ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, April 14, 1997 TAG: 9704150012
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
FORGET about that polished walnut stock on your favorite turkey gun, the one that glitters in the sun like fine furniture. The trend is to cover it with camouflage, and Jim Crumley, the man who is the father of hunting camo, has a new way of doing it.
It is called Second Skin Camo, and it not only will help hide you from a gobbler's keen eyes, it also will cover up those nicks and mars that can make a good gun look abused or neglected. What's more, the process virtually rustproofs a firearm.
``There is no question in my mind there are a lot of times when a person sets up for a turkey and maybe has his gun on his lap, and as the turkey gets closer he moves the gun up to his knee. If there is a shiny finish and the sun is hitting the gun, there can be a flash,'' Crumley said. ``I am convinced that can tip a turkey off.''
Twenty-five years ago, Crumley, an avid hunter, looked beyond the jungle-leaf blobs and tiger stripes of military camouflage. He came up with a design for bowhunters and turkey hunters that depicted the upland woods where they hunted. He called it Trebark, and it was the beginning of the multimillion-dollar modern hunter-camo business. Crumley has put camo on caps, shirts, jackets, boots and even toilet paper.
So why not guns, too?
That is the newest venture for his business at his corporate headquarters and store at U.S. 220 and Buck Mountain Road in Roanoke County.
The process is new and the exposure has been limited, but Crumley describes the response as ``absolutely excellent.'' Guns have been coming in from as far away as Colorado.
Bows also can be camouflaged. So can mountain bikes and the fenders of off-road-vehicles, Crumley said. Most anything that will fit into the 39-inch tank where the process takes place.
This time, Crumley wasn't the inventor. Second Skin is one of seven franchises scheduled to be put into place across the country by Seneca Manufacturing Inc. There are franchises in New York and Texas, in addition to Virginia. Crumley likes the idea so much he is thinking seriously of establishing his second franchise on the West Coast.
The deal is, you buy into a franchise or you pay a couple of million dollars for your own process, Crumley said.
Trebark provides one of the camo patterns offered by Seneca. It is called Trail Cover, something Crumley describes as a hybrid of the original Trebark pattern. The original Trebark features a grayish pattern with the looks of a tree trunk, while Trail Cover is a combination of white oak leaves and bark. Also available is the Advantage pattern originated by Realtree, a major competitor of Trebark.
The camo is applied to guns and other items through a hands-on process that involves using a film made of starch with an ink pattern made of vegetable oil that adheres to a gun or other item when dipped into a vat. The process is supervised at Trebark by Jason Reger.
The concept is a spin-off of the automobile business that uses imitation wood grain on the dashes of expensive automobiles, Crumley said.
``We can take that nicked-up gun and make it look like it just came from the factory,'' he said.
The cost to camouflage a gun, including stock and barrel, is $150; for a bow, $55. Only after-market products may be camouflaged, which means Crumley is dealing with gun shops and gun owners - rather than manufacturers - who ship or bring items to his business. (Information is available from 800-843-2266.)
Hunters who desire a camouflaged gun most likely will be those who pursue turkeys, waterfowl or deer, Crumley said.
``If a person is strictly a grouse hunters, a quail hunter, particularly if he has an over-and-under or side-by-side - those types of real nice guns - he probably isn't going to be interested in the program,'' Crumley said.
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: JANEL RHODA THE ROANOKE TIMES. 1. Jim Crumley holds forby CNBcomparison a traditional gun and one that has been camouflaged. 2. A
close-up look at the camouflaged gun below reveals that a hunter
best not set it aside in the woods. He might not be able to find it.
color.