Tools of the Trade: Order Books

Once upon a time, bootmakers used "order books." These were big hardcover books that remind me of the world atlas my sister and I shared when were kids. Back then, pages were big and I was small... and I had to use my whole arm to turn a page.

Here's how they work. Each customer would stand on the book, both their feet would be traced, and their measurements written down. Once the book was full, the bootmaker would start another.

If you look inside and old custom boot you'll often see a couple numbers, like 8-86. It's secret code... you need to open order book #8 and turn to page 86. There you will find the customer's name, measurements and usually the original selling price of the cowboy boots.

Nowadays most bootmakers use file folders. Sigh.

Photos taken at James Leddy Boots (Abilene, TX)

How to Wear Cowboy Boots: Girls

All my fashion advice stops at the knee. I suggest you listen to what Briana has to say.

Ashley Olsen & Kate Bosworth photo courtesy of people.com

How to Wear Cowboy Boots: Boys

"How To Be A Cowboy: Western Boots" filmed at Boot Star in Los Angeles, CA. Don't miss seeing their exclusive Old Gringo Designs. They're what you call "rockstar casual."

Anatomy of a Cowboy Boot

After writing the glossary for my book, I realized how difficult it is to describe boot terms like side welts and insoles without using pictures.

Bootmaker Glenderson Daly provides an excellent diagram of a cowboy boot on his website ...detailing many parts of a cowboy boot which are typically hidden from view.

(Photo courtesy of Daly Boots.)

Tips on visiting a custom bootshop

1. Always make an appointment! Many bootmakers have their shops at home. Business hours vary greatly...for good and for bad.

2. Ask if there are photos or cowboy boots in the shop for you to see. When bootmakers know you're coming sometimes they can hold on to a finished pair for a little while before shipping them out. I've been places where the only boots in the shop were the ones on the bootmaker's feet.

3. Don't do too much drinkin' or dancin' the night before your visit. If your feet are unusually swollen it will interfere with your measurments. (This can go for long airplane rides as well.) Most people like afternoon appointments because it's often a "happy medium" for boot fit.

4. Bring your checkbook. Relatively few bootmakers take credit cards. Most often when you buy a pair of custom cowboy boots you'll be asked to pay half the amount at the time of the order, and the rest when your boots are finished.

5. Wear clean socks. Pick a pair similar to the ones you are planning on wearing with your boots. Your foot measurements will be taken with your pant legs pulled up and your socks on.

6. Put the bootmaker's phone number on your cell phone's speed dial ...some bootshops are really "off the beaten path."

7. Be honest with the bootmaker and respectful of their time. In one-person shops all bootmaking stops when you walk in the door. If you are just stopping by to say "howdy" and look at their work—make it a short visit. Bootmakers will gladly take your measurements if you're a serious customer, but staying two hours, getting fitting and planning out a pair of boot that you never order ...just isn't cool.

PHOTO: After 15 years of bootmaking, Brian Thomas has just opened his shop in Abilene, Texas. Better act fast before his waitlist gets too long! Contact Mr. Thomas at B17CREWDOG@aol.com (...or phone 325-672-2344.)

Pegs

So, do you want to know a secret? Sometimes I go into western wear stores just to see what boots they have sitting on the shelf...and when I do, I do what everybody else does and I pick up a boot and turn it over. I look for the pegs. The pegs are hammered into the sole of the boot and they run along the underside of your foot's arch and under the boot's heel where you can't see 'em.

Only I don't stop there...oh, nooo...not me. Then I take my thumbnail and scratch the layer of black wax off the top of the pegs, and double check something. Most of the "pegged" shelf-boots are now using these kinda rectangular peg-shaped brass nails instead of the traditional wooden pegs. Ugh. The beauty of the wooden peg is that it absorbs water and swells along with the sole of the boot when it gets wet. Yeah sure, today's glues are strong enough to outlast any leather or stitch...but that's not the point. When I see a row of wooden pegs I see craftmanship and skill. For every peg on a boot's sole an awl is dipped in wax, a hole is punched, and a peg is hammered in...and the magical thing is that the hole you punch with your awl is round and significantly smaller than your peg. Square peg into a round hole...get it? You do it wrong and your peg goes halfway into your leather sole and snaps off at an angle. Experienced bootmakers have a special hammer, one with a textured face to grip the peg, and the hammer is set into a rhythmic motion...one light tap to set the peg in place...then a harder one to drive it in....over and over.

Big bootcompanies like using brass nails because they are fast and foolproof. If they can make a boot faster, it's the same as making it cheaper. I understand this. I just don't like it when they are square...it's misleading. People have learned to turn a boot over and to "look for the pegs"...like thumping a melon in the grocery store.

Yeah...go ahead look for the pegs, but bring your reading glasses.