the punch. If you don’t, you won’t have enough stem to brad because it has to fill up the hole in the handle which takes more metal than you might initially think. So leave at least an 1/8” showing. Then brad it

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down smooth and, if you want to, you can always nicely finish off the bottom on your little belt sander.

Good job! Now make sure your tubes are in good shape and you’re ready to put this punch to work.

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APRIL 2015

Shop Talk!

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Light Tan Leather Dye

Yellow Leather Dye

Kelly Green Leather Dye

Green Leather Dye

Aqua Green Leather Dye

Turquoise Leather Dye

Light Blue Leather Dye

Navy Blue Leather Dye

Purple Leather Dye

Black Leather Dye

FIEBING’S PROFESSIONAL OIL DYE

Professional Oil Dye is a premium alcohol based dye created specifically for natural strap leather, vegetable tanned leather and bag & case leather.

Red Pro Dye

Mahogany Pro Dye

Chocolate Pro Dye

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English Bridle Pro Dye

Spanish Brn Pro Dye

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Black

Black CAUTION: FLAMMABLE. HARMFUL OR FATAL IF SWALLOWED. EYE IRRITANT. SEE OTHER CAUTIONS ON SIDE PANEL

CAUTION: FLAMMABLE. HARMFUL OR FATAL IF SWALLOWED. EYE IRRITANT. SEE OTHER CAUTIONS ON SIDE PANEL NET 4 FL. OZ 118 mL

NET 4 FL. OZ 118 mL

FIEBING’S INSTITUTIONAL LEATHER DYE Non-flammable, water based, penetrating leather dye.

Red Institutional Leather Dye

Yellow Institutional Leather Dye

Dark Brown Institutional Leather Dye

Black Institutional Leather Dye

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FIEBING’S LEATHERCOLORS™

LEATHERCOLORS™ is a low VOC leather dye that works as easily and effectively as traditional penetrating leather dyes.

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LEATHERCOLORS™

BLACK

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Yellow Leathercolors

Green Leathercolors

Royal Blue Leathercolors

Light Brown Leathercolors

Saddle Tan Leathercolors

Medium Brown Leathercolors

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Mahogany Leathercolors

Chocolate Leathercolors

Dark Brown Leathercolors

Black Leathercolors

NET 4 FL. OZ. 118 mL

FIEBING’S ACRYLIC DYE

Quick drying, long lasting leather paint for color coating smooth leather surfaces.

For leather Black Net. Wt. 2oz 59mL

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Orange Acrylic Dye

Yellow Acrylic Dye

Green Acrylic Dye

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Blue Acrylic Dye

Medium Brown Acrylic Dye

Dark Brown Acrylic Dye

Black Acrylic Dye

White Acrylic Dye

Light Blue Acrylic Dye

www.�iebing.com

Shop Talk!

april 2015

| 57

Bob Marrs: The Cowboy Rides Away

by Nick Pernokas, Senior Feature Writer Bob Marrs' last saddle is built on a Will James tree which he used quite a lot for working cowboys. It was made for Brad Stewart of Seymour, Texas.

I

t's not often that a saddle maker knows which saddle will be his last. For some this may be a sad moment. On the other hand, maybe quitting on your own terms can be called merely bittersweet. For other jobs, retirement is a milestone to be looked forward to, but for any form of artistic endeavor, the expectation seems to be that it will go on forever. Those of us in the leather business, however, know only too well the physical demand, and toll, that our careers place on us.

For this reason, I am happy for my good friend Bob Marrs of Amarillo. At 88 he's had a great sixty-two year career building saddles. He not only was a West Texas cowboy but he made saddles for many of them. Bob also painted many Western scenes set in the Texas Panhandle region. Now he has made a beautiful, fully carved saddle that will probably be his last. Bob wants to call it quits while his work is still good.

Spring

Big Tool Sale!

Closeouts & Specials Too Good to Miss!

Spring into savings!

Zippers Conchos Saddlery Hdw. Misc. Hdw. Standard Rivet Head Skiver/Splitters Beveler Embossers Mallets Harness Dies Clicker Dies Strap Punches

Slot Punches Round Punches Keepers 100’s of Leather Stamps -starting at $3.15

Letter Sets Books Round Knives Draw Gauges 100’s of Hand Tools Shoe Tools and Lasts *Over 1,300 Lots*

828-525-8474 • www.proleptic.net

The Will James style "seat rigged" saddle sports the 58 |

april 2015

Shop Talk!

Poinsettia pattern that Bob frequently used, with a cowboy riding into the sunset on the fender. It seems a fitting bookend to a career that included a uponRogers a time,Awards a perfectfrom man the and Academy a perfect of couplence of Will woman met.

After a perfect courtship, had a Western Artists and the Western Heritagethey Award perfect wedding. Their life was, of course, perfect. from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage One snowy, storm Christmas Eve, this perfect couple Museum.

A Christmas Riddle

O

was driving their perfect car along a winding road when they noticed someone at the side of the road inthe distress.

"It's been a good life, the saddle making and Being the perfect couple, they stopped to help. cowboying," says Bob.

There stood Santa Claus with a huge bundle of toys. to disappoint children the eve of ToNot findwanting out more about Bobany Marrs' longoncareer, Christmas, the perfect couple loaded Santa andTalk! his toys check out the September 2011 issue of Shop into their SUV. Soon they were driving along, delivering toys all over the world.

Unfortunately, the diving conditions deteriorated and the perfect couple and Santa had an accident. Only one of them survived.

Who was the survivor?

The perfect woman survived. She’s the only one who really existed in the first place. Everyone knows that there is no Santa Claus, and there is no such thing as a perfect man.

So, if there’s no perfect man and no Santa Claus, the perfect woman must have been driving. This explains why there was an accident.

Bob Marrs' last saddle is carved in the Poinsettia pattern which A very merry Christmas and a prosperous (and healthy!) 2015 from all is one of his favorites. It originated in the D.E.Walker Visalia Saddlery and brought Talk! to Texas by to saddle maker H.H. Shop each and everyone of you out there! of us here atwas Schweitzer. Upon Schweitzer's death in 1956, Bob felt that he could start using it. Customer Brad Stewart requested the carved figure of the cowboy riding into the sunset on the fender because it would be the last saddle he could order from Bob.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!

8Shop | Talk!

December 2014

aprilShop 2015 Talk! | 59

Classifieds

Buy or sell or trade

Classified ad rates are $26.50 for the first 20 words and $.65 cents for each additional word. Words (or groups of letters) fewer than three characters are not counted when calculating the cost of the ad. Street addresses are counted as one word. City, state, country, and zip or postal code are combined and counted as one word. Enclose payment when submitting ads. Ads received without payment will be held until payment is made. Ads must be received no later than the fifth of the month prior to the month you wish the ad to run (e.g. ads for the February issue must be in our office by January 5). Typed or neatly printed ads are preferred. We are not responsible for mistakes due to handwriting. Faxed ads must be typed and are accepted with MasterCard, VISA or Discover only.

Wanted Wanted: New subscribers from New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia. Now is the time to renew!

Give us a call at (828) 505-8474, e-mail: shoptalk@proleptic.net or visit www.proleptic.net.

Wanted: Complete tool collections. Contact: Shop Talk!, P O Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, (828) 505-8474, email: shoptalk@proleptic.net.

Wanted: Bench equipment. Any condition. Skivers, splitters, pressers, spotters, etc. Also parts and pieces—bolts, frames, springs, blades. We pay shipping. Contact Shop Talk!, P.O. Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, (828) 5058474, e-mail: shoptalk@proleptic.net.

Wanted: Equestrian and Western work including prints, posters, paintings, etc. Contact: Shop Talk!, P O Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, (828) 505-8474, www.proleptic.net.

FOR SALE Master Stamper Collection for Sale. Tad Mizwa’s treasures. Don King belt, 7 pcs. By Ray Pohja, 1 each by Don Butler and Chester Hape. These 10 for $9,000 delivered.

Six more by Ray Holes, Bill Gardener, Lloyd Davos, Eddie Brooks, Jeremiah Watt, $1,500 delivered. E-mail: TadSMizwa@aol.com.

For Sale: New blades for 6” hand cranked splitters; Standard Rivet #2 spot setters with staple dies; A-G flip top embosser; Fortuna top feed skiver; and more. Call for complete list of sewing machines and equipment. Buy, sell, trade. Can deliver. Contact: Roy Peakes, 5 Sibley St., Auburn, MA 01501, (508) 769-8899.

Liquidating entire inventory. 7 hvy. Duty sewing machines—Cobras, Artisan, Juki’s. 2 embossing machines.

12” USMC splitter. 12” Aperture band knife. 2 creasers.

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APRIL 2015

Singer 112 dbl. needle. 14” strap cutter. 3 Standard Rivet spot machines. 5 nylon hole burners. 2 chap machines. 5 cargo trailer container loads of saddles, bridles, halters, leads, etc. No reasonable offer refused. Contact: Ben Day, Western Specialties, 3106 Cedardale Rd., Mt. Vernon, WS 98174, (360) 708-4201.

Install and remove Chicago screws quickly and easily in the shop or on the trail. $16.95 + $4 S&H. Call for wholesale pricing. Contact: JP’s Bridle & Equine Tool, 26266 E. County Road 700 N., Easton, IL 62633. (309) 562-7266.

E-mail: jp-equinetacktool@casscomm.com, www.jptacktool.com.

For all your leather needs. Call Moser Leather (800) 874-1167 or (513) 889-0500. You can visit our website at www.moserleatherco.com. (R&B) For Sale: The Pro-Concho Turner: The only one in the U.S. Makes removal of decorative conchos a snap! Used with electric drill. Take the fuss and bother out of a difficult job with the Pro-Concho Turner! Saves time, makes money! Rubber gripper protects the concho and makes removal or installation easy. Only $29.00 plus $3.95 S&H, 6-inch steel shank, and rubber gripper. Ready to use!

Contact: Proleptic, Inc., P.O. Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, (828) 505-8474, e-mail: shoptalk@proleptic.net.

Wholesale Harness & Supplies! Brahma web, PVC sheeting, PVC belting, nylon webbing, nylon thread and hardware. We manufacture a full line of synthetic harness parts. In stock for immediate shipping, including blinds, gig saddles, molded curved crowns, cruppers, winker stays, and lots of die cut parts, etc. Ask for your FREE catalog! Contact: Countryside Mfg., 504 S. Humbert St., Milton, IA 52570.

For Sale: “Making Harness: A Step-by-Step Guide”, $58 plus $5.50 S&H. Specs and instructions on how to make and repair six styles of harness from pony to draft, driving, team wagon and mule. Contact: Proleptic, Inc., P.O.

Shop Talk!

Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, (828) 505-8474, e-mail: shoptalk@proleptic.net, www.proleptic.net.

For Sale: Pricing Guide: “How to Establish Prices for the Saddle Maker and Leather Worker.” Only $39.95 plus $4.50 S&H. Contact: (828) 505-8474. (12/12)

NUTRA-GLO™ Nutritional Feed Supplement for Horses, Ruminants, Dogs and Poultry (Liquid Products)

For Sale: New and used Adler, Brother, Consew, Juki, Pfaff, Singer machines for sewing bio-plastic, canvas, leather and nylon. Available in single or double needles, standard, long arm, flatbed, postbed, cylinder arm. Contact: Bob Kovar, Toledo Industrial Sewing Machine, 3631 Marine Rd., Toledo, OH 43609, (866) 362-7397 or (419) 380-8540. (11/10) For Sale: Tools for the Professional—Ol’ Smoothie swivel knives, blades, stamping tools, and more. Contact: Chuck Smith Tools, Smith & Co., P O Box 2647, Valley Center, CA 92082. (760) 749-5755. Fax (760) 749-5355. E-mail: olsmoothie@sbcglobal.net. (R&B) www.theleatherguy.org for all your leather, tool, and supply needs. Friendly, helpful staff at (507) 932-3795.

(R&B) For Sale: Schwabe clicker. Double head. $4,500. Also 100 ton leather press, $1,000. Located in Bryant, AL. Phone (423) 939-0284, e-mail: cltolliver81@yahoo.com.

hoice The 1st tofChundre ds of

en Supplem Hors e O w ners, ’s y a d s! to & Tr ad er Tr ainers

Shop Owners...

Supply your customers with one of the finest horse feed supplements on today’s market!

“Call for wholesale prices”

For Sale: Belts, phone cases, suspenders. Free samples to bona fide retailers. Send request on letterhead or include business card. Contact: Mose Gingerich, 173 Marcella Falls Rd., Ethridge, TN 38456.

For Sale: Juki Pro 2000. Like new. On stand with clutch.

Ready to use on line shaft. $4,200, Contact: G.R.T. Saddlery, 149 Chestnut Rd., Dayton, PA 16222.

We Supply all Literature!

— Runs $8-$10/horse/mo —

Approved Organic d Poultry n a y Dair Available s Product

BOOT AND SHOE Total shoe repair equipment for sale. All supplies go with it. Price $5,500. Contact: Gerald Manor, Portland, IN, (260) 726-4172 or (260) 726-4343. Mon/Tues/Thurs/ Fri. Noon to 4 pm

Discover Your Herd’s Maximum Potential!

™

Dealer orders shipped same day! ✯✯ 30 days same as cash!

The “Word of the Day” is chamfer.

For more information contact:

Sunrise Supply LLC. P.O. Box 104 Winesburg, OH 44690

866 • 704 • 2374

Shop Talk!

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ADVERTISERS INDEX A. Lyons..............................................46 American Leather Direct....................36 Artisan Sewing..................... back cover Barta Hide............................................44 Beachy Blacksmith.............................16 Beiler’s Mfg. & Supply........................20 BioThane...............................................5 Bogle Greenwell Machinery Corp.....21 Booth & Company..............................16 Bowden Saddle Tree.......................... 11 Brayer..................................................14 Brodhead Collar Shop........................21 Buckeye Engraving............................54 Buckle Barn USA................................51 Buggy Builder’s Bulletin....................44 C.S. Osborne.......................................27 Campbell-Randall...............................29 Chestnut Ridge...................................48 Chino Tack..........................................52 Chupp Blacksmith Shop....................54 Coblentz Collar...................................19 Danny Marlin Knives..........................22 Double K..............................................15 Fairview Country Sales........................7 Fiebing Leather...................................57 Fine Tool Journal................................14

Gfeller Casemakers, Inc.....................50 Goliger Leather Co., Inc.....................48 Hadlock & Fox Mfg. Co......................59 Hand Plait Leather..............................29 Hansen Western Gear..........................9 Harness Hardware..............................53 Hastilow . ............................................41 Hermann Oak........................................2 Hide House..........................................14 Hillside Harness Hardware..back cover Holster Business for Sale..................50 International Sheepskin.....................46 Kalico Products....................................6 Kelly-Larson Sales.............................55 Kimmel Boot.......................................25 Landis Sales & Service......................48 Leather Crafters Journal......................8 Leather Machine Co., Inc., The..........63 Lewis Sales Co...................................50 Mid-River Sales...................................47 Miller's Whlesale Harness.................41 Mules and More, Inc...........................10 N & A Harness Shop...........................24 Nick-O Sew..........................................37 Nutra-Glo.............................................61 Ohio Plastics Belting Co....................53

Classified Ads

20 words or less $26.50 Additional words (each) $ .65

Display Ads

Advertising

Ohio Travel Bag..................................13 Pecard..................................................50 Perfectex Plus LLC.............................53 Precision Saddle Tree........................33 Proleptic............ 19, 20, 42, 45, 51, 56, 58 RJF Leather.........................................12 Raphael Sewing Machine/TechSew...47,52 Sam Troyer..........................................55 Schwartz Productions........................47 Shelton-Reynolds, Inc........................12 Shetler’s Collar Shop.........................51 ShoTan.................................................15 Small Farmer’s Journal......................55 Smoke & Fire Co.................................22 Southstar Supply..................................9 Springfield Leather.............................43 Steel Stamps.......................................52 Sugar Valley Collar Shop...................54 Sun Bias, Inc.......................................13 Sweat Pad Shop..................................23 TechSew/Rapheal Sewing Machine... 47,52 Tennessee Tanning............................42 Texas Custom Dies.............................18 Toledo Sewing......................................3 Western Mule......................................18

$45 each additional page.

Event flyers must be inserted 60 days in advance.

All inserts must be shipped directly to printer.

Full Page $485.00 Half Page $271.00 Reduce - Reuse - Recycle Quarter Page $147.00 Recycling old magazines, catalogs, and Eighth Page $78.00 newspapers is one of the (Color and guaranteed placement addi- easiest ways to help the tional) environment. To increase the supply of recoverable Setup Charge wood fiber and to reduce the demand $60 per hour with a $18 minimum. Line art on regional landfills, Shop Talk! urges may be inserted at no additional charge. $10 its readers to support recycling efforts in per photo. their communities.

Deadline for advertising copy is the 5th of the month prior to the month of publication. Invoices are due upon receipt. SHATA members who display the SHATA logo in their advertisement Shop Talk! is printed only with inks receive a 5% discount on display ads. 6 or Inserts made from vegetable oil.

12-month prepaid advertising contracts $399 for one page­— receive a 5% discount. Discounts may not Maximum trim size: 8-1/4” X 10-3/4” be combined (advertisers may receive Shop Talk! • published by Proleptic, Inc.• P.O. Box 17817 either a SHATA discount or a prepaid Asheville, NC 28816 • email: shoptalk@proleptic.net contract discount).

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APRIL 2015

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Shop Talk!

with Boot & Shoe News

P.O. Box 17817 • Asheville, NC 28816 (828) 505-8474 • FAX (828) 505-8476 www.proleptic.net

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Distributors of Quality Hardware & Supplies for the Harness, Tack, Saddlery, and Pet Industries

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• BioThane Coated Webbing • Thoroughbred Leather • Quality Stainless Steel and Brass Saddlery Hardware • Fiebing Products • WahlClippers • Fortex & Fortiflex Products • Nylon Webbing • Leather and BioThane Harness Parts plus much more

Large enough to serve you…

Small enough to need you!

We manufacture our own line of leather riding and training tack.

We also do custom leather and nylon work.

4205 Township Road 629 Millersburg, OH 44654 Request your free catalog today!