Tag Archives: video

Cowboy Boot Companies

I’ve just updated my Cowboy Boot Companies page, where you’ll find boot companies in sizes M, L & XL. There are many MANY links on this page, but here are a couple you won’t want to miss:

Justin Cowboy Boots

Have you seen the updated Justin Boots website with all its multimedia bells and whistles?

The video you see above is borrowed from their bootmaking page. It’s great, because it’s narrated…you are told exactly what those fancy machines are up to. “Freeze form molding,” now you can say you’ve seen it in action. Wow.

You’ll find a couple more videos on the heritage page. Just click on the corners of their virtual scrapbook to turn the pages. Zoom your mouse around to get a closer look at the photos. (Cameo by Mr. Warren Buffet.)

Cowboy Boots Factory Made


I was saving the bonus material on my Bodacious Boots DVD for a rainy day, like today. Cowboy boot galleries, extended interviews and a tour of the Lucchese factory in El Paso … this DVD’s “B-side” is a boot geek’s dream come true.

The footage of the Lucchese factory is amazing for a couple of reasons. Compared to a small custom boot shop there are soooo many, many machines… like the specialized machine that smooths the side seams and then the one that power turns the tops. But really, what I found equally amazing was that each machine still came with a set of hands. For me… there was something charming in how each boot is passed from hand to hand to hand to hand to hand again…each with a task to do.

And yet, there are still tasks that they can’t find a machine to do like pegging a sole. So they hire a man to do it, over and over again…all day long. And his speed and rhythm and precision resemble, well… a machine.

This video includes a great clip of a welt machine in action (photo.) I saw a welt machine for the first time, when I visited Champion Attitude Boots in El Paso. Joey Sanchez explained that the machine was one of the reasons boot companies have historically stayed in such close proximity. Few shops could afford a welt machine, those that could had a hard time keeping one running. When I was visiting with Joey, there was a steady stream of boots coming in the back door…dropped off and picked up by other shops. Every photo I took was a mess because the worker’s hand were always just a blur.

Jack Rowin (Video)

Click over and watch a short film called “Boot Camp” made by Kristin Windbigler.

A portrait of storyteller, philosopher and bootmaker
Jack Rowin
by an admiring apprentice.

I met Jack Rowin, back in 1999. He makes a hardworking cowboy boot, occasionally decorated with a brand or initial. Ms. Windbigler’s film was like stepping back for another visit.

Here are some my old photos…

Contact Jack to place your order for custom cowboy boots, or to learn the craft of bootmaking.

Jack Rowin, Bootmaker

21595 S. Powerhouse Road

Manton, California 96059
(530) 474-5146

bootmaker@shasta.com

(Video link courtesy of Deep West Videos.)

Think About Cowboy Boots


Think 117. Watch the entire program or fast forward 18:03 minutes into the segment for an interview with Laura Neitzel and a clip from the upcoming film, Bodacious Boots.

In this short clip…you’ll catch a glimpse of bootmakers Dave Wheeler, Lee Miller, and the hard working folks at Rocketbuster. The film also includes interviews with talented boot collectors Lyle Lovett and John Tongate.

The 20th Annual Dallas Video Festival begins Tuesday July 31st and runs through August 5th. Laura Neitzel’s film “Bodacious Boots” opens the festival on July 31st at the Angelika Film Center in Dallas at 7:35pm. More information about purchasing tickets, theaters, and films being shown during the festival is available at www.videofest.org.