T H E L E AT H E R R E TA I L E R S ’ & M A N U FACT U R E R S ’ J O U R N A L
Leather Business Behind Bars South Dakota Boot Maker
D ECEM BER 2016
S I NC E 1984
W W W . P RO L E P T I C. NE T
$6.50
BEHIND EVERY GREAT PROJECT THERE’S A GREAT MACHINE
THE LEATHER RETAILERS’ & MANUFACTURERS’ JOURNAL
DECEMBER 2016 FEATURES 24 Boot & Shoe News 28 The Business of Leather Work Behind Bars: 28 Prison Leatherworkers 30 On The Outside 35 Cutting Costs 39 Inside Buena Vista’s Prison Leather Shop 44 A Prison Ministry
30
On the outside
IN EVERY ISSUE 4 Laugh Lines
44
Model 2600 cylinder walking foot
35
40
Cutting Costs
Published by Proleptic, Inc. • P.O. Box 17817 • Asheville, NC 28816 Ph (828) 505-8474 • Fax (828) 505-8476 • shoptalk@proleptic.net Read Shop Talk! online with links to advertisers and online information. www.proleptic.net
7 Hide Report 15 Goods & Services
ShopTalkLeatherMagazine Proleptic, Inc. is the creator of an original work of authorship entitled "Shop Talk!". Proleptic, Inc. attempts to maintain the highest accuracy of content; however, neither Proleptic, Inc., nor any of its officers, employees or agents, warrants, makes any warranties, guarantees or representations as to the accuracy or timeliness of any information published or referenced in "Shop Talk!". Under any and all circumstances, Proleptic, Inc., including its officers, employees and agents, shall be held harmless from and against any loss caused by reliance on the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness of such information.
51 News, Notes & Queries 57 Classifieds
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. 2 DECEMBER 2016
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Model 830 post bed roller feed
Model 2900-L leather patcher
Model 1660 flatbed walking foot
TECHSEW 5100-SE The Techsew 5100 Special Edition is the ultimate sewing machine designed for a wide range of leather work projects. Featuring the latest in time & labour saving technology, the Techsew 5100-SE will increase your productivity and produce the finest looking leather products. Features: - SmartServo-NP Needle Position Motor - TLG Laser Guide - Flatbed Table Attachment - Swing Down Roller Guide - LED Work Lamp & LED Stitch Light - Chrome plated specialty presser feet - Complete with instructional DVD & user manual - Includes diamond point needles, nylon thread & much more!
TOLL FREE
TLG Laser Guide
Flatbed Table Attachment
Swing Down Roller Guide & LED Stitch Light
1-866-415-8223 www.TechSew.com info@techsew.com
SHOP TALK! DECEMBER 2016 3
Laugh Lines December 2016
Q: Can a kangaroo jump higher than the Empire State Building? A: Of course. The Empire State Building can’t jump. Q: What starts with E, ends with E, and has only one letter in it? A: Envelope Q: Why can’t you trust an atom? A: Because they make up everything. Q: What do you call two Mexicans playing basketball? A: Juan on Juan. Q: Did you hear about the kidnapping at school? A: It’s okay. He woke up. Q: What is the tallest building in the entire world? A: The library because it has so many stories. 4 DECEMBER 2016
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Bob: Will you remember me tomorrow? Joyce: Yes. Bob: Will you remember me next month? Joyce: Yes. Bob: Will you remember me next year? Joyce: Sure. Bob: Knock, knock! Joyce: Who’s there? Bob: See, you forgot me already!
December
On the first day of school, the teacher asked the student, “What are your parents’ names?” The student replied, “My father’s name is Laughing, and my mother’s name is Smiling.” The teacher said, “Are you kidding?” The student replied, “No, Kidding is my brother. I am Joking.” One night lady came home from her weekly prayer meeting, found she was being robbed, and shouted out, “Acts 2:38: ”Repent and be baptized and your sins will be forgiven.’” The robber quickly gave up and the lady rang the police. While handcuffing the criminal, a policeman said, “How come you give up so easily?” The robber said, “She said she had an axe and two 38’s! ”
“
I went to the bank the other day and asked the banker to check my balance so she pushed me.
I have never killed a man, but I’ve read many an obituary with great pleasure—Mark Twain.
1. Leo Fender created what musical instrument? 2. What is another word for cotton candy? 3. Words that are spelled the same both forward and backward are called what? 4. What is an aglet? 5. Which Marx brother had a mustache, cigar, and walked funny?
Answers at the end of “Laugh Lines”.
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in his shoes. Then when you criticize them, you’ll be a mile away and you’ll have his shoes.
From all of us here at Shop Talk! to all of you out there, a very, very, very Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
The Importance of Walking • Walking can add minutes to your life. This enables you at 85 years old to spend an additional five months in a nursing home at $5,000 a month. • My grandpa started walking five minutes a day when he was 60. Now he’s 97 years old and we have no idea where the heck he is.
We childproofed our home years ago, but they’re still getting in.
• If you’re going to take up cross-country skiing, start with a small country.
A man got hit in the head with a can of Coke, but he was alright because it was a soft drink.
• I know I’ve gotten a lot of exercise the last few years just getting over the hill. (The above was stolen from our friends at Western Mule Magazine.)
SHOP TALK! DECEMBER 2016 5
Laugh Lines Continued
YOU R GLOBA L PE RSPE CTIV E
Nellie’s Not Feeling Well Uncle Phil’s mule Nellie was not feeling well. Over the past month she had become sluggish and started looking thin. Convinced she wasn’t going to snap out of it, Uncle Phil decided to have Doc Johnson take a look at her. After a thorough checkup, the doc couldn’t find any obvious cause to the mule’s weight loss or sluggishness. Then on a hunch, he gave a close-up inspection of her mane.
Prices Steady or Up
apply it generously into Nellie’s mane. The birds won’t like the yeast, they’ll abandon their nests and she’ll be back to her old self in no time.”
“There’s your problem right there,” the doc said, pointing to the culprit. “Birds are building nests in Nellie’s mane!”
Uncle Phil finally bought some yeast and began to rub it into Nellie’s mane but without much confidence in the vet’s advice. But to his surprise, the results were almost instantaneous! The first nest fell out later that afternoon and it wasn’t long before Nellie was nest-free and looking the best she had in years.
“What?” Uncle Phil was flabbergasted. “I didn’t even see them! Bird nests? I have birds building nests in Nellie’s mane? What do I do now?”
“I don’t get it!” said Uncle Phil. He figured that there had to be more to the story so he called up Doc Johnson.
“Don’t be alarmed,” said Doc Johnson. “Just get some yeast from the grocery store and
“Doc, Nellie’s back to her old self. Just like you said, the yeast drove off the birds, the nest fell out, and Nellie’s as good as new! Just how did all that happen?”
“Mmmm,” he said, lifting his eyebrows in surprise. “Watchasee, Doc?” Uncle Phil asked.
The Hide Report
Heavy Texas Steers have gained around a dollar over the last few weeks. 66/68 lbs. hides have sold from $69.50 to as high as $73. Sales of heavier hides in the range of 70 to 78 lbs. have sold from $72.50 to $76. Demand has been steady. Branded Steers are up $2, selling between $63 and $64 on average for 66 to 68 lbs. hides. Butt Branded Steers remain steady at $75 and $76 for 66/68 lbs. hides. Heavy Native Steers are also firm at $77 on 66/68 lbs.
However, Australian production is expected to decline sharply as rain in 2016 has incentivized producers to retain female cattle and expand the herd rather than process some for meat. Its production this year will be down 18.5% on 2015 and its 2017 production will be down another 2.9% says FAS. It notes that trends regarding cattle numbers and beef prices have reversed in Australia and the US, making US beef much more competitive in key Asian markets.
Global Beef Production Forecast to Increase in 2017 Cattle Buyers Weekly recently wrote that global beef production is expected to increase modestly this year and next year, with increases in the US and South America being offset by big declines in Australia. Global production will increase .8% in 2016 and another 1.4% in 2017, according to the latest forecasts from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). It forecasts that US production will increase 5.3% this year from 2015 to another 3.7% in 2017.
“Oh, it’s simple,” said the doc. “Yeast is yeast and nest is nest and never the mane shall tweet.” (Also stolen from Western Mule Magazine.) Trivia Answers 1. Guitar 2. Spun sugar 3. Palindromes 4. Enclosed end of shoelace 5. Groucho. (Bonus points: Can you name all FOUR Marx brothers?) 6 DECEMBER 2016
SHOP TALK!
• PO Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816 (828) 505-8474 • www.proleptic.net • shoptalk@proleptic.net
SHOP TALK! DECEMBER 2016 7
The Hide Report
The Hide Report Too Much Too Soon (Hidenet.com Editorial) During most of October, steer prices, led by Heavy Texas, have risen 4-5% on balance. At the same time, we have not heard of any measurable increases in shoe upper leather prices. By the same token, we have also not heard of any significant gains in the volume of leather sales. In addition, split prices remain in the doldrums and stories have been heard that, on a global basis, automotive leather sales have declined. In addition, slaughter is at levels not seen for years, and is anticipated to continue well into 2017 if not beyond. Why, then, have steer prices, and to some degree even much maligned cow prices, seen gains from 5 to 6% over the past two months [September and October]. Our sense is that regardless of the common rhetoric among the trade that it is not involved in hide and blue sales, leather business has to be better than buyers would like to suppliers to believe.
Tanners would not be paying more for their hides if they did not need to cover against their recent and projected sales. Two other factors are the seasonal gains available in the fall months and, quite likely, tanners keeping inventories at sub-normal levels in anticipation of lower prices to come. Also, some have been waiting for leather orders from their customers that they have not been sure about. Our conclusion at this time is that, until there is a definite pickup or seasonal surge, which is not expected until late November, December, and January, we fail to see any rationale for the trend of increased prices to continue at its current pace. World Footwear Reports China’s Global Share Sees Huge Drop in 2016 Worldfootwear.com analyzed 2016 import data for footwear from all the top markets and estimates that China’s share of world exports has dropped to 65% from the 74% share recorded in 2012. Based on information provided to worldfootwear.com by the China Leather Industry Association (CLIA), China’s footwear exports were down by 12% in the first semester (six months). The decrease in value was accompanied by a decline in the volume of exports, but only to a smaller extent with a 5.7% decline. According to the same source, during the first six months of 2016, Chinese companies exported a total of 4.74 billion pairs of shoes. EU Footwear Imports on the Rise According to data obtained by worldfootwear.
com, the EU has imported 22,360 million euros worth of footwear in the first half of 2016, a 5.5% increase over a similar period last year. Quantities imported grew by 2.4%. US Footwear Imports Drop by 6% The United States, the world’s largest footwear importer, registered a 6% decline in footwear imports the first half of 2016, both in volume and value. The numbers come from the FDRA. According to the 2016 edition of the World Footwear Yearbook, the US held a 20.8% share in the world’s import of footwear. Based on data obtained by World Footwear, in the first six months of 2016 US footwear imports totaled 1,246 million pairs, a 6.24% drop from the similar period in 2015. The decline in volume was accompanied by a 5.84% decrease in the value of footwear imports, with the total amount spent reaching $12,505 million US, compared to $13,288 million in the first semester of 2015. Portuguese Footwear Exports Continue to Grow In the first half of 2016, Portugal exported 40.1 million pairs of shoes valued at €902.2 million, growing by 1.8% from the similar period last year. If this performance continues in the second semester, 2016 will represent the seventh consecutive year of positive growth for Portugal. Since 2009, Portuguese footwear exports have increased by more than 50%, from 1,232 million euros achieved in that year to a new record of almost 1,900 million euros in 2015. Reebok Starts Making Shoes in US Again Reebok is bringing some of its shoemaking back to United States, unveiling plans to open a new manufacturing lab next year using an innovative liquid material and 3-D drawing. German chemical giant BASF developed a liquid material that is drawn across the outsole of the shoe for a three-dimensional fit with the help of 3-D drawing. The material helps absorb shock. “This is the very first use of this process to make athletic footwear. We borrowed and enhanced it from a process be
8 DECEMBER 2016
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SHOP TALK! DECEMBER 2016 9
The Hide Report found in the automotive industry,” said Bill McInnis, head of Future at Reebok. “The Liquid Factory concept is proprietary to Reebok.” In the short term, Reebok will only produce a small series of the shoes at the relatively high price of $189 for the first version due to expensive development costs. Among other sports equipment makers, Under Armour has a small operation in Maryland geared toward athletes under contract with the brand, not the public as a whole. Rocky Brands Lands New Military Contract Rocky Brands, Inc. received an order to produce hot weather combat boots for the US military for one year with possibly four additional one-year contracts. Under the terms of the agreement, the maximum amount of boots shipped per year cannot exceed approximately $20 million, with an expected annual amount of approximately $16 million. The company expects to begin fulfilling the order in the first half of 2017. How a Leather Bag Startup Hit $1 Million in Sales in 14 Months Jennifer Chong’s boyfriend Roman Khan needed a stylish leather briefcase for work. His requirements were simple but hard to find: well-made, affordable, and no visible logo. When Khan couldn’t find one that met his needs, 28-year-old
10 DECEMBER 2016
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Chong stepped in to design one instead which was the beginning of Linjer, a brand of minimalist leather bags for men and women. The online business, which launched in October 2014 following a successful Indiegogo campaign, hit $1 million in sales in 14 months. Its bags, which are priced from $330-$715, come in four colors and three styles: briefcases, totes, and a duffel bag for men. All are designed by Chong with input from Khan, who quit his job to become her business partner. The company has also experienced success with its watch collection, born from another crowdfunding effort that raised $965,000. Chong expects total company sales to reach $3.5 million in its second year. While this may sound like a near- Cinderella success story, the company has faced major challenges in trying to meet demand. “We were originally on track to reach $5 million in sales this year but our production can’t keep up with demand right now,” according to Chong. The two business partners were caught off guard by their success. “Until recently, we were doing customer service ourselves,” she said. “But at one point, we realized it was the best use of our time.” Chong, who graduated from Dartmouth with a degree in economics, had been working as a business consultant, traveling around the world to meet clients. Before Linjer, she wanted to start a shoe company. But with no background in fashion or retail, she made mistakes. “My first sketches were a disaster.”
After the pair raised $185,000 in twenty-four hours on Indiegogo, they knew they were onto something. “This is great market validation for our idea,” said Chong, who said the money covered production costs. She has since relocated to Italy to work more closely with Linjer’s supply chain.
The Hide Report
“We were only a two-person team last October, working out of our living room,” she said. “Now, we’re profitable and hiring because the business has grown so quickly.” America Making Again? (Hidenet.com Editorial) It’s an election year in the US and there has been plenty of talk about how the country is bleeding jobs to other nations. While that’s true in some industries, footwear seems to be bringing at least some of its jobs back. What will these jobs look like and how will they resemble the manufacturing jobs of yore? Most of manufacturing is now dominated by justin-time production and quick-to- market products. Much of this is driven by consumer demand which can be fickle, rapidly changing, and specific. With this as a backdrop, next year Adidas will open its Speedfactory in Atlanta, allowing the company to “create product more quickly and be closer to US
“The shoe business is a notoriously difficult category,” she said. “You have to deal with large inventories and a high return rate. There’s a lot of money involved, and I wanted to bootstrap my business.” Eventually, Chong cut her losses but in the process gained a solid background in the leather industry and shifted her focus to bags. “There’s a growing wave of shoppers, including ourselves, who don’t want to be wasteful human beings,” she said. “If were asked to choose between cheap or better quality products that will last a long time, we’re picking the latter.” She also added that people don’t want to shell out big bucks for expensive brands either. SHOP TALK! DECEMBER 2016 11
consumers.” The decentralized production will allow Adidas to “react faster to consumer needs.” Moreover, it will be equipped with cutting edge manufacturing technologies, allowing it to achieve volume as well as product complexity. Today, we also have an item that Reebok will also be opening a new manufacturing lab in Wixom, MI. There are also new jobs opening up in the garment sector. For example, Suzhou Tianyuan Garments Co. will invest $20 million in a garment factory in the US, most likely in Little Rock, AR. Tianyuan makes about 10 million articles of clothing annually and now supplies 90% of Adidas’ garments. Talk about turning the tables…. News reports say that the Chinese garment factory will create 400 jobs paying an average of $14 per hour. It is also noted that robotics are a big part of the plan, which will also play a big role in the Adidas and Reebok facilities. So these jobs will likely look a little different from those that were lost years ago. More technological yet perhaps not all that much better paid, especially if more areas of the US raise the minimum wage to $15. Regardless, some footwear manufacturing is trickling back to the US. The benefits of manufacturing locally to cater to the demands of the immediate shoe-buying population will likely outweigh the cheaper labor (for now) in developing areas. And, as the production process uses more animation and engineering, and less traditional manual labor, more producers will look for a workforce that’s not only motivated but educated.
DECEMBER 2016 MARKET IN REVIEW Selection
SHOP TALK!
wts. vary month to month
September (early)
October (early)
November (early)
Price Last Nov. 2015 (early)
$66-67
$69-71
$57-58
Heavy Texas Steers
66-68
$67-68
Heavy Texas Steers (Hvy)
72-74
$70-71
$70-71
$72-75
$62-64
Branded Steers
66-68
$61-62
$61-64
$64-65
$54-55
Branded Steers (Hvy)
72-74
$69-70
$69-70
$74-75
$65-66
Colorado Steers
66-68
$60-62
$61-62
$63-64
$53-54
Butt Branded Steers
66-68
$71.50-72.50
$72-72.50
$75-76
$65-67
Butt Branded Steers (Hvy)
72-74
$77-79
$77-79
$81-82
$73-74
Heavy Native Steers (Hvy)
72-74
$80-81
$80-81
$83-84
$75-77
Heavy Native Heifers
52-54
$57-58
$57-58
$57-58
$54-55
Branded Heifers
52-54
$57-58
$54-56
$55-57
$54-55
Heavy Native Cows
52-54
$38-40
$39-41
$41-42
$42-43
Branded Cows
52-54
$30-32
$33-35
$33-35
$30-35
Holstein Dairy Cows
52-54
$46-48
$50-51
$50-51
$54-55
100-110
$47-50
$48-51
$48-51
$55-60
Native Bulls
12 DECEMBER 2016
Weight (lbs.)
SHOP TALK! DECEMBER 2016 13
Goods & Services DECEMBER 2016
Wow—the stuff you can learn at a trade show! Little short of remarkable. We sent a staffer down to the recent Roundup in Texas and she came back with all sorts of eyebrow raising goodies which we hope you’ll find useful. It always surprising the stuff that’s out there just beyond your own front yard. Enjoy. It might be a little late for your wife, girlfriend, or special someone to get this on your Christmas shopping list but there’s always next year! Here’s a selection of exquisite bags from the French company, Hermes, which also makes lovely English saddles. Sorry that this section isn’t in color. The top and largest bag is the Soft Kelly 40 which retails for $10,300. The next bag is the Kelly II Retourne 32 for $10,600. The Kelly II 32 is the next bag which costs a mere $11,200. The crocodile Kelly 28 is $30,900. The next bag costs $9,500 and it is the Kelly Contour 25. The Kelly Mini, the small bag in the very front, is a modest $7,700. You can order any or all of these lovely bags at hermes.com. Don’t delay, order today! Now the question is: How much do you charge for your bags?
14 DECEMBER 2016
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SHOP TALK! DECEMBER 2016 15
I guess I first came in contact with Huberd’s Shoe Grease in my Old Boss’ barn. The can was sitting on a cross piece and pretty much covered with cobwebs. I asked my Boss what it was and he just threw something at me and told me to get busy and quit yapping and if that can were important then he would have made a point of explaining it to me and as it wasn’t why don’t we get back to work but if you must know I keep a little turpentine in it for the horses’ hooves but it originally contained a pretty good boot grease that he liked but they went out of business years and years ago so why do you GET TO WORK, LUMPHF! Clonk!
on braiding, and hitching horse hairs. Better get yourself a copy! OH! They also wholesale Montana Pitch-Blend which is just one of the very best water proofers out there—beeswax, pine pitch, and mink oil. It smells so good and works so well that it’ll sell itself!
Well, like they say: you can get hit in the head by shaking the Tree of Knowledge too hard. The upshot of this traumatic experience was that my hard-headed Old Boss was WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!!! It is true—Huberd’s Shoe Grease is an old company. It started in 1921, and here’s the kicker (are you reading this, Lewis?): it’s still in business! It is now located in northern Arizona. Volume discounts are available. Please call (800) 366-5723. It’s got pine tar and beeswax but no animal fats or solvents. We hope to do a feature article on Herberd’s here in the near future. Another fine old company is Montana Leather. Montana and its sister companies have a long, long history in the leather trades. My impression over the years is that they’ve kept kind of quiet—you know, staying in business but sort of coasting along. How wrong I was! We picked up TWO really handsome catalogs available from Montana Leather at the Roundup which was something of a pleasant surprise. Both are nicely done.
16 DECEMBER 2016
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The first catalog is 80 pp. and has a very good selection of a variety of types, weights, and colors of leather. They carry skirting, veg sides, harness, chap leather, metallics, and splits in colors. Lots of garment, plonge, pig, lambskin, and even deer and elk. There’s more: rawhide, goat, shrunken shoulders, lining, hair-on, kangaroo in colors, etc. There are leather tools, leather stamps, mauls and mallets, some hdw., dyes, finishes, glues, conditioners, etc. Nice selection of books and
The second catalog might surprise you since it’s mostly TACK! Lots of felt and fleece pads, headstalls, reins, breast collars, billets, halters, etc. There’s dally wraps, rope, and rope bags. Also bits, spurs, stirrups, saddle hdw. Plus an assortment of barn supplies. Montana has a couple of styles of slanted wooden stirrups. Left is their 60 page catalog. Now get one of your own, please contact: 2015 1st Ave., N, Billings, MT 59103, (800) 527-0227, e-mail: mail@montanaleather.com, www.montanaleather.com. Renia USA makes a number of water-based adhesives including a product called Aquilim SG. It’s a temporary glue which never completely cures but allows you to position your work and then sew. Or reposition it if you need to. It dries clear. For all the details about Aquilim and other products, you can now contact Renia USA in Norcross, GA, at (470) 395-6280, e-mail: info@renia.us. Sorrell Notions is also a distributor for Renia. SHOP TALK! DECEMBER 2016 17
C. S. Osborne & Co. is celebrating its 190th year in business—that’s a long time and Osborne now can be considered the premier maker of leather tools in the world since the demise of Dixon whose tools, to be honest, were never as nicely made as Osborne’s. And you might not know it but Osborne also makes tools for the oil drilling industry, upholstery industry, shoe and boot trade, and a whole lot of tools and equipment for meat processing plants and butchers. And there’s probably a couple more industries they serve as well. Their main plant is in New Jersey and another facility is or was near Saint Louis called Mound Tool Co. which made filigree tools. They may still do. At one time Osborne made an inexpensive line of leather tools which they called their Rampart brand.
Now, to celebrate their anniversary, Osborne has introduced a whole lot of new tools! That’s great! They are now offering nylon mallets made just like their traditional rawhide ones except, of course, with a nylon head. Mallets weigh from 1.5 lbs. to 8 lbs. Replacement heads are available which is also true for their rawhide mallets.
And they have the best hand sewing needles! Lots of sizes and shapes. Contact: C. S. Osborne, 125 Jersey St., Harrison, NJ 07029, (973) 483-3232, e-mail: cso@csosborne.com, www.csosborneleathertools.com.
AUCTION • TRADE SHOW • AUCTION • TRADE SHOW
There’s a new Large Fitter’s Hammer—Large face is 3” dia. Might work like bouncer. They also are carrying pricking irons for stitching in 7, 8, 9 spi. Other tools worth an honorable mention because they’re a little different are their button hole or pippin punches (round and oblong), their split head hammer which takes not only rawhide faces but nylon, and copper as well— that’s right—copper! If you need to stuff pads of any sort, Osborne carries four different sizes of stuffers: 13”, 16”, 20”, and 22”. Handy! If you make or repair footwear, you’ll be happy to know that Osborne makes heel pullers, several styles of lasting pliers, and long nippers for cutting tack. 18 DECEMBER 2016
SHOP TALK!
Western Leather & Equipment Trade Show & Auction March 20-21, 2017 French Lick Resort Event Center, IN
Auction: Consign Today! Machinery, Leather, Tools, Hardware, Supplies, Finished Goods
Trade Show: Tables available to vendors. Call to reserve space.
Call James Cox (513) 889-0500 Visit our website at www.moserleatherco.com Click “Western Leather & Equipment Show” HOTEL CODE: 0317WLL
COMMISSION RATES AS LOW AS 13% BOOTH RENTALS STARTING AS LOW AS $150
For more listing info, go to www.auctionzip.com & enter Auctioneer8433. AUCTION • TRADE SHOW • AUCTION • TRADE SHOW
SHOP TALK! DECEMBER 2016 19
According to the folks at Countryside Mfg., “The Leaves are Falling and the Prices are FALLING, too!!” While supplies last! Also discount on shipping. There’s a sale on Healzall, belting wear leathers in different sizes, and lots of Brahma Webb. Includes sizes from ½” to 4”, different styles, and finishes. Their “Soft Grip” comes in 12 colors. So you better get on their mailing list! Contact: 504 S. Humbert St., Milton, IA 52570, (641) 656-4246. Don’t forget—Countryside Mfg. makes synthetic Carefree Collars. If you make cutting dies, then you might find The World of DieCutting a useful reference. It covers materials, surfaces, die cutting tools, and presses as well as multi-contour and rotary die cutting, etc. Cost is $39.95 with $19.95 shipping. Contact: Pioneer-Dietecs Corp., 73 Woodrock Rd., Weymouth, MA 02189-2335, (781) 682-7900, www.pioneerdietecs.com
Get on their mailing list so you can see the dozens and dozens of gadgets SouthStar carries which you might find useful in your own work: P O Box 90147, Nashville, TN 37209, (800) 288-6739, www.southstarsupply.com. If you’re kind of new to the trade, then a very, very good place to know about is Double K Leather Sales. They have all the basic stuff you need in the way tools, supplies, and leather. Since they specialize in catering to the small crafter, they have kits, all the basic buckles you’ll need, and a lot of very handy instructional materials like books on carving, how to books, lots of patterns, and videos. Their selection is large and varied.
20 DECEMBER 2016
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We got a list of last minute goodies from the folks at Landis Sales & Service at 115 E County Road 500 N, Arthur, IL 61911, (217) 543-3464, which includes a 30” Randall band knife splitter and a 20” Randall splitter. He’s got a Sandt 20 ton clicker and a Hudson 20 ton. And a 6”, 7”, and 8” hand cranked splitter. He’s got a couple of other splitters, creaser, etc. Give him a call!
Quality Leather Goods From Our Family to Your Family
Manufacturers Of:
All kinds of horse collars for work, pleasure, and show. • Waist Belts • Purses • Wallets • Bracelets
• Possible Pouches • Hats • Dog Collars • Dog Leashes
• Door Bells • Key Chains • Custom Leather Work • Plus Much More!
Coblentz Collar Ltd.
3348 U.S. 62 • Millersburg OH 44654 Ph: 330-893-3858 • Fax: 330-893-1166 Hours: M-F 7:00-4:30 • Sat 9:00-3:00 • Closed Sun Visa-Mastercard Accepted
Double K’s leather selection is also extensive— lots of colors, prints, and colors. Whatever you’re looking for, they probably have it so get a catalog!
Please Call or Write for our new 54-page Leathergoods Catalog and/or 32-page Horse Collar Catalog.
Pecard’s Leather Care:
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Contact us to learn more 800-487-2358 or visit us online at biothane.us 22 DECEMBER 2016
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Boot & Shoe News
PE O PLE PRO D U CTS P LACE S
Boot & Shoe News
Mark Schumacher Busy Building Boots at South Dakota Crossroads by Jennifer Fulford,
East Coast Bureau Chief
C
ustom bootmaker Mark Schumacher likes people. He expects to be interrupted by them at his shop on a daily basis, whether he’s teaching a new student, working on his assembly line of four to eight pairs, or giving phone interviews to magazine reporters. Wait a minute, someone just came in for a fitting. Have to finish the call tomorrow. Schumacher, 58, is just a busy bootmaker. On average, he completes seventy pairs of boots a year (or as many as 100) and a couple of saddles, too. After twenty-eight years, he finally, for the most part, on a good day, when all is said and done, feels like he’s got the business and the craft figured out.
weeks and $4,000 for his instruction. He only teaches one student at a time. Recently, he’s hired a few high school students to do a little work around the shop, too. Still, walk-ins come first. Over the years, he’s just found it makes more sense to deal right away with customer interruptions.
fit. A custom boot should fit, he says, end of story. “It truly is a custom business, custom fit. I guarantee the fit,” he says. “If you are going to make a custom product, you want it to work for the customer.” To make sure his guarantee sticks, he requires customers to come in person for the fitting. It’s mandatory. In person, he’s certain the measurements are correct, and he has a chance to talk to the buyer about any special needs. This doesn’t mean his boots get built any faster. His backlog is eleven months.
Not that he considers himself a successful businessman or star leatherworker. He laughs frequently and easily when asked questions like, When did you feel like you knew what you were doing? “Maybe just last year,” he chuckles. “Nine times outta ten, you are your own problem.”
So with up to ten pairs in process on the workbench, he invests about fifteen to twenty hours a pair to fulfill his orders. He makes his own patterns, as he’s always done. Pattern-making and the intricacies of figuring out the puzzle intrigued him from the beginning. He learned rudimentary boot making skills by taking a class from Randall Merrell [founder of Merrill Boot which still makes footwear today] in Utah in the late ‘70s, where pattern making was emphasized. He learned he had an affinity for patterns after taking a quick aptitude test about spatial forms.
But problems don’t walk out of Schumacher Custom Boots & Saddles in Wolsey, SD. The proprietor has little tolerance for products that fail to meet customers’ satisfaction. He guarantees boots that
“I was off the chart,” he says. “I didn’t know that I was good at it.” He emphasizes pattern making when he teach his own students who travel to him occasionally throughout the year and spend two
24 DECEMBER 2016
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“Right from the start, I tell them [students], ‘This is a working shop, and you will see people come in, and they will bother me and bother you,’ but this is the way it is,” he explains. The store is conveniently located near major eastwest (US 14) and north-south (US 281) thoroughfares. Souix Falls is two hours south. Many people driving by the shop are curious and stop in, so his customer base is local and also not-so-local. His prices are neither cheap nor are they outrageous. His basic boots start at $750 for common leathers and around $1,500 for exotics. He loves to work with elephant and has used elephant since he began making boots. He calls it the “greatest boot leather ever.”
“I really love working with elephant. It’s just easy,” he says. “It breathes well. They form up good. Every customer just loves ‘em.” Schumacher Backstory By all accounts, Schumacher should have been a cattle rancher. He went to school in the late ‘70s and studied animal science at South Dakota State, thinking he’d raise Angus cattle. But when he
SHOP TALK! DECEMBER 2016 25
Boot & Shoe News finished his degree, the farm economy in the U.S. was tanking. Instead, he became a ranch hand and split his time between Oklahoma and South Dakota. Then he insinuated himself into the saddle shop of Milton Crawford Lee. He ended up learning about saddle making and marrying Lee’s daughter. He and Susan have been married since 1979.
Do The Job Right
“M.C. built a lot of saddles and passed away when he was in his early 50’s. I learned quite a bit from him and worked for him whenever I had spare time. When I was in college, I’d go over about two days a week and talked him into helping him out and learning. He said, ‘You bet. You can ask one question a day.’” Schumacher already had experience tooling leather and making smaller items such as belts throughout college which helped him earn spending money and a little tuition. He wasn’t a newbie, but after spending time in Lee’s saddle shop and going to the Merrell boot school, it was basically the School of Hard Knocks. “It’s always tough when you start a business from scratch. This was a startfrom-scratch business. We did everything. We fixed saddles and fixed boots and built boots and built saddles, maybe a couple of saddles a year. We didn’t really start building saddles until five years after we built boots.” Boots take up most of his time. He says he makes more work boots than anything else, but he posts the “pretty” Western boots on his Facebook page and website, SchumacherBootsandSaddles.com. Several include black ostrich and kangaroo with colored inlays. (see boot photos pinkblack.jpg and blackred.jpg) He’s proud to report that even his fancier boots get worn. He’s a sponsor of Miss Rodeo South Dakota and makes the queen a new pair every year. He also is an amateur rodeo participant and competes in the senior men’s breakaway and team roping events held by the South Dakota Rodeo Association. “We’ve certainly put out a fair volume of product and work, so we’ve always made some money,” he says, though not a killing. “When we were having a recession, a friend of mine was asking me, ‘How is your business? Have you noticed any difference?’ Well, not really, but I was a failure during the boom.” Again, he chuckles. Minutes before a customer interrupts us, he surmises, “The only reason I’ve done it for twenty-eight years is I’m too darn hard headed to do anything else.”
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To reach Mark Schumacher at Schumacher Custom Boots & Saddles, call him at (605) 883-4554 or email markgschumacher@yahoo.com. His website is www.SchumacherBootsandSaddles.com. The shop is located at 110 Commercial Ave., Wolsey, SD, 57384.
26 DECEMBER 2016
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27
The Business of Leather Work Behind Bars
By Lynn Ascrizzi, Staff Writer
Editor’s Note: The following five stories about leather workers behind bars were all written by our staff writer Lynn Ascrizzi, a project which took a number of months for her to do. The stories give a many-sided perspective of how the business of leather work is carried on by inmates as well as the part their suppliers play and the companies on the outside for which they manufacture products. It’s an informative series of articles which we hope you’ll enjoy.
PRISON LEATHERWORKERS: GOOD CUSTOMERS, SKILLED CRAFTSMEN Springfield Leather garners substantial orders from former and current inmates
K
evin Hopkins, owner of Springfield Leather Co., has learned over the years that leather workshops in penitentiaries are helpful to the inmates, but they’re also great for business. “We sell directly to inmates and correctional institutions across the country. It depends upon how the leather shop operates,” he said. The orders are substantial. “It’s a very significant chunk of our business. I suspect we’re the number one supplier of leather to penitentiaries. We ship an awful lot of leather and all kinds of leather craft supplies—tools, dies, finishes, hardware—you name it. Sometimes it can be several hundred orders, per day. Prison orders are generally not small. A small order is $50. A large order is $3,000. Common orders are from $100 to $200,” he said.
Kevin Hopkins, Owner Springfield Leather.
28 DECEMBER 2016
Hopkins does business with about 300 correctional institutions that operate leather workshops across the country. “I’ve been supplying prisoners for close to forty years. It started out slowly, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and it went from there. Although we may not be dealing with every single prison with a leather craft program, we’re pretty well known,” he said.
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H
e pointed out that every one of the fifty U.S. states has a state and federal prison and that most of them have a hobby craft workshop. Two exceptions, he noted, are penitentiaries in Illinois and Missouri. “But there’s a whole lot of prison leather workshops in Texas, a state with the most prison customers. I believe next in line is Louisiana,” he said.
Besides penitentiaries, the company sells to other institutions such as camps, Scout councils, schools, and hospitals, all of which can receive wholesale pricing. Individual customers who pay $30 for a Gold Club Membership also can buy wholesale. Membership can be extended with a $15 annual renewal.
Besides helping his bottom line, Hopkins sees Both the correctional facilanother benefit to making ities and the inmates with leather goods accessible whom he does business buy to those serving time. It all kinds of leather for walenables them to hone their lets, handbags, and tooling, — Kevin Hopkins, leather work expertise, including chrome tanned, Owner, Springfield Leather Co. which in turn, can bolster upholstery and lining leathrehabilitation goals and er, he said. “We sell a lot of even put many individuals on a path toward a exotics—lots of camen, lizard, and snake skins, good and useful life on the outside, he said. elephant, shark, ostrich—all those things.”
“I suspect we’re the number one supplier of leather to penitentiaries in the country.”
The Springfield Leather catalog, available in print and online (www.springfieldleather.com), contains special ordering advice to inmates, reminding them be sure they know the rules and regulations of their correctional institution before they order. Hopkins also does business with former inmates.
“Our whole objective is a win-win—we want to educate the prisoners and do every single thing in our power for an inmate to be successful in their craft. It is critical to their success in life. The success stories of former inmates who set up custom leather shops abound. A substantial number of orders from ex-inmates come in every day,” he noted.
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Sentenced for eleven years on a drug-related charge, he was first sent to the Federal Correctional Institution in Florence, CO, a medium security prison for men. He stayed there only six months. “I had a medical issue, a tumor on my spine. My legs got numb,” he said. He was sent for medical tests. The diagnosis—surgery. From there, he was moved to the FMC prison hospital in Rochester. Armendariz was lucky. “I got topnotch care,” he said.
DOING LEATHER ON THE OUTSIDE One former inmate who buys leather from places like Springfield Leather Co., is Johnny Armendariz, Jr., a skilled leather worker who lives in Omaha, NE. These days, Armendariz is more than happy to be running his own leather workshop, a startup business he launched shortly after being released on probation from the Federal Medical Center in Rochester, MN, a hospital for prison inmates. That was in June, 2015. His home-based business, called Johnny’s Awesome Leather, took off right from the get-go. “Business is good,” he said without hesitation. “I’m making a profit, and my inventory is bought and paid for. It gives me a nice boost. I do more custom work than anything. I’m selling more to women than to men. The ladies see the custom purses I make and whip the money right out.”
By the time he completed physical rehab, officials at the medical center realized that he had ten years of prior leatherwork experience on the outside. “I did a variety of custom work for the motorcycle culture—bike seats, biker wallets, studded belts, braided whips,” he noted. He also made wallets using cowhide and exotic leathers like elephant, shark, and snakeskin.
Johnny Armendariz at a Nebraska craft fair with some of his handmade leather goods.
In a beneficent turn of fate, Armendariz was appointed leather instructor of the prison hospital’s entire, hobby craft leather program. To enter the program, inmates pay a $300 fee.
“I taught over 300 guys how to work in leather. I had guys who couldn’t punch leather or stitch lace. I taught some of the biggest, meanest street people you could think of,” he explained. While searching for ideas about what to make, the men in the craft program were soon flipping through fashion and other magazines, searching for leather designs. “They’d ask me: ‘Could you make a purse like this for my wife?’ I told them they had to learn how to do it themselves. Basically, I’d help them design a purse that they could make and walk them through it.” Every year, fifteen new inmates were enrolled in the workshop. He’d get them started with making basic wallets and belts. “It was like teaching kindergarten,” he said. He made templates of wallets, purses, and belts which then could be modified by the maker. A purse pattern, for instance, could be built with different straps, two-tone designs, zippers, pockets, and the like. “I could do ten different purses out of the same basic pattern,” he said.
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owned a Mexican restaurant. When I ran that, I did all the taxes and business. I ran the leather shop like anybody else would run a business.” Today, his workshop consists of a 4’ x 6’ worktable set up in a 10’ x 14’ spare bedroom, in his four bedroom home. “I cut, glue, punch, and sew everything by hand. I lace wallets because it lasts longer. I just bought a sewing machine from Walmart—a Singer. I’ll use it to sew fabric lining,” Armendariz said. While setting up his new business, he quickly got a tax number to buy wholesale. “Retail is about two times the wholesale price. Once I got a tax number, I got my old leather connections back. I got business cards and set up a website. Family and friends helped me set it up.” His summer workshop is a 6’ x 8’ stall in the home’s four car garage. Before he was sentenced, he owned a number of hand tools. Now he’s upgrading. “I like Osborne Tools—made in
America—they last forever,” he said of C. S. Osborne Co. in Harrison, NJ. He buys nylon sewing thread on 1 lb. spools from Superior Threads in St. George, Utah. Armendariz sources leather from Weaver Leather Supply in Mt. Hope, OH, Springfield Leather in Springfield, MO, and E.C. Leather Co. in Tulsa, OK. He’s planning to do local shows at the Omaha Arts Festival in June 2016 and also at the Intertribal Powwow at Fort Omaha to be held on the campus of Metropolitan Community College, Sept. 2016. “I’m on federal probation. I’m not set up to do big shows out of state, yet,” he explained.
Until 2015, he did prison maintenance work at FMC for four to six hours a day when he could work. He cleaned and mopped up the leather shop and took out trash for $5.25 per month. He received no pay for his role as leather instructor. He and other inmates bought their own materials.
32 DECEMBER 2016
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His inventory built up over the years while he taught inmates and helped get his new business off the ground. While at FMC, he could keep whatever leather goods he made and ship them home. During his stay, he made 500 men’s wallets in four styles, 1,000 braided leather whips, and 160 different purses, from girls’ to women’s full fashion. “When I got out, my sister and son picked me up. I had fifty-four boxes of leather goods,” he said Custom leatherwork is his forte. “I’m doing a cowhide vest for a Vietnam veteran, all by hand, a work of art, with all white leather, red stitching, and lining and a recreation of an embroidered Vietnam logo on the back,” he said. And one woman of Irish descent wants a pewter colored handbag with a green “O” on the outside, stitched with light green thread throughout. His handbags range in price from $175 to $700. “It’s by word of mouth. Every lady I sell a purse to, another lady that she knows wants one,” he said.
Black handbag with snakeskin.
But Armendariz was motivated. He’d arrive at the shop at 7:30 a.m. and get his chores done by 8:30 a.m. “Then, they’d let me in the tool cage, and I designed items for the classes. While I designed stuff, I’d cut out my own purse designs. I learned responsibility. My family and I
White fringed handbag with turquoise section. Designed and made by Johnny Arendariz.
Black handbag with metal studs.
Down the road he plans to expand. “There will come a time to hire and use die cutters instead of cutting by hand,” he said. But right now, he’s happy to be so busy. SHOP TALK! DECEMBER 2016 33
“I have a beautiful family. They supported me, sent me money, and kept in touch. I wouldn’t be here, where I’m at, if it weren’t for my friends and family,” Armendariz said. Contact Information Springfield Leather Co. Kevin Hopkins 1463 S. Glenstone Springfield, MO 65804 1-417-881-0223 1-800-668-8518 Fax: 1-417-881-4953 Heather@springfieldleather.com www.springfieldleather.com Johnny’s Awesome Leather Johnny Armendariz, Jr. 2318 South 20th St. Omaha, NE 68108 (402) 660-6370 awesomeleather@yahoo.com fastleather427@yahoo.com http://johnnysawesomeleat9.wix.com/awesomeleather
CUTTING COSTS WITH PRISON LEATHERWORKERS Colorado Saddlery has found a way to keep up with foreign competition
A
lmost 30 years ago, Bill Robinson left his life as a working cowboy and sixth generation Colorado rancher and began working at Colorado Saddlery Co., now based in Golden, CO. The saddlery, in business for more than seven decades, is widely known for its custom, made-in-Colorado, Western saddles. The company also offers more than 2,000 equestrian related products such as tack, spurs, pack equipment, and saddle making supplies. “Our niche is saddles for the working cowboy,” Robinson said which includes tack for the feedlot cowboy and for packers and outfitters who guide folks into the backcountry for pleasure or hunting. Founded in 1945, the company was first located in downtown Denver until 2007, when it relocated to Arvada, CO. In 2014, the business was purchased by Kim and Laurie Haarberg, avid
horse and riding enthusiasts, who relocated its headquarters to Golden. More than 3,000 saddle and tack retailers throughout the country carry Colorado Saddlery products. Around the same time Robinson came on board at the saddlery, it stopped being a full production shop, he said. “Union demands made it impossible to operate a production shop in the building. Denver had always been a union town.
“We’re the only correctional institution in the whole state that has a saddle shop—the only one with a leather workshop.” — Duncan Clarke, supervisor, Leather Shop, Buena Vista Correctional
In our saddle shop, we were all union members under the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union. Many employees had been with us for twenty to thirty years. But it didn’t pencil out. We were going to go broke. We looked at putting a shop on the Mexican border. Then an opportunity came through Buena Vista Correctional Complex in Buena Vista, CO, where trained inmates work under strict supervision in its fully equipped, for-profit leather workshop. “We thought we’d rather keep our money in Colorado and the USA,” Robinson said. And, their cut on labor costs was significant—about 20 to 25%. The changeover was managed by the Colorado Correctional Industry (CCI) which operates workshops in prisons statewide, places where inmates make furniture, license plates, leather products, and the like. But the transition wasn’t easy. “It’s been a long and laborious learning process,” he said.
Bill Robinson, Manager of Colorado Saddlery 34 DECEMBER 2016
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The saddlery deals only with Buena Vista Correctional. Inmates make approximately 70% of its saddles and strap goods. The state penitentiary purchases leather and tool supplies. “We supply the fleece, the trees, and some of the hardware. The people working for us are making minimum wage,” Robinson explained. SHOP TALK! DECEMBER 2016 35
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“It’s getting tougher and tougher, even by building products in a prison shop and paying minimum wage. People keep telling me that ‘Made in America’ means something. But you can buy a product in Mexico for half the price, similar to what’s made here. The quality is rougher, but the average consumer will not see that,” he said. That USA label might allow a product to be priced 10 or 15% more than an import, he added, but if it’s priced 30% more, sales will suffer.
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“The shop’s leather workers do not put the final finish on their saddles,” Robinson said. “We do the last 10% of work to get the saddle ready. We do all the oiling, finishing, putting on stirrups and cinches and shipping. We’re still in production, but we’re doing it a bit differently.”
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Colorado Saddlery worker David Sandoval oiling saddle part.
Work quality is good, he added, “as long as you don’t throw a curve ball when you go to start a new product. You have to figure out how that product will be made before it’s put into production in the prison shop.”
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“Profit margins are miserable to begin with in this business. There are saddles from India that look really, really good, for $200-$250. We’ve got $250 in trees and leather, not including labor. If we were to sell those imports, our customers would expect them to hold up like our saddles do—but they won’t. We’re holding our own,” said Robinson.
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Robinson believes that prison leather workshops can help inmates gain needed skills and, upon release, boost their chances for better paying jobs on the outside. “A lot of inmates go into the shoe or tack repair businesses. The recidivism rate for prison leather shop workers is much lower than the system as a whole,” according to Robinson, citing data from CCI administrators. Having their products built by U.S. leatherworkers behind bars helps to cut costs, but competition is only getting stiffer, Robinson noted, a
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INSIDE BUENA VISTA’S PRISON LEATHER SHOP
“For the most part, I’ve convinced inmates that if tools are kept in good condition and sharp, the work is a lot easier and there’s less rejections. I have a few guys who have successfully worked out our tool maintenance,” he said.
Y
ou might think Buena Vista [good view] is an odd name for a prison. But in fact, there is a penitentiary called exactly that—a formidable state facility located in Buena Vista, CO, set amid the sweeping panorama of the Collegiate Peaks, some of the highest mountains in the Rockies. But a very different landscape confronts the roughly 1,260 individuals doing time inside the sprawling concrete structure that makes up the Buena Vista Correctional Complex. If there is any “buena” to the “vista” at the prison, it’s the ten academic and eleven vocational programs offered to inmates for self-improvement opportunities, such as GED classes, construction technology, a machine shop, and automotive collision repair.
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Staff supervisor, Duncan Clarke (L), and an inmate leather worker discuss cantle binding techniques for a saddle being made in the shop.
The most highly desired work program among male inmates at Buena Vista Correctional, however, is the for-profit Leather Shop, according to shop supervisor, Duncan Çlarke. His associate, staff member Casey Hibbs, helps him run the program. A former working cowboy and saddle maker, Clarke was hired for the challenging position in 2000. He took what began as a production shop with beat up tools and transformed it into a quality, well-equipped workshop, full of benches, leatherwork machines, and hand tools. “You can’t work with crummy tools,” he said. In the workshop, handpicked inmates produce saddles, tack, notebook covers, and wallets. “We’re the only correctional institution in the whole state with a leather workshop. I’m the only outside saddle maker there is in here,” Clarke said. He also gives regular hands-on training. “Inmates teach each other, but I have to make sure that what they’re teaching is right.”
“Workers produce saddles for a number of saddle companies,” Clarke added, including Colorado Saddlery of Golden, CO, Parelli Saddles of Bayfield, CO, Natural Horseman Saddles, with offices in Bayfield and Düsseldorf, Germany, and Gates of Gold in Jamestown, NY. Leather is bought in volume by the institution. “We use mostly American Leather Direct in [Morgantown] Kentucky. We buy leather and parts and tools from Springfield Leather (Springfield, MO) and Weaver Leather in Ohio. We source stuff wherever we can find it. We buy leather by the truckload. If we wait until we get a truckload, we get a better price on shipping.” Saddles are assembled piece by piece on benches, a team process that involves working with new saddle trees, stitching saddle parts, doing final details, finishing, and shipping. “It’s difficult to get guys in prison to do anything as a team. I have to deal with prison mentality,” he noted. “Currently, thirty-four inmates work when needed in the Leather Shop, which is open 10 hours a day, four days a week. Inmates start at $4.74 per day. They can advance,” Clarke said. The shop also takes part in a federally mandated pay program for workers who make leather products that ship out of state in the United States. Fifty
percent of the leather workers at Buena Vista are eligible for a minimum wage of $8.23 per hour. That pay, however, does not end up in workers’ pockets. Instead, it gets divided into 20% lots— for room and board, child support, discretionary income, and restitution for crimes. Another 20% is put in an inmate’s mandatory savings account. The savings is not theirs until they’re put on parole or complete their sentence. “Their discretionary income is money they don’t see but
Leather working equipment in the 7,000 sq. ft. workshop includes: two double-head clickers (Sandt); four heavy stitchers in constant use (two Adler 205s and two Juki 441s); several flatbed machines; a 31-15 Singer; at least one single head clicker (USMC); two 20” band knife splitters (Fortuna), and a 14” stationary blade splitter (Cobra). Hand tools round out shop inventory, such as, round knives from Terry Knipschield of Knipschield Custom Knives, in Rochester, MN. 40 DECEMBER 2016
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can spend at the canteen or for other services,” according to Clarke.
Nonetheless, a number of positive experiences can gained at the shop, he pointed out. “This is their introduction to leather work. They get a chance to earn a little money. They’re occupied with something constructive. If nothing else, they learn how to come to work on time, be responsible for a job assignment, and work with a team.”
Inmates are hired through an interview process and staff recommendations. “I’m in here with all these knives. They have to be write-up free for a year. They’re usually in here for murder and a lot don’t go anywhere. If they have a record of violence against staff, they’ll never work here,” he said.
Keeping material costs down is one of his biggest challenges. “It’s a tough deal—making mistakes. It kills us sometimes—the waste,” he added. Estimating work efficiency is another. “It’s sometimes difficult to determine if someone is taking too long on purpose or if the job takes that long.” His solution is to time himself working on a task and base his estimate on that.
The workshop’s popularity gives him a lot of disciplinary clout, he added. “The saddle shop is the best paying job in this prison system. It’s highly desirable. And workers are very well behaved. It’s gotten much better,” Clarke said of the work environment. Rules are strict. “If an inmate in any way is spreading a bad attitude or involved in a fight, they’re out of the Leather Shop. On the other, if a sewing machine operator does well, he stays there as long as he’s working for us,” he said. Richly tooled custom saddle built by inmates. Although some studies show that learning a trade and involvement in the creative arts is beneficial to people in prison and after their release, Clarke has not seen that acquiring skills in a leather shop like Buena Vista’s helps to lower recidivism rates, a term for a relapse that leads to re-incarceration. “We haven’t had a lot of guys start a leather shop after re-entry. In the saddle trade, it’s hard to get a good paying job on the outside. There’s not a lot production leather shops. Many hire green card workers from Mexico,” he explained. Also, the leather program hires men that, generally, have committed more serious crimes and consequently have longer sentences. “Very few have gotten out. If they had a drug problem on the outside, it’s predictably the biggest stumbling block when they leave. . . . It’s kinda tough. About 50% come back,” he said, a figure that is close to Colorado’s recidivism rate.
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Clarke is constantly under pressure to meet the shop’s bottom line. To keep track of business, he has two inmates handling computer programs. “We don’t have to make a lot of money. We have to show a profit or they’ll shut us down. We’re barely showing a profit, now. We’re struggling.” CONTACT INFORMATION Colorado Saddlery 765 Moss St. Golden, CO 80401 (303) 572-8350 info@coloradosaddlery.com www.coloradosaddlery.com Buena Vista Correctional Complex Industries P.O. Box 2017 Buena Vista, CO 81211 Leather Shop: (719) 395-7262 Leather Shop supervisor cell: (719) 431-2176 duncan.clarke@state.co.us
MORE INFO Colorado Saddlery 765 Moss St., Golden, CO 80401 P. O. BOX #??? (303)-572-8350 info@coloradosaddlery.com www.coloradosaddlery.com
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A PRISON MINISTRY Co-owners of Charlie Ridley Turf Tack have an extra vocation
T
o Charlie and Sandy Ridley of Spencer, OK, life means a lot more than putting in a full day’s work, although they do heaps of that.
“I work sixteen hours a day,” Charlie Ridley, 77, said. Co-owner with his wife Sandy Ridley of a leather business called Charlie Ridley Turf Tack, he specializes in making race horse rider accessories such as exercise saddles, reins, bridles, breast collars, yokes, and the like. “Whatever it takes for a horse,” he said, in his down-to-earth way. “We work together,” Sandy added. She and Charlie were married in 2014. “I started working
with Charlie in 2015 and haven’t stopped. We make a good team.” Together, they operate a workshop in Spencer from which they sell race rider tack and other leather goods. They also have a mobile leather workshop which they drive to racetracks around the country, to places like Las Vegas, Phoenix, and El Paso. In 2015, they drove 12,000 miles. “Anywhere we stop, we work. We go everywhere, wherever there’s a racetrack—Ohio, Louisiana, Arkansas. When work slows down, we leave,” Charlie explained. Their unique traveling workshop is a well-known and convenient presence at the tracks. Riders can get new tack and have saddles repaired right where and when they need it. “I don’t advertise. I get phone calls every day,” he said. But then, there’s the other side to their work life. Since 1994, Charlie Ridley has successfully hired about twenty to twenty-five skilled leather workers serving time at Joseph Harp Penitentiary in Lexington, OK. The facility runs a leather workshop, the only correctional institution in the state that still offers one. “There used to be four. The prison system is not like it used to be twenty-five years ago,” he said. “In the prison workshop, they have small work stations for tooling leather and making boots or belts. About eight men are allowed to work there, every day. It’s an outlet for them—to relieve their minds and to do something. They are going to work and being productive,” said Sandy. The Ridleys hire the men to make leather goods and also order the leather supplies needed for each job. The leather is then shipped from the supplier to the penitentiary. “Sometimes a prisoner pays for the leather; the penitentiary doesn’t pay for it,” Charlie said. “The quality of work has to be extremely good. We don’t put anything out that’s not quality. And they do high quality work,” Sandy explained. Charlie Ridley Turf Tack is not the only leather business that uses prison labor. But the
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one out of twenty caused trouble and returned to prison.”
business relationship they maintain with their skilled workers is especially down-home, caring and personal. “For us, it’s a prison ministry. It’s a story that needs to be told,” according to Sandy.
Although twenty workers make up an extremely small sample study, their collective recidivism rate is far lower than the national norm which is 67.8 % for those arrested within three years after release and 76.6 percent for those arrested within five years, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Justice. Rates vary state to state.
Besides hiring inmates to build exercise saddles, boots, and other leather accessories over the years, Charlie also has offered jobs to about ten former inmates. And he has helped two start their own leather business. Moreover, he and Sandy maintain contact with the people they work with. “We’ve got four people working with us now,” Sandy said. “We keep them busy,” Charlie added.
Part of the success rate of Charlie’s small group could be attributed to the fact that Joseph Harp Penitentiary takes only model inmates for its leather program. “They have to have show good citizenship and be in good standing. They’re people who are allowed to work with knives and tools,” Sandy said.
Leather portfolio made by an inmate at Joseph Harp Penitentiary for Charlie Ridley Turf Tack.
An exercise saddle with alligator seat. Because of the prison’s policy, those leather workers could only be referred to by their first names: Lewis makes cowboy boots; Greg makes stirrup leather for race horse saddles; Jesse does leather tooling; Kenny does finely rendered paintings of animals on leather and also makes billfolds, portfolios, purses, belts, and briefcases. At one time, the Ridleys sent Kenny deer hide to make customized curtains for their motor home which depicted painted Western scenes of deer and antelopes on one side and scenes of Indians and cowboys.
Nonetheless, a recent study, “Reducing Recidivism,” from the National Reentry Resource Center, suggests that the Ridley’s savvy sponsorship style of working with former and current inmates is in sync with a number of factors known to help prevent relapses and re-entries which include: a skilled trade, a decent paying job, and positive support from family, friends and community, including social services. “The changes outside are big to some prisoners. Nothing is like it was [before they went in]. Their whole routine is turned around. That’s why they need help. . . . When guys get out of prison, most have a small amount of money. If they have a family, they’ll do all right. It’s hard to find a job, unless they have friends,” Charlie explained.
“If they get out, they’ll have a job with me,” Charlie said of the workers. “I’ll furnish them a place to live, too.” Working with former inmates has been a highly positive experience, he said. “Only 46 DECEMBER 2016
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Concealed carry leather purses. Because of health reasons, Charlie sold his leather business in 2004 to two former Joseph Harp inmates, Herschel Whitener and Chester Lehew, who launched an enterprise called Ridley Turf Tack. Skilled leather workers, they had been working for Charlie before and after their release. “They went to work on their own. I lined up most of the equipment I had on hand. They’re doing great,” he said. But after about a year of healing, Charlie was back to work full-time, as good as ever. He focused on taking his old enterprise, Charlie Ridley’s Turf Tack, to the tracks. “He loves what he does and will never quit,” Sandy said. Contact Information Charlie Ridley Turf Tack Charlie & Sandy Ridley 9515 N E 63rd Spencer, OK 73084 (405) 693-3776 missiokie@hotmail.com Ridley Turf Tack Herschel Whitener and Chester Lehew 611 North Main St. Ninnekah, OK (405) 771-3223 48 DECEMBER 2016
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SUN BIAS, INC.
INDUSTRIAL SEWING SERVICES 1718 N. 1ST. STREET ** MILWAUKEE, WI. 53212 Serving the needle trades 90 years. POLYPROPYLENE WEBBING Firsts & Seconds. 28 colors on Firsts 59/60” NYLON FABRICS Firsts & Seconds Urethane Coated. 60 colors on 1000-Denier & many other fabrics. HOOK & LOOP Sew on 1/4” to 6”, some widths in 35 colors. P. S. (Stick on) 5/8”-5” Rubber & Acrylic. SPECIAL Hook/Loop. Call for prices ELASTICS Woven H D 1” thru 3” & Ex H D, also knitted & braided types. 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.
Up to 200 Catalog color pages available. Save paper order as needed from our catalog index pages and the latest changes by e-mail in the same day to sales@sunbias.com (or USPS mail takes longer) TOLL FREE NATION WIDE 1-800-425-4747 • FAX 1-414-265-5353
MOST IN STOCK MATERIALS ARE SHIPPED WITHIN 24 HOURS. MASTER CARD,*VISA,*DISCOVER & E-CHECKS
SHOP TALK! DECEMBER 2016 49
D E C E MBE R 2016
News, Notes & Queries
84th Annual Meeting of EAIA The Early American Industries Association will be meeting this year at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, MA, May 17-20. Activities include tours, demonstrations, seminars, and tool trading. Members only. For all the details, please contact: P O Box 524, Hebron, MD 21830. Military Appreciation from TLF Tandy Leather Factory has introduced a new U. S. Military Appreciation Program which provides those who serve and have served in the US military the opportunity to receive elite pricing on their purchases of leather and leather working supplies at TLF. Active military members, veterans, National Guard and Reserves as well as their spouses are all eligible for a lifetime membership in this program.
question about just let us know and thanks! Please contact: Shop Talk!, P O Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, (828) 505-8474, e-mail: shoptalk@proleptic.net. Strange Saddle? Strange Harness? We’re looking for pictures of strange saddles and harness. So please send us what you’ve got and we’ll share it with our other readers and thanks! We’re looking for STRANGE and UNUSUAL! Contact: Shop Talk!, P O Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, e-mail: shoptalk@proleptic.net. Thanks!!!!
For more information about this generous offer, please contact your nearest store or visit www.tandyleather.com/military-appreciation-program. TLF is located at 1900 South East Loop 820, Ft. Worth, TX 76140, (817) 872-3200. Thank you, Tandy Leather!! What Do YOU Want to Know? We’re working on a series of shop tips geared more for the beginning leather worker and want to know anything you’d like to know more about. Doesn’t matter what it is—questions can deal with leather, tools, supplies, how-to, and business. Whatever you have a 50 DECEMBER 2016
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Manufacturers Of:
next two years is a conservative estimate. Also, capacity is likely to be an issue in the years to come: it will be a bigger seasonal problem from May to September every year….
All kinds of horse collars for work, pleasure, and show. • Waist Belts • Purses • Wallets • Bracelets
• Possible Pouches • Hats • Dog Collars • Dog Leashes
• Door Bells • Key Chains • Custom Leather Work • Plus Much More!
North American Saddlery School
•
Coblentz Collar Ltd.
3348 U.S. 62 • Millersburg OH 44654 Ph: 330-893-3858 • Fax: 330-893-1166 Hours: M-F 7:00-4:30 • Sat 9:00-3:00 • Closed Sun Visa-Mastercard Accepted Please Call or Write for our new 54-page Leathergoods Catalog and/or 32-page Horse Collar Catalog.
8 NOVEMBER 2016
•
Learn to alter, build, reflock & repair sadcllery to increase or develop your sadcllery trade Train to become a British Qualified
Information & Applications HCS, USA Saddlery saddleryschool@gmail.com
717-294--6757
Current Course Current CourseDates Dates
October 2016 March21st-28th, 27-31, 2017: Intro to Making Course Intro to BridleBridle/Saddle & Saddle Making Bridle Bridle Level LevelsCourses 2&3 March 31 to April 2, 2017: to SMS Course OctoberIntro 31st-November 4th, 2016 April 3-7, 2017: Bench & Onsite Course Saddle Level Courses
www.SaddlerySchool.com Fall 2017 Dates TBD
SHOP TALK!
Leather Projects You Can Do Volume I
• Installing Strings on a Western Saddle • Replacing the Wool on a Western Saddle, Part One & Part Two • Replacing Western Stirrup Leathers, Part One & Part Two • More Tips & Tricks for Replacing Western Stirrup Leathers
$21.50 ON SALE $18.30
Volume IV
• Making a Pistol Holder • Making a Western Gun Belt • Making Shell Loops • Making a Detachable Shell Carrier • Making an Adjustable Rifle Sling with Shell Pouch
• Horween Seconds • Hermann Oak • Wickett & Craig
• Illini “Bighorn” Latigo • Exotic Skins & Scrap • Bag & Chap Leather • Shark Leather • Hair-On Hides • Kangaroo Skins & Lace Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for Daily Deals! PROPOLEPTIC
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• Horsebutt Strips • Double Shoulders • Belt Blanks
Volume VII
• Making a Leather Log Box • Making Leather Pockets for Billiard Table • Repairing a Leather Gun Case: New Straps & Handle • Replacing Trunk Handles • Rerigging a McClellan Saddle
$19.50 ON SALE $16.60
$17.00 ON SALE $14.45
Volume VIII
Volume II
Volume III
• More Western Saddle Repairs • Making a Carpenter’s Apron, • Making an Old Fashioned Part One & Part Two Western Bridle • Making a Farrier’s Apron • Making Tapaderos: • Making a Custom Tool Pouch Different Styles & Sizes • Making a Walkie Talkie Case • More Tapaderos $19.50 ON SALE $16.60 • Repairing a Western Saddle Horn
$22.50 ON SALE $19.15
Volume V
• How to Make Rounds • Making a Rounded Throat Latch • Making a Mule Riding Bridle • Making a “Brollar” • Making a Team Breast Collar • Fast Facts
$22.00 ON SALE $18.70
Volume VI
• Collars, Couplers & Leashes, Part One & Part Two • Installing Spikes & Spots • Making Dog Harness • Making Dog Tracking Harness • Making a Dog Muzzle
$19.50 ON SALE $16.60
• Making a Possible Bag for Black Powder Shooting • Restringing Bells • Making Leather Suspenders • Making Cow & Horse Hobbles • Making a Knife Sheath • Making a Double Bit Axe Sheath • Making a Single Bit Axe Sheath
$22.00 ON SALE $18.70
P.O. Box 17817 Asheville, NC 28816 | P 828.505.8474 | F 828.505.8476 | www.proleptic.net | shoptalk@proleptic.net SHOP TALK! DECEMBER 2016 53
News, Notes & Queries
MARK YOUR CALENDAR! JANUARY 13-17 WESA. Denver Merchandise Mart, 451 E. 58th Ave., Denver, CO. (800) 2951041, e-mail: info@denver-wesa.org.
Best Quality • Great Service Over 30 Years Experience
trian Market. Hopper Expositions. Charlotte
• BUFFALOS
• COW LININGS
Convention Center, Charlotte, NC. www.hop-
• CALFS
• INSOLE BEND 8/9 & 9/10 BUFFED
perexpos.com, (800) 945-1208, e-mail: ginger@
• GOATS 12528 Sun Empress Dr. El Paso, TX 79938 Office (915) 239-9102 Cell (915) 373-3330 Email loycuellar@yahoo.com
FEBRUARY 18-20 Charlotte International Eques-
• KANGAROO • TAURUS SHOULDER (BULL HIDE) GLAZE & OIL
• OUTSOLE BEND 10/11 NATURAL
Exotic Leathers are Special Order
hopperexpos.com. FEBRUARY 24-26 17th Southwest Leather Workers Trade Show. Prescott Resort and Conference Center, 1500 E. State Route 69, Prescott, AZ. Hosted by Leather Crafters & Saddlers Journal, (888) 289-6409, www.leathercraftersjournal.com. MAY 19-21 24th Rocky Mountain Leather Trade Show. Sheridan, WY. Hosted by Leather Crafters & Saddlers Journal, (888) 289-6409 www. leathercraftersjournal.com. JUNE 14-15 Weaver Consignment Auction. Mount Hope, OH JULY 20-21 48th Harness Makers’ Get-Together and Consignment Auction. Hillside Harness Hardware. Millersburg, OH
FIND US ON FACEBOOK! ShopTalkLeatherMagazine 54 DECEMBER 2016
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SHOP TALK! DECEMBER 2016 55
BEGIN COLOR!!
BU Y, SE L L OR TRA D E
CLASSIFIEDS
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 pay-
ment 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
FOR SALE
WANTED: New subscribers from Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Delaware. Now is the time to renew! Give us a call at (828) 505-8474, e-mail: shoptalk@proleptic.net or visit www.proleptic.net.
FOR SALE: McClellan Saddle Seats. Apx. 30 original 11”13” seats. No stirrups or straps. Just seats (covered trees?). Call: (716) 202-1979. Hamburg, NY 14075.
WANTED: New subscribers from Delaware, 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.
LAME OR SORE HORSES? Limber Res-Q might be your answer. Agri-Tonic: Taking your animal’s potential to the next level. Contact: Oregon Ag, LLC, 1150 E. Oregon Rd., Lititz, PA 17543 or (717) 656-0067. (12/16)
WANTED: Complete tool collections. Contact: Shop Talk!, P O Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, (828) 5058474, e-mail: shoptalk@proleptic.net.
LANDIS 3. Good tight machine. Sews well. From Don King collection. $2,500. Singer 11-17 treadle machine, sews canvas, BioThane, and leather. $800. Contact: (505) 330-2524 or e-mail: russlinda_5@q.com.
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: Landis 1 sewing machine (see below). State condition and price. Contact: JWS Harness Shop, 6950 Road 207, DeGraff, OH 43318. WANTED: Experienced leather worker for manufacturing, custom production, and saddle repair. Pay based on experience and training required. Located in beautiful Central Texas. Please e-mail resume to: ludwigsandmarglin@gmail.com.
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WALLETS AND BI-FOLDS FOR SALE: black and brown. Excellent quality. $4.75 ea. $57/doz. Can mix. Contact: Don Livingston, 3092 Ravenwood Dr., Greensburg, PA 15601, (724) 219-3400. (2/17) WHOLESALE HARNESS SUPPLIES: Brahma web, nylon webbing, threads, hardware, BioSheer, PVC belting,
S CLASSIFIED ST BUY! ARE OUR BE rs .....
ye ’s of potential bu Reach 1,000 $26.50!! for as little as
SHOP TALK! DECEMBER 2016 57
CLASSIFIEDS Healzall, and much more! We also manufacture the Crae Free horse collars in buggy, all purpose, and draft styles. Harness in all sizes and a full line of harness parts. Large inventory for immediate shipping. Ask for free supply catalog. Contact: Countryside Manufacturing, 504 S. Humbert St., Milton, IA 52570 or call (641) 656-4246 between 8 and 9 am. SADDLE BUSINESS: Machinery and inventory for sale. Hydraulic press, USMC splitter. For full list of all inventory, please call (256) 597-2001. Wish to sell entire inventory together. HITCHING POST SUPPLY has horsehair and mohair cinch cord available in natural and dyed colors. For use in pottery, braiding, hitching, and more. Instructional books and DVDs at www.hitchingpostsupply.com, Call or e-mail Hitching Post Supply for new wholesale and retail catalogs at vickie@hitchingpostsupply.com, (800) 689-9971 or (360) 668-2349 (outside USA). LANDIS 1. Hand/foot throttled. No motor. Excellent condition. Guaranteed. Call (303) 304-4285. $2,000 or best offer. Denver pickup only. Includes manual and extra parts. Can send pictures. KREBS SKIVER BLADES new. $200 plus SH. Made in US. Double tempered. Contact: Proleptic, Inc., P O Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, (828) 505-8474, shoptalk@ proleptic.net GOLD PEAK ALKALINE BATTERIES. A top quality battery. AA or AAA, $40.50/case of 200. FREE SHIPPING on 12+ cases.We also sell Black Diamond, Coast, Energizer, headlamps, flashlights, and a lot more. FREE BROCHURE. Contact: Yoder’s Harness Shop, E14994 State Road 82, La Farge, WI 54639. 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. Polyboard clicker blocks for your clicker or workbench in assorted sizes. (R&B)
58 DECEMBER 2016
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CLASSIFIEDS 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. 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. Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, (828) 505-8474, e-mail: shoptalk@proleptic.net, www.proleptic.net. FOR SALE: Randall Splitter. $1,200. Excellent working condition. 100% full blade. Call Texas Saddlery at (903) 765-2600 or e-mail: dmartin@txsaddlery.com. 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) 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) WWW.THELEATHERGUY.ORG for all your leather, tool, and supply needs. Friendly, helpful staff at (507) 9323795. (R&B) NEED HELP PRICING? The “Green Book” Guide to Pricing Repairs and Western Tack. American Saddle Makers Association. Contact us at (719) 494-2848 or www. saddlemakers.org. (1/17) SADDLE BUSINESS FOR SALE: Machinery and inventory for sale. Hydraulic press, USMC splitter. For full list of all inventory, please call (256) 597-2001.Wish to sell entire inventory together. FOR SALE: 6” American Splitter with extra blade. $350 plus shipping. Contact: Hochstetler Harness, 13733 Township Road 199, Kenton, OH 43326.
BOOT & SHOE BUSINESS FOR SALE: Shoe repair shop established in 1964 in souther BUSINESS FOR SALE: shoe repair shop established in 1964 in southern Oregon. Great equipment. Loyal customers! For more information, contact Katherine at (541) 660-0704 or cobbleon164@gmail.com. UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY for Western boots sales and repair business in San Antonio,TX. Great climate, economy, and customers. Plenty of boot sales and repair work. Established 28 year old business. One-man operation with inventory of apx. 350 pairs of top of the line all leather Western boots. Great boot repair business. Complete line of immaculate boot repair equipment. Could be expanded to include saddle repair. Sale includes website (www.shiplerboots.com) and company name. Guaranteed lease in current location for one year at $650 per month. Retiring. (866) 250-3350 or (210) 215-9158, e-mail: info@ shiplerboots.com. $175,000. BUSINESS FOR SALE: Davis Custom Boot located at 1209 E. 11th St., Quanah, TX 79252. Contact: (940) 8396537 for more information.
“Tanner’s Oil,” the long-time favorite among horse owners and saddle makers is back! This famous light all-purpose oil softens new leather and beautifies and restores aged leather by replacing lost oils. It guards against moisture, mold and mildew. Will not harm stitching nor darken most leather. An AGS exclusive.
16 Oz Spray #T110S
32 Oz. #T120C
Gallon #T130C
AGS Footwear Group 11234 Air Park Road, Ashland, VA 23005 Phone: 800 446 3820 Fax: 800 822 0180 Email: sales@agsfootweargroup.com Website: www.agsfootweargroup.com
SELLING OUT COMPLETE BOOT MAKING SHOP— equipment, lasts, leather, and tools. $15,000. Seven size runs of lasts. Health force sales. (573) 686-4545 for details and photos. WANTED: Experienced Shoe Repair Person. Successful applicant will perform shoe and boot repair at established premier shoe store of forty years. Will train to next level of orthopedics and custom shoe making. Opportunity for complete management of shoe repair shop. Pay/ hours based on experience and training required. Located in northeastern Ohio. E-mail resume to: cobblerscorner2003@yahoo.com. For more information contact Heather or Kathy at (330) 482-4005. FOR SALE: Shoe repair equipment. Finisher, Auto Soler, Landis K Stitcher, Adler patcher, shoe lasts, hand tools, and other small tools. $3,000 for all. Contact: Ervin S. Beachy, 1300 State Route 1901, Marion, KY 42064,
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ADVERTISERS INDEX AGS Footwear ...........................................59 American Leather Direct .......................31 AWA .................................................................7 Beacon Hollow Blankets ........................44 Beiler’s Mfg. & Supply.............................12 BioThane .....................................................23 Bogle-Greenwell Machinery Corp ..........9 Booth & Co., Inc. .......................................54 Bowden Saddle Tree ................................13 Brayer ...........................................................53 Brodhead Collar Shop .............................52 Buckeye Blankets ....................................40 Buckeye Engraving ..................................47 Buckle Barn USA .......................................42 Buggy Builder’s Bulletin .........................50 Campbell Randall ......................................30 Caprock Saddle Tree ...............................40 Center Square Harness .........................51 Chino Tack .....................................................9 Chuck Smith Tools ...................................47 Chupp Blacksmith Shop.........................47 C Loy's Leather .........................................54 Coblentz Collar..........................................21 Danny Marlin Knives ................................12 Die-Tecs Corp./World of Diecutting ...32 Double K Leather Sales, LLC. ..................8 El Paso Saddle Blanket, LLC. ................41 Evener Shop, The ........................................9 Fairview Country Sales ..........................38 Fiebing Leather .........................................34 Fine Tool Journal .......................................54
George Barth Hide Co. ...............................7 Gfeller Casemakers, Inc .........................21 Goliger Leather Co. ..................................45 Hadlock & Fox Mfg. Co ...........................18 Hansen Western Gear ............................54 Harness Hardware ...................................14 Hastilow/NASS .........................................52 Hermann Oak Leather.............. .................... .......................................... inside front cover Hide House, The........................................21 Hillside Harness Hardware. ...back cover IHS ELP, LLC ...............................................42 International Sheepskin ........................17 J.M. Saddler, Inc. .......................................14 Kalico Products .........................................46 Kelly-Larson Sales ...................................41 Landis Sales & Service ..........................54 Leather Crafters Jornal, The ................54 Leather Machine Co., Inc., The .................. ...........................................inside back cover Maine Thread Co. ......................................14 Mark Staton Co.........................................44 Maverick Leather .....................................52 Mid River Sales .........................................59 Millers Wholesale Harness ...................17 Montana Leather Co. ..............................25 Mules and More ........................................59 N & A Harness Shop ................................22 Nettles Country Store............................22 Nutra-Glo ....................................................38 Ohio Plastics Belting Co.. ......................52
Ohio Travel Bag ..........................................52 Pecards Lether Care ...............................21 Perfectex Plus, LLC .................................21 Pioneer-Dietecs Corporation ...............32 Precision Saddle Tree .............................49 Proleptic, Inc 6, 7, 9 10, 25, 33, 36, 39, 43, 45, 47, 50, 51, 53, 55, 56 back cover RJF Leather ................................................42 Shelton-Reynolds, Inc ............................22 Shetler’s Collar Shop ..............................19 ShoTan .........................................................50 Small Farmer’s Journal ...........................44 Smoke & Fire Co. .........................................8 Sorrell Notions & Findings.....................50 Southstar Supply .....................................15 Springfield Leather..................................29 Steel Stamps, Inc. ...................................11 Sugar Valley Collar Shop ........................14 Sun Bias, Inc...............................................48 Sweat Pad Shop ...................................... 10 TechSew/Raphael’s Sewing....................... 3 Tennessee Tanning Company ................ 12 Texas Custom Dies..................................12 Toledo Sewing ..............................................1 Troyers Harness Shop.............................16 Weaver Leather ........................................27 Western Leather & Equipment............19 WESA ...........................................................37 Western Mule............................................46
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Shop Talk! published by Proleptic, Inc. P.O. Box 17817 Asheville, NC 28816 (828) 505-8474 shoptalk@proleptic.net www.proleptic.net 60 DECEMBER 2016
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SHOP TALK! DECEMBER 2016 61
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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!