SCHOLARSHIP STORIES
JOSEY CARTER NATE’S STORY
I can’t pinpoint exactly what struck my interest in silversmithing, but I just had always thought it was so amazing the things a western tradesman could create with their own two hands! I always wanted to know how it was done. When Nevada Miller created Be a Maker School I immediately signed up! I chose silver of all the western trades because of the beautiful headstall buckles and bits I had seen on my brother’s tack. My goal from the beginning is that I would learn to engrave and eventually make one of those bits!
I chose to work with Chris Cheney at Cheney Custom Saddles and Silver. Chris is one of the best craftsmen out there. He is a saddle maker as well as a silversmith/bit maker. Everything he makes is high quality and a true work of art. Chris is a great teacher, I found this while learning bright cut engraving from him, and he has an extensive knowledge in his trade as well as in horsemanship. I chose him as a teacher because I knew that I could not only learn the how, but the why in building a bit. With the SKJ Scholarship I worked with Chris Cheney to learn bit making.
I hardly have enough paper to record the things I learned on this project. In short though, I learned how to design a cheek piece pattern and about how the shape effects the function and harshness when it is put to use. Filing is a skill I already knew how to do, but with Chris’s help I became a lot more precise over many hours required for this project. I learned to inlay silver using a hammer and chisel. This was a lot of work, but I liked the simplicity of the tools it required to be able to add an extra element of durability to my work. The mouth piece was a big challenge as I had never welded before. I had to learn TIG welding and then apply it making small welds putting the mouth piece together. The amount of times we had to grind down and re-weld things was exhausting…. But I got much better!
After assembling the cheeks and mouth piece we did all the finish work which was a very long process. I learned how to attach the chain hangers using just a hammer. The non-functional side of the chain hanger is hammered down, making it too large to slide through the cheek. It was another interesting way of putting things together as it doesn’t’ require solder. Once again, just a pocket for the metal to go into and a hammer. I put together the chains and welded each link together. After that we put the brace wires on, then put the black finish on the cheeks. After coloring the cheeks we wrapped the brace wires in copper and attached the chains. This project was a lot of work, but I gained so many new skills that will benefit my future!
This scholarship put me years ahead on my education. I try to only use money earned by my business into the purchase of supplies, tools, education, etc.. Not being able to focus on my silversmith ventures full time makes the accrual of those funds very slow and it would have taken me several years to the point I could invest more in my education. Where there is a will there is a way and I would have found one! However, if there was a perfect time to learn it is now when I live within 10 minutes of my chosen mentor. Even though finding time was still a challenge it was the best time as future plans will take us away from this area soon. None of it would have been possible without the SKJ scholarship!
While I learned skills that will help me in my trade going forward, I also had some personal lessons learned in the process. The hardest part was time. I have a full-time job so all work on this project had to be done on the weekends and evenings and many times there were other things that needed to be done. I am somewhat of an impatient person and perfectionist so at times I was pretty discouraged after finally being able to spend a whole day and seeing little overall progress on the project. Eventually I overcame these feelings and came to the realization that the learning curve for some skills is just a little more gradual and there is no rush when it comes to learning. You do what you can when you can and eventually you will meet your goals!
Welding was a challenge to learn. It is similar to soldering, but also so different. I had a really hard time laying a smooth line. I had lots of globs and holes in my welds. I was given all the correct instruction, but could not get it right. Finally on some practice pieces I picked up a sort of rhythm in the way I moved the current and tapped with the filler rod and everything was much easier after that.
I am very happy with the way things have worked out, wouldn’t change a thing!
This scholarship has helped me to reach the goal I had when I started out, which was to learn to build bits. Now my goal is to make that a regular part of my business. Right now while I am still learning, I would like to make a few more simpler bits made to sell rather than taking orders. This way I can get experience and master the new skills I have learned. In 5 years I really hope to have all my own tools for bit making. I hope by then I’ve built a small reputation. I want to go to a rodeo or a branding and see the people I rub shoulders with using my products in their every day.
The education I received through this scholarship has opened up opportunities to break into a different market. I have loved creating new jewelry designs and will continue to do so, but I am excited at the prospect of making gear for the horsemen. I hope with this project I will get more opportunities from people to build larger items like conchos, buckles, and of course bits. I enjoy the challenge of filling such a large canvas. If I could become someone’s maker of choice to build these bigger, and most likely, long awaited items, it would be such a pleasure!
