Mario Hanel Cartridge Belt

Mario Hanel cartridge belt: 40” x 2 3/8”, .45 caliber, nickel studded with 2 1/4” "Frank Schultz" (Victor, MT) marked sterling silver buckle.Mario Hanel graduated high school in 1985, fully intending to become a logger. An injury changed Mario’s life and course by redirecting his recovery and subsequent focus to a restorative leather working hobby. Enamored with his newfound talent and skill, Mario began absorbing all the books on leather, saddle making and tooling that he could find. He began working for accomplished local and regional saddle makers who provided both knowledge and motivation. By the mid 1990s, he was already a high coveted and gifted craftsman winning a TCAA (Traditional Cowboy Artists) scholarship to study with Idaho’s renowned, Cary Schwarz. Mario frequently credits artistic inspiration from the early California saddlery icons like Santa Barbara’s Samuel Loomis and the Bay Area’s Main & Winchester. Mario, his wife Amanda and their two daughters currently reside in Chiloquin, OR.