About us

Thirty plus years ago I was introduced to the fine art of leather crafting by a good friend and coworker named Bill Faulkner. Bill was a mentor to me in more ways than one, and he and I worked together at a place called Scholze Tannery. For those of you who may not know, Scholze Tannery was located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and was founded in 1873 to produce some of the world’s best vegetable tanned leather from domestic cattle. They’ve since ceased operations, but their legacy lives on.

As I began to learn more about crafting articles from leather, I was also privileged to learn more about the art and science of tanning leather from cattle hides. I was involved in buying the hides, supervising tannery operations from start to finish, purchasing raw ingredients, and working closely with the experienced folks who turned a beef industry byproduct into sides of beautiful and functional heavy leather.

I was also able to interact with many of our customers; individuals with many years of experience who were more than willing to share their knowledge with me and critique my work when asked. That experience helped me gain an appreciation not only for the quality of the handcrafted items, but also for the quality of the leather used to make those items. I learned that just like you can’t rush the tanning process if you want quality leather, you also can’t rush the learning and improving process when you want to produce top quality products made from that leather.

Many years and thousands of leather projects later, I’m still learning. Although the quality of my work is far superior to what it was thirty years ago, I still strive to learn something new and improve my craftmanship with every project. My goal is to understand what my customer needs, and provide them with a product that fits as intended, functions correctly and safely, is aesthetically pleasing, and gives them many years of satisfactory service.

If you choose to honor me with your business, it’s my sincere desire when the transaction is complete, that you feel you were treated fairly and ethically, and that you received good value for your dollar. And I consider it high praise when you tell your friends about the positive experience.

Thank you for visiting Wolftever Gunleather, and please let me know if I can be of service.

Phil Pritchard