Dave Barrett was never a full time bit manufacturer, and worked most of his life as a cowboy doing work on ranches in California. He did learn some techniques from Gutierrez as well as from Ken Ramoni and Romie Pomi. Since Dave never worked full time at bit and spur making there are very few […]
Alexander Barclay started his saddlery business in Newark, NJ in 1842 at the age of 22, in 1845 Joseph Baldwin became a silent partner in the business and provided funding to keep the business operating until 1860 when Baldwin opened his own independent operation. Both businesses continued operating and Barclay produced bits for the US […]
Joseph Baldwin originally operated a partnership with Alexander Barclay, but in 1860 they separated and each operated their own saddlery companies out of Newark. Joseph Baldwin & Co. produced and sold bits throughout the US as well as in Central and South America. They were known for the high quality of their bits and spurs […]
Gary opened his shop in Portola with his father in 1960 and made bits before moving to Redwood City in 1963, and the Orland in 1980. His bits are marked unmistakably with “AVILA” inside the cheek in large block letters. His engraving is his greatest hallmark with beautiful, intricate and tightly detailed silverwork. He is […]
Forest ran a shop by himself, he never married or had any children. His main work was repairing broken items so there aren’t a lot of his bits out there. His style is most notable for his technique of overlaying silver and pinning it to the cheekpiece instead of soldering. His engraving style is quite […]
