Conversely, the gregarious Guillory talks rapidly in a thick Cajun accent, long blond hair feathers against his shirt collar, and tattoos peek from beneath his sleeves. Men such as Bayers and Klapper forged the image of a serious, tight-lipped builder with cowboy roots. Guillory admits he has often felt like an outsider, raised in the woods and bayous of central Louisiana rather than the open ranch country of West Texas, where a majority of bit and spur makers call home. If they’re doing old-school designs, go do something else.” “If everyone is putting floral patterns in their silver, go old school. Don’t be a sheep,” Guillory illustrates his point. “I’m outside the circle, but it sets me apart. Besides, he’s not one to try and fit in with the crowd. Guillory says it may have put him at a disadvantage when he started, but now it seems to add to his appeal as a maker. Conversely, the neighboring states of Oklahoma and Texas, with their rich ranching cultures, have produced a long list of respected craftsmen. The state of Louisiana isn’t known as a haven for bit and spur makers. I spent a lot of days working until midnight. I would study the pictures of bits and spurs, and I would figure out the measurements. “The first books I got were the Bayers books. He picked up tips here and there, studied the work of master craftsmen such as the late Adolph Bayers, and labored for countless hours in his shop. And for him to be friends with me, to accept me and give me tips any time I call, that means a lot.”ĭespite listing several men who have influenced him, Guillory never apprenticed under another craftsman. “I respect everything about John, the person he is,” Guillory says. Guillory looks up to several old-school bit and spur makers, including John Israel of Oklahoma. “I’ve always admired Billy’s work, and I admire how people looked up to his work,” Guillory says. Guillory has also built bits inspired by Klapper’s style and design another reason he has often been referred to as the “Cajun Klapper.” But that’s not a moniker he has promoted himself. For many, it harkens to legendary Texas craftsman Billy Klapper, who made his spurs from the axles of Model T Fords. When solid metal pins became harder to find, he switched to plow axles. It’s what you can turn something into.”įor years, Guillory made spurs from the track pins of broken-down bulldozers and heavy equipment. What you put into a pair of spurs, it’s a little bit of metal, your time, and what you envision. I’m trying to keep a part of the West alive. “I get passionate about building the traditional way,” he says. They appreciate the functionality and the artistry of his work, especially knowing that each piece is built by hand, not mass-produced. But that alone isn’t what sets his work apart, or what has attracted top cutting horse trainers, ropers and working cowboys to his custom spurs and bits. Guillory is one of only a handful of craftsmen who builds one-piece spurs. He shapes those branches into a U-shape, using a die that’s the same size as his customer’s bootheel. Next, he uses an electric-powered trip hammer to make the branches of his T longer and thinner, leaving the trunk to function as the spur shank. After heating it for several minutes in his forge, he is now hammering the steel into the shape of a T. Guillory used his torch to cut off a 6-inch piece, as well as to cut a 4-inch split running lengthways down the 1-by-1-inch square rod. What was once part of a rust-covered, 5-foot-long bar will have a new purpose by the end of the day. Sparks shoot across his shop near Pine Prairie, Louisiana, each time his hammer lands on the heated piece of a plow axle he’s transforming into an elegant, handmade spur. Heavy steel glows bright orange as Barry Guillory shapes it with a six-pound sledgehammer. Barry Guillory of Louisiana employs traditional methods to build bits and spurs, fulfilling a lifelong passion for the cowboy way of life.
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