*Sept. 15, 2020 Announcement*

Winter Tree Crafts LLC is now back in full produciton. All sizes of the stainless steel gorget are in stock and ready to go.

*January 1st, 2020 Announcement*

Winter Tree Crafts LLC is in the process of being sold to a new owner. After making armour for around 15 years, I am hanging up the hammers due to accumulated wear and tear on my body and joints to start a new career in Physics and Astronomy. I have spent the past several months working with the buyer to transfer WTC's intellectual property, specifically my gorget patterns and design, to their supplier and to iterate test pieces and batches to ensure that they met my standard for quality. The new owner will continue making and selling WTC gorgets, however there are no plans to revive WTC's custom spring steel armour at this time.
The last day to order a gorget made by Erik Schmitt will be January 15th. All outstanding orders (including group and bulk orders placed before that deadline) will be completed. As of Jan 1st, I should have sufficient inventory on-hand to cover anticipated orders. If I do run out of stock, lead times may be as long as 1 month. The reason for this is I have already begun working a new job and thus am not able to spend much time in the workshop.
Thank you to the thousands of customers over the years who supported WTC by purchasing its products. It is my estimation that somewhere around 3,500 gorgets, perhaps as many as 4,000, are out there bearing protecting necks and bearing WTC's maker's mark. I never imagined something like that when I began this business 15 years ago. While I will be stepping away from the business entirely, I am confident the new owner will continue the standard for excellent and reliable customer service and a well-designed and executed product.