Cabot Guns, the Pennsylvania-based maker of bespoke, ultra-high-end M1911s built to extreme tolerances from a truly staggering assortment of exotic materials, is producing a video series on a topic near and dear to the company’s heart: celebrating the exceptional talent and skills of American artisans. According to Cabot CEO Rob Bianchin, the purpose of the videos is to not only showcase the amazing abilities that these craftsmen have developed over decades of honing their craft but to also preserve their knowledge for posterity.
“The goal of this project is to pay homage to the American craftsman and to promote the value of hard work and dedication that is the hallmark of the American spirit. By sharing these stories, we hope to inspire a new generation to appreciate and retain traditional trades and crafts and to celebrate the American worker,” Bianchin said. “Many of these great tradespeople are disappearing, and they are taking their exceptional talent and traditional skills with them. This is our small attempt to perhaps inspire a new generation of folks who wish to work with their hands.”
The first video in the series, titled “Portrait of a Craftsman,” revolves around 86-year-old Robert Eggerling, a metalsmith revered around the world for his unique method of creating Mosaic Damascus steel. Eggerling’s video has already been posted on the Cabot Guns YouTube channel, and additional artists—including some of the country’s finest gun engravers—will be added to the channel later in 2023. The next video in the series, “From Dirt to Damascus,” will feature Master Blacksmith Ray Rybar.
