SigMT

70 | SIGNATURE MONTANA He learned to braid from his dad. "We'd be out doing chores in the barn, and Dad would take a bunch of twine string and hang it over the ceiling hooks. He'd say, 'Okay, Char, this one's a 4-strand braid, 8-strand round, 8-strand square'—and then he'd have me do it." "I can do some prey exotic braiding," Hanson continues. "I can do 16 strands or 32. at's when it gets prey technical. You have to keep doing it, or you forget how it's done." And so, he keeps doing it, even though now retired. "Retired means now you work twice as hard," he quips. He makes fancy knots, such as hackamore knots for horse bridles, when it's too cold for a bit. He still maintains a branding collection and will brand his customers' marks on pieces he creates. TELL SHOW & ese core skills are essential at his Hard Twist Ranch, where Hanson creates original designs and does emergency saddle and tack repair for cowboys, cowgirls, and ranchers. His business is almost entirely word of mouth in ranching circles and based on made-to-order, custom work— "prey high-end stuff," he says. He also rebuilds saddles, noting, "I have 17 saddles ahead of me now," including two old cavalry saddles. His leather creations include chaps, chinks, belts, guitar straps, rifle slings, scabbards, and handbags. "I do a lot of chaps and chinks," Hanson says. "You can do a lot of things with leather. ere's no end to what you can do," Hanson says. Hanson's working saddle, a Miles City Coggshall, was built before 1918. It has five maker's marks and a loop seat. Hanson chooses from rows of handheld tooling devices to create detailed leather designs Hanson shows detailed tooling and color work on a leather stool. Hanson has the mind of an engineer. "I have a lot of experience figuring stuff out," he says. He went to college in Wisconsin to learn about farming but also took engineering classes before seling in Montana in the early 1970s. at engineering mind went to work for the National Science Foundation at McMurdo base in Antarctica, where, he says, "I oversaw all equipment operations for the United States Antarctica program. Everything went through me." He also designed custom heavy equipment for Caterpillar. "I did a lot of prototype stuff." Hanson creates prototypes for larger custom leather work to ensure the color and design are to spec, then goes to work on the final pieces. He operates several vintage sewing machines, including a Singer, Ferdco, Husqvarna Viking, and Adler treadle machine. "A lot is by machine, but almost as much is done by hand," he says.

• Cover