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
F a d l n l a of a Gian e s i R e h t T A.C. LAWRENCE, AMERICA’S LARGEST LEATHER COMPANY
n o t e l d n 2015 Pe p U p a r English Saddles W w o h S
AT PELHAM SADDLERY
JA N UARY 2 0 16
S I NC E 1984
W W W . P RO L E P T I C. NE T
$6.50
THE LEATHER RETAILERS’ & MANUFACTURERS’ JOURNAL
JANUARY 2016
FEATURES 15 2015 Pendleton Show Wrap Up
15
16 The Rise and Fall of A.C. Lawrence 24 English Saddles at Pelham Saddlery 49 HogGaiters Custom Leather Chaps
40
24
English Saddles
A.C. Lawrence
IN EVERY ISSUE 4 Laugh Lines 9 Hide Report 42 Tips & Techniques 45 News, Notes & Queries
Published by Proleptic, Inc. • P.O. Box 17817 • Asheville, NC 28816 Ph (828) 505-8474 • Fax (828) 505-8476 shoptalk@proleptic.net • www.proleptic.net Read Shop Talk! online with links to advertisers and online information. www.proleptic.net ShopTalkLeatherMagazine
55 Classifieds COVER PHOTO: A.C. Lawrence plant in Waynesville, N.C. Courtesy of Hunter Library, Western Carolina University.
2 JANUARY 2016
16
SHOP TALK!
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.
BEHIND EVERY GREAT PROJECT THERE’S A GREAT MACHINE
Model 2600 cylinder walking foot
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!
JANUARY 2016 3
LAUGH LINES
Toast
of the Town
WHEN YOU CLINK YOUR GLASSES THIS YEAR, HERE ARE SOME SERIOUS … AND NOT SO SERIOUS TOASTS … TO DRINK TO. In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship, but never in want. i i i
Tickle Your
FUNNY BONE a A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.
May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live. i i i As you slide down the banisters of life, may the splinters never point the wrong way. i i i
a I was going to quit all my bad habits for New Year’s, but then I remembered that no one likes a quitter.
a What do you call having a date for New Year’s Eve? Social Security.
To your health. May you live to be as old as your jokes. i i i May all your troubles last as long as New Year’s resolutions.
a An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.
a Youth is when you’re allowed to stay up late on New Year’s Eve. Middle age is when you’re forced to.
a On New Year’s, just remember: If your cup runneth over, you’ve probably reached your limit.
Don’t Squat with Your Spurs On by Texas Bix Bender
Paperback, 128 pp.
• A Cowboy's Guide to Life •
$6.50 + S/H PROLEPTIC, INC. • P.O. Box 17817 • Asheville, NC 28816 Ph (828) 505-8474 • Fax (828) 505-8476 shoptalk@proleptic.net • www.proleptic.net 4 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
DON’T WHIZ ON AN ELECTRIC FENCE by Roy English
Paperback, 128 pp. • Grandpa’ s Country Wisdom •
$6.50 + S/H PROLEPTIC, INC. • P.O. Box 17817 • Asheville, NC 28816 Ph (828) 505-8474 • Fax (828) 505-8476 shoptalk@proleptic.net • www.proleptic.net
TOP NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS It’s a new year and many people are taking stock of how their resolutions played out last year. According to Nielsen, a consumer research company, here were the top resolutions for 2015:
• Stay fit and healthy: 37% • Lose weight: 32% • Enjoy life the fullest: 28% • Spend less, save more: 25% • Spend more time with family & friends: 19% • Get organized: 18%
So, what’s ahead for 2016? If you’re short on ideas, here are 10 suggestions to get you started: • When you hear a funny joke, don’t reply with “LOL.” • Spend less than five hours a day on the Internet. • Come up with a better password than “password.” • Ask for directions. • Read the manual…just as soon as you can find it. • Accomplish the goals you promised in 2015 which you should have done in 2014 because you promised them in 2013 and planned in 2012.
• Will not make any resolutions: 16%
• Do one act of kindness each day of the year and affect 365 lives.
• Learn something new/hobby: 14%
• Break all of last year’s resolutions.
• Travel more: 14%
• Stop hanging out with people who ask you to make New Year’s resolutions.
• Read more: 12%
• Be more awesome than last year.
SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 5
Simplifying Leathercraft. We have redesigned our labels to help you better identify the steps involved in preparing, coloring and finishing your next leathercraft project. Look for the color coded stripe and use Fiebing’s to create the project of your dreams.
Prep
Dyes
3024 County Road 160 Millersburg, Ohio 44654
BioThane Dist. All harnesses are made with
B I O T H A N E usa
330-359-1501
CALL FOR
• Tack • Harness • Saddles • Ez-Entry Carts
Antiques
CATALOG
COME VISIT OUR SHOP! Just 3 miles east of the Mt. Hope Auction, on County Road 160. Harness Small Pony 42" Pony
Edge Finishes
#2 Heavy Duty Wheel American Made
Small Pony Cart with #2 Wheels Shown with options: Cage • Dash Fenders • 2 Way Lights
#3 Medium Duty Wheel
#1 Wooden Wheel
Top Finishes
www.fiebing.com 6 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
On New Year’s Eve, Ann stood up in the local pub and said it was time to get ready. At the stroke of midnight, she wanted every husband to be standing next to the one person who made his life worth living. As the clock struck, the bartender was almost crushed to death. As in many homes on New Year’s Day, my wife and I faced the annual conflict of which was more important— the football games on television or the family dinner. To keep the peace, I ate dinner with the rest of the family and even lingered for some pleasant after dinner conversation before retiring to the family room to turn on the game. Several minutes later, my wife came downstairs and asked what the score was. I told her it was the end of the third quarter and the score was still nothing to nothing. “See,” she said, continuing to smile. “You didn’t miss a thing.”
Every New Year’s I have the same question: “How did I get home?” Melanie White.
I HAD ONLY ONE RESOLUTION: to discover the difference between wants and needs. May I have all I need and want all I have. Happy New Year!
I’M PLANNING ON FINDING NEW AND INTERESTING THINGS TO HATE ABOUT MY JOB IN 2016. I will no longer waste my time reliving the past; instead, I will spend it worrying about the future.
I LOVE WHEN THEY DROPPED THE BALL IN TIMES SQUARE. IT’S A NICE REMINDER OF WHAT I DID ALL YEAR.
A Very Happy & Healthy New Year to Each and Everyone!! SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 7
Buena Vista Blankets • All types of Horse Blankets • Waterproof Blankets • Cooling Blankets • Snuggie Brand Blankets • Custom Made Harness Pads • S-L-O-W Feed Hay Bags
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.
give us a call: (717) 442-0164
5857 Buena Vista Rd. • Gap, PA 17527
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
Beiler’s Mfg. & Supply Manufacturing address 290 S. Groffdale Rd. Leola, PA 17540 (717) 656-2179
Main Office & WarehOuse 3025 Harvest Dr. Ronks, PA 17540 (717) 768-0174
Manufacturers of Leather, Nylon or Biothane Products like Halters, Harnesses or other Equine or Pet Related items. Distributors of Harness & Saddlery Hardware. Leather, Leather Oils, Biothane & Nylon Webbing plus other Equine Products. Call us for any custom made Harness or Saddlery Hardware item you may need.
Lasting Quality and Style Matte Finishes Many Colors
Easy Cleaning Easy Sewing Durable, Flexible
1967
Since
NEW AND IMPROVED Hame Bender • Adjustable blocks on top bar • Bends all hames from Buggy Hames to Stainless Steel Pulling Hames with ease A must for fitting your hames to the collar
BETTER PRODUCTS & BETTER PRICES
P.O. Box 593, Columbia Station, OH 44028 Voice: 800-357-5070 Fax 440-243-5326 Email daves@firstlocal.net Website www.ohiothane.com
8 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
For more information and a complete catalog on hames and harness hardware, write to: Chupp Blacksmith Shop Ltd. 9107 Township Road 609 Fredericksburg, Ohio 44627
85263 Chupp ad 3.5x4.75 1
6/19/13 9:42 AM
YOU R GLO BAL P ERSP ECT IVE
The Hide Report
2015 HIDE MARKET IN REVIEW HEAVY TEXAS STEERS Weights vary from 60/62 to 66/68 lbs.
HEAVY TEXAS STEERS (HVY) Weights vary from 70/72 to 74/78 lbs.
BRANDED STEERS (HVY) Weights vary from 70/72 to 74/78 lbs.
2015 2014 January $98-100 $97-98 February 98-100 103-104 March 95-98 105-107.50 April 88-90 106-107 May 85-86 106-107 June - -July 70-72 103-103.50 August 60-63 104-105 September - -October 68-70 98-99 November 59-60 108-110 December 58-60 104-106
2015 2014 January $98-100 $97-98 February 107-108 105-108 March 104-106 114-116 April 101-102 115-117 May 101-102 115-117 June --July 84-87 102-103 August 72-73 116-117 September --October 76-78 106-109 November 65-68 117-118 December 66-69 112-115
2015 2014 January $106-108 $104-106 February 106-108 106-108 March 102-103 112-114 April 99-100 114-116 May 95-97 114-116 June -- -July 86-87 113-114 August 69-70 114-116 September -- -October 72-73 102-105 November 72-73 105-109.50 December 65-66 111-113
Over the course of 2015, there’s been roughly a 59.6% decline in the price for Heavy Texas Steers.
There has been a 36% decline in price during 2015.
In 2015 the decline in Branded Steers (Hvy) was nearly 39%.
HEAVY NATIVE STEERS (HVY) Weights vary from 70/72 to 74/78 lbs.
NATIVE BULLS Weights vary from 100 to 110 lbs.
2015 2014 January $116-118 $108-110 February 108-110 108-110 March 105-107 118-120 April 108-110 120-122 May 107-109 120-122 June --July 90-92 118-119 August 77-78 118-119 September -- -October 82-83 114-117 November 76-77 120-122 December 75-77 116-118
2015 2014 January $78-83 $84-87 February 80-83 84-87 March 78-81 91-93 April 77-79 101-104 May 77-79 92-98 June -- -July 69-72 90-92 August 68-71 83-88 September -- -October 55-60 85-87 November 55-60 85-90 December 56-61 82-87
The decline in price was almost 54%.
Native Bulls were down roughly 27%.
HIDE PRICES UP SLIGHTLY, STEADY With the holidays upon us, prices seem to be in a holding pattern. As of the first of December 2015, Heavy Texas Steers were up $2. Branded Steers up $1-2. Butt Branded Steers firm. At this time there were few sales of other classes of hides such as Heavy Native Steers and Bulls.
SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 9
The Hide Report Russia Bans Export of Semi-Finished Leather Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree introducing a temporary band on the export of semi-finished leather from Russia. According to the document published on the official website for legal information, the measure was introduced for the period from November 30, 2015, to May 30, 2016.… The previous ban expired on November 25, 2015. The Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia prepared the new draft decree. Earlier, the head of the ministry Denis Manturov said that this measure increased the supply for Russian factories and gradually increased output with higher added value. According to him, with Russia entering the World Trade Organization, export duties in the leather and footwear sectors have significantly decreased and ad valorem components were canceled, which led to a shortage of raw materials due to the increase in deliveries abroad. The ministry was also in favor of a ban on the export of raw hides due to the sharp increase in exports of raw materials from Russia because of the fall of the ruble. This resulted in a shortage of hides on the domestic market. However, later Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Viktor Evtukhov told journalists that the economic justification for a ban on the export Russian raw materials for the production of leather was not enough. According to him, the problem laid not so much in the growth of exports but in the livestock population. Evtukhov said this problem needed to be seriosuly considered together with the Ministry of Agriculture.
10 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
MAN WAH REVENUE CLIMBS BANKING 19.3% IN US Chinese upholstery powerhouse Man Wah Holdings said worldwide revenues jumped 15 .1% in the six months ending September 30, 2015, a figure that included a 19.3% increase in revenue in the United States, its largest market.… The company said U.S. revenues were boosted by an improving economy, increased sales of higher priced products, and a favorable reaction to a faux leather fabric cover that was introduced last year. Revenue from the United States accounted for slightly more than 50% of Man Wah’s worldwide revenue of HK$3.68 billion or about $475.3 million US.…
TANNERY DEAL SECURES HERMES LUXURY LEATHER SUPPLY French luxury brand Hermes has acquired calf leather supplier Tanneries du Puy in France in a deal that will save more than 100 jobs in the Auvergne-Rhone Alps region and reflects a strategy of preserving know-how and securing its supply of materials, the company said. The maker of Birkin handbags is a byword for luxury, and, like its rivals’ recent sales demonstrate, it is not immune from slowing luxury demand. Asian sales growth at the French firm slowed to 1.5% in the third quarter of this year, excluding Japan, from 6% in the second quarter as anti-extravagance measures in China restrained spending. Sales in the Americas grew just 2% at constant exchange rates as stock market volatility and a strong dollar curbed spending by locals and tourists. By keeping the supply of €8,800 bags limited, Hermes is weathering slow luxury demand better than lower priced competitors such as the Burberry Group which has forecasted its profits to decline for a second year. Having more than forty stores in Japan also helps as the yuan was higher against the yen during the quarter, attracting Chinese choppers. Sales in Japan rose 17% at constant exchange.
COMPANY PUSHES FAKE LEATHER FOR LUXURY GOODS IN MILESTONE YEAR Kuraray Co., creator of the world’s first artificial leather for shoes, is pitching its product to top luxury brands in Europe. After repeatedly making prototypes and visiting potential buyers of its Clarino artificial leather, the company finally formed a partnership in 2015 with Italian tanners. It’s new variation of Clarino, long known as material for standard school backpacks in Japan, now has the feel, texture, and other properties of genuine leather.… Kuraray is seeking to expand by encouraging the use of its artificial leather in such goods as luxury handbags and jackets as the company marks the 50th anniversary of Clarino’s release in 1965…. Using a production method developed in 2009, Kuraray doubled the density of the materials composition and used collagen fibers to make it resemble natural leather. Kuraray originally developed Clarino for shoes and started using the material for school bags in 1970. But revenue from those products account for only about 10% of its sales today.
BONDED NYLON THREAD
1-866-415-8223
www.TECHSEW.com
Neoprene Sheets Hook & Loop Fasteners Also Available • Laminated with Nylon, Lycra, Terry, UBL…etc. • Common uses: Wet Suits, Waders, Knee/Elbow Pads…etc.
• 6 Million Yards in Stock • Sizes from 3/8” to 6” • 30 Colors Available
• TPU Laminated Fabrics • Tricot Fabrics • Mesh Fabrics • Hot Melt Adhesive Films • Webbing, Buckles, Elastic, Zippers…etc
SALES REP WANTED IN SOME TERRITORIES
5351 Oceanus Drive, Huntington Beach, CA 92649 Tel: 714-898-5989 • Fax: 714-894-8018 • E-mail: info@perfectex.com • www.perfectex.com
SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 11
The Hide Report
Old Leather Technology Still Thrives In 1975, a bright young man named Joseph Arsenault patented a lug strap for a Concord, NH, company that made industrial products out of leather, especially power transmission belts for machinery—a fading technology even then in the face of direct-drive motors and synthetic materials. Patent No. 4,019,542 is notable partly because it’s the oldest Concord-related record you can find in the US Patent Office’s searchable database without plunging into the esoteric hardcopy system. But it’s also notable because the company that employed him—Page Belting Co.—is still making industrial products out of leather, including power belts.
It’s a classic case of how seemingly outmoded technologies have useful lives that continue far longer than we realize.
It’s a classic case of how seemingly outmoded technologies have useful lives that continue far longer than we realize. “In 1992, when I was hired, people were surprised. People thought they were closed,” said Mark Coen, who came to Page Belting as a vice president of sales and who bought the company in 2000. Page Belting is a shadow of its booming self of a century ago, not surprising because most of it staple products were bypassed by technology, including a leather bump that was installed on tens of thousands of textile looms around the world. Such bumpers are nylon mesh now. But Coen said about half of his production is still for industrial purposes. About 20% of Page Belting’s business comes from making or repairing leather drive belts, some for historical verisimilitude, but some, including
Nylon Webbing
Thread
Medium and Heavy weight webbing ¾″- 1 ½″ Color matched nylon bonded thread 92-346
9415 W 300 S • Topeka, IN 46571• 260•593•0044 12 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
one so large it drives a roller coaster, because there’s no good alternative. That includes power belts made from leather links held together like a chain. “We get all sorts of funky stuff. At least two hydroelectric dams, built in the ‘20s and ‘30s, use large leather links,” he said. A third of the business involves making gaskets and seals out of leather treated in different ways for different properties. A major gasket customer is Coleman Lanterns which uses specially formed leather gaskets even though leather is far more expensive—one hide costs from $9 to $14 per square foot, depending on how it has been tanned—because leather retains shape in a way that plastics and synthetics don’t.
“They told me, ‘We’ve been dying to find a cheaper alternative, but we can’t,’” Coen said. “They asked if I would help them, but I said, ‘No, thanks.’”
e l b n o C ollartz C
Ltd.
MAnUFActUReRS OF: All kinds of horse collars for work, pleasure, and show.
Also your source for quality
waisT beLTs made with USA leather.
Made & Sold Here!
Please call or write for a free catalog.
Coblentz Collar L.T.D.
3348 US Route 62 • Millersburg, Ohio 44654 Ph.: 330-893-3858 • Fax: 330-893-1166 Visa-Mastercard Accepted
Custom Made Collars
Milton Sokol & Co. Inc. ~ Demar Leather Company Established 1927
Russet Vegetable Tanned Leathers:
-Double Backs -Double Butts -Tooling Sides -Bellies -Shoulders -Sole Bends
Call Toll Free 1-888-765-6526 “Just ask for Jesse”
*Premium South American Skirting, Bridle & Harness *Large assortment of Oil Tanned and Chap Sides *Full color range of Upholstery and Garment Leathers
127-25 Metropolitan Avenue Kew Gardens, NY 11415 Ph: (718) 441-2226 Fx: (718) 441-2299 email: sales@msokol.com SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 13
Whip Manufacturing
50”, 60”, 66”, 72” in stock Colors Custom Orders
Leather, BioPlastic & Brahma Webb Harnesses
N aLL sizes N
Available for Large & Small Production Runs Private Labeling On Time Delivery
X
Center Square HarneSS
246 Forest Hill Rd., Leola, PA 17540 • (717) 656-3381
14 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
Left to right: 1st place winner, Conley Walker / 2nd place winner, Kevin Urbach / 3rd place winner, Mark Channer.
2015 Pendleton Show Wrap Up from Sheridan Leather & Douglas Tools, Sponsors
2015 marks the fourth show that we have produced a trade event in Pendleton, OR, and the show its growing just as we have hoped. The attendance has steadily grown over the years with a 33% increase this year. Attending vendors have been complementary about the steady increase in attendance which translates into increased sales for everyone. This year we also had four new vendors which added even more variety. Once again the show gave away $1,000 in Leather Dollars— certificates that could only be spent with the vendors at the show. Chan Geer donated a tooled notebook cover as one raffle prize which helped to fund the Leather Dollars. Additionally, Tandy donated a cowhide rug as
a door prize, and we had several other raffles going on throughout the show. We limited the number of classes in 2015 since we wanted to have enough space for the Roughout Saddle Contest. The classes we did host were well attended with many new students. We also had several new teachers as well. In 2016 we hope to have the maximum number of classes that the convention center can handle. The Roughout Saddle Contest was an excellent addition to the show, and there were fifteen entries in our first ever contest. We were very happy with the quality of the Cont. on p. 52
SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 15
A.C. Lawrence plant in Waynesville, N.C. Courtesy of Hunter Library, Western Carolina University.
Like the leather tanning industry it once dominated, the A.C. Lawrence Leather Co. has all but vanished from America’s landscape and its memory. Where large factories once hummed with activity and reeked with odors, now condominium units boast “loft” amenities and newly constructed big box stores stand ringed by VIRGINIA by acres of parking lots. Where jobs once PERRY DAFFRON, abounded for willing workers, new econSTAFF WRITER omies demand specialized skills. And where rivers once carried the water so crucial to the tanning process, pedestrian walkways and recreational parks are being built. The tanner of nearly 10 million hides per year is now long gone, a casualty of economic forces which included rising domestic production costs, unfavorable tariff and quota regulations, environmental concerns, and changes in the workforce. Even though the United States still produces the majority of the world’s cowhides that are transformed each year into leather, only a tiny fraction of those hides are tanned in this country. In this article, we will take a close look at the history of the A.C. Lawrence Co. We will find that the company’s growth and decline provide a lens for viewing a broad 16 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
slice of American social and economic history. In examining the rise and fall of A.C. Lawrence, we have an opportunity to reflect on the forces that have shaped the world we live in today.
Arthur C. Lawrence, American Entrepreneur Long before he began building the largest leather company the world had ever known, Arthur Clarence Lawrence was demonstrating unusual energy and drive. Born in South Gardiner, Maine, in 1849, Lawrence lost both of his parents before he reached his teens. At the age of twelve, he was hired by the Department of the Interior as a messenger boy. While employed in Washington, D.C., he witnessed President Lincoln’s first inauguration. From Washington, Lawrence was sent to serve in the Union Army where he saw action in Virginia at Petersburg, Spotsylvania Court House, and other locations around the state, despite his youth. After the Civil War came to an end, Lawrence made a canny choice of location and vocation, settling in Boston and entering into the leather trade. As a 1918 issue of the Boot and Shoe Recorder observed: “The world has no exact replica of Boston’s shoe and leather district, and what
is true of Boston in this respect equally applies to the entire New England section of our country, for while Boston is the world’s leading shoe and leather city, New England is none the less the prominent shoe and leather industrial region.”
Just as the leather industry was on the upswing, so too was Lawrence a young man on the move: he married the boss’s daughter, Sarah Anne Field, in 1871, and became a partner in the renamed firm Allen, Field & Lawrence soon after.
In the late 1860’s, around the time that Lawrence became an apprentice in the Field leather firm, many of the city’s leather businesses were located on and around High Street in the financial district. The Great Boston Fire of 1872, which consumed a total of 776 structures, devastated this area. Forced to seek out new real estate, the leather merchants converged on a new neighborhood, a former marshland known as “South Cove,” which had been filled during a land-making expansion in the 1830s. Located just east of Chinatown, nestled between Dewey Square and Kneeland Street, the Leather District quickly caught on as the new center for the showrooms, offices, and warehouses of the burgeoning industry. Just as the leather industry was on the upswing, so too was Lawrence a young man on the move: he married the boss’s daughter, Sarah Anne Field, in 1871, and became a partner in the renamed firm Allen, Field & Lawrence soon after.
Peabody, The Leather Capital of the World While Boston reigned supreme as the world’s hub for commerce in the leather trade, it was the industrial city of Peabody, fifteen miles to the northeast, that produced the leather goods sold from Boston’s warehouses. The area around what would eventually become the municipalities of Salem, Danvers, and Peabody was first settled by Europeans in 1626, when a small band of English colonists left their encampment on Cape Ann for the more sheltered topography and better soils of the North River Valley. They called their village “Brooksby” for its “several sparkling brooks of clear water.” The group was joined in 1628 by Governor John Endicott, who bore a charter for the land and who named the set-
tlement Salem, derived from the Hebrew word “Shalom,” meaning “peace.” Early maps show the North River as a wide, meandering stream punctuated by several small ponds. Around 1635, Captain William Trask, who owned about fifty acres of land along the North River, built a gristmill at Mill Pond, the location of present day Peabody Square. Other early industries in the village included a glass factory, a pottery and brick works, and a soap factory. The leather industry began as early as 1639 when Philemon Dickerson was granted land for tanning pits and the dressing of hides. Historical sources note that these early settlers were influenced by the tanning practices of Native Americans in the area.
Around 1740, entrepreneur Joseph Southwick built a leather manufacturing factory on the river, expanding the local cottage industry, and other manufacturers followed suit. With abundant sources of both oak bark and water, the area provided the resources needed for traditional vegetable tanning. By 1850, tanning had become Peabody’s major industry. Two rail lines passed through Peabody, and the North River and Goldthwaite Brook had been channelled between massive granite block walls to accommodate the railroad tracks and their numerous sidings. A census of industry in 1855 recorded twenty-seven tanneries, twenty-four currying shops, thirteen morocco and lining skin shops, a patent leather factory, and twelve shoe manufacturers. Throughout the 1850’s and 1860’s manufacturing grew rapidly, taking advantage of the stream of Irish immigrants who flooded the area. By 1890, Peabody had six-
From a promotional advertisement, a vintage drawing of the main plant in Peabody, MA. Courtesy of Peabody Leatherworkers Museum.
SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 17
ty-one leather factories and seventeen boot and shoe shops, employing a total of 1,339 people. At the end of the 19th century, one of the largest leather concerns in Peabody was the L. B. Southwick Company which, at its zenith, consisted of over 250,000 square feet of manufacturing space on ten acres in the city. Horace Southwick, a brother of the owner of the Southwick Company, entered into a partnership with Arthur Lawrence in the 1880’s. Known as A.C. Lawrence & Co., the new venture concentrated on tanning sheepskin leather. Hides were sourced from sheep farms in Australia and New Zealand and shipped to the U.S. in a dehaired and pickled condition. In addition to their tanning operations in Peabody, Arthur Lawrence and Horace Southwick were also partners in the Winchester Tanning Company in New Hampshire. By 1894, Lawrence was ready to expand his tanning operations in Peabody, and he had found an ideal partner to help him assemble the industrial might to put the next phase of his eventual dominance of the tanning industry into motion.
Backed by an Industrial Giant In 1855, just six years after Arthur Lawrence was born in Maine, another young entrepreneur was starting out in the livestock business. Sixteen-year-old Gustavus Swift, the ninth of twenty-two children of a Cape Cod farm family, secured a $20 capital loan from his father. With the money, he purchased a heifer cow, butchered and packaged her, and sold the results of his labor to his local neighbors for a profit.
railroad’s lack of enthusiasm for refrigeration, Swift hired an engineer to design a refrigerator car... In 1877 Swift successfully shipped the first refrigerator carload of fresh meat to the East.
Despite the rapid growth of the western livestock industry, shipping large numbers of live cattle from the prairie grasslands to the expanding population centers of the East posed huge logistical challenges. During the SHOP TALK!
Gustavus Swift recognized that slaughtering cattle and hogs in Chicago before shipping the packaged meat would avoid the difficulties of transporting live animals over long distances by rail. But the industry lacked a way to prevent the meat from spoiling during shipping. Railroad companies dragged their feet in building refrigerated cars for transporting meat and dairy as they had invested in a large inventory of stock cars and were enjoying strong revenue from their use.
Undeterred by the
Swift practiced his new trade as a butcher and merchant in New England until 1875, when he moved to Chicago, which was booming as the center of the livestock industry. Chicago’s Union Stockyards received large herds of longhorn cattle from railheads in Kansas and Nebraska. By the time Swift got to town, the stockyards were receiving two million head of cattle per year from the Great Plains. By 1890, the figure had grown to nine million beasts, and the city had been transformed into the largest hog and beef holding pen in the country.
18 JANUARY 2016
rail journey, the cattle often received little food or water. Poor rails and roadbeds combined with frequent and prolonged stops, took a toll on the stock. Upon arrival in Eastern cities, Western cattle were often in poor physical condition, having lost up to 15% of their weight during transport. Western beef thus had a reputation of low quality and fetched correspondingly low prices.
Undeterred by the railroad’s lack of enthusiasm for refrigeration, Swift hired an engineer to design a refrigerator car; the finished design circulated fresh air that was chilled by passing it over ice. In 1877 Swift successfully shipped the first refrigerator carload of fresh meat to the East. In 1878 he formed a partnership with his brother, and, in 1885, with $300,000, he incorporated the firm of Swift & Company, with himself as its first president. In addition to developing the first refrigerated rail cars, Swift went on to build refrigerated warehouses for storage in Chicago and points east. He created a distribution network and a sales force to promote the new delivery method. Swift & Co. also deployed large advertising campaigns to convince customers of their products’ safety and quality.
In addition to pioneering a new system for the distribution of packaged beef, Swift created many subsidiary businesses to make efficient use of the byproducts of his slaughter operations. Leather hides were an especially high value byproduct. So it was that Swift & Co. at the end of the 19th century began investing in tanneries to create a massive “sideline” leather business.
The A. C. Lawrence Business Empire Underwritten by Swift, Arthur Lawrence in 1894 acquired property for a manufacturing complex in Peabody. The new enterprise set up shop on the site of the former Sanger Liquid Glue Factory which was located on the
Sew What Supplies?!
400 Travis Ln., Unit 28, Waukesha, WI 53189 (800) 390-9503
Zippers YKK Hook & Loop Thread Webbing trucker tiedown nylon halter polypro Shock Cord/Cording
Nylon Fabrics cordura Elastic pack cloth Fiebing Products oxford cloth Grommets Vinyl Coated Mesh Hardware Vinyl Coated Truck metal Tarp plastic Imitation Sheepskin
www.kellylarsonsales.com Ostrich Caiman Crocodile Nile Crocodile Nile Croc Backstraps Outsole / Insole Bends Pre-Cut Outsoles Elephant Hippo Giraffe Stingray Python Goat Skins Heels Welt
www.sewwhatsupplies.com
Shetler’s Collar Shop Manufacturing a full line of horse, pony and mule collars. Collar clocks and mirrors also available.
ar y coll e t i l a u bl Aq asona at a re ice. pr #99 farm collar with 18” draft.
Write us for a free price list 5819 Flat Iron Road • Conewango Valley, New York 14726
1812 Reliance Parkway • Suite G. • Bedford, TX 76021 Ph: 817-399-0044 • Fx: 817-399-0040 Email: elarson@kelly-larson.com
Custommade Knives & Tools for Leatherworkers
■ New Handles Danny Repair ■◉Sharpen Round Knives ◉ Stitch Groovers Marlin ◉ Custommade Tools Knives ◉ Bench Knives ◉ Stock Tools ◉ Old Blades Reshaped
(254) 842- 5405
1550 County Road 207 ■ Blanket, TX 76432
H
ANSEN
WESTERN GEAR
Conchos Saddle Trim Hand Engraved Silver Products “For those who want the very best”
HansenSilver.com
209-847-7390
800-970-7391
Marie, Tim & Kelleigh Hansen
Oakdale, CA 95361 SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 19
nery--leathers of all kinds and grades--and the innumerable articles into which leather is made, are being sent to all parts of the civilized world to meet the needs of humanity.” --Journal of Geography
The National Plant in Peabody produced calfskin and calf leather. Courtesy of Peabody Leatherworkers Museum.
grounds of the old Crowninshield estate. The grounds of the estate included a sizeable pond which was pressed into service as a cooling pond for the superheated water produced by the plant’s steam boilers. Many times each day, fountains would spray the hot water into the air. As the water cooled, it fell back into the pond to be drawn up again and sent back to the boilers for reuse. The old Crowninshield mansion itself was initially used as a factory building and later as an employee locker room. In 1897, A. C. Lawrence Leather Co. was incorporated. Within fifteen years, the company employed over 2,000 workers and was well on its way to becoming the largest leather company in the world. Soon the company’s factory buildings stretched in an unbroken line from the center of Peabody to the Danvers town line, a distance of over a mile. Additional facilities were spread throughout the city. Within Peabody, the company was organized into four divisions: sheepskin, hide, patent leather, and the National Calfskin Company. By the end of World War I, A. C. Lawrence Leather Co, produced about $30 million of leather annually, or about $650 million in today’s dollars. According to Moody’s Manual of Railroads and Corporation Securities of 1919, the Lawrence companies had an annual production capac20 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
ity of 2 million hides, 2 1/2 million calfskins, and 4 1/2 million sheep and lamb hides. Though its owners and workers could not have known it then, this period represented the high water mark in A.C. Lawrence’s domination of the global leather trade. As one geography textbook put it in 1914:
“A study of the A.C. Lawrence tannery shows that almost the entire world is being drawn upon to supply it with skins. At this moment hunters are in the Andes searching for wild goats that their skins may help supply the necessary raw materials; for the same purpose shepherds in Australia are killing their sheep, ranchmen of Argentina are sacrificing their cattle, moslems of India are skinning their bullocks, and many wild animals of Africa are being hunted to the same end. Today these skins from these sections and many more are being hastened on their way to the A.C. Lawrence tannery by every means of transportation, from the coolie porters of India and the wheelbarrow of China, to the speedy auto-truck and the giant ocean liner. Today the finished product of this tan-
If there is one constant in the leather business, it is change. After Congress created the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 1914, Swift & Co. was one of the many large, vertically integrated companies subjected to antitrust scrutiny. In the early 1920s, the FTC imposed a consent decree requiring Swift & Co. to spin off many of its subsidiaries into independent, publicly held companies. Stockholders in Swift & Co. received the right to subscribe to two shares of the newly separated National Leather Company for each share owned in Swift & Co. Though the ownership structure of the A. C. Lawrence companies changed, the Lawrence tanneries continued to have a strong connection to the Swift corporation and to source the majority of its raw materials from Swift slaughter operations. On October 5, 1922, A.C. Lawrence died at his home at 54 Beacon Street in Boston, where he lived with his daughter. He had been widowed fifteen years before. Lawrence was seventy-four years old. The company which bore his name would outlive him by nearly seventy years.
Spread Far and Wide In addition to its Peabody facilities, the A.C. Lawrence organization owned office and production facilities in locations around the United States. The company’s main headquarters office was located at 95-97 South Street, Boston, with additional business offices in St. Louis, Missouri; Gloversville and Rochester, New York; Chicago, Illinois; and Cincinnati, Ohio. Through partnerships,
The Waters River Plant in Peabody produced patent leather. Courtesy of Peabody Leatherworkers Museum.
A. C. Lawrence maintained connections for distributing leather throughout the world. As far back as 1890, Arthur Lawrence was associated with the Winchester Tannery, located at one end of Winchester, New Hampshire’s main street. First built in 1831, the tannery operated on its original site until a fire destroyed the plant in 1909. A.C. Lawrence rebuilt the plant on the opposite side of the river. This operation specialized in sheepskin tanning (with the wool left on) as well as shoe side upper leather. Of the fourteen tanneries operating in New Hampshire in 1953, the Winchester plant was the second largest, employing 240. A.C. Lawrence was also associated with several tanning operations in the South. In Newport, TN, the Unaka Tannery was established in 1893, on the heels of the development of the Pigeon River Valley lumber industry. Newport’s advantages included its accessibility by river and rail, and its proximity to sawmills which yielded huge quantities of oak, chestnut, and hemlock sawdust and bark. These byproducts of the lumber industry were used to produce tanning extracts used in vegetable tanning. In its peak years of operation, the tannery employed over 150 people. One of those retired employees, Bill Moorehead, recalled in an interview with a local newspaper that the tannery provided showers for the men to use after their shifts ended, “but you never got the smell off.” Further south on the Pigeon River was the Junaluska Tannery in Waynesville, NC. First constructed in 1888, by 1905 it employed around 100 workers. In 1933, the tannery was absorbed into the Hazelwood Tannery under the A.C. Lawrence umbrella. A 1959 City Directory for Waynesville declared that the factory was “Operating very profitably in the face of tough competition from The Winchester Plant in Winchester, NH, produced sheepskin leather. Courtesy of Peabody Leatherworkers Museum.
other products. Similar operations have closed and are still being closed by other companies all over the country. One of the best operations of the company’s five remaining tanneries. Labor is skilled and highly productive.” The plant closed in 1982 amid concerns about pollution and water quality of the Pigeon River. On the Clinch River, the Ashland Leather Company of Ashland, KK, was founded in 1894. In 1911, the tannery was destroyed in a fire and subsequently rebuilt with modern reinforced concrete and brick. The new factory was equipped to handle 500 to 600 hides per day and produced sole leather and belting leather. In 1933, the company was rebranded as A.C. Lawrence, though it had in fact been owned by Swift & Co. for many years prior to the change. Other tanneries in the Southern Appalachian region were owned by Swift & Co., the parent company of A.C. Lawrence, but operated under the oft-changing names of a Philadelphia-based concern. Founded in the 1850’s by James England, the firm later became known as England and Walton, then England and Bryan and finally Schlosser Leather. Schlosser operated Swift owned tanneries in Tannery Station, MD; Walland, TN; Harrisonburg, VA; and, outside of the South, in Olean, NY. Swift & Co. also owned tanning operations in St. Paul, MN; St. Joseph, MO; Niles, MI; and Paris, ME, as well as interests in companies that produced tanning extracts and supplies.
Tanning and Finishing Operations Prior to the development of the chrome tanning process, tanneries used vegetable tanning methods to transform raw hides into finished leather. In this process, hides are soaked in large vats containing concentrated extracts of plant tannins derived from bark, wood, nuts, and leaves. Over the course of several weeks, hides are transferred to vats of increasingly concentrated tannins. The tannins slowly bind to the collagen proteins in the skins, causing them to resist water and bacterial deterioration, and to become more flexible. The vegetable tanning method, which produces a firm and water resistant leather, is still used today. But the SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 21
chrome tanning process, developed in 1884 by American chemist Augustus Schultz, shortened the tanning process from many weeks to days or even hours and so was quickly adopted by the tanning industry. By the end of the 19th century, over three-quarters of the leather produced in the U.S. was tanned using the chrome tanning method. Since A.C. Lawrence Leather Co. was founded in 1894, the majority of the company’s products were produced using the chrome tanning method. By the mid-20th century, most shoe uppers, gloves and garments were made from chrome tanned leather while shoe soles, harness, luggage, and upholstery were commonly made from vegetable tanned leather.
Tackers in Peabody climbed many flights of stairs from the factory cellar to its attics. Heated by rising warm air and steam, temperatures on these upper floors
surface area as the original hide. Shaving machines smoothed the flesh side of the hide. Next, the hides or skins were loaded into color wheels for dying. Once the wheel had been filled with hides and hot water, dye was added through a channel in the middle of the wheel. After coloring, the hides would once again be passed through wringers, known as putting-out or setting-out machines, to remove excess moisture.
At this stage in the process, workers called “tackers” loaded five, six or seven hides over their backs and carried them degrees throughout to a drying yard or, later, to drying ovens located in a different part of the factothe summer. ry. Tackers in Peabody climbed many flights of stairs from the factory cellar Raw cow or sheep hides, partially defleshed and salted to its attics. Heated by rising warm air and steam, temfor preservation during transport, were delivered to A.C. peratures on these upper floors stayed well over 100 deLawrence factories by railway sidings that terminated grees throughout the summer. The working conditions outside the plants. Unloading the stiff, dirty, bloody, and were uncomfortable to say the least, but the hides dried stinking hides from the railway cars was one of many more quickly in the heated air. The tackers stretched and strenuous and unpleasant tannery jobs. Inside the cool Cont. on p. 30 cellars of the beam house, or basement level, the hides were sorted and loaded into “wet wheels” for cleaning. Inside the circular wet wheels, the hides were continuously stirred and flushed with a constant flow of fresh water.
stayed well over 100
Workers in this area of the factory wore leather aprons and rubber boots as they sloshed through a wet, greasy environment. Jeff Wignall, who once worked at A.C. Lawrence in Peabody, said that “the wheels of the big drums were running constantly,’’ with as much as a half ton of hides in the drums at a time. After cleaning, the hides emerged from the wheels soft and pliable. From the wet wheels, hides were loaded into a fleshing machine which used sharp spiral knives to remove the outer layers of flesh, fat, and hair. In the chrome tanning process, the fleshed hides were transferred to drums containing a chemical solution which included chromium. Over the course of hours or days, the chemical processes within the drums caused the hides to swell, their pores to open, and the hair follicles to loosen. Once removed from the drums, the hides were passed through wringers to extract up to 80% of the moisture from the soaking process. At this stage in the tanning process, hides are known as “wet blues” because of the blue color imparted by chromium. These “blue” hides were split or shaved into uniform thicknesses. Splitting machines were used to split thick hides into multiple layers, each having the same 22 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 23
A big inventory, consignments, focus on fit, and customer service sharpen the competitive edge of this New Hampshire shop.
English Saddles are Moving at Pelham Saddlery Not surprisingly, riding English is the major saddle style of choice in New England. After all, the English first settled the region in the 17th century. But in this neck of the woods, saddleries that are well stocked with English saddles and related accessories tend to be few and far between.
We have lots of saddles and less ‘stuff,’ ” she said, referring to riding accessories such as, helmets, jackets, jodhpurs, tall boots, gloves, harness, leather conditioners, and saddle pads. There is, in fact, plenty of “stuff” crammed on display racks throughout the shop.
“There’s not a ton of saddleries, in general, in New England,” said certified saddle fitter Janie Matocha, a long-time employee All photos courtesy for Pelham Saddlery, a small family busiLynn Ascrizzi ness based in Pelham, NH. She estimated that only a few, genuine English saddle shops can be found within a 50 mile radius of the rural town situated about thirty-five miles north of Boston.
Visitors who first enter the shop are greeted with the pervasive, rich scent of finished leather that emanates from long rows of racks stacked high with about 700, new and pre-owned English saddles. The large inventory is displayed in two big saddle rooms — one for dressage, the other for all-purpose saddles used for hunting, jumping and light dressage. Pelham’s saddle line is at least two times larger than its nearest competitor, and its selections are more diverse. At least 40 different saddle brands are on display.
“There are lots of tack shops that have a lot of strap goods, boots, and other riding gear—and some saddles.
Owner Donna Clark founded Pelham Saddlery in 1981. A long sign bearing its former business name, The Tack
by LYNN ASCRIZZI, STAFF WRITER
Janie Matocha, saddle fitter at Pelham Saddlery.
24 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
Kate Shorten, sales associate.
Shop, Beaver Valley Farm, stretches across one of the saddle rooms. The company celebrated its 34th year in November 2015. Indeed, part of the saddlery’s ongoing success stems from its long track record. The shop attracts horse enthusiasts from a wide area, starting with folks who live in nearby towns such as, Derry, Salem and Londonderry, NH. It also draws customers from the affluent North Shore region in Massachusetts, “a seacoast area with a lot of private and backyard barns,” Matocha explained. And saddles are moving at Pelham. “We sell saddles every day and average about twelve to fifteen saddles per week. We ship UPS ground, everywhere—to places like Oregon, California, Hawaii, Alaska,” she said. Fifty percent of sales are made through their website, www. pelham-saddlery.com. The rest is through word of mouth. The business carries a select line of new saddles, such as those from Frank Baines Saddlery of Walsall, England, and Röösli Saddlebau, a Swiss saddler. “With our new saddles we try to be price competitive,” Matocha, 33, said. Pre-owned saddles, however, make up the bulk of their large inventory. “We have one of the biggest used inventories in New England,” she added.
not escaped the attention of the horsey set. For instance, at the blog site, “Rantings of a Horse Mom,” blogger Kristie Gill of Wellesley, MA, wrote: “Buying a saddle from a consignment shop is a great way to go, if you can find the
“We have one of the biggest used inventories in New England.” proper fit for your horse. . . . Pelham Saddlery. . . (has) an amazing selection of used saddles and will come to you with saddles for a reasonable fee.” The blogger was referring to trial saddles that Matocha brings to cus-
tomers’ homes and horse barns. “A good chunk of our saddles—20 to 30—are out on trial,” she said. In fact, a lot of her time is spent on the road. “I load up my Subaru Outback—I can pack it like a clown car—with 15 or more saddles for customers to try. We tailor our selection to meet their needs, such as price point and horse and rider fit.” Saddle fitting—adjusting the fit of a saddle for horse and rider—is a significant part of her job. In this way, she acts as a go between for the store and the customer’s home, horse, and barn. A likeable, downto-earth person, her riding and fitting expertise helps to give the business a hands on, personalized touch. “To bring out a bunch of saddles to customers, we charge $110, with a one-way mileage fee based on their distance from the store,” she said. The charge is $95 to make adjustments and $35 if someone simply wants their saddle checked or measurements taken. “One of the things
Dressage saddles stacked in one of two large saddle rooms at Pelham Saddlery, Pelham, NH. Approx 700 saddles are on display at the shop.
Consignment sales give their inventory a lot of clout, but these sales have a lower profit margin than new saddles. Nonetheless, the saddlery’s reputation for quality, safety checked, pre-owned saddles gives them a competitive edge that has SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 25
that stands out about this shop is that we’ve always considered ourselves as having a fit focus, as opposed to a sales focus. . . . We put a big focus on rider biomechanics and how a rider fits in their saddle.” Saddle prices, new and used, roughly range from $300 to $4,500, depending upon the saddle. Not all pre-owned saddles, however, come with rock bottom prices. “A refurbished saddle might have a $3,000 to $4,000 price tag. A Hennig saddle [Saddlery Hennig of Germany)] might cost $4,900,” she said.
“One of the things that stands out about this shop, is that we’ve always considered ourselves as having a ‘fit focus,’ as opposed to a sales focus. . . . We put a big focus on rider biomechanics and how a
ride with less, you learn to ride with more. The opposite is not true. “Saddles with monoflaps are really hot right now,” she added. “They have less leather than other styles.” To demonstrate, she pulled a new, Frank Baines saddle from a rack. “We love Baines saddles. They’re lighter than traditional saddles and super high quality. It’s not so much the weight—it’s the close contact with the horse that a monoflap can give.”
Besides the traditional treed saddles, they carry some treeless brands such as Ansür® Saddlery of Camas, WA. “Treeless saddles are a niche market. It’s getting bigger, now that they [saddlers] have improved them and are figuring out how to fit them with different pads. Ansür has modified their old design to give better spine protection,” she remarked.
rider fits in their saddle.”
Currently, one of their best selling, pre-owned brands is Custom Saddlery of Aiken, SC. Prices range from $2,600 to $3,800. Their most popular new saddles are made by Frank Baines, and they run from $2,800 to $3,200. The shop’s slower movers are older style saddles with small or non-existent knee blocks or saddles with plain flaps. “One less expensive, popular saddle is Henri De Rizel (HDR). We like their higher end models. They’re a good bang for your buck, roughly between $895 and $1,295.”
Saddle Trends Matocha showed me a Custom saddle designed with large knee blocks that help lock in the rider, a feature that has grown in popularity, she said. “It will definitely help you out, like seat belts on a car. Still, I try to steer less experienced riders away from saddles with extremely large knee blocks to something less aggressive, so a rider won’t get dependent on the blocks.” She pointed to another Custom model with less pronounced blocks. “It provides a lot of security without encouraging dependence on a block. If you learn to
Calfskin and buffalo hide are their two most popular saddle leathers. “Generally, it’s because of the extra grip those leathers give the rider. With calfskin, it’s the softness; with buffalo, it’s the texture.” If you buy a saddle, you’ll need accessories such as stirrups, saddle pads or a girth. One of the shop’s most popular items is the Total Fit Shoulder Relief Girth made by Total Saddle Fit, a young company based in El Cajon, CA. “It’s got a relatively new girth technology,” Matocha explained. “A standard girth is straight. This is contoured and sits on the horse below the chest, allowing shoulder and elbow freedom. We started with them this year. This girth is definitely one of our bestsellers.” Pelham Saddlery also handles repairs. A room in back of the store is dedicated to saddle refurbishing, including small repairs. For large repairs, they use the services of saddle restorer Patty Barnett of East Crow Saddlery in Barkhamstead, CT.
North American Saddlery School
Gain the skills necessary to start your career as an educated, independent saddle fitter Learn to alter, build, reflock & repair saddlery to increase or develop your saddlery trade Start your training to become a Qualified Master Saddler or Bridle Maker
April 25th-29th, 2016 Level One Saddlery Level Two & Three Bridle Making April 29th– May 1st, 2016 SMS Intro to Saddle Fitting May 2nd-6th, 2016 HCS Bench & Onsite Repair & Adjustment Course Level Two & Three Saddle Making
Information & Applications
www.saddleryschool.com or info@saddleryschool.com or 717-294-6757
26 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
Left to right: Janie Matocha demonstrates a popular monoflap design on a Frank Baines saddle, in a saddle room, at Pelham Saddlery. / Matocha shows a Frank Baines saddle built in more traditional-style, at Pelham Saddlery. / Matocha inspects a reconditioned saddle in a work room at Pelham Saddlery, which has a large inventory of pre-owned English saddles.
Who Rides English? ”Ninety-eight percent of our customers are female. Riding English is mostly a female sport,” Matocha explained. Sales associate Kate Shorten chimed in: “It’s one of the sports in which women can compete with men.” In fact, Shorten’s daughter, Bria, and her horse, Diamo, were getting ready that day to take part in the 2015 U.S. Dressage Finals in Lexington, KY. That morning, John Comeau, of J.S.E. Screen Printing and Embroidery also located in Pelham, rushed in to the saddlery. He had just designed an embroidered patch
with the Pelham Saddlery logo and the names of Bria and her horse to be worn on her riding jacket. “We just started working with him. He’s doing embroidery on our horse blankets, too,” said Shorten. Full-time employee Chris Tarmey, who handles emails, orders and shipping, spoke of her grown daughter who rides dressage and owns a thoroughbred. And shop manager, Pam Godin, is an avid trail rider who has participated in foxhunts and hunter-jumper events. All four employees at Pelham have a background in equine sports, an interest that boosts the shop’s credibility in the eyes of customers.
SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 27
”Ninety-eight percent of our customers are female. Riding English is mostly a female sport.” About 20% of Pelham’s customers are young riders, again, mostly girls. Many start riding at around age five, an interest that peaks at ages fourteen to fifteen. “We sell to teenage girls who don’t mind getting dirt on their hands, “ Shorten said as she worked at cleaning a saddle made of buffalo hide. Almost all saddles sold at Pelham are made of leather. Less than a dozen are synthetics, made by companies like Wintec, an Australian saddle maker, or Tekna Saddlery of Scranton, PA. “As a fitter, I like what they have to offer, especially as they improve and get more leather looking,” Matocha said. Synthetics, however, are not a traditional look for horse shows she pointed out. “But that is not the case with events like trail riding and pleasure shows, where no one cares if the saddle is synthetic. A lot of trail riders like them. You can go in mud and rain. But at hunter and breed specific shows, traditional appearances play more of a role,” she said. For more info: Pelham Saddlery 53 Windham Rd., Pelham, NH 03076 (603) 635-1263 staff@pelhamsaddlery.net www.pelham-saddlery.com Chris Tarmey handles shipping and sales at Pelham.
How “Horsey” “Horsey” isis How New England? England? New Yes, the Old West allure of the Western saddle is huge. But, riding English is amazingly popular in this country. According to a survey from USA Equestrian Federation, 63% of their 80,000 members— who range from beginners to gold medal winning Olympians—ride English. Since English saddles are especially big in New England, you’d think that this region, which includes Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, must be among the horsiest in the country. Right? Not so. New England accounts “for less than 2 percent of the national horse population,” making it the least horsey region in the 48 contiguous states,” according to a large study by American Equestrian. Saddle fitter Janie Matocha has noticed this in her work at Pelham Saddlery in Pelham, NH. “Pelham is not super horsey,” she said. In fact, New Hampshire is one of the least horsey places in the Union. Although the state has the physical space for horses, its persquare-mile horse population is 14,681 (1.6 horses per square mile), which is almost as low as Maine’s (1.2 horses per square mile). And the “Live Free or Die” state’s human-horse ratio at 88.5:1, is one of the country’s highest. But Matocha is not worried. “That’s why we do so much shipping,” she said of the English saddles being sold every day at the saddlery, many of which are shipped across the country. She knows that folks who saddle up in New England are just as passionate about their equine sport as riders who live elsewhere. And that they’ll spend to support it. Owning and riding horses does take a certain amount of expendable income. According to the American Horse Council Foundation, the median income for the 7.1 million horse owning households in America is $60,000. However, members of USA Equestrian (the majority of whom ride English), have an average annual income of $134,500. The median income for all U.S. households is $36,000. Moreover, the average member of USA Equestrian owns four horses or ponies and spends approximately $7,200 annually on horse related products like leather care, grooming equipment, bridles, and strap goods. Thirty percent of their members purchase saddles; 48% buy bridles and strap goods. More than 75% of their members compete, according to their survey.. The top horsiest state in the Union? In terms of horses per square mile of land area—it’s Maryland. To find out how horsey your state is, and for economic and other equine statistics, go to: http://www.americanequestrian. com/pdf/us-equine-demographics.pdf
28 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
LEATHERWORK: A Manual of Techniques
PAPERBACK, 160 PP.
$29.95+S/H
• Solid beginners/intermediate book. Practical & Detailed. • Practical discussion of how to make patterns. • Covers working with heavier veg leather. • Chapters on: hand sewing, built-up work, carving, stamping, lacing, light & heavy leather projects.
ORDER TODAY! PROLEPTIC, INC. P.O. Box 17817 • Asheville, NC 28816 Ph (828) 505-8474 • Fax (828) 505-8476 shoptalk@proleptic.net • www.proleptic.net
Best Quality • Great Service Over 30 Years Experience
The Handmade Marketplace How to Sell Crafts Locally, Globally and Online! Paperback, 218 pp.
10
$
.50
• BUFFALOS
• COW LININGS
• CALFS
• INSOLE BEND 8/9 & 9/10 BUFFED
• GOATS 12528 Sun Empress Dr. El Paso, TX 79938 Office (915) 239-9102 Cell (915) 373-3330 Email loycuellar@yahoo.com
• KANGAROO • TAURUS SHOULDER (BULL HIDE) GLAZE & OIL
• OUTSOLE BEND 10/11 NATURAL
Exotic Leathers are Special Order
+S/H
12 CHAPTERS INCLUDING: “Your Craft Community,” “Advertising and Publicity,” “More Online Networks,” “Selling in Online Stores,” “Other Selling Options” and “Opportunities,” etc.
Order Today! PROLEPTIC, INC. P.O. BOX 17817, ASHEVILLE, NC 28816 PH (828) 505-8474 FAX (828) 505-8476 SHOPTALK@PROLEPTIC.NET WWW.PROLEPTIC.NET
SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 29
A.C. Lawrence Cont. from p. 22 tacked each skin to a drying frame. Retired tanner Gerald “Jud” Carey of Peabody said, “You could always spot a ‘tacker’ by the size of his left thumb, which had been hit many times by the tacking hammer. In the late ‘40s, tacks were replaced by glue and the drying fields replaced by drying ovens.”
“You could always spot a ‘tacker’ by the size of his left thumb, which had been hit many times by the tacking hammer. In the late ‘40s,
Armenian, Polish, Russian, Irish, Canadian, and Finnish immigrants formed strong social bonds. Most leather workers neither needed nor could afford an automobile, so social life centered around Peabody’s densely populated ethnic neighborhoods. Picnics and outings were popular activities. Sports teams and leagues were a local passion, with many leather factories sponsoring basketball, baseball, softball, and bowling teams. The rivalry was intense, and watching and discussing local teams created a common interest among town residents. During wartime, patriotic parades, bond drives, and rallies united the workers.
Once dried and removed from their tacks were replaced racks or frames, the stiffened hides were ready to move to the middle floors of by glue and the the factory building for the next steps in their transformation to finished leather. drying fields replaced To soften and stretch the leather, the staking machine used a large mechanby drying ovens.” ical arm to repeatedly grasp and pull A present day International Festival, first the hide. Machine operators used their held in 1984, celebrates the rich ethnic bodies to hold the hide against the taheritage and diversity of the Peabody community, a legble of the machine, which was sometimes called a “belly acy of the immigrant workers who came to this area to staker.” A similar machine was the glazer, which used a work in the leather industry. cylindrical glass tube to stretch and shine the leather. Finishes were applied to the leather with sprayers or by hand sponging. Next, the buffing machine imparted a smooth, even appearance to the surface. Some leathers were treated in embossing or plating machines which applied heat and pressure to smooth or emboss a texture to the surface of the material. The finished leather was then trimmed of any unsalable areas, measured, and inspected. After undergoing a wide range of chemical and physical processes, and passing through as many as 100 pairs of hands, the inspected leather was finally ready to leave the plant. Packed in rolls of about a dozen hides and wrapped in paper, the finished bundles were transported to A. C. Lawrence headquarters in Boston or to another of the company’s warehouses. For many years A.C. Lawrence horse drawn wagons delivered leather from the Peabody factories to the Boston warehouses, but later motorized trucks were used.
The Crucial Role of Labor Between 1850 and 1913, America absorbed over 30 million immigrants from around the globe, and the leather industry depended on a steady influx of willing laborers. Lacking language or technical skills, new immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe were drawn to Peabody by the prospect of abundant jobs located in the middle of supportive immigrant communities. Working side by side in dirty, difficult, and often dangerous conditions, the Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish, 30 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
Haig Arakelian, a former leather factory employee, recalled in the 1991 documentary Leather Soul: Working for a Life in a Factory Town: “Everyone I knew, my whole social contact, was with people working in the leather shops. The people I graduated with from high school-the majority of those people would go into the leather shops.” The leather business permeated the very air that people breathed, but few noticed the smell of hides and chemicals that hung over the city; no one complained about
When Only The
Best Will Do
Ask For It By Name.
The only harness webbing that carries a guarantee from the manufacturer. For a harness that works as hard as you do, select the best materials from the most reliable source in the industry. Brahma Webb®, Weaver’s own brand of durable coated webbing, is weather-resistant, low maintenance and easy to clean. The soft sheen and realistic leather grain imprint of Brahma Webb® combined with durable, non-rust stainless steel hardware make for a harness that looks as good as it performs. Ask for Brahma Webb® at your local harness shops. Complete harnesses or Brahma Webb® are available from the following distributors.
Fisher’s Harness Shop Countryside Manufacturing Troyer Enterprises Ronks, PA Milton, IA Millersburg, IN 717-687-6048 641-656-4339 VM 574-642-3678
Check Out Our New Colors! Russet Brown
Chili Pepper Red
Lime Green
Hot Pink
Alpine Green
Orbit Yellow
Hurricane Blue
We offer non-rust stainless steel hardware, including a line designed by Jeremiah Watt, in a wide variety of options for your next project
Call 800-932-8371 shop.weaverleather.com SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 31 DAS120215R-1
the smokestacks and soot that turned the downtown gray each afternoon. “It stunk like hell, but people didn’t fight it, and it was how we lived,’’ said Bob Quinn, who worked for A. C. Lawrence for fifteen years in the 1950’s and ’60’s. “My father, brother and uncles all worked there, too. I figured out at one time that our family had about 150 or 160 years in total at A. C. Lawrence.’’ Workers who became accustomed to the smell still struggled with the noisy, frantic environment, and the crushing boredom of completing the same task hundreds of times each day. “The work was mind-numbing,’’ said former employee Jeff Wignall. More difficult to ignore than the smell and the boredom were the many hazards associated with working in the leather factories. In a 1922 article in the journal Leather & Shoes, written by an A.C. Lawrence safety specialist, the safety risks were outlined: “The primary operations of leather-making necessitate heavy and wet work, combining the hazards of slipping, danger of being injured by machinery and also the chance of being burned by chemicals used in the tanning processes. Many of the operations are done by machines, ranging from large presses weighing tons down to the small machines used
32 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
for cutting innersoles and welting, and the problem of keeping down accidents in the tannery is no easy one to contend with.” The article goes on to describe accidents in which workers were crushed in giant wheels; hands and arms were severed by embossing machines; fingers were lost in stripping machines; and chemical burns resulted from handling toxic and corrosive materials. A Waynesville, NC, resident and grandson of an A.C. Lawrence tannery veteran wrote in an online local history forum: “I remember one Saturday I was at my grandfather’s house and the ambulance went down the street flying. It was going to the tannery. In the pressroom, there was a machine with a big stainless steel roller which was about 36 inches across and about the same in diameter. It went in a repetitive motion back and forth probably traveling five to six feet. The worker would throw in a sheet of leather and it would go over it a time or two and then they would pull it out and put another in. This put the real smooth finish on the sheet. He had gotten a sheet hung and reached in to get it. When he did, his head was crushed.” To reduce injuries and fatalities, A.C. Lawrence created a company-wide safety program to report and investigate
HANDMADE TO SELL Hello Craft’s Guide to Owning, Running and Growing Your Crafty Biz Paperback, 175 pp.
$ 9 .50 +S/H
• Covers nuts & bolts of running a craft business • Discusses marketing in detail, craft fairs, business practices, business finances, selling online • Good listing of marketing resources & organizations
• Useful •
day: Order To PROLEPTIC, INC.
P.O. BOX 17817, ASHEVILLE, NC 28816 PH (828) 505-8474 FAX (828) 505-8476 SHOPTALK@PROLEPTIC.NET WWW.PROLEPTIC.NET
each incident that resulted in an injury to a worker and to devise mechanical and procedural safeguards. The program, according to the Leather & Shoes article, was “relieving a lot of unnecessary suffering and expense to our men, in addition to making a substantial saving to the company.” Alone among the large leather enterprises in Peabody, A.C. Lawrence kept a medical doctor available on-site to attend to worker illnesses and injuries at all times. While their health and safety were of concern to plant management, however, A.C. Lawrence workers experienced other inequities common to laborers in the leather industry. Until the labor demonstrations of the 1930’s, employees were not entitled to paid time off, overtime compensation, sick days, wage protections, health insurance plans, or a voice to express their concerns to plant management. As early as 1833, leather workers in Salem (which at that time encompassed Peabody) began attempts to establish a national trade union. Though this initial effort at unionization failed to yield significant or lasting results, by the turn of the century leather workers were gaining some ground. Under a charter from the American Federation of Labor, the United Brotherhood of Leather Workers negotiated for six years, eventually winning the
LEATHERWORK: A PRACTICAL GUIDE
HARDCOVER, 174 PP.
$45.00
+S/H
• Written for British Audience. Basic beginner’s book. • Size charts. Basic leather working techniques. • Strap Making, Raised Work, Rounded Work • Mystery Weave – 3 & 5 plait. • Projects cover chain belt, coin bag, storage box, caveson, billets.
day! o T r Orde
Proleptic, Inc. P.O. Box 17817 Asheville, NC 28816 Ph (828) 505-8474 Fax (828) 505-8476 shoptalk@proleptic.net www.proleptic.net
nine hour day. At that time, the work week was six days, and the weekly pay was around $7. Like other factory owners in the Northeast and throughout the United States, A.C. Lawrence managers actively discouraged union organizing by exploiting ethnic divisions among their workers, preventing new immigrants from learning about unionizing activities and associating labor unions with communism. In the 1920s, a national “red scare” suppressed union organizing efforts for yet another decade. After the stock market crash of 1929, things went from difficult to worse for leather workers. Employers cut wages repeatedly, increased working hours, and laid off many employees, especially those who complained about conditions. By 1933, leather workers in the Boston area had suffered a 10% reduction in pay along with an increase in the work day to ten hours Monday through Friday and five hours on Saturday. No matter how hard the leather workers were squeezed, however, most of the immigrant laborers were happy just to have a job during the years of the Great Depression. Only the action of the United States government, with the passage of the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA), empowered employees to gain some degree of
SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 33
control over their working conditions. This bill, passed by Congress and signed into law by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, was designed to “rehabilitate industry and relieve unemployment.” For the first time, workers had a legal right to organize and to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing. Aiding a new sense of solidarity among workers was a sharp decrease in the number of new immigrants entering the country after World War I. With fewer newcomers to integrate, workers came to see ethnic differences as less divisive than in earlier times. Although Peabody’s workforce was still ethnically diverse, a new sense of the possibilities offered by collective action emerged. On a cold morning in March 1933, shoe factory workers in the neighboring towns of Lynn and Salem went on strike. In the first week of the strike, employees of a few Peabody leather factories walked off the job, but most workers reported to their factories while labor representatives negotiated with Peabody factory owners. The sticking point was union recognition. Although the leather companies were prepared to accept a 48 hour work week and a uniform wage scale, they drew the line at accepting unionization. A.C. Lawrence made it clear that the company would close its doors before recognizing the union. By the end of March, many leather workers had joined the strike. The leather companies brought in “scabs,” or strikebreakers, to avoid shutting down their operations. The citizens of Peabody turned out in large crowds to obstruct the scabs, throwing bricks and blocking streets. Police officers, most of whom were sympathetic to the strikers, had a difficult job in maintaining order. On May 3, 1933, the strike ended as suddenly as it had begun, with thirty-two leather shops signing a formal agreement which created a new union, the National Leather Workers Association (NLWA). A.C. Lawrence refused to recognize this union, establishing in its place an in-house union called the A.C.L. Workers’ Assembly. By paying higher wages than the union shops, and pro-
viding additional benefits not found in any other leather company in the country, A.C. Lawrence managed to prevent its workers from joining the NLWA. In a 1937 vote, 80% of the Lawrence employees rejected NLWA membership. As World War II began and the United States found itself reluctantly pulled into the conflict, the NLWA pledged to refrain from striking for the duration of the war. Over 1,000 Peabody-based A.C. Lawrence workers served in the military, with forty-four workers killed during the conflict. A stone monument, located at the corner of Lowell and Crowninshield streets in Peabody, memorializes these veterans. The tannery’s products were also crucial to the war effort. For example, over half of the sheepskin used in U.S. air crews’ flight uniforms was produced by the A.C. Lawrence plant in Winchester, New Hampshire. At war’s end, as U.S. industrial production regained its footing in the new peacetime economy, the influence of labor unions continued to grow. In the early 1940’s, 60% of workers in the leather industry belonged to a union. From the end of the war until 1947, the union increased workers’ salaries by $12 a week, improved safety and sanitary conditions in the factories, and won a thirteen week sick benefit policy. Besides these economic gains, the union also tried to offset the effects of postwar inflation by offering services such as a credit union, a consumer buying service, and a consumer education and research service. The union also initiated social programs such as educational courses, cultural activities, recreation opportunities, health care services, and assistance to worker families in need. Throughout this period, A.C. Lawrence continued to resist unionization by offering comparable, and even superior, wages, benefits, and programs to its employees. The
34 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
Over half of the company established the first pension plan in the industry in 1919, and expanded the plan to cover more of its workforce in 1947. By 1951, however, the labor movement finally arrived on the factory floors of the A.C. Lawrence plants in Peabody. Of 1,350 members voting, 1,160 cast ballots to leave the A.C. Lawrence in-house union and to join the International Fur and Leather Workers Union (IFLWU) as Local 33. In making this decision, A.C. Lawrence workers were swayed by the success of Peabody’s Local 21 of the IFLWU in winning wage concessions and benefits for its members. This confidence in the union was rewarded when the IFLWU won for workers a raise of 11 cents per hour and other benefits in its first negotiations with A.C. Lawrence executives, which concluded in June 1952. Despite these successes, the late 1940’s and 1950’s were a time of organizational turmoil and political backlash for the unions. The passage of the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947 (which Congress upheld over President Truman’s veto) imposed limits on unions’ ability to strike and restricted radicals from serving in union leadership positions. Amid the growing national concern about the threats posed by the communism in Soviet Union and China, a culture of anti-communist fear and hysteria developed. Fanned by highly publicized trials and hearings instigated by figures such as U.S. Senator Joseph P. McCarthy and Federal Bureau of Investigations Director J. Edgar Hoover, this “red scare” touched many parts of American society. With their emphasis on egalitarianism, workers’ rights, and fair distribution of capital, unions were suspected of promoting communist ideologies. The IFLWU was one of eleven unions ejected from the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) in 1949 for suspicions of communist sympathies. In 1955, Peabody Local 21 left the
sheepskin used in U.S. air crews’ flight uniforms was produced by the A.C. Lawrence plant in Winchester, New Hampshire. IFLWU, rejoined the CIO and, in May, joined the Leather Workers Organizing Committee (LWOC). In July 1955, A.C. Lawrence employees of Local 33 joined with their fellow Peabody leather workers in the LWOC, CIO, finally uniting all Peabody leather workers into a consolidated organization. By the end of 1955, the AFL and the CIO had merged, and the LWOC was renamed the Leather Workers International Union of America (LWIUA). The merged union made additional gains in securing better wages, benefits, and conditions and negotiated a comprehensive pension plan for leather workers.
An Industry in Decline While labor conditions were improving for workers, the business environment for U.S. tanneries had entered a phase of long decline. Between 1955 and 1966, eighteen leather concerns left Peabody, driven by a combination of factors: an increase in the use of leather substitutes, foreign imports of finished leather, rising labor costs, trade quotas and tariffs unfavorable to domestic manufacturers, and new environmental regulations. Many tanneries shifted all or part of their operations to Maine and the southern states. As the industry leader, A.C. Law-
rence directed some of its considerable resources into initiatives aimed at countering the many threats facing the leather industry. In 1959, the company sponsored a major advertising and public relations campaign designed to educate consumers about the leather it produced. A.C. Lawrence touted its record of experience and quality when it said, “No company in the leather industry can approach the size and scope of operations familiar to us at A.C. Lawrence.” In addition to its outreach to leather buyers, the company sought to mobilize its employees as ambassadors for their products in the local community. A “World of Leather” exhibit was mounted at the Northshore Mall to introduce the wide range of A.C. Lawrence products to local consumers. Though A.C. Lawrence’s advertising campaign was moderately successful, other leather companies waited until the mid-1960’s to launch similar campaigns. By then, it was too little, too late. Another A.C. Lawrence initiative aimed at countering the industry’s decline was its bi-monthly colloquium program in which laboratory personnel and production supervisors met to discuss what was working well within the company and which practices could be altered to improve the company’s competitiveness. Although these efforts were sensible and sincere, they could not change the economic fundamentals that drove the industry trends. When demand for shoe side upper leather, a key specialty of the company, declined, managers and employees alike could see the writing on the wall. A brief respite was achieved for some A.C. Lawrence workers when, in 1976, a group of ten former plant employees took over management of the Peabody operations. Though they were ultimately unsuccessful at staving off the company’s demise, these men’s efforts saved 700 jobs SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 35
for an additional fifteen years. As the leather industry declined, many leather workers hoped for a different kind of future for their children. Filmmaker Joe Cultrera, the director of the 1991 documentary film Leather Soul, was one of those Peabody kids who considered entering the family trade. After graduating from Bishop Fenwick High School in 1976, Cultrera didn’t want to go to college, so his father got him a job in a leather factory. It only took a year of this type of labor to make Cultrera change his mind. “The factories gave me a college ambition,” he said. Former Peabody mayor Michael Bonfanti, who first worked in a leather factory at age eleven, explained the mindset of tannery employees: “They spent their hours and days working in these conditions to put bread on the table, and to provide an opportunity. The American Dream was not necessarily for them, it was for the next generation.’’ For better and for worse, those laborers got their wish. By the late 1980’s, the global leather industry had relocated to Asia and South America. In 1991, A.C. Lawrence closed its doors and many smaller firms went out of business at the same time. The children of Peabody leather workers would no longer go into the leather business, though the
Sewing Leather Accessories HOW TO MAKE CUSTOM BELTS, GLOVES & CLUTCHES
Paperback, 80 pp. • Clean & detailed instructions from
$14
.50
+S/H
seamstress point of view. • How to neatly sew in zippers & buttonholes on home machine. • Excellent pattern making. • Good explanation of folding edges. • Complete instructions for light leather fashion belts, gloves & fashion clutches.
Order Today! PROLEPTIC, INC. P.O. Box 17817 Asheville, NC 28816 Ph (828) 505-8474 Fax (828) 505-8476 shoptalk@proleptic.net www.proleptic.net
36 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
local high school sports teams are known as the “Tanners” to this day.
Environmental Regulation and Prosecution Officially founded in 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was born out of a growing public awareness of environmental pollution in many forms. This awareness had first crystallized in 1962, the year Rachel Carson’s best selling book Silent Spring was published. Carson attacked the indiscriminate use of pesticides which was then decimating bird populations, but her readers were more alarmed about the possible effects on human health of hidden pollutants in the environment. In the early years of the EPA’s existence, confidence ran high throughout the agency and the federal government that technologies for controlling environmental pollution would keep contamination below acceptable levels at a moderate cost. All that was needed, the thinking went, were national standards and a strong enforcement effort. As the true costs and scope of eliminating the release of industrial chemicals during the leather manufactur-
The American Donkey & Mule Society Established 1967—Serving Longears and their owners for over 40 years.
World’s Largest Single Source of Information and Services for all sizes of Donkeys, Mules & Zebra Hybrids. Home of the BRAYER magazine, The Original All-Breed Longear Publication 112 pages bi-Monthly. $23 US, $30 Canada, $35 overseas Ck, MO, Paypal, MC/Visa ADMS, PO Box 1210, Lewisville TX 75067 (972) 219-0781 Email lovelongears@hotmail.com ** www.lovelongears.com
Portrait of company founder A.C. Lawrence. Courtesy of Peabody Leatherworkers Museum.
An issue of the A.C. Lawrence newsletter honoring company members with many years of service. Those pictured had over 30 years with the company. Courtesy of Peabody Leatherworkers Museum.
ing process became clearer, the leather industry scrambled to respond to the new regulations. Between 1971 and 1981, A.C. Lawrence received more than $250,000 in grants from the EPA to conduct a study to help establish ‘’reasonable’’ waste discharge standards for the leather tanning industry by showing what ‘’the best available technology’’ for pollution control could do. After reviewing an early draft of this article, former leatherworker R. Peckham of Massachusetts pointed out that neither industry nor government had a clear framework for determining best practices for dealing with byproducts from tanning in the early days of EPA regulation. Based on his personal knowledge of the people involved, Peckham believes A.C. Lawrence executives acted in good faith. From the perspective of the EPA, however, the company illegally continued dumping wastewater from the Winchester, NH, operation into the Ashuelot River while receiving grant funds to address the problem. In the first major Federal felony prosecution of a criminal pollution case, the A.C. Lawrence company and five of the executives responsible for the Winchester tannery
were fined a total of $475,920 in a 1983 decision which followed two years of investigation, indictments, and trials. The executives also were given suspended prison sentences with supervised probation. Federal prosecutors had argued for prison time. In addition to the charges of discharging polluted wastewater and concealing it, three of the executives were charged with burying more than 1,000 barrels of perchloroethylene, a hide degreasing solvent, on the grounds of the plant. Here again, Peckham disputes the prosecutors’ version of events, saying those involved were unlikely to have disposed of waste in this manner. In 1987, the Winchester tannery closed. A 2011 federal environmental case involving another former A.C. Lawrence tanning site sought $5.7 million in cleanup costs from ConAgra, the successor to A.C. Lawrence ownership of a facility in South Paris, ME. In 1953, the A.C. Lawrence parent company, Swift & Co., purchased land in South Paris, where it built a tannery and settling lagoons to collect tannery waste on the banks of the Little Androscoggin River. In November 1955, A.C. SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 37
LEFT: Vintage leather industry tools at the Peabody Leatherworkers Museum in MA. Courtesy of Peabody Leatherworkers Museum. RIGHT: Leather surface area measuring machine called the Korrect measurer. Courtesy of Peabody Leatherworkers Museum.
Lawrence Leather Co. opened and began operating the tannery. From 1955 until the opening of a publicly owned wastewater treatment facility in 1975, waste was discharged into the lagoons, resulting in widespread chromium contamination. The EPA removed 34,000 tons of contaminated soil from the site. Perhaps because the factories in Peabody discharged their waste into the North River, which carried the pollution into Salem Sound and out to sea, environmental contamination within the town of Peabody was not the subject of large scale EPA legal action. As one Peabody native said of the contamination, “You could tell what color they were dying the leather that day by the color of the river.” James F. Lee, another Peabody native, said, “Salem’s North River...at low tide emitted a horrendous odor, best described as rotten eggs. On a warm summer night (in pre-airconditioning days) you couldn’t keep the windows open because the smell from the river was so bad. I remember one summer when helicopters bombed the river with chemicals in the hope of diluting the smell. It didn’t work.” Though certainly not the only factor in the demise of the once dominant A.C. Lawrence Leather Co., environmental regulations and penalties undoubtedly contributed to a business climate that no longer favored profitable leather tanning on a large scale in the United States.
38 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
Peabody Today As the leather industry declined, the town of Peabody leveraged its location at the junction of Interstate 95, Massachusetts Route 128, and U.S. Highway 1 to transition its economy away from industrial production to housing and services for workers in the growing technology sector. The Northshore Mall, which was first constructed as an outdoor shopping court in 1958, was a major development project that reflected the town’s shift toward a service oriented economy. Major redevelopment projects in 1992 and 2009 have expanded the mall and allowed it to continue to attract shoppers from the towns north of Boston as well as residents of southern New Hampshire. Centennial Park, a 307 acre business park combining office and technology manufacturing uses, was developed in the mid-1980’s to attract new businesses to Peabody. Thousands of homes were built on new subdivision streets in West Peabody on what had previously been farmland. But what of the old tannery build-
“You could tell what color they were dying the leather that day by the color of the river.”
ings that so dominated the center of the town? Some met a quick end in a series of dramatic fires. One of the worst of these occurred at the Henry Leather Company on May 10, 1985. Starting with an explosion touched off by a spark from a welder’s torch, the fire quickly spread to other buildings in the densely packed complex. The fire raged all day and was only stopped by the combined efforts of thirty-seven fire engines, ten ladder trucks, and two foam trucks normally used for fighting aircraft fires. The total losses from the fire reached into the tens of millions of dollars and also had a major environmental impact. Many other leather factories burned through the years, but the A.C. Lawrence buildings fared better than most, perhaps because they were better constructed (with sprinklers and other fire suppressing measures) and maintained. Some A.C. Lawrence buildings have been converted to elderly housing and loftstyle condominiums. Others have been repurposed for warehousing and storage. Recent master plans for the former industrial districts in downtown Peabody have called for the development of a Riverwalk along the North River corridor. The area will feature a combination of open spaces, historical exhibits highlighting the city’s leather working past, and future mass transit on the rail bed next to the river.
Leather Workers Museum The memory of the heyday of American leather manufacturing is alive and well at the Peabody Leather Workers Museum, the first of its kind anywhere. Open since 2009, the museum was the result of over a decade of planning, the work of dedicated volunteers, and $550,000 in Community Preservation Act funds. Inside the 3,500-square-foot building, a central exhibition hall displays a staking machine and a measuring
SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 39
WESTERN LEATHER AND EQUIPMENT TRADE SHOW/AUCTION LEATHER, RAW MATERIALS, TOOLS, MACHINERY, SADDLES, AND TACK... On behalf of me and all of our staff, we want to thank everyone who participated in the 2015 event, either as a buyer, or a seller. Overall Auction prices for leather were up 30% from previous year’s prices. AUCTIONS ARE A GREAT WAY FOR PEOPLE TO SELL OFF ITEMS THEY NO LONGER NEED, SUCH AS MACHINES, TOOLS, RAW MATERIALS, SLOW MOVING MERCHANDISE FROM THEIR STORES, OR A USED SADDLE THAT A RIDER WOULD LIKE TO SELL TO GET A BRAND NEW ONE.
2016 EVENT: THE DATES FOR THE 2016 SHOW WILL BE MARCH 13TH, 14TH, AND 15TH. French Lick Resort Rooms are still only $119 per night, including Sunday night (set up). With other motels down the street starting at $79 per night. All applicable taxes still apply. This is a show that is taking momentum, and due to the amount of raw materials and finished goods at this show, we want to welcome all hobbyists, leather guilds, crafters, and end users for those items.
day of the show.
Set up will be on Sunday evening MARCH 13TH from 6:30 till midnight, and then on the next day on Monday MARCH 14TH from 7 a.m. till noon. We will have a set up party / meet and greet from 12 noon till 1 p.m., with pizza and drinks served. The show officially opens from 1 p.m. till 8 p.m. for the first
Seminars can go on from 2 to 4:00 for vendors that would like to sponsor one. We will provide the room at no charge, and give you an hour or so for your presentation. With the main auction now being the last day, all vendors will have to stay in order to reap the best benefit.
NEW LOWER PRICING AS FOLLOWS: 3rd time will be a charm…. 3rd time vendors showing will be allowed to buy a booth at the new reduced price, for whatever size you choose, and get it for half price. This will apply to all new vendors in the future as well. 3rd time is a bonus show, and our way of saying thank you for your continued support, for as long as we have our show. RENT IS AS FOLLOWS: MEDIA TABLE: You send it in, and we put your product on display for you. We will send it back to you after the show. You pay the shipping both ways. $50 Per ½ table, $75 for a 2x8 full size table. THIS IS NOT MANNED, IT IS FOR MEDIA OR PRODUCT DISPLAY ONLY. SALESMAN BOOTH: Samples only, no cash and carry - $150 for a 10x10. Vendors who are on sight selling their products or services are required to have a booth to do this or participate in the auction side of the event. All vendors will be required to have a badge. CASH AND CARRY BOOTH: We will be giving a reduced commission rate for sellers that have a booth in the show and would also like to sell items in the auction from 15% to 12.5%. 10X10 is $375
10x20 is $675
10x30 is $975
You can replenish your stock as needed, but all items have to be carried in after the event starts. No carts in aisles during the event.
40 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
Early bird auction that first day from 4:00 p.m. till 8 p.m., to sell saddles and tack, and miscellaneous items including hand tools.
All vendors who sign up early, get to take advantage of all the free advertising that we will do for you. Ads will be on our web site, auction zip, printed in shop talk and the leather crafters journal, tack-n-togs online blog, facebook social media sites, etc. This show is open to everyone, so you can retail and wholesale. All wholesale buyers will have badges so you know to sell them at wholesale prices. Our regular commission rate is 15%, with a special rate for vendors who have booths at only 12.5% Commission. Sellers of new tack in the auction (of any volume), must have a booth.
GET WITH US AS SOON AS YOU CAN AND LET US KNOW IF YOU ARE GETTING A BOOTH OR SELLING IN THE AUCTION, SO WE CAN GET THE ADS IN PLACE, AND START OUR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN FOR YOU. CONTACT JAMES COX at 513-889-0500, fax to 513-894-3844, or email at Jimnwestern1@aol.com For updates to the show, or to see consigned auction items, go to www.moserleatherco.com, or www.auctionzip.com - ID 8433..respectively.
A special audiovisual room, complete with original benches taken from the leather workers’ union hall, screens the Leather Soul documentary. Also in Peabody, a stone monument in the Leather City Commons public park bears a poignant reminder of a world and a time past:
“As an oak leaf from this common floats down Proctor Brook to the sea, here we too commemorate, for all the world, the labors of our forebears, our neighbors, and our friends. They built a city as strong, as diverse, as enduring as the leather they made. Let their toil in shaping this community and in supporting the hopes and dreams of future generations, be remembered, now and always.” For more information about the A.C. Lawrence Company and the Peabody leather industry, see the following sources: • Quinn, Ted. Peabody’s Leather Industry. Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Publishing, 2008. Print. • Leather Soul: Working for a Life in a Factory Town. Producer: Bob Quinn; Director/Editor: Joe Cultrera. Picture Business Productions. Documentary Film. Available on YouTube. • Peabody Leatherworkers Museum, 205 Washington St., Peabody, MA 01960, (978) 531-0355, www.peabodymuseums.org.
DOUBLE K LEATHER SALES, LLC
k-k
205 N. MAIN, ST. CHARLES, MO. 63301 OFFICE: 636-493-1833 • Toll-Free: 888-263-5277 FAX: 636-493-1825 • sales@doublekleather.com
OPTIONS.
machine, devices that once were vital to the industry. Old photos and wall texts trace the history of the industry in the city. A striking wall mural memorializes the labor of generations of immigrant workers, and an original work whistle from A.C. Lawrence recalls a time when its sound called thousands of employees to the factory each day.
VISIT Our New webSITe
www.doublekleather.com Daily Specials Hide OPTIONS U.S. Heavy Native Steer (U.S. or South American) Leather OPTIONS
Skirting • Latigo • Harness • Strap Craft Sides • Double Shoulders • Double Butts Dossets • Veg Bellies • Suede • Chap • Oil Tans Top Grain • Full Grain 3/4 oz (10 Colors) • Motorcycle Saddlebag 7oz Black • Exotic Prints Imitation Golden Fleece • Hair On Cowhides • BioThane (coated webbing) •
Double K Leather Sales Warehouse Locations: Atchison, Kansas • Houston, Texas St. Charles, Missouri
You have OPTIONS with Double K Leather
Chap, Saddle & Tooling Leather! The best grades from the best tanneries! Hermann Oak #1, or A & B grades only! Skirting, Harness, Strap, tooling, etc. Large clean sides of chap leather! Same types and colors always in stock! Work, Rodeo and Show!
WHOLESALE
& RETAIL
We make custom show stall curtains with decorations Also tack box covers, table covers, etc.
• Horse blankets & sheets, shipping boots, harness bags, hay bags, & related items • Reflective bands • Carriage covers 4285 TOWNSHIP ROAD 628 Millersburg, OH 44654
Phone: 330-674-0879
Outstanding service! Real leather sample cards available!
Goliger Leather Company 800 423-2329 Fax 805 650-1742 email: service@goligerleather.com Visit our website: goligerleather.com
SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 41
NICK PERNOKAS
Tips & Techniques from the Professional
HOW TO RE PAI R A TORN W EA R L EAT H ER O N A S T IR R U P L EAT H E R This month we are very pleased to have as our guest Nick Pernokas, Senior Feature Writer. Some people use wear leathers on their stirrup leathers and some don’t. I use them, and I think they provide a finished look that my customers expect to see. This particular saddle is one that I made. A calf roper named Timber Moore has been using this saddle and, at a rodeo the other night, a prong came out of the stirrup buckle. The whole buckle slipped down the stirrup leather and tore the wear leather on top of it. This is really unusual as I never see prongs coming out of newer buckles. When the wear leather tears, the easiest fix is to remove it completely. This saddle was only a few years old though, and I wanted it to look good. Replacing it would look much cleaner.
so it’s easy to back it out and drop the skirt. I push/pull the stirrup leather out, and I’m ready to go to work. I could just put a new prong in the buckle but, because the buckle is so new, I’m worried about the other prong. I’ll simply pull it out and put a whole new buckle in. I use a pointed fid to bend the old rivet washers up and I have the buckles swapped in a few minutes. Next is the wear leather. I cut the loosest stitches on top and bottom of the damaged area, and start there, pulling the top thread back for slack and then using a pointed awl to pick out the stitches. I don’t cut the thread but pull the whole length out, one stitch at a time.
The first step is to remove the stirrup leather from the saddle. You want to check in the handhold and see what’s holding the skirt up. On my saddles I use a screw,
Always check and see what’s holding the skirt up. In this case there is one screw which will need to be removed and then reinstalled.
The wear leather on top of this stirrup leather was torn when the stirrup buckle came out and allowed the buckle to slip.
42 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
The washers are bent with a fid and then pulled off with an end cutter or even nippers. The rivets are then cut with the end cutters and the buckle is easily replaced.
Buggy Builder’s Bulletin
Bi-monthly trade publication for Carriage & Wagon Makers $25/year in U.S. ~ $30 (US funds only) in Canada
Buggy Builder’s Bulletin 795 Mason St., Dayton, VA 22821
(540) 879-9260
From top: The new wear leather is on the bottom of this stirrup leather as it is sewn upside down through the old holes. / The new holes are punched from the back through the old holes. I use antique irons with leather glued on the bottoms as weights on many projects. They really help to keep your work from slipping and sliding around. / The finished job looks like new and only took a few minutes.
I measure the old wear leather before I remove it. After I take it off, I make a new wear leather to those exact measurements out of 4/5 oz. latigo. It has to be firm, not pulpy. I glue it down exactly where the old one was. I turn the stirrup leather upside down and machine sew it, walking it one stitch at a time through the old holes. After I’ve gone all the way around, I hand sew the ends back over each other and melt them. This holds better than a knot which can be cut by the buckle sleeve. Of course, now I punch the holes in the wear leather from the back side as well. I replace the stirrup leather and fender on the saddle. I make sure that I replace the skirt screw as well. That one is easy to forget! The saddle looks like new, and I give it to the boy who is taking it to Timber at a roping in Louisiana. The repair job is not a big thing, but the customer service means a lot to a guy who’s making a living in his saddle on the road. SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 43
Hermann Oaks Sm Text Ad_BW03_12_Layout 1 3/4/13 8:13 AM Page 1
Skirting • Harness • Latigo • Bridle • Holster • Belting • Rawhide • Tooling
CARVES LIKE BUTTER–STAMPS TO AN INCREDIBLE DEPTH
FIRM–STRONG & FLEXIBLE–BEAUTIFUL
THIS IS HERMANN OAK LEATHER! Our leathers are tanned in the United States using only the finest North American Hides. For wholesale service, contact us at 1 (800) 325-7950 or fax us at (314) 421-6152 Or contact the nearest distributor listed below: El Paso, TX, Bowden Leather Company 915-877-1557 Ventura, CA, Goliger Leather Company 800-423-2329 Napa, CA, Hide & Leather House 707-255-6160 Billings, MT, Montana Leather Company 406-245-1660 Portland, OR, Oregon Leather Company 503-228-4105 Amarillo, TX, Panhandle Leather Company 806-373-0535 Sheridan, WY, Sheridan Leather Outfitters 888-803-3030 Mt Hope, OH, Weaver Leather, Inc 800-WEAVER-1
44 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
Springfield, MO, Springfield Leather Company 800-668-8518 Calgary, AB, Canada, Caledon Sales Ltd 403-252-0232 Botany, NSW, Australia, Birdsall Leather 011-612-9316-6299 Toowoomba, Qsld, Australia, Toowoomba Saddlery 011-617-4633-1855 Suginami-ku, Tokyo, Japan, Craft & Company Ltd. 011-81-3-5698-5511 Taito-Ku, Tokyo, Japan, Kyoshin Elle & Co., LTD 011-81-3-3866-3221 Maniwa, Japan, Star Trading Company 011-81-8-6742-8004 What Firminy, France, Logis de Cordes 33-04-61-19-16
St. Louis, MO Since 1881
Legends Are Made Of. www.hermannoakleather.com
JANUA RY 2016
News, Notes & Queries NEW NUMBER FOR GLENN POINTER
IS YOUR SHOP FIREPROOF? That’s right—it’s time to fireproof the shop and here’s a checklist that might help to put out the fires BEFORE they get started and you suddenly become a homeless person—which can happen, my friend, in a blink of an eye!
o Check your fire insurance policy and make sure it covers everything you need covered. If you have questions, go see your agent TODAY! o Check to make sure you have enough fire
extinguishers in the shop, that they are fully charged, easy to get at, and everyone knows how to work one.
o Make sure that the area around your stove
or furnace is clear of combustibles—keep paper, wood, harness oil, etc. AWAY from that area at all costs. I would add please don’t let stuff that can burn build up—like boxes and trash and rags and old catalogs, etc. GET RID OF THEM.
If you’re a custom saddle maker and looking for someone to make custom buckles, dees, and rings for your custom saddles, then you better give Glenn Pointer a call. Fortunately, we have his new number which is (325) 554-7726. New area code. In the November issue we mentioned Glenn in an article about a lovely saddle that Nick Pernokas recently finished and for which Glenn made all the handsome hardware.
CHEAP STAMPING TOOLS Have I got a deal for you! We are selling all remaining leather stamps from our Big Tool Sale—regardless of size—for $2.85 each!! Ridiculous! So don’t delay, get on the phone and order some today. You MUST order a minimum of 3 stamps at a time. Does not include S&H. Contact: Shop Talk!, P O Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, (828) 505-8474, shoptalk@proleptic.net.
MY BUYER’S GUIDE! 2016 Oh, boy—if you weren’t in last year’s buyer’s guide you have no idea how much business you’ve LOST! MISSED! GONE BEGGING! Gazillions of dollars’ worth! What a dummy you are!
o Make sure that your chimney is clean and
For as little as $189 you too can reach 16,000 shops, manufacturers, and retailers.
o If you need to grind or weld or burn or
And just who does that include you might well ask. Just about EVERY—
avoid a chimney fire.
create sparks of ANY kind, do it someplace else like a machine shop or OUTSIDE!
o Last but NOT least: keep the phone number for your local fire department right next to the phone for quick access. When there’s an emergency, every minute counts.
Be safe. Stay warm. And while you’re at it, why not donate $10 to your local fire department—those guys and gals do such a great job and are always there when you need them. So please do your part and make a contribution today. Let’s face it—if you’re not there for them, they won’t be there for you.
*Tack shop in the US *Every saddle shop *Every harness shop *Every English saddle shop *Every Western store. Wow! So what are you waiting for, Jed? That’s a no-brainer. Give us a call today and reserve a spot: My Buyer’s Guide!, P O Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28817, (828) 505-8474, e-mail: info@mybuyersguide.net, www. mybuyersguide.net. SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 45
News, Notes & Queries 47TH ANNUAL HARNESS MAKERS’ GET-TOGETHER The annual consignment auction the day before the Get-Together will held on July 14, at Windy Knoll Sewing in Nottingham, PA, (717) 529-7506. Andy Troyer from Troyer’s Rope will be hosting a knot and rope making seminar at Keystone Harness on Friday, the 15th, where the Get-Together will take place. Keystone Harness & Tack is located in Drewmore, PA, (717) 284-4565. Kevin Yoder is the Head of the Harness Committee and may be reached at (888) 259-9448.
MORE BOOKS? YES! At the last count we have over 12 new titles! Most of them have something to do with leather work. We’ve even got Making Leather Knife Sheaths, Vol. 2 in stock finally and have been able to fill all the backorders we had on file! Sorry for the wait, folks. We have a couple new books that are a little different from what we carry but we thought we’d give them a try and see what people thought. There are two new books of Cowboy and country humor. They’re pretty funny and we got a real good deal on them so we can sell them at a real good price. There’s Don’t Squat with Your Spurs On—A Cowboy’s Guide to Life by Texas Bix Bender for $6.50 plus SH. It’s full of humorous aphorisms and timely advice.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR 2016! FEBRUARY 4-6 Wickenburg Leather Show. Contact Hansen Silver at (800) 970-7391 or visit www.wickenburgleathertradeshow.com for all the details about attending or being an exhibitor. FEBRUARY 26-28 16th Southwest Leather Workers Trade Show, Prescott, AZ. Hosted by Leather Crafters Journal. Contact: 222 Blackburn St., Rhinelander, WI 54501, (888) 289-6409, www.leathercraftersjournal.com MAY 20-22 Rocky Mountain Leather Trade Show, Sheridan, WY. Hosted by Leather Crafters Journal. Contact: 222 Blackburn St., Rhinelander, WI 54501. (888) 289-6409, www.leathercraftersjournal.com. JUNE 15-16 Weaver Leather Consignment Auction. Contact: 2540 County Road 201, Millersburg, OH 44654, (800) WEAVER-1, www.weaverleather.com. JULY 14-15 47th Annual Harness Makers’ GetTogether and consignment auction. Auction on 14th at Windy Knoll Sewing, Nottingham, PA, (717) 529-7506. Get-Together on 15th at Keystone Harness & Tack, Drewmore, PA, (717) 284-4565 OCTOBER 7-8 Custom Boot & Saddle Makers’ Roundup, Wichita Falls, TX. For all the details contact Kimmel Boot, 2080 County Road 304, Comanche, TX 76442, (325) 356-3197, www. bootandsaddlemakerstradeshow.com
There’s also Don’t Whiz on an Electric Fence—Grandpa’s Country Wisdom. Also $6.50 plus SH. Pretty funny. Then we have two handy books on how to make your hobby into a business. Lots of practical advice about where and how you can sell on the Internet. No doubt a lot of information in the two books will be redundant, but you never know when you’ll come across that original pearl of wisdom that really helps. We have The Handmade Marketplace: How to Sell Crafts Locally, Globally and Online. That sells for $10.50 plus SH. Has chapters on “More Online Networks,” “Selling in Online Stores,” “Other Selling Options & Opportunities,” etc. For $9.50 plus SH we also have Handmade to Sell: Hello Craft’s Guide to Owning, Running, and Growing Your Crafty Biz. Covers nuts and bolts of running a business including how to 46 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
market and manage your finances. Also chapters about selling online. Both books have a good little reference section for marketing resources, trade fairs, craft organizations, and the like. Get one or get them all! Contact: Proleptic, Inc., P O Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, (828) 505-8474, shoptalk@ proleptic.net.
rn e a s s H S h A o & p N Noah & Ada Miller & Family 6009 Twp Rd 419 • Millersburg OH 44654
PROMPT FRIENDLY SERVICE
Ph 330-893-1024 • Fax 330-893-0112
Quality
Harness
y!
Your Catalog t s To e da qu e R
New Tools
Punch
Riveter
Manufacturer and Distributer of Biothane Harness, Parts, Materials and Tools
SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 47
48 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
HogGaiters Pulls from Midwest Talent to Make Custom Leather Chaps Doc Underwood would argue with us that HogGaiters are not, repeat not, chaps for motorcyclists. They are the alternative to chaps. After decades of motorcycling, he got “sick and tired” of the cumbersome old leather standbys and came up with his own product to protect his shins.
a little give yet stiff enough to literally standup, even after years of wear. HogGaiters use 5.5/6 oz. leather, and all manufacturing is done in the U.S., the way Doc likes it. To manufacture
by JENNIFER FULFORD, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
For the past seventeen years he’s been selling HogGaiters, a registered product that has gained traction in the marketplace, so much so that knockoffs are cropping up. Of course, they’re inferior, he says. His are guaranteed waterproof. “No one else uses waterproof leather,” Doc assures his customers, and he’s not sharing the names of his sources. “That’s proprietary information.” (Though he added that a quick check in our annual Buyer’s Guide might be useful in researching his sources.) HogGaiters are different from chaps in many ways. They are designed specifically to hug the lower part of the leg, zip up the back, and cover from the instep of a cyclist’s shoe to just above the knee. They fit snugly, but not too snug, and the leather Doc uses is soft enough to provide SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 49
them, he employs saddle makers from around the Midwest, near his home base in Springfield, IL, to do all the sewing. “They do beautiful work,” he says, and no, he isn’t spilling the beans about which saddle makers are in his sewing stable either. “I’d save 66% if we would off-shore everything. But we’re not doing that.” He’s proud that his product is 100% American made. He decided to use saddle makers because he didn’t want to learn how to sew, and he knew how hard it was for saddle makers to make a living. This gives them another source of income doing something that uses their skills. The designs of ‘Gaiters are simple and clean. A concho or two here, a straight line of stitching there, a little trim, a little color, but popular in black. ‘Gaiters come in styles for men and women. They range in price from $145 to $185.
50 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
We stock over 1,000 types & colors of leather!
New & Improved Full Color Catalog Upon Request
FeatURINg: Chap Leather (125 colors available),
embossed Cow Sides, garment & Hair-On Hides, genuine Buffalo, genuine Salz Latigo, Harness Leather, Metallic Cow Sides, Patent Leather, Skirting, Strap & Upholstery Leathers Complete line of decorative accessories & full line of leather crafting tools.
Become a Preferred Customer:
Benefits of becoming a preferred customer: Very best pricing for the leathers you use the most. Receive immediate notification of leathers going on sale. Added luxury of choosing only leathers that interest you, thus eliminating unwanted emails. Notification of new products and services as they become available ensures the personal service you deserve. Logon to
l 595www.hidehouse.com Monroe St., Napa, CA 94559
800-4LEATHR (800-453-2847) Fax: 800-255-6160
A RESOLUTION FOR 2016:
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Protect and restore with Saddler’s! QUIT CHEW® TRAINING AID is clear, weatherproofed and non-staining. Keep
those blankets, tack, manes and tails, and wood safe from horses chewing on them.
RAPLAST® is a unique stop-chewing training aid that stops horses from chewing on wraps, blankets, wood, manes and tails, plus more. RAPLAST® works by sight, smell and taste.
SADDLER’S PRESERVATIVE ® conditions leather in all kinds of weather.
Protects new leather, restores used and neglected leather.
SADDLER’S® BLANKET WASH is biodegradable and earth
friendly – Specially formulated to clean and safely remove odors from horse blankets, saddle pads, pet beds, sleeping bags, washable outdoor gear and any other washable items.
SADDLER’S TLC ® cleans leather and restores natural oils
with a fast, one-step process – wipe on leather, then wipe it off. The job’s done!
FIRST REACH OINTMENT ® soothes and relieves the irritation of minor cuts, scrapes,
Products made in U.S. A.
chapping, sores, burns and other minor skin irritations. Penetrates quickly, which aids fast healing by providing a protective barrier.
FIND US ON FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/jm.saddler.1
Contact your nearest local dealer or shop online at www.jmsaddler.com J.M. Saddler, Inc. • ( 800 ) 627-2807 • ( 979 ) 693-5214 FAX SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 51
‘Gaiters are definitely a step up in leg protection for recreational riders, an evolution from “stovepipe” chaps. “The little honeys didn’t look awesome in them,” he says. HogGaiters offer a sexy look, evident by a quick glance on the company’s website, flush with hot looking biker babes and dudes sporting the product. Yowza. (Full disclosure, if I rode a motorcycle, I’d be wearing them, too, just for the effect.) The tanneries that provide the waterproof leather use a high pressure process during tanning to make the product resistant. No special miracle creams or salves do the trick. He feels customers can get duped into thinking another brand offers the same quality. Ain’t happening, he says. “There’s only one way to waterproof leather and that’s during the tanning process,” he says. “They pressurize the drum with a waterproof material. The leather becomes a solid rath-
Pendleton Cont. from p. 15 saddles brought to the show. The object of the contest was to focus a bit more on mechanics of saddle making versus the decorative aspects. We created a specific scoresheet just for the contest that was then used by our panel of three judges: Alan Dewey, Rick Bean, and Randy Severe. In order to create interest in the saddles on display, we gave all the registered participants an opportunity to cast a vote for the saddle they felt was best in the field. The People’s Choice Award was very well received by everyone attending and will be something that will be a part of future contests. The People’s Choice winner was Conley Walker who received a check for $95. All the vendors at the show generously donated goods to the prize packages for the Roughout Saddle 52 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
Contest. At the time of the awards we had gathered up over $7,000 in prizes and we added back $1,045 in entry fees. First Place went to Conley Walker of Weiser, ID, (score 902) who won $4,690 in awards and prize money. Second Place went to Mark Channer of Missoula, MT (score 871) who won $2,395 in awards and prize money. Third Place went to Keith Urbach of Bend, OR (score 823) who received $890 in awards and prize money. We would like to emphasize again how grateful we are to all the vendors, teachers, and business partners who got right behind this idea and funded those great prize packages. While the contest was a success, it was not intended to be a profitable venture for us. While we are not focused on making money off the contest, we certainly cannot contribute an equivalent amount without this help from everyone. As
er than a sponge.” This type of leather cost a little extra, but he does his best to keep prices down. He has no brick-and-mortar store. He has a home office and outsources anything he can’t do himself to people in the region. He sells mainly through motorcycling events around the country, including Sturgis, where he’s been a vendor for fifteen years. Indian Motorcycles has recently expressed interest in partnering up. But he’s wary of letting go of his patterns and secrets. Visitors to his website can’t even download his pictures. Competition can be fierce and, now that he’s been around a while, 63 years, Doc seems to be able to spot an interloper from a mile away. “We’re about the pleasure and benefit of the rider,” he says. Doc Underwood can be reached at (217) 585-1500. Look for HogGaiters online at www.HogGaiters.com.
the Roughout Saddle Contest was a positive addition to the show, we are planning on another contest in 2016, though we do not have the details at this time. More information about the show, classes, contest, and the town of Pendleton can be found on our website www.pendletonleathershow.com or our dedicated Facebook page www.facebook.com/pendletonleathertradeshow.
SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 53
Bogle Greenwell Machinery Corp. Since 1953
3100 E. Main, Grand Prairie, TX 75050 (972) 262-8652 or (972) 262-3101 Fax (972) 262-3251 Leather Machinery, Dies & Supplies Representatives & Distributors for:
Indusco Acme Staple Co. Adler America Inc. Chandler Machine Co. Manufacturers Supplies Co. Campbell Bosworth Machinery Co.
Consolidated Sewing Machine Corp. Randall Leather Machine Corp. Quick Roll Leaf Mfg. Co., Inc. Fortuna Machine Co. Jado Machine Co. Juki AmericaSinger Machine Co.
Hudson Machine Co. Western Supplies Co. Schaefer Machine Company, Inc. Ferd, Schmetz Needle Corp. New England Needles Inc. Pfaff Pegasus of USA, Inc. & many more
Sale or Lease of New & Used Machinery www.boglegreenwell.com
SHELTON-REYNOLDS, INC. 11516 N Port Washington Rd., Mequon, WI 53092
First Quality & Closeouts
G Nylon Halter, Harness & Collar Webbing
G Nylon Sling and Tie-down Web G Urethane & Vinyl Coated Webbing G Seatbelt Webbing Seconds G Polypropylene Webbing G Hook & Loop – Sew-on & Pressure Sensitive G Derby Rope, Shock Cord G Vinyl Fabrics - Laminates & Coated G Sewing Thread - Nylon & Polyester - all sizes G 100% Acrylic Marine Fabrics G Truck Tie-down Web 1"- 2" - 3" - 4" G Clear Vinyl Tent & Boat Window G Rope - Nylon & Polyester G 1/8" Nylon Parachute Cord for Braiding
G Canvas - All Styles & Weights, Natural,
Flame Retardant, Water & Mildew Resistant
Call Toll Free ~ Nationwide
1-800-877-7150
www.sheltonreynolds.com
Fax (262) 478-9226 SHIPMENT WITHIN 24 HOURS
54 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
BU Y, SE LL OR TRAD 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 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
FOR SALE
WANTED 205 ADLER SEWING MACHINE. Please contact Eli at Moreland Acres Harness, 3942 E. Moreland Rd., Fredricksburg, OH 44627.
LACE, LACE, LACE CLOSEOUT!!! 5/32” gold foil apx. 11 yds. $2; 3/32” brn. plastic 100 yds. $4; 3/32” tan kangaroo 25 yds. $4; 3/32” tan kangaroo 25 yds. $4; 3/32” tan kangaroo 25 yds. $4; 3/32” black kangaroo 50 yds. $7.50; 3/32” brn. kangaroo 50 yds. $7.50; 3/32” black kangaroo 50 yds. $7.50; 3/32” med. brn. leather 25 yds. $4.50; 3/32” med. brn. leather 25 yds. $4.50; 3/32” dk. brn. vinyl 50 yds. $3.50; 3/32” tan kangaroo 50 yds. $4. ALL FOR $39 plus SH. Contact: Proleptic, Inc., P O Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, (828) 505-8474, shoptalk@proleptic.net.
WANTED: New subscribers from Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. 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, e-mail: 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) 505-8474, e-mail: shoptalk@proleptic.net. LOOKING FOR WHOLESALE OUTLET to sell leather belts and/or other handcrafted leather products. Contact: Dan D. Troyer, 10896 Rt. 28N, Brockway, PA 15824.
RE OUR CLASSIFIEDS A BEST BUY! ers
potential buy Reach 1,000’s of $26.50!! for as little as
FOR SALE: EXACT TOUCH EDGE FINISHER painting bands. No seam. Exactly like the original. ¾” wide. These work great. $7/per set of 2. Made in USA. Contact: (812) 345-6393. CLOSEOUTS FOR SALE. All types of hardware: buckles, dees, snaps, rivets. All types webbing, colors and widths. Light weight leathers. Scrap leather. Latigo, russet, and colored leathers. Discontinued and overstock items. Call for pricing. Contact: Michael Schrekenhofer (501) 329-9471 ext. 305. FOR SALE: Union Lock Stitcher #6195. Good condition. Used very little for 25 years. $3,000 or make offer. Contact: Yoder’s Tack Shop, 30904 Perch Lake Rd., Evans Mills, NY 13637. WHOLESALE NYLON HARNESS FOR SALE. Halters and nylon webbing. All sizes. Heavy weight in ¾”, 1”, 1 ¼”, 1 ½”, and 2” with pebble weave edge. Send for free catalog. Contact: Stauffer’s Harness Shop, 5940 Dry Bone Rd., Hillsboro, OH 45133. RANDALL STITCHER in good working condition. Some extra parts. $1,800. Contact: Ernest Brennman, 407 S. Urchin Rd., Rocky Comfort, MO 64861, (417) 628-3700. SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 55
CLASSIFIEDS FOR SALE: Randall Edge Beveller with stand. Extra knives and wheels. Excellent condition. Contact: Christie Saddlery, Alvord, TX, (940) 427-3260. E-mail: lcox@christiesaddlery.com. SINGER PATCHER 29-4 SEWING MACHINE. Good condition. Guaranteed to work. $400. Contact: Ruben Yoder, Yoder’s Collar Shop, 25090 County Hwy J66, Davis City, IA 50065, (641) 442-2517. WESTERN SADDLE BUSINESS FOR SALE LOCATED IN IDLER, AL. Includes business, builsings, and equipment. Two buildings connected totaling 6,100 sq. ft. Ready for buyer to start building saddles. Call for a very good price. Rocking-R-Saddlery, (423) 280-5971 or (256) 632-8882. FOR SALE: Industrial Pfaff box stitching machine with stand and electric motor in working condition, $450. Standard River spot setter with stand. Fully automatic, 110v, excellent condition. Setup for 3/8” spots with ½” parts included. $2,000. Contact: Mud Creek Leather, LLC, 9415 W 300 S, Topeka, IN 46571, (260) 593-0044. LEATHER UNLIMITED. Quality wholesale leather distributor since 1970 including oak, deerskin, garment, rawhide, oiled cowhide, furs, and more. Quality leather goods, leather tools, black powder gear, all steel clicker and mallet dies. Complete Internet catalog at www. LeatherUnltd.com or call (800) 993-2889 for quality leather and friendly service from a USA family-owned and operated business. LIQUIDATING ENTIRE INVENTORY. 7 hvy. Duty sewing machines—Cobras, Artisan, Juki’s. 2 embossing machines. 12” USMC splitter. 12” Aperture band knife. 2 creasers. 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. ARGENT EXPRESS CELEBRATING 40 YEARS of custom conchos, rosettas, scraf slides, and pins has moved. New address: P O Box 117, Folsom, LA 70437. Phone (209) 402-4430. Visit our eBay store at: Conchosmiths Argent Express, seller: quintasper or e-mail: conchosmith@hotmail.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) Just purchased large lot of cutting dies, 2 hydraulic clickers, splitter, belt punch press, and riveters that came out of an old saddle company and we are selling. 56 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
BLADES FOR KREBS SKIVER. New. Made in USA. Excellent quality. $200 plus SH. Also springs and rollers available for the Krebs. Contact: Proleptic, Inc., P O Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, (828) 505-8474, e-mail: shoptalk@proleptic.net. 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. WHOLESALE AVAILABLE: mini leather harness, mini blind cups, cruppers, winker stays, horse cruppers. Leather and Brahma Webb horse harness. Contact: Axeville Harness Shop, 8010 Wigwam Rd., Belfast, NY 14711. 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. 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) 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)
NEW FROM PROLEPTIC, INC ORDER TODAY: Proleptic, Inc. • PO Box 17817 • Asheville, NC • 28816 shoptalk@proleptic.net • www.proleptic.net
$24.95 + S/H
$14.95 + S/H
$45 + S/H
$21.95 + S/H
$10.50 + S/H
$23.00 + S/H
$24.99 + S/H
$9.50 + S/H
$29.95 + S/H
$14.50 + S/HSHOP TALK! JANUARY $12.952016 + S/H 57
CLASSIFIEDS WWW.THELEATHERGUY.ORG for all your leather, tool, and supply needs. Friendly, helpful staff at (507) 932-3795. (R&B) 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. SHOP LIQUIDATION: Selling high quality harness and saddle making tools and equipment. Too much to list. Manitoba, Canada. Contact: amalt5@yahoo.com or (204) 444-3465.
BOOT & SHOE BUSINESS FOR SALE: DAVIS CUSTOM BOOT located at 1209 E. 11th St., Quanah, TX 79252. Contact: (940) 839-6537 for more information. FOR SALE: Landis 12K. Clean, runs smooth. $1,800. Contact for photos. (406) 531-2589, e-mail: howard. knight@montana.com. ESTABLISHED 26 YEAR OLD BUSINESS in San Antonio, TX. One man operation with inventory of apx. 350 pair 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 rate of $650/month. Retiring. (866) 250-3350 or (210) 215) 9158 or e-mail: info@shiplerboots.com. $150,000. FOR SALE: Landis 12L Aristocrat, Landis Line Finisher, Adler patching machine, Singer long arm patcher 29K, heel wheel by Auto Soler, Continental McKay stitcher; Singer tabe machine, lots of parts and shoe supplies. Would like to sell all together for $3,500 or best offer. Please call Kent From at (308) 249-3091, Sidney, NE 69162.
The “Word of the Day” is: persiflage 58 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
VINTAGE TOOLS FROM PROLEPTIC REFURBISHED & READY TO USE Proleptic, Inc. • PO Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816 (828) 505-8474 • www.proleptic.net • shoptalk@proleptic.net
Edge shave with adjustable guide. A. E. Johnson. Very good condition.
$45 + SH
C. S. Osborne. Unusual. Solid brass ferrule. Very good condition.
$110 + SH
Edge shave with adjustable guide. Slight pitting on blade. Otherwise very good condition.
C. S. Osborne. Blind stitch channeler. Solid brass ferrule. New blade. Very good condition.
$45 + SH
$65 + SH
Appears to be some type of stitch groover or trimming tool. Solid brass ferrule. Very good condition.
Edge plane with adjustable guide. W. A. Horn & Bro. Very nice.
$45 + SH
$48 + SH
Krebs skiver. Blade in very good condition. New springs. Excellent skiver and ready to use.
C. S. Osborne shave. Clearly marked. Brass fittings with rosewood handle. Blade and handle in very good condition. Small chips on bottom either side of blade. Lovely tool.
$585 + SH
$85 + SH (A) ¾” C. S. Osborne slot punch. Visible scratches on back. Slot is narrower than most slot punches. Slight wear in one corner. Overall very good tool. $24 + SH.
A
B
C
D
(B) 7/8” slot punch. England. Slight pitting on barrel. Overall very nice condition. $26 + SH.
Skiver/splitter blade. New. C. S. Osborne. Overall length 15¾”. 2” wide. Apx. 14 13/16” from center of hole to center of hole. $220 + SH. We also have new blades for Krebs skivers for $200 + SH.
(C) Slot punch 43.
1½”. Made in England.
Two noticeable divots on back of barrel most likely from forging process. Overall beautiful tool. Makes wide slot. $50 + SH SHOP TALK!
(D) 1½” Weaver slot punch. New but seems to be second with very slight cosmetic flaws such as small pitting. Excellent tool. $42 ea. 3 pcs. Also have same punch in 1¾” for
$45 ea. 3 pcs.
JANUARY 2016 59
ADVERTISERS INDEX American Leather Direct...........................5 Beachy Blacksmith Ltd...........................14 Beiler’s Mfg. & Supply.................................8 BioThane......................................................23 Bogle Greenwell Machinery Corp.........54 Bowden Saddle Tree.................................44 Brayer............................................................36 Brodhead Collar Shop..............................51 Buckeye Blanket........................................41 Buckeye Engraving...................................11 Buckle Barn USA........................................14 Buena Vista Blankets.................................8 Buggy Builder’s Bulletin..........................43 C Loy’s Leathers........................................29 Campbell-Randall......................................27 Center Square Harness..........................14 Chino Tack...................................................12 Chupp Blacksmith Shop............................8 Coblentz Collar...........................................13 Danny Marlin Knives.................................19 Double K Leather Sales, LLC.................41 E.C. Leather.................................................11 Fairview Country Sales..............................6 Fiebing Leather.............................................6 Fine Tool Journal........................................47 Gfeller Casemakers, Inc..........................53 Goliger Leather Co....................................41 Hadlock & Fox Mfg. Co............................48
Hansen Western Gear..................... 19, 32 Hastilow ......................................................26 Hermann Oak Leather..............................44 Hide House..................................................51 Hillside Harness Hardware.....back cover IHS ELP, LLC................................................53 International Sheepskin.........................19 J.M. Saddler, Inc.........................................51 Kalico Products..........................................26 Kelly-Larson Sales....................................19 Landis Sales & Service...........................43 Leather Crafters Journal...........................6 Leather Machine Co., Inc., The................... ...........................................inside back cover Leather Unlimited.....................................53 Ludwig & Marglin Leather.......................54 Maine Thread Company..........................53 Mid-River Sales..........................................11 Milton Sokol................................................13 Moser Leather...........................................40 Mud Creek Leather...................................12 Mules and More.........................................11 N & A Harness Shop.................................47 Nettles.........................................................13 Ohio Plastics Belting Co............................8 Ohio Travel Bag...........................................22 Perfectex Plus LLC...................................11 Precision Saddle Tree..............................39
Proleptic.................inside front cover, 4, 29, 33, ........................ 36, 50, 53, 57, 58, 59, back cover Rapheal Sewing Machine/TechSew.......... ...........................................................................3, 11 RJF Leather.................................................11 Rural Heritage............................................36 Sew What Supplies..................................19 Shelton-Reynolds, Inc.............................54 Sheridan Leather.......................................29 Shetler’s Collar Shop...............................19 ShoTan..........................................................43 Small Farmer’s Journal............................53 Smoke & Fire Co........................................53 Sorrell Notions...........................................12 Southstar Supply......................................14 Springfield Leather...................................48 Steel Stamps, Inc.....................................14 Sun Bias, Inc...................................................8 Sweat Pad Shop................................... 8, 14 TechSew/Rapheal Sewing Machine.......... ...........................................................................3, 11 Texas Custom Dies...................................54 Toledo Sewing...............................................1 Wayne Jueschke.......................................54 Weaver Leather................................. 31, 50 Western Mule.............................................53 Wickett & Craig..........................................47 Y-Knot Lace................................................47
Advertising
Inserts
Deadline for advertising copy is the 5th of the month prior to the month of publication. Invoices are due upon receipt. 6 or 12-month prepaid advertising contracts receive a 5% discount.
Classified Ads
20 words or less $26.50 Additional words (each) $ .65
Display Ads
Shop Talk! published by Proleptic, Inc. P.O. Box 17817 Asheville, NC 28816 (828) 505-8474 shoptalk@proleptic.net www.proleptic.net 60 JANUARY 2016
SHOP TALK!
Full Page $502.00 Half Page $280.00 Quarter Page $152.00 Eighth Page $81.00 (Color and guaranteed placement additional)
Setup Charge
$60 per hour with a $18 minimum. Line art may be inserted at no additional charge. $10 per photo.
$399 for one page— Maximum trim size: 8-1/4” X 10-3/4” $45 each additional page. Event flyers must be inserted 60 days in advance. All inserts must be shipped directly to printer.
Reduce - Reuse - Recycle Recycling old magazines, catalogs, and newspapers is one of the easiest ways to help the environment. To increase the supply of recoverable wood fiber and to reduce the demand on regional landfills, Shop Talk! urges its readers to support recycling efforts in their communities. Shop Talk! is printed with only vegetable-based inks.
SHOP TALK!
JANUARY 2016 61
JANUARY 2016 P.O. BOX 17817, ASHEVILLE, NC 28816
Check your renewal date today!
828.505.8474 | fax 828.505.8476 | proleptic.net
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
12 Monthly Issues $36
ALWAYS FIRST WITH THE NEWS
Canada & Mexico $39 US Other Countries $54 US
Distributors of Quality Hardware & Supplies for the Harness, Tack, Saddlery, and Pet Industries
X
• 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.
YOUR AD HERE $631/month 6 month contract Shop Talk!
4205 Township Road 629 Millersburg, OH 44654 Request your free catalog today!
P.O. Box 17817 • Asheville, NC 28816 (828) 505-8474 shoptalk@proleptic.net