1973 Engravers Photo

[Weldon47]

I came across this photo while going through some stuff after my mom passed away and thought you might find it interesting. The pic was taken at my folks home in Texas around July or August of 1973. There is quite an impressive collection of talent represented here.
Back row, left to right: Albert Bean (now in Corpus Christi, Texas, still engraving), W.E. "Big Bill" Lister; Edward "Eddie" Machu (don't know where Eddie is now); Frank Hendricks, Zoe Hendricks.
Front row: Lila Lister (my mother); Pam Machu and Barbara Hendricks (Frank & Zoe's daughter) is standing in front of Pam.
All the guys were engraving for Hendricks in his shop in San Antonio at the time the photo was taken.
Oh yeah, I'm the scrawney little tow-headed brat in the lower left front row. My job at the time was to behave myself (looks like that could have been a challenge!!)
Seriously, I had the honor (though I didn't realize it at the time) of growing up around these fine folks. Their influence lives on!

Thought you might enjoy,

Weldon

 

[michaelp]

Weldon thanks for sharing , I'm sure great memories of your Mom and childhood, makes me want to go upstairs and go through mine. thanks again

 

[Ron Smith]

Well, I'll be!! Was Frank ever that young? Can't remember the year I met him in person, but knew him long before that. We didn't get around much in those days and became aware of each other from pictures of engravings. Never got to see the man behind the work before about 1975 0r so, or at least I didn't. Went to gun shows however to promote my work, and that is how we all came together. Engraving was an isolated trade until we all got together to form the guild. That was ten years later. Do you know how old Frank was there? Looks to be about in his forties. Your dad looks a bit familiar. Maybe I met him some where along the way. Thanks for the picture Weldon. Were you at all remotely interested in engraving at that age? Seems like another world ago................Ron S

 

[Weldon47]

Ron,

I'll have to ask dad how old Frank was there and get back to you on that. Dad started with Frank around '68. I actually cut my first (horribly looking) scrolls around '73 but really didn't get interested in giving it a dedicated try until August of 1979. Been at it ever since!

Hope you have a good Guild Show,

Weldon

 

[Weldon47]

Since you asked

Ron,

Here is an ink pull from 1972. This was sent to me by Albert Bean. The pull came from one of his practice plates that he let me take a whack at. His engraving practice patterns looked quite professional back then. More than could be said for mine. I have come a long way since then and frankly, still have a long way to go on the journey to perfection. (Don't we all!).

Weldon

 

[Ron Smith]

Yeah, but I can see by that your interpretation of the design was good. You just had to refine it as we all do. Easily said, but not so easy to do.......Fun stuff Weldon!................Maybe I'll get out some of my first whack jobs and embarras myself. Have to take some pictures first. Maybe after Reno.......Ron S

 

[fegarex]

Ron,
From our historical records, it shows Frank would have been 45.

 

[Ron Smith]

Thanks Rex, Had you met him face to face before the guild? I met him a few years before the guild. Don't remember exactly when, but knew of him long before I met him, however. He was kind of a bridge between the masters of the last generation along with Prudhomme and a few others a little closer to my age group. Weren't many taking up the trade then................Ron S

 

[fegarex]

I never met Frank until the first guild meeting in Tulsa. Needless to say I was impressed.
Not only was he a great talent but a super story teller, teacher and all around nice guy. I think somewhere in the early 90s he brought that pair of SAAs to the show and I was blown away!
There must be something in the water in Texas that makes great engravers, huh Ron and Weldon???

 

[Peter E]

Very cool heritage you have Weldon. It looks like a generation ago..cause it is! Reminds me how OLD i've gotten. Back in the seventies I did a good amount of shooting and whenever I came across a gun with engraving I was facinated by it. Now a generation later I am learning.....SLOWLY.

I would be very happy to eventually achieve the skill level you possess now.

Thanks,
Peter

 

[monk]

without a thought of engraving, weldon, how much we owe to those who came before us and washed our dirty faces and spanked our ornery butts ! those hard working, loving people. we would be nothing without them. makes me take all the time in the world with my grandkids. when the little ones come, work stops ! kid time starts.

 

[Sam]

Well, I'll be!! Was Frank ever that young? Can't remember the year I met him in person, but knew him long before that. We didn't get around much in those days and became aware of each other from pictures of engravings.

GREAT photo, Weldon!

Ron: I ran into Frank at a gas station somewhere in Texas. I'd seen and admired his work and he'd heard of me, but that was the only time I'd met him and never saw him again. I forget who introduced us, but we were returning from a show and stopped to get gas and Frank was with another engraver I knew. That would have been in the early 80's I think. / ~Sam

 

[SamW]

I met Frank at the first meeting in '80 at the Beinfeld show. He was at his display table talking to the gun writer Bill Jordan. I was in awe....and needed my Alaska hip boots! Boy what fun that was, and a real eye opener to this little boy who had never been to a gun show before. S

 

[pilkguns]

The gunsmith in my small town in Tennesse where I grew up had been with Frank in the Air Force gun shop at Lackland. When he found out that I was engraving and making a good stab it; he called Frank and asked if I could come vist, which resulted in my spending a week with him in 1984. I had copy of American Engravers, so I knew Frank was as good as it got, but I don't think the full appeciation of the treasure I was given would sink in for many more years.

Great photo Weldon, thanks for letting us see.

 

[FANCYGUN]

I have pictures of Franks Colts that he sent me to drool over while they were apart after being color case hardened. Whatta talent and a great friend who is missed

 

[Ron Smith]

I don't think Frank ever got the recognition due him for his talent. He was an ultra-skilled engraver. I remember thinking why he never did anything that showed what he was capable of. Well, he did, and it blew me away too Marty, referring to the colts you mentioned, but up until that time most of his promotion was for the engravers work in his shop which had his name on them and were out of Frank inc. or however that worked. Anyway, Weldon is a lucky man to be able to be in that invironment. I can see Franks influence in his very fine work. Thanks for the memories of a great guy!........a great teacher.......and a great artist. He was writing a book. Does anyone know what ever happened to his manuscript? I wonder if that will ever get done. The man was a walking encyclopedia on different techniques of engraving. I guess it got lost in time somewhere unfortunately.

Sam A, wow what a strange coincedence, that you would meet him that way. It is amazing how we were all aware of each other, went to shows, and never met until about 1980. Getting any publicity was pretty difficult in those days. I still have a lot of those old publications and collected every one I came across. Boy have things changed.........Ron S

 

[monk]

bill jordan was a legend in his own time. those of us who read his stuff, at least i always enjoyed his writings.he was a us border patrollman, an avid shooter, as well as a very prolific writer. he wrote a very famous book regarding defensive handgunning that was titled, "no second place winner". his handgun techniques were taught to law enforcement agencies for quite some time.

 

[Weldon47]

UPDATE on EDDY MACHU

After this post was seen by many, Eddy Machu's neighbor neighbor (Jason from San Antonio) saw the post and let Eddy know. Eddy, dad & I had a real nice reunion yesterday (Saturday, February 2nd) at dad's. Eddy lives in S.A. and is still engraving. I encouraged him to make use of this forum and hopefully he will post some threads/pics in the future.

Thought you would like to know,

Weldon

 

[Roger Bleile]

Just reading this post really took me back to our first meeting at the Beinfeld show in Vegas that was the genesis of FEGA. As Ron has said we were all working in isolation at the time. My brother Carl and I were lucky enough to meet Ray Viramontez in our early days but I was dieing for input from other engravers. That is what motivated me to write American Engravers and, with Beinfeld's help, organize that first get together that started the guild. That is where I first met Frank, Ron, Sam Welch and all of the other great folks who got the guild going, many of whom are still guiding lights of the organization.

Ron, correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't it your cowboy hat that we all threw money into to get seed money for the guild? After we concluded the meeting we left the hat on someone's table to get more money for the "kitty."

Bill Jordan has been mentioned. Bill was a great inspiration to me. Up to that time I had spent (or misspent depending on your view) my entire adult life behind the badge. I had been reading magazine articles by Jordan, bought his book and even had Jordan Trooper grips on my six-shooter. S&W had made two heavily engraved and inlayed revolvers for Bill commemorating his career and he displayed them at the show (Beinfeld had themed the show Engraved Guns). After the show one night Beinfeld held a cocktail party for those in attendance who were authors. As a newly minted author I was privileged to be invited. I don't remember who all was there because Bill, the late Colonel Rex Applegate and I got off in a corner and talked cops and guns until we closed the party down. A night I will never forget. I saw Bill and the Colonel several times afterward and I was always surprised to find that they remembered who I was.

Back to Frank Hendricks. He was the first President of FEGA for those of you who may not know. He was the mentor of numerous outstanding engravers and a great engraver in his own right and should be remembered along with Nimschke, Gustave Young, the Ulrichs, and Kornbrath as a major figure in the history of American gun engraving. And to think that some of us practicing the ancient art today were blessed to know the man.

Roger Bleile

 

[Ron Smith]

Roger, if my memory is correct, I think it was Franks hat. It wasn't mine, but I am a little foggy on that. It could have been T.J. Kay's hat, or maybe Prudhommes, but I think it was Franks.

I read much of Bill Jordan's stuff too.........Another peacful, orderly, world ago in time and principal...........Ron S