A Craftsman's Legacy

>> Legacy is about the things that you can pass on.

You can pass on your wisdom.

Your skills.

>> How about this?

>> Gear fold.

>> This down here?

Proper tire pressure would be?

>> 55 psi.

>> And maybe you can pass on something just a little bit more.

The Ford F-150, a proud supporter of "A Craftsman's Legacy."

>> Driving through Central Texas, you could just imagine the cowboys riding the plains.

I'm down here to visit Wilson Capron, a bit and spur maker who's working on reminding everyone about the sophistication of cowboy culture.

Now, I've dressed up as a cowboy tons of times for Halloween, so it's going to be real cool to hang out with the real deal.

A craftsman battles for perfection, never willing to give in or walk away.

I'm Eric Gorges.

I build custom motorcycles using skills passed on by countless generations before me.

I used to work 9: 00 to 5:00 chasing money and titles, and it nearly broke me, so I started over.

I decided to work with my hands to feed my soul.

Please join me on a quest to uncover the skills that built our society.

We'll discover what drives the men and women who I call my heroes.

We'll learn their craft and maybe even find some inspiration along the way.

There's a part of you in everything you create, your legacy, a craftsman's legacy.

>> My dad was a cowboy, a cowboy first, and so we grew up on the range.

It's a way of life, you know.

It's not a job.

It's a way of life.

Sure, it's nonstop, 24/7.

I grew up in that culture, grew up in that environment, and it's a part of who I am, and it's something I really am passionate about.

>> The cowboy culture... >> Sure.

>> ...is that important to you?

>> Absolutely.

It's a part of our history.

It's a part of how the West was found, and, you know, I'll say Hollywood has done a really good job of depicting an uneducated drunk that takes a bath once a week.

That's not who the West is.

We've been misrepresented a little bit, and there's a sophistication and an elegance to the West and an attitude that is very similar to the culture that you live in with motorcycles and all that, a real free-spirited.

There's a bit of ruggedness to it, right?

>> Sure.

>> But there's also a bit of elegance and refineness to that culture.

>> So growing up that way, you are very familiar with working with your hands.

>> Growing up as a kid, I always wanted to make something.

>> Yeah.

>> And, like, my dad is a painter... >> Oh, really?

>> ...an artist.

Art has been involved in my family, and I would draw and stuff occasionally and try to participate with him, but I always fell back to wanting to make something.

I want to create something.

I luckily got into this.

I started making bits and spurs as a way to rodeo, as a way to pay my entry fees to go to the rodeos.

>> All right.

And how did you get into that?

>> Accidentally, to tell you the truth.

I was going to college, a rodeo guy.

I enjoyed team roping, and I enjoyed athletics in high school and all that, so I got into roping and loved every minute of it.

It was a big part of my deal.

>> Pretty exciting.

>> Oh, very exciting.

I'd get to see the country.

We'd go to a lot of jackpots and different things like that and travel around.

>> It's so different from me being from Detroit.

You know, we don't have a lot of rodeos in Detroit.

>> Right.

>> [ Laughs ] >> I understand.

I understand.

>> I wish we did, though.

>> It is a cool thing.

It's a part of our past, you know, in a certain way in the wild, wild West.

I mentored, apprenticed under a guy for 3 years.

I worked for him.

>> So where were you when you were apprenticing for this other maker?

>> I was in a little town northeast of Dallas named Lone Oak.

>> And you worked for a company that made bit and spurs?

>> Yes, sir.

Greg Darnell was my mentor.

>> Okay.

>> And he had a very large production company.

We built about 1,500 bits a month.

>> Wow.

>> It was mass production at the finest.

It was a very good foundation for me to learn how to build the individual pieces.

I didn't want to be a bit-and-spur maker, so I wasn't worried about the decoration at that point.

I was making a paycheck.

It was giving me a weekly wage that I could rodeo and pay the entry fees and support my heroes' families, I think.

[ Both laugh ] But it was good for me because I didn't get carried away.

About a year and a half into working for Greg, he asked me if I wanted to engrave, learn to engrave, and I said, "And you think I can?"

He said, "Sure.

It's just like your roping.

Just practice."

And it was just like my roping.

It was addictive.

I craved it, loved it, and away I went.

>> So you fell in love with engraving?

>> Absolutely.

And that was my first love.

In the beginning, there wasn't a market for high-end engraving on bits and spurs in our Western culture.

There was no way to get paid for that.

To spend 2 or 3 months engraving a bit, no.

You get paid for a week of it, and that was it.

>> Right.

Right.

>> So I actually, in the beginning, thought that that firearms engraving and knife engraving would be something of interest, and I would use my bits and spurs as a way to practice, and away I'd go.

Since that time, there's been a huge appreciation for the engraving and the elegance of that in our Western culture, and so a market has developed, and I'm not overly interested in engraving knives or guns because I love the West.

>> Right.

>> And so it's a way for me to stay connected with the horse and the cowboy, you know.

>> Sure.

And what are you using as far as design goes?

>> Inspiration comes from everywhere.

Sometimes, I'll create something, and the Western culture may look at me a little funny and say, "Kid, what are you doing?

I mean, that's a little out there a little bit."

>> [ Laughs ] >> There are different regions of the West that have different styles.

California has a very specific style that was more known for elegance.

Texas was a more rugged, rough piece that wasn't of the fine engraving but a very durable, usable piece, you know.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> So I bleed it all together.

And then Mexico, being a Southern neighbor and close, growing up with Mexico, they also had a specific style.

I get them all three mixed up in a big, old bowl.

>> Well, it's your style.

>> Sure.

It's me.

It's very contemporary in a way.

I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel.

I want somebody when they see a spur or see one of my bits, "Hey, that's a bit, or that's a pair of spurs," and then they go, "Wow, that's a pretty bit or a pretty pair of spurs.

Like, that's really nice."

But first and foremost, it has to represent what I'm doing, you know.

I always give this analogy.

A Porsche is made to drive really good, right?

>> Mm-hmm.

>> But you don't go mudding in your Porsche, usually.

>> [ Laughs ] >> That's kind of what I'm trying to do.

>> I got you.

>> You can absolutely use it.

There's no sense in doing it if you can't use it, but it can be awfully nice, pretty, well-made, too.

>> So do you see yourself as more of an artist or a craftsman?

>> Craft sometimes can have a negative connotation.

Craft is a very beautiful word to me because you're working with your hands, and you're creating.

It is art, though.

It's absolutely art, and art is in everything between your bikes, a car, doesn't matter.

Art is involved.

Design had to start somewhere, and if you don't have good design, which is art, you don't have anything at the end of the day no matter how good your craft is.

So I am a craftsperson that will accept the term artist.

How is that?

>> I like that.

Now, you belong to an organization of cowboy artists.

>> Yes, sir.

Traditional Cowboy Arts Association.

We're preserving and promoting the disciplines of rawhide grading, saddle making, bit-and-spur making, and silver smithing.

Those four disciplines are represented by 12 individuals, 12 active individuals right now between Canada, United States, and Argentina.

They're my heroes.

They're the best in the world.

And so I hate to say that about myself, but those guys are the best of the best.

>> Sure.

>> It's quite an honor to be a part of that.

Information wasn't shared very freely not too long ago.

Now it's open.

I'll tell you everything I know.

I'll give you my designs.

>> That's what I'm here for.

>> Absolutely.

>> [ Chuckles ] >> Absolutely.

But I want to share that knowledge with you and make you better, which preserves the West, right?

>> Absolutely.

>> Our heritage.

>> So does that cause you to think about your legacy ever, teaching other people, sharing your knowledge, making something so high-end?

>> You know, yes.

150 years after I'm done, they'll forget who I am probably.

I mean, Wilson Capron will just be a dude of the past.

But I would love for somebody to look at a bit or a pair of spurs I've done and go, "I have no idea who that was, but that's incredible.

That's well-done," and that's important to me.

You know, to do that best possible job I can each and every day, continue to get better for as long as I possibly can, and that will last, I think.

>> So what do you think?

You about ready to get to work?

>> Absolutely.

>> I know I'm tired of talking.

>> Throw some sparks and enjoy.

Excellent.

>> What are we going to make?

>> We'll make a pair of spurs.

>> A pair of spurs.

Awesome.

>> Absolutely.

Big fun.

>> Excellent.

Spurs have been used by horsemen all over the world throughout the ages.

The design varies widely depending upon the region and the wearer.

The first recorded version of the rowel spur appeared on the seal of Henry III dating from 1240.

During the Age of Chivalry, spurs became associated with rank.

A knight would wear gold spurs and an esquire silver.

From this, we get the expression, "Earning one's spurs."

Over the years, spurs in Europe became simpler, but in the Americas, more elaborate designs flourished.

In Mexico and the western United States, the spur became an integral of the vaquero and cowboy culture.

With his intricately engraved, handcrafted spurs, Wilson Capron has carved his own place in this proud cowboy tradition.

I'm not much of a gambler, but I bet we're going to heat up some metal.

>> Here we go.

>> [ Laughs ] >> Here we go.

Going to get hot.

>> So we're going to make some spurs.

>> Absolutely.

>> And what do you have there?

>> What I have is a spur band.

>> A spur band.

>> That's what we call it.

It's going to be the part that goes around the boot.

Forms the boot heel.

>> All right.

So we're going to put this in the forge, get it hot, and then it's going to go over to your jig here.

>> Absolutely.

So what we'll do is we'll stick it in there, get it hot.

I'll pull it out, or you'll pull it out.

We're going to stick it in here.

We'll square it up there, get our boot-heel jig located right there, roll this heel down and then pull it down.

Once it gets down in there, not all the way to the bottom but pretty good ways, we'll square it up with a hammer, make sure it's flat up against, and then you can go ahead and pull down and make sure it flattens out.

>> All right!

Cool!

>> Here we go.

>> Let's do it!

>> Are we going to leave that in there for just a little bit?

>> Just a minute.

It won't take too long.

It'll get hot.

The important part is it's hot in the center.

That's where most of the bend is going to come from.

>> Okay.

>> So we'll just wait for it to get hot, and then we'll stick it in there.

They say a watched pot never boils.

Don't look at it.

>> About ready?

>> I'm ready when you are.

Yeah, there you go.

Perfect.

Yep.

Yep, there you go.

Perfect.

Now just roll her down.

There you go.

Pull.

Fast.

Yeah.

Keep going.

Little bit more.

Little bit more.

Little bit more.

Keep going.

Keep going.

All right.

Now you can take the hammer and just kind of...

There you go.

Now bottom it out.

Put six-five into it.

There it is.

Perfect.

Done deal.

>> Good?

>> Good.

We'll pull it out and just lookie there.

>> Oh, look at that.

>> There it is.

>> Now, get a hold of it with the tongs.

>> All right.

So what's next?

>> What we'll do is weld the shank on next... >> Oh, okay!

>> ...part that sticks out the back.

>> All right.

Shut down the forge?

>> Shut her down.

>> Lot quieter now!

>> Huh?!

[ Both chuckle ] >> We're sitting in front of a welder, and it looks like you've done a little bit of prep work on that strap.

>> Absolutely.

Coming out of the forge, we had a bunch of fire scale on it, so I've taken it to a sandblaster, removed the fire scale, and then to a disc sander and cleaned up the sides, made them square.

>> All right.

And what are we getting ready to weld?

>> We'll weld the shank on, the part that holds the rowel.

>> The rowel?

>> The rowel, the star thingy.

>> The star thingy.

There we go.

>> The star thingy.

>> That's called a rowel?

>> The rowel.

>> I like that.

>> That's some sweet welding.

>> Is that okay?

>> Absolutely.

>> Okay.

Thank you.

>> All right.

We're ready for the other fixture.

>> I got it clamped on.

>> Yeah?

>> Yeah.

>> You want to hold it?

>> Sure.

>> All right.

>> Woowee.

There we go.

>> This is looking good.

>> We've come a long ways.

>> Yeah, yeah.

Bring me up to speed on what we did.

>> So what we did is take it over to the belt sander... >> Mm-hmm.

>> ...and cleaned up your welds.

>> It didn't need much cleaning, did it?

>> No.

Put some taper on the shank... >> Mm-hmm.

>> ...and then slotted it for our rowel to go through there.

>> The star thingy.

>> The star thingy.

Absolutely.

Drilled a hole for the pin that we'll brad in to secure all of that and moved everything all the way up to a 400-grit finish.

>> What's our next step here?

>> To weld the hinge pins in, to hammer them in and then weld them in place.

>> And where do those go?

>> So they're going to go in these holes that we've drilled down here at the end of our slots.

>> Okay.

Is that these?

>> That's those.

Absolutely.

Grab one of those.

>> And what is this for?

>> This is for the button, and the button is a hinge, and that's where the spur leathers attach is that button that we're going to brad on the end of that.

It's where the spur leathers attach.

>> That's what keeps it on your boot?

>> Absolutely.

That's what keeps it in place.

>> I got you.

So we're going to tap these on and then just weld them in place from the back?

>> Weld it in place from the back, that's right.

Easy peasy.

You got it.

And you can tap vigorously.

>> No, this end.

>> Yep, little bit more.

Little bit more.

You've got a brass hammer, so you can go ahead and whack it.

Yeah, that's what we like.

>> Oh, there we go.

>> Yeah.

And now so maybe on that end, do the same kind of treatment.

Watch the thumb.

Perfect.

>> Yeah, looks good.

>> Stick that clamp on there like that.

That way it holds it good.

Slick.

That's not easy to do.

You made it look easy.

>> It's just a hole.

>> It's just a hole.

>> [ Laughs ] >> You did good.

>> All right.

So we've got to clean these up a little bit, I'm thinking?

>> So what we'll do is go to the belt sander now then clean up the inside.

>> Okay.

Cool.

I really like this setup you got here, man.

>> It's a great place to be.

I spend a lot of time here.

>> I really dig it because you can access it all the way around.

>> It telescopes up and down for different tasks.

When I'm working real close to my face with OptiVISORS and all that, I can... >> This moves up and down?

>> Yes.

Absolutely.

>> Now you're just playing with me.

I'm stealing this for my shop.

>> Absolutely.

>> So what are we going to make here?

>> We'll build the hinge, and then we'll also file some rowels.

>> And this is the hinge right here.

>> We're going to take a piece of 14-gauge steel and put it in a jig and wrap it around a piece of 3/16-inch round stock.

>> Okay.

And then this goes on the hinge pin that we welded just earlier?

>> Absolutely.

Goes on there, which then the button will go into the hole that you're seeing there, yes, and that's where the spur leather will attach to it, which holds the spur on the boot.

>> Right on.

This is nice-looking.

And then this is probably one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

>> The old rowel.

That's what everybody thinks of when you see a pair of spurs.

>> This is what you hear clicking?

>> Jing, jing, jing.

>> Yeah, yeah, yeah.

>> That's it.

That's what makes all the noise.

These things are little tuning forks, actually, so as they hit the ground, it's something they... jing, jing.

So that's what makes them sing.

>> And I love the facets you've got in here.

How did you get those in there?

>> We stick it in a fixture that secures the rowel, and with several different files and rasps, we'll put those facets in there.

>> Hand file?

>> Hand file, kind of tricky.

>> That's a lot of work.

>> Takes a little time, for sure.

>> All right.

Well, we better get into it then.

>> Let's do it.

It's going to be fun.

>> [ Laughs ] We're standing in front of an anvil, so I'm thinking we're getting ready to set something.

>> We're going to get to take out some of our more frustrations, do a little banging with the hammer and brad our buttons on.

>> Brad the buttons on?

>> Yes.

>> Are we also going to put the rowel on now?

>> Going to get to put the rowel in.

So in a little bit, make a little music, little sing.

>> All right.

And the buttons are for the strap that goes over the top.

>> Right, which holds it on the boot.

>> And after that, what's left?

>> A little polish and we're ready to go.

>> Little more cleaning, then we'll be using them.

>> Mount up.

>> [ Laughs ] All right.

Well, I'll watch you here, and maybe I'll give it a shot, too.

>> Sure.

Well, I'll do the first one, and then you can go at it.

>> Then we'll put this cute little shim.

>> This is beautiful.

>> Thanks.

>> I mean, it really is very cool.

>> Well, we've done a good job, I feel like.

It looks nice.

>> It sure does.

And they're totally functional this way.

>> Ready to go.

>> I mean, they've got the leather straps on.

These could go on boots, go out riding right now.

>> Absolutely, completely functional.

>> But you often take it to the next level.

>> We only have half the story told here.

We're trying to take a master craft here... >> Uh-huh.

>> ...and turn it into ornamental art... >> Okay.

>> ...the next step.

>> All right.

And that's what this here represents, right?

Like, this spur is basically the same as what we just did.

>> Duplicate steel work.

>> Except this one here has been blued.

>> It's been overlaid with sterling silver and then blued, which is a black oxide, and all engraved up.

>> And it's just beautiful.

>> Well, thank you.

>> I couldn't imagine wearing these.

>> Well, thank you.

>> They look so great.

>> That's the goal is I want it to look like, "I have to put it on.

I have to use it, but it's so pretty I can't."

>> And you do all the engraving and all the silver work yourself, right?

>> Absolutely.

>> Right here.

>> Right.

>> You've got a sculpt, and you've got engravers and all kinds of stuff.

>> Yes, sir.

This bench is set up.

I spend a lot of time here.

>> Beautiful work.

And this pair here is amazing, too.

>> Thanks.

That's... >> What kind of hours do you have in something like this?

>> Honestly, I've spent 3 months on a piece before, 3 or 4 months.

>> Have you really?

>> Yeah.

So you can spend a lot of time on stuff and just how deep you want to get into the story.

>> Well, it certainly shows, man, and I had a great time.

I learned a ton.

Thank you so much.

>> I couldn't have been more honored to have you in my shop.

Thank you.

>> Well, thank you.

Thank you.

What do you say we go out for a ride?

>> Let's do it.

>> All right.

A little bit more fun.

>> Yeehaw!

>> [ Laughs ] What a great experience I had working with Wilson.

He taught me that patience is the virtue of any craftsman.

Not only is he incredibly skilled, he's on a mission to educate people about the cowboy culture, and that's a legacy to be proud of.

>> Legacy is about the things that you can pass on.

You can pass on your wisdom.

Your skills.

>> How about this?

>> Gear fold.

>> This down here?

Proper tire pressure would be?

>> 55 psi.

>> And maybe you can pass on something just a little bit more.

The Ford F-150, a proud supporter of "A Craftsman's Legacy."

>> To discover more about "A Craftsman's Legacy" and the craftsmen we feature, please visit our website.

And you can also follow us on social media through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.