How did we come up with our cowboy face logo ! In loving memory of RWEaton

Over the last few months I have been asked how did we come up with our logo so I thought I would write a blog about this story.

About 10 years ago I loving coaxed my husband Ron Eaton into going to the Clay Café with me to paint a coffee mug. He was a good sport and went with a smile on his face and sat for a few hours while I messed up mug after mug trying to make it perfect. He quietly painted his mug with ranch brands and a silly little man face that I told him looked just like him. I said we should make our logo however he thought it was silly and just would not let me do it.

2 years ago when we expanded the shop I had a sign made with the little man face to be funny and he loved it. So we started using this as our logo.

October of 2013 my husband and partner when to heaven to be with the Lord and the Logo became even more meaningful to me. He is every where we look at the shop, online and forever in our hearts.

RWE you were the most creative leather person and wonderful business man and I am honored to have shared life with you. Until we meet again.

 Original Art from Mug made at Clay Cafe



Logo made by Elite Signs and Designs for us to use on paper and internet.

Team Roping Roper Rope Hanger Keeper Rope Strap by RANCHco

Keeps Rope in place

Tired of your rope flopping around or having to wrap over and over again to tie your rope up? This is simple to install under a saddle concho or to lace with saddle strings and your rope is in place in seconds and its not flopping around. It keeps the rope up and off of your leg and very quick to release.

Its a very simple item but make a HUGE difference.

You can purchase this item at www.ranchco.net $19.99

Argentine Bits- Best Bit Around

Figure 8 Hobbles and One Leg Hobbles are the same thing

Did you see this months Western Horsemen article about one leg hobbles? You can do this with your basic hobble.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=201095254603

How to measure for custom chaps

From Mourning to Joy Jeremiah 31

I am not a writer or blogger but I do like to share by heart from time to time.


Taking care of your spouse as they die is the hardest thing
in my life that I have ever done. Saying good bye to them as they go into the
hands of the Father is bitter sweet. Bitter for me but Sweet for them to be in
the presence of the Lord. For months you walk around in a haze, your exhausted to
a degree that is unexplainable, your memory (What memory) I don’t know if it’s
how your body deals with shock but you can remember the simplest things. I was
blessed to have a wonderful family and group of friends who have walked beside
of me and held my hand and provided a loving shoulder to cry on. Slowly but
surely the fog has begun to lift. There is guilt that comes as the fog lifts
because you think you shouldn’t feel happy…. but even with time that begins to
fade. The one we say goodbye to would never want us to stay sad.

Spring 2014 is a new day. As the flowers push through the
dirt to bloom so will I. Today is the day the Lord has made let us rejoice and
be glad.

I am so grateful for the people in my life who have helped
me start living again. You know who you are, you are special beyond words and I
am honored to call you my friend.



He will turn your mourning into Joy . Jeremiah 31

If we live long enough

If we live long enough…

I am not a writer or blogger but I want to share what I have learned along my journey in hopes to help one person on their journey.

If we live long enough we will all experience the loss of a spouse. (If you’re married)

This is not something you can plan for emotional, even when you think you can. Trust me you can’t. I am a planner deluxe and I thought I had prepared my self in every way possible. We had talked about all the wonderful times, revisited photos and memories, talked about fears for the future.. we even talked about the dreaded funeral.

It’s funny the things that you talk about and laugh about when your loved one knows that they are dying. My man knew he was going to heaven and that his soul would leave his body but nevertheless he did not want to cremated. He was worried about burning his beloved mustache. If you knew him you would smile, nod your head and say “ I bet that’s right”.

Funerals are expensive and they DON’T let you pay it out.When I say expensive what does that mean? The first quote I got for the cheapest burial plan available at a Dignity Funeral home was $12,500.00. That's was no flowers on the casket, no special lining and I mean it was the bottom of the barrel casket just up from a cardboard box. Yes , I said cardboard box.Even when you know your spouse would not want you to spend one penny more than needed on their burial, putting them in a cardboard box would be horrible.

So what do you do when you don’t have Twelve THOUSAND dollars to bury someone because you spent your money keeping them alive or your just plain don’t have it?
You call around to all the funeral homes, start with the family owned because they still have a heart and don’t have to pay franchise fees etc. Call a funeral home that is across the tracks ...This saved me about $7,000.00.

I know you don’t want to prepay for your funeral it’s hard to think about and morbid  but please do this for your spouse…. You maybe the one to go first and this will make things so much easier on your widow/widower. At least start a savings account that isfor that purpose. Again this is not about you but the one you love that will be left behind to live.

The next think I would suggest in talk about what you would like your funeral to look like should that happen. If you can’t talk about put it in a word doc on your computer. Tell your spouse it is there, or make a love folder and put that in your folder along with a list of password, wills etc.

My sweetie wrote a list of songs he would like to be played,list of people he would like to speak, what kind of flowers he wanted (Which was none). I found this file along with his obituary that he had written. He did not tell me about it and I just happened on it just in the nick of time (A God thing) He even told me when to play the songs. Like he wanted "Back in the saddle again" to be played as we left the service. He told me what he wanted to wear and to be SURE to wax his mustache .Now this file was not dated after he was put on hospice but it was dated years ago after his mother passed away.He had planned for a rainy day and it really helped me.

If you think about this ahead of time it will be a reflection of who you, or who they were, not a canned service with photos of your loved ones. People who leave the service will feel blessed. They will feel like they just had a cup of coffee with your loved one.

I don’t know maybe you like sad, boring funerals but I did not want that. I wanted people to be reminded of who my man was. To remember his silly lists of to do’s always written on a yellow legal note pad. (We used those for guest to sign in). I wanted them to remember how he loved being a cowboy. (We had his boots, hat and saddle there) How he was not just a dress up cowboy he was a rancher and that was not just how he dressed that is how he lived.(We had a rider less horse with his boots in the stirrups backwards). We talked about many of the details late at night when we could not sleep…There were always tears but much laughter in silly ideas that we would NEVER use but still the same it was a hard but sweet time.

If you live long enough you too will plan a funeral, so think about it now. How can you make it easier on your spouse should you be the first to go? It’s a gift you can give your family to take a minute and make some notes to make this one step a little easier on them.

This one step will be a huge gift to them.

Caring for someone who you love while they are dying

Caring for Ron as he is in the last journey of his life is one of the most difficult things I have ever done. Yet there are so many blessings along they way. It amazes me how many people go out of their way to help us as we travel on this journey.
Hospice of Lubbock has been so kind and loving to us. Teaching us how to live every moment to the fullest while he preparing to leave this world. Living is the key. Living each moment as if it was our last because it just might be.
There are so many things I have learned that no one told me and I so wish I could share them with someone who is on the same journey as I am or will be one day. I am not a writter so no book will ever come out with my name on it. I really don't blog so I thought I would post a note.
Disposible products make your life much eaiser. You may have to think outside of the box and use items that were made for another reason to make your life easier.
Potty Chair Trick - A small trash can liner (Sented helps) will fit the potty bowl and makes clean up MUCH easier and quicker.
Walker on Wheels - The walkers with wheels and seats are great for a wheel chair in a pinch.
Plastic Trays from a Restaurant Supply make a perfect size try for taking meals to the room. Easy to clean, they don't break.
Tervis Plastic Glasses with Lids are perfect for keeping fluids by the bedside because it keeps the drink cold or hot for a long time, and makes using a straw easy. (I got mine at Bed Bath & Beyond)
If you every have a chance to go to a event to raise money for Hospice take the time to go. It is life changing for those of us who have the need to have them in our lives. It is not a free service and takes lots of money for them to do what they do but if you ever have to use them you too will understand why its important they are here to serve us when we need them most.
If you have taken time to read this I hope it will help you if not now but one day down the road in your journey.

If we live long enough

If we live long enough…


I am not a writer or blogger but I want to share what I have learned along my journey in hopes to help one person on their journey.


If we live long enough we will all experience the loss of a spouse. (If you’re married)


This is not something you can plan for emotional, even when you think you can. Trust me you can’t. I am a planner deluxe and I thought I had prepared my self in every way possible. We had talked about all the wonderful times, revisited photos and memories, talked about fears for the future.. we even talked about the dreaded funeral.


It’s funny the things that you talk about and laugh about when your loved one knows that they are dying. My man knew he was going to heaven and that his soul would leave his body but nevertheless he did not want to cremated. He was worried about burning his beloved mustache. If you knew him you would smile, nod your head and say “ I bet that’s right”.


Funerals are expensive and they DON’T let you pay it out.When I say expensive what does that mean? The first quote I got for the cheapest burial plan available at a Dignity Funeral home was $12,500.00. That's was no flowers on the casket, no special lining and I mean it was the bottom of the barrel casket just up from a cardboard box. Yes , I said cardboard box.Even when you know your spouse would not want you to spend one penny more than needed on their burial, putting them in a cardboard box would be horrible.


So what do you do when you don’t have Twelve THOUSAND dollars to bury someone because you spent your money keeping them alive or your just plain don’t have it?
You call around to all the funeral homes, start with the family owned because they still have a heart and don’t have to pay franchise fees etc. Call a funeral home that is across the tracks ...This saved me about $7,000.00.


I know you don’t want to prepay for your funeral it’s hard to think about and morbid  but please do this for your spouse…. You maybe the one to go first and this will make things so much easier on your widow/widower. At least start a savings account that isfor that purpose. Again this is not about you but the one you love that will be left behind to live.


The next think I would suggest in talk about what you would like your funeral to look like should that happen. If you can’t talk about put it in a word doc on your computer. Tell your spouse it is there, or make a love folder and put that in your folder along with a list of password, wills etc.


My sweetie wrote a list of songs he would like to be played,list of people he would like to speak, what kind of flowers he wanted (Which was none). I found this file along with his obituary that he had written. He did not tell me about it and I just happened on it just in the nick of time (A God thing) He even told me when to play the songs. Like he wanted "Back in the saddle again" to be played as we left the service. He told me what he wanted to wear and to be SURE to wax his mustache .Now this file was not dated after he was put on hospice but it was dated years ago after his mother passed away.He had planned for a rainy day and it really helped me.


If you think about this ahead of time it will be a reflection of who you, or who they were, not a canned service with photos of your loved ones. People who leave the service will feel blessed. They will feel like they just had a cup of coffee with your loved one.


I don’t know maybe you like sad, boring funerals but I did not want that. I wanted people to be reminded of who my man was. To remember his silly lists of to do’s always written on a yellow legal note pad. (We used those for guest to sign in). I wanted them to remember how he loved being a cowboy. (We had his boots, hat and saddle there) How he was not just a dress up cowboy he was a rancher and that was not just how he dressed that is how he lived.(We had a rider less horse with his boots in the stirrups backwards). We talked about many of the details late at night when we could not sleep…There were always tears but much laughter in silly ideas that we would NEVER use but still the same it was a hard but sweet time.


If you live long enough you too will plan a funeral, so think about it now. How can you make it easier on your spouse should you be the first to go? It’s a gift you can give your family to take a minute and make some notes to make this one step a little easier on them.


This one step will be a huge gift to them.

In true cowboy fashion my cowboy was laid to rest

Just a few years ago we ranched fulltime and had planned to be buried on our ranch. as life would have it we had to sell the ranch and move to town to be closer to doctors for the care of my sweet husband Ron. When the doctors told us there was nothing more that they could do we began to think about how to say "Goodbye". I wanted to send him out in the same cowboy fashion we would have on the ranch. So we saddled the horse with his saddle, put his boots in the stirrups one last time (Backwards) and two of his close friends let the horse in his honor as we said "Goodbye" for the last time.

Ron Eaton

 Ronald Willard Eaton was born 1954  Ron passed on October 27, 2013 of natural causes at the age of 58.

Ron loved his Heavenly father and lived every day to serve God.  His wife and children meant everything to him and he loved and cherished them.  Ron loved serving in the church and the community through the years in a variety of capacities including the following:

 

Ranching was one of Ron’s passions and even as a child he dreamed of being a cowboy.  He was the owner of Ranchco Saddle Shop in Wolfforth, Texas and he was the previous owner of Eaton Ranch Company where he raised registered Angus Cattle.  He was very involved in the ranching community as a proud member of the American Angus Assoc., Texas Angus Assoc., American Quarter Horse Assoc., etc.

 

Christian Services of the Southwest- Board Member

National Cowboy Symposium Executive Advisory Board

George W. Bush for Governor- Dallas County Co-Organizational Campaign Director

United Way - Volunteer Coordinator

YMCA - Member of the Board of Directors

Youth Sports Coach - LCAA, Coppell YFL

Ministry Leader - Monterey Church of Christ

Midland County Young Republicans and various volunteer positions

Board Member - Greater West Texas Angus Assoc.

Delegate to the American Angus Assoc. National Conference

Precinct and County Convention Republican Delegate

Delegate to the Texas State Republican Convention

 

The family asks that any memorial donations in Ron’s memory be made to one of his favorite charitable organizations as a way to celebrate him: The Texas Boys Ranch, Hospice of Lubbock, or Monterey Church of Christ.

Tough Enough to Wear Pink - October Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Every Year we make a special pair of Rodeo Chaps in Pink to raise money for breast cancer research. We make a donation from part of the sale to the Breast Cancer Foundation.

Although Breast Cancer has not yet touched our family other cancers have and we want to support the efforts in action to stop this aweful cancer.

This year we have a pair of Chaps made from Coach Leather up for Sale $625.95

806-687-2367 if you are interested in these chaps.

History of Craftool markings by: Ron Eaton.......

History of Craftool markings    by: Ron Eaton.......

 

Craftools with no  number or info stamped on them are rare and made from circa 1949 and earlier

 

Craftools markered "Craftool Co" with a numeric numer ONLY are made from

1949 to pprox 1963

ie:    "CRAFTOOL 821"

 

Craftools marked "Craftool Co" with Numeric number AND and Alpha Prefix were made from 1963 to approx 1968

ie:    "Craftool B 201"

 

Craftools marked "Craftool Co USA" are made after 1969

ie:    "Craftool Co USA B 200"

 

Craftools marked "Craftool USA are made from the 1970's thru more recent years. The plant was closed in 1999 and no more tools were made in the USA.

ie:    "Craftool USA   V 730"

 

New Craftools are marked "CRAFTOOL" and the newer ones are just black printed lettering and not stamped into the tool per se. This was the beginning of the "IMPORTED CRAFTOOL" Some have the number and some do not. These are all imported and much lower quality and not made to use with leather mauls, etc.

ie:    "CRAFTOOL"

 

There are also some tools made for Tandys (mostly sold in KITS) that have a "Z" Prefix and a number but not stamped Craftool. These are even lower quality. Bare in mind these are tools with ONLY a number and NO Craftool designation. In the past some were nickel plated and somee were Gilt plated. These are the cheapest tools ever offered by Tandys.

ie:       "Z V707"

 

NOTE: note NOT all "Z" tools are the lower quality.....if preceeded by "Craftool Co USA" then they may be a special or limited run. These are the same quality as the other tools with a similar Craftool stamp but were a spcial or limited edition.

ie.      "Craftool Co USA   Z998"

 

The are also a few tools that are stamped with the Letter "S" After the numeric prefix. These were special HEAVY made tools most with a 3/8 inch or larger shaft and designed for Saddle Makers and extra heavy to hold up to heavy maul use. These are very limited and some consider rare.

ie:      "Craftool Co USA   P 361 S"

 

 

There are also some tools marked "Craftool Tiawan"

 

Also do not confuse tools marked "Craft Japan" or +Craftool Japan" with Craftool Tools.

Although not all of these are the same quality I have found some of these tools that were made in Japan to be the highest quality of any of the imported tools and normally much better than tools made in Tiawan, etc

 

 

Although I am not an expert I have been doing leather work and collecting leather tools fo well over 40 years. This is based on my personal experience and what otyher very knowledgable people in the leather trade have shared with me. Through the years the earliest names and dates I have heard assoiciated with Craftool would be Mr. Dick McGahen who began to make tools for leather carvers in California in the 1940’s. According to Ellis Barnes (deceased), he had several other tool makers that helped him created tools including Ellis Barnes, Ken Griffin and some others.  The tools that were made by them probably had no numbers on them and may or may not have been stamped with the Craftool name.  When you see this type of tool, it was likely made around 1949 or earlier.

 

Once the numbering of tools began, they were marked with “Craftool Co” and just a number. This type of marking was consistent up through 1962 or 1963.

 

In 1963, they started adding a letter prefix to the number.  From 1963 until around 1969 they were marked with “Craftool Co.” and a number with a letter before it to identify the type of tool it was.

 

Around 1969, they began marking the tools with “Craftool Co. USA” plus the number and the letter prefix. This continued until the later years of the company.  They eventually changed to marking them with “Craftool USA” and the number with the letter prefix. This continued to be the practice until they closed their manufacturing plant in 1999. This was the last time Craftools were made in the USA.

 

Afetr this point most Craftools were and are still made in Tiawan or ogther overseas locations.

 

Do not confuse genuine Craftools with tools made by Craft Co. of Japan "Craft Japan" or "Craftool Japan". The tools made by Craft Japan are nice enough tools, but they have no relation to the original Craftool Company.>

 

By, Ron W. Eaton

 

 

sources:

Craftool Co.

Tandy Catelogs and publications

Vintage Leather Tools

 

Family is so important. Always make time to spend time together to keep the bonds that tie you together strong. This weekend we spent time with Ron's cousins and had a ball. Time to catch up with everyone and their kids, share stories from days of our childhood... and complain a little bit. (HAHAH ) a lot of talk about Obama.
I am reminded what a blessing it is to be apart of a family who ALL love the Lord and each other. Is it perfect? No but there is forgiveness when things go wrong and pick up where we left off.

Thank you Lord for a wonderful weekend.

The Man behind it all

 When Ron was just a little boy he fell in love with the Cowboy Way and leather. From a very young age he picked up the art. He still uses many of the tools he bought when he was a young man. To this day Ron is creating and designing new items for the shop to make from Chaps to Saddles and everything in between. RANCHco Started off as Rodeo Specialties with Ron's Dad RW Eaton just off the Rankin Hwy in Midland Texas. Although things have grown and moved to a little different zip code in West Texas things are still very much the same. Quality Hand Tooled Workmanship in the USA on USA tanned leather

.

OK so you know when you reach that time in your like you need a little help with your boots?

We all come to a point in our life when we need a little help putting on our boots. You maybe young and have a injury or sore from riding some wide animal, or maybe you have lived a good life and just reached a point that you need a little help getting your boots on and off.
DON'T Stop wearing your boots! We have just what you need!

We have found the perfect thing to help you out.

Pat Pending US648922S

Did you think you could not wear boots anymore because they are to hard to put on and take off? This is your answer to getting your boots back on.

This is very well made from steel and painted black. This is adjustable so if you need this higher or shorter to help hold your boots you can do this with ease.

This is perfect to help get your boots off and on without sitting down.

 We all need a little help from time to time.

24" Wide x 32" Tall 

Watch a video on how easy this is to use:

http://youtu.be/Gnk5tgAdeIo

  

Chuys Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients 2 lbs chicken (split chicken breasts with ribs) 2 tbsp olive oil 1 chopped medium white onion 1 chopped carrot 1 chopped celery 16 cups chicken broth (99% fat free) 1 tbsp habanero powder (optional) 4 diced Roma tomatoes 1 cup corn 1 tbsp lime juice 1 tsp pepper 4 oz can diced green chilies (Hatch) 2 cups chopped cilantro 1 avocado chopped 1 cup chopped sweet potato (optional) shredded jack cheese tortilla strips (optional, but way better with) Preparation Boil chicken and remove meat from bones. Cook onion, carrot, celery in oil until onion starts turning golden.Add chicken br oth and bring to a slow boil and turn heat to medium. Add chicken meat, green chilies, corn, Roma tomatoes, lime juice, cilantro, avocado, sweet potato, habanero powder and pepper. Allow to cook for 20 to 30 minute on medium heat. When serving add about ¼ cup of jack cheese to bottom of bowl, add soup, and top with tortilla strips.

What is the difference between Sterling Silver, Overlay Silver and German / Nickle Silver

Several times a week I have someone ask me about the difference between Sterling Silve, overlay silver and German or Nickle Silver. Here is what I know:

 

 

Sterling Silver:

Fine silver is 99.9 percent pure or more, but it is very soft and unsuitable for most uses. Sterling silver is defined as 92.5 percent pure or higher. Sometimes, as you note, 95 percent pure silver is sold; this has more silver than the minimum it needs to be called sterling but its still sterling.

The remaining 5 to 7-1/2 percent is usually copper because this has been found to be the best metal to alloy with the silver to not discolor it, while making it hard.

Silver Overlay:

Silver overlay is a process of taking nickel silver and applying a layer of solid sterling silver....it is many times thicker than "Plated". The overlay is then engraved, etc....whereas plated items are engraved and then plated with a very thin electro plate of silver.

The process of using sterling silver overlay is done by the finest silversmith. It has the great appearance of solid sterling at a reduced cost but will far out last plated products.

Of course there are good quality plated items and cheap quality plated items. Not all plated items are cheap....for instance some of the finest dinnerware (forks, spoons, etc) are plated.

Sterling overlay is much better and more expensive than plated but not as high a solid sterling silver.

German silver or Nickel Silver:

German silver also known as Nickel Silver is a copper alloy with nickel and often zinc. The usual formulation is 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc. Nickel silver is named for its silvery appearance, but it contains no elemental silver unless plated. The name "German silver" refers to its development by 19th-century German metalworkers. This is NOT Mexico silver.

How to I know what size rodeo glove to buy?

 

Measure the width of open palm without a glove on - fingers together and thumb sticking out.

 

BULL RIDING (Deer Skin) Gloves:

 

NOTE: Average measurements accross your palm:

 

3"-3 1/8"  - 7 glove

3 1/4" - - - 7 1/2 glove

3 1/4" - - - 8 glove

3 3/8" - - - 8 1/2 glove

3 1/2" - - - 9 glove

3 5/8" - - - 9 1/2 glove

3 3/4" - - - 10 glove

4"     - - - 10 1/2 glove (Not available in many styles)

 

Typically if you measure around the thickest part of your palm (measuring around it) a person with a palm that measures approx 9 inches or so will wear a size 8 to 8 1/2 glove. This is for a fairly tight fit. If you prefer a looser fit order a larger size. Of course a lot just depends on how tight you like your glove? Some folks wear their glove very tight and some wear it loose and all degrees between.

 

For a BAREBACK (Steer Hide) Glove, the sizing is as follows Measuring accross your palm:

 

3 1/4" - - - 8 1/2 glove

3 1/2" - - - 9 glove

3 3/4" - - - 9 1/2 glove

4"     - - - 10 glove

4 1/4" - - - 10 1/2 glove (not avilable in all styles)

 

Bare in mind that these are averages and NOT exact measurements. Rodeo Gloves are hand made and as a result each is not the same as the next. In other words if you have 3 gloves all size 8 they may vary in size from glove to glove just depending.

How to install Dee's for Rope Lariat

For installation we suggest taking to your authorized saddle repair shop. When we install these in our own professional shop we first use a 1/2 inch "Oblong Punch" . We customarily punch thru the saddle leather but only deep enough to go through the top layer of the leather BUT not thru the Rawhide tree covering the tree or into the saddle tree per say. These are normally installed on the top are (In General) of the swells aka pomel) of the saddle. Then we use a leather fid or a flat screw driver to open the hole up a little so the clip portion can slip into the hole you just punched. Once this is done then we slide the clip into the hole and using a "saddle screw and washer" attach it to the saddle. We normally face the dee and clip facing forward. The screw seldom needs to be more than 1 1/4 inches long. We use special saddle screws and washers but in a pinch any wood screw with a small flat washer will work. Your done!    If at any point you have questions or concerns we strongly suggest you stop and ask your local saddle repair shop so not to risk potentially damaging your saddle.

Thanks for checking us out and if you are looking for more info just let me know.

806-687-2367 

RANCHco Saddle Shop signs go up!

Signs go up.... Coming soon the new and improved RANCHco Saddle Shop!