I always like to see what bootmakers wear on their feet.
These are Al Reynold’s boots inlayed with the tools of his trade… a boot last (yellow), a french hammer…even a needle and thread.
Click here to see a little more of the boot.
CONTACT:
Old West Leather
Alfred R. Reynolds
Wickenburg, AZ 85358
(928) 684-3134
E-Mail: bootguy1@cox.net
(I find myself saying Rocky Carroll is “in the news” about as often as I say, Rocky Carroll is “in Houston.”)
Here’s the Washington Post article with the scoop on the custom cowboy boots President Bush gave to country star, Kenny Chesney. (Sorry, I haven’t come across a photo yet.)
Our President seems to be a fan of eelskin. The boots Rocky Carroll made Kenny sound a lot like the ones the President himself wore to the 2004 National Republican Convention, with dignified vamps of black eelskin, star spangled tops with his initials and the American flag waving.
You can contact Mr. Rocky Carroll at RJ’s Boot Company (Houston, TX)
(888) RJ-BOOTS
When I first saw this little boot made by custom bootmaker Carl Chappell, I was impressed.
Then, I learned little more …and I was absolutely amazed.
This tiny boot is accurate half scale size of a size 5.5 boot. It’s smaller than the trophy belt buckle it won in this year’s boot contest!
Not carved out of clay or cast in ceramic, this “replica” is made out of leather just like a “real” boot.
The cowboy boot took Mr. Chappell more than 60 hours of work. About the same time a full-size custom pair, but that doesn’t account for the additional 20-30 hours he spent making the specially-sized tools he needed.
He crafted a tiny crimping board, hot iron …as well as an inseaming and lasting jack.
The five rows of red and white stitching were sewn one-by-one, side-by-side, using a Singer 31-17 (manual .pdf) with a size 10 needle.
In order to get the look and feel of a quality custom cowboy boot, the kangaroo hide used for the boot top had to be reduced to half its normal thickness. The foot of the boot (vamp & counter) was made from the hide of a very young alligator, near animal’s armpit, in order that the hide’s “tiles” would be the right size.
(Click here for a slightly larger view of this miniature boot.)
What was the hardest part?
According to Chappell, it was stitching the sole. He filed the needle down on his 31-15 to create a special “hidden” sole stitch…one visible along the top of the welt, but not seen when looking at the bottom of the boot’s inked and buffed sole.
Oh, yeah…those tiny toe boxes weren’t easy either.
(Click here for more information about “How a Cowboy Boot is Made“)
Contact:
C.T. Chappell Boot Shop
Carl Chappell, Bootmaker
105 S. Main
Saint Jo, TX 76265
(940) 995-2901
Note: Mr. Chappell teaches bootmaking classes four times a year.
Photo of Carl Chappell taken by Randy Cooley, Oct 2005. (Thanks Randy!)
Abilene bootmaker, Brian C. Thomas won the Professionals’ Choice Award on October 8th, 2005, at the 17th Annual Boot and Saddlemakers Roundup in Wichita Falls, Texas.
The award is given annually to a single bootmaker whose handmade cowboy boots exhibit the greatest artistry and craftsmanship.
Thomas’s boot was chosen from a field of approximately 30 pairs built by bootmakers from across the United States. The judges for this category are master bootmakers each with over 20 years experience. Tex Robin, one of this year’s judges, reported that the panel carefully examined each boot entry top to bottom…and then stitch by stitch.
Journeyman:
Larry Binford (Navasota, TX) Winner
Chuck Deats (Centennial, CO) Runner-Up
Working Cowboy Boot:
Terry Young (Paducah, TX) Winner
Dew Westover (Vernon, TX) Runner-Up
Artistry:
Bill Niemczyk (Granby, CT) Winner
Mike Spikes (Henrietta, TX) Runner-Up
Top Stitching:
Mike Spikes (Henrietta, TX) Winner
Open:
Bill Niemczyk (Granby, CT) Winner
Dew Westover (Vernon,TX) Runner-Up
Masters:
Carl Chappell (Saint Jo, TX) Winner
Read more about this winning boot.
Professional’s Choice:
Brian Thomas (Abilene TX) Winner
Bill Niemczyk (Granby, CT) Runner-Up
For more information about this or next year’s contest, please contact Mr. Gary Cunningham at cunninghamtx@hotmail.com, or (940) 691-6750.
When the Boot & Saddlemaker Round-Up is over, I always have one more thing to look forward to…and that’s my visit with Lee and Carrlyn Miller at Texas Traditions in Austin, TX.
My visits have a nice worn-in feeling about them now. Lee asks me if I want coffee and pours it at the same time…because he knows that I always stay for a least two cups. This time a took a little video footage…”tracing” the origin of a custom fit.
I head back home tomorrow.
