Lost Trade – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, I visit with Gerry Gesell who is a chap maker and horse trainer out of Texas.  Gerry is not only accomplished in making chaps and horses, he is also a bit collector, polo trainer/player, and a writer.  I really enjoyed this conversation with Gerry and you will as well.  You can find him on Instagram and check out his work as well as find his community project "Many Irons."

In this episode, we are visiting with lürgen Volbach from Germany.  lürgen is an amazing artist and craftsman that specializes in floral carving and 3D embossing works.  He also spends a lot of his time, both here in the states as well as Germany, teaching others that want to learn this amazing skill set.  We met him the first time in Sheridan at the leather show, and became quick friends.  Enjoy the episode and hearing his story.  You can find him on facebook and instagram if you want to see some of his amazing artwork.

We are visiting with Matt Wanner who is a saddle maker out of Utah.  Matt works for Burns Saddlery in Salina, UT.  He is a man of many hats with Burns.  He not only builds fantastic custom saddles for himself and Burns, but he also manages and trains many of the amazing craftsmen that work there creating pieces for the store.  

Matt is also a lead instructor for the leather craft education side of Burns Saddlery through their online course program called Illum.  He has worked to develop saddle making courses as well as other educational material that helps those interested in getting into the saddle making and/or leather working trade.

You can find Matt on Instagram as well as the Illume Connect website.

In this episode we visit with Shaun Woodsum who owns and operates Cross Winds Forge in Arizona.  After a long career as a farrier, Shaun made a change and put his blacksmith skills to work designing and making knives.  His main focus now is leather craft knives.  As a leather crafter himself, he is focused on creating knives that are not only sharp but also work specifically for leather craftsmen.

Be sure to visit his website at www.crosswindsforge.com as well as on Instagram to see some of the beautiful knives that he creates in his shop.

Joe Meling is a leather craftsman based out of Pendleton, OR who specializes in teaching floral carving and leather craft.  He and his wife are the owners and operators of 23+ where folks from all over come to improve their skills and goals in leather work.

You can find Joe and all the information about his social media, products, and resources by visiting his website at www.twentythreeplus.com

This episode is an interview with Nicole Morgenthau who is a photographer who's passion is taking portraits.  Her favorite subjects are the folks who are experiencing the West like the trappers and settlers that lived in and explored the wild west of the 1800's.  

Based in Salt Lake City, UT she travels to rendezvous held in many states to capture amazing photos of people doing what they love in period dress in gorgeous landscapes.  She also makes turquoise jewelry that she shows on Instagram on her page called "Sandstone Sky Jewelery."

You can find her on Instagram and see a lot of her work as well as find her Instagram for the jewelry that she makes.  

This episode is an interview cowboy chuckwagon cook Kent Rollins.  

Kent has an amazing YouTube channel where he shows how to prepare some of the traditional cow camp meals, grandma's meat loaf, or even his version of the Big Mac.  My family and I love tuning into his channel every week to see what he is up to and what he's cooking.

You can find information about his videos, recipes, and other great things he offers at his website, www.kentrollins.com

In this episode we are visiting with Trent Johnson who owns and operates Greeley Hat Works in Greeley, CO.

I really enjoyed getting to visit with Trent about his path to business in the hat industry.  I think you will really enjoy his story and mindset on business in the western industry.

In this episode, we sit down with a man that I have known online for almost a decade and only we only just met in person at the Heart of Texas Leather Show in Waco in 2023.  

His name is Todd Broussard and he is the owner/operator of T-Pop Leather Shop in Louisiana.

Todd is a rodeo cowboy, farrier and leather craftsman that has found his passion in building rodeo chaps and saddles.  His style and attention to detail are unique and spot on.  

His story is not only interesting, but also inspiring to all of us that have always worked for ourselves or for those wanting to take the oppurtunity to work for yourself.  

You can see Todd's work and connect with him on Instagram and Facebook by searching for T-Pop Leather Shop.

This episode of Lost Trade is a visit with one of the most well known custom stamping tool makers in the leather industry.  

Robert Beard is known around the world for his completely hand crafted stamping tools.  We had the honor of sitting down with him and hearing just a glimpse of his amazing life and adventures through his leathercraft journey.

We did this interview before we went to the Rocky Mountain Leather Trade Show in Sheridan, WY.  For this reason, there is some talk during the interview of the "upcoming show" and obviously that has already occured.  

I truly enjoyed this interview and the oppurtunity to visit with such an icon in our industry.