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Rope making has become the most popular part of the ArtCords presentations since visitors of all ages are invited to make a rope they can keep by using the hand-operated rope machine. This opportunity is made available through donations and sales of our items.
Learn more about supporting our efforts.
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Darin making rope with cousins Dean and Troy
at the Greet Ranch Centennial
Click the image, above, to view details and order what we have been told is "the fastest hand-operated rope-machine in the west!"
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Mr. Alexander has had the honor of sharing the ropes across the United States, including:
- The Buffalo Bill Historical Center
Cody, Wyoming
- The National Cowboy & Western Museum
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- The Equine Affaire in Massachusetts
- Cowboy Symposium in Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico
- Fryeburg Fair in Maine
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Shop with us in confidence!
Feel free to verify our Authorize.Net listing by clicking the seal.
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Darin Alexander conducts his first public cinch demonstration.
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In July, 2009, Darin attended the Centennial celebration of his great-uncle's Wyoming ranch. Much of the reason Mr. Alexander remains commited to providing quality cinches, materials, and keeping the art of cinch making alive, can be traced to time he spent helping on the Greet ranch in the 1990's. The Greet family were also instrumental in the development of ArtCords educational presentations since they expressed interest in learning about cinch making. Dale Alexander, Darin's father, arranged for the showing of cord cinch making at the Ten Sleep, 4th of July rodeo in 1992. Although it took Darin's father some effort to convince the young Alexander to share with the public, it has turned into a life-work.
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Please note that we promote and are dedicated to use of 100% animal fiber for saddle cinch use in contact with animals. To this end we choose to list the specific cord and yarn fiber content according to Federal Trade Commission tolerance guidelines for "Protecting America's Consumers." Therefore we recommend the following (listed from soft to coarse):
- 100% Alpaca
- 70% Kid Mohair/30% low-crimp Wool
- 100% Mohair (Adult)
- 100% Horse Hair (Mane)
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Cords shown as listed to left
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It is our hope that you learn to identify fibers and avoid questionable sources which largely include "so-called bargains". The cashmere and camel hair industry has addressed the issue of deceptive advertising to raise public awareness of consumer rights. We encourage you to visit their site to see that we are not the only ones concerned with this "fleecing" of consumers. Remember that the ability to substantiate fiber content is not simply a suggestion, it is a requirement, especially when a specific fiber is mentioned anywhere in promotional materials.
When it comes to mohair, we realize there are many who are casting doubt on the value or benefit of pure mohair by use of marketing blurbs boasting "increased strength" contributed by synthetics while failing to mention the lack of airflow, difficulty cleaning, and animal's discomfort. Other myths that have surfaced include the definition of mohair as "a combination of sheeps wool and angora goat hair" or that mohair requires 30% or more of another fiber to be spun into yarn. Both are very much myths! Mohair, is only the name given to hair from an angora goat. {Not to be confussed with the "angora hair" from the angora rabbit} Easy to remeber when you consideer the goat has mo-(more)hair than the rabbit. It is worth noting that Mohair has been processed in 100% form by machine as cinch cord here in the United States since the 1840's.
The idea that mohair, traditionally spoken of as one of the strongest and most durable natural fibers available, would "gain strenth" from blending with large quantities of inferior fiber, seems rather odd. COuld it be that the goal has been to convince people of a price that profits the 'pusher' who knowingly provides a product which will need to be replaced in a relatively short time-frame. Such an approach is in direct contrast to the experience of those who have used a cinch of real mohair for many years with little, if any, evidence of wear.
Cinch made by Darin Alexander in 1999 of 100% Mohair on customer specified, brass plated, buckles.
Note the embedded horsehair which serves to smooth out some depressions in the cinch.
Photos taken in 2006 at the Cowboy Songs event in Cody, Wyoming
For instance, in 2006 Darin had the pleasure of inspecting the 33 strand cutter cinch he had made for a working cowboy of Powell, Wyoming. Tony Lehman had used the cinch for seven years(five of them heavy ranch work, "dawn till dark, five days a week"with two of the years loaning it out to his sons since he'd shifted to more time in his music instrument repair buiness). Tony indicated he would brush or shake the dirt and grit out of the cinch before and after each use allowing the horsehair to work into the mohair, filling in depressions naturally. The fact that he had been wearing through a blend cinch, with no more than 25% mohair, every one to one-and-a-half years at near $25.00 a pop, and then had the all mohair cinch of $75.00 that exhibitted slight wear on the cord at the edge of the buckles following the seven years, provides you with a pretty clear calculation of savings!
Another fellow, Mr. Bell, a saddle maker in Missouri, asked Darin to teach him to make a tied 100% Mohair cinch. Mr. Bell explained that his wife had reminded him that the pure mohair cinch on his riding saddle had been purchased over 50 years earlier. By keeping it clean and unmolested by pests he had been able to maintain it through heavy ranch work and general rides for half-a-century! Just remember that with real mohair cord, dirt and grit is easily shaken out, rinsed or brushed off making it the most durable and healthiest choice for use, when due dilligence is taken in strand tension. The less your horse or mule is distracted by discomfort, the more responsive they will be... consider it in terms of "Safety First!"
You should also be aware that some manufactured cinches are boasting "Mohair" while a simple flame test shows they match 100% Acrylic by burning and dripping flame. Thus we encourage folks to seek out the independant cinch makers who, like Darin*, are working to make custom variations per client specifications with a willingness to go the extra mile by providing the quality your horse or mule deserves.
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click the cinch image above for details about
this 21 strand, ArtCords style Vaquero
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"When making a cinch, I believe it is possible, and even the cinch maker's responsibility, to keep the comfort of the horse or mule in mind. Thus I pay special attention to strand tension, keeping the side toward the animal as smooth as possible, and producing a fine work of art that will endure for years to come!" - Darin Alexander
- 100% Mohair cord & yarns
- Traditional Tied-style Western Cinch
- Aligns with buckle edge
- Three color center Diamond
- Stainless Steel hardware
- Flat-style #9 buckles
- Braided mohair over center-Web
(lays flat against animals hide)
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Introducing the ArtCords Roller Buckle!
This new buckle has been designed for maximum quality and durability in answer to many requests voiced. A partial order arrived late last year and now the balance of our initial order is in the States.
- Custom Design by Darin Alexander
- Cast Stainless Steel
- Solid Roller
- Maximum Quality Shaped Tongue
This D-style roller buckle can now be purchased or added to a cinch order for an added fee.
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Click Image for Details
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*Feel free to browse our short customer list for an idea where some of Mr. Alexander's cinches and mecates are being used. He makes a very distinctive style of custom shu-fly, mostly for one-of-a-kind projects. While we appreciate the removal of Darin's name from association with items on an Ebay store {shu-flies of a style never made by Mr. Alexander and cinches only made for a manufacturer - parent of the E-bay store owner - between November 2005 and October of 2006}, we respectfully point out that removal of the misleading association of Darin's name had been agreed to in July of 2009 and only took place following acknowledgment by the manufacturer that we had published a disclaimer which included our efforts to stand for consumer rights as defined by the Federal Trade Commissions - Bureau of Consumer Protection and the Better Business Bureau.
Given the custom nature of Darin's work we provide a limited number of dealerships to retail outlets. We encourage you to review our authorized Dealers list showing those with whom we have a working relationship in an effort to maintain the high standard of Darin's quality craftsmanship. This list is updated periodically, so do let your local, quality tack dealer know if you have found them committed to such gear.Please be certain to call or write us to verify authenticity of "suggestions" and claims that a cinch, mecate, or 'shu-fly' is made by Darin Alexander. If the information we have provided here and/or photos on our web-site, helps you determine that an item, which you purchased under that manufacturer's name, had led you to believe Darin to be associated with them(any time since October 31, 2006). This invitation applies to consumers and retailers since Darin no longer made nor endorsed the items. You have the right tofile a formal complaint with the Bureau of Consumer Protection. Please detail the product manufacturer and if any rationalization provided by the manufacturer concerning the continued use of such misleading information. Doing so will assist in showing the scope of this among other unfair and misleading practices so the Federal Trade Commission can determine action for accountability.
We are now listed in many web directories as well as on the Made in the USA search engine: 
Updated January 22, 2010
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