Glenn Pier Depot price changes

[VaTrooper]

I was on the phone with Karl Pepper of Glenn Pier Depot last night and he mentioned that he would be getting a sewing machine this week and a price change is to come. The machine stitched stuff is going to be cheaper than his current list price but he was going to go up some on the hand stitched items.

[neocelt]

MODERATOR: With all due respect, this post is inappropriate for this forum, as machine-stitched tack is not authentic to the Civil War period.

Cheers,

[VaTrooper]

This post is only inappropriate if you twist it into being that way! As of right now all of Glenn Piers work is hand stitched but his price for this service will be going up and I was explaining why.




Wm Shifflett
"Don't piss down my back and tell me its raining" mess.

[Mike Nickerson]

The fact that his prices are going up for his (regular) hand stitched work is not a big surprise. He has been much cheaper than anyone else for years. The bad end of the deal is the fact that the authentic stuff will take longer, due to machine stitched orders!

Mike Nickerson

[VaTrooper]

Mike,
Do you really think he's going to get more business now? Like you said his prices are already cheap so I cant see him picking up to much more business over a slight price drop for machine stitching. It may even speed him up a bit because not everyone that orders cares enough to get it hand stitched. Though I may be wrong.

[Mike Nickerson]

William, I don't think Karl bought a commercial leather sewing machine just to get his existing quantity of orders (who don't want machine stitched) out quicker. I'm guessing it is to tap into a piece of the mainstream market (just like the other guys have done all along). Time will tell, but the wait for GPD saddles has always been linked closely to tree availability, so maybe it won't change all that much.

Neocelt, what authentic saddle do you ride?

Mike Nickerson

[VaTrooper]

Mike,
Your right but as far as I know Karl doesnt advertise its mostly by word of mouth and his website (which can be tricky to find if your just using a search engine) so unless he sarts getting his name out there more I dont see that big of a change in his turn around time. When I talked to him the other day a saddle ordered now would be recieved by christmas IF he has the tree. If he didnt have the tree he had no clue as to when he could get it out.

[The Egyptian Homeguard]

Mike,
Not that I really need to defend Nick or that I am attacking you, but he probably is riding his own hand sewn, iron dyed saddle... If you had been around the forums a few years ago (2-5 yrs. would have been long enough) you have probably heard the name Heartland House discussed quite a few times... I'm not even sure if Nick is still making gear or not, but it was/is really good stuff. The trade off was a really long wait, (think early Nick Sekala sales) but excellent gear if you were/are patient... (I'm not, but I have seen his gear here and there) Nick also had some killer victorian spurs and bits at one time... How about it Nick any of those goodies left?
MHO.
TEH

[Mike Nickerson]

Thanks Zack! Since posting, I have been brought up to speed on Nick's quality saddle/tack. I wasn't intending to "cut" on Nick, I just wondered what else was out there besides GPD and Kidd's (like Heartland House).

Mike Nickerson

[neocelt]

Zack,

Thanks for the kind words. To bring you up to speed: I took a sabbatical from my "day job" as a full-time artisan to get my master's degree. My thesis is entitled, "With Round Knife and Awl: The Impact of the Industrial Revolution on the Saddlery Trade in America, 1790-1860." I am currently in the process of relocating to County Waterford, Ireland. My plans are to revamp the Heartland House line of historical leather products and to raise and train superb Irish 'osses. I also plan to focus more on writing; it's high time I turned some of the file cabinet drawers full of data I've accumulated during my 30-plus years of research into publishable material. I do still have a few of those lovely bits and spurs on hand and will be happy to respond to any queries directed to: heartlandhouse@hotmail.com.

I am not aware of ANY commercial maker currently offering reproduction Civil War-era horse equipments whose products qualify to be discussed on this forum. Sad but true. To put a finer point on it: There is NO maker today who is producing anything remotely resembling an accurate M1859 saddle (and related appurtenances). There is NO source for an authentic McClellan tree--let alone the appropriate hardware--with which to build a Civil War-era Federal-issue saddle, and I won't be joining the growing pool of schlock merchants who are currently attempting to make a "silk purse out of a sow's ear." Alas, the market is too small to warrant the investment necessary to alter this sorry state of affairs. When I get my shop in Ireland squared away, I suspect I'll confine my labors to the production of "citizens" and Confederate-issue saddlery and leather accoutrements.

Almost forgot to answer Mike's question: Naturally, I make all of my tack myself. I built my '59 Mac on an original tree that I acquired from Frank Burgess in 1976. In addition to the refurbished tree, the saddle features all original hardware. In 30 years of service (and I ride a fair amount...), the only thing I've had to repair (or in this case, replace) is a set of stirrup leathers. They just don't make leather like they used to! (And as a corollary/postscript: No matter what any maker tells you, there is NO oak-tanned leather produced on this continent today. So either they've been sold a bill of goods or they're trying to sell you one. Caveat emptor.)

Cheers,

[CJSchumacher]

Not much to comment on these forums anymore...but I will certainly chime in to lend support to Nick's superior craftsmanship.

I know of Nick and one other saddler that are actually...well...saddlers in the truest sense of the word. By this I mean, their skill isn't relegated to "reenactors". They are true artisans...creating saddles, tack and even providing loinery for equestrians. However, they accomplish this using UN-compromising standards in leather, materials, and their own trained ability. Neither provide saddles for the mass market of "reenactors".

Simply put...nobody comes close. Those reading Nick's invaluable contributions to this forum...including myself...are fortunate.

[Charles Heath]

They just don't make leather like they used to! (And as a corollary/postscript: No matter what any maker tells you, there is NO oak-tanned leather produced on this continent today. So either they've been sold a bill of goods or they're trying to sell you one. Caveat emptor.)

Nick,

This is precisely why we are seeing so much gray color accoutrements entering the market as the period receipt dyes react differently with modern so-called oak-tanned leather than they did with the real thing. While a topic for another thread entirely, your comments bring this situation to mind.

[J.H.Berger]

Nick is right, there is only one tannery in Germany that still does oak tanning, And this is not even 100% but mixed with fir bark. They only make sole leather so nothing for tack.
I have made good experience so far with our vegetable tanned leather if you stain the leather with soda, logwood extract and water before you use the iron vinegar solution. even the tinner leather gets a rich deep black with this method. You have to wax it afterwards.

[BCStaples]

Very Sorry to hear of the loss of a family member. May he be remembered forever in Fiddlers Green.

Bryan Staples
7th VA Cav