L. ROMANO RIFLE CO.

	551 Stewarts Corners Rd Pennellville, NY 13132 (315) 695-2066

	Harold Soltau: Master Stock maker & Engraver

“The term stockmaker can be applied to many men, but only a very few belong to that select group that includes Harold (Mark) Soltau. While Mark is an outstanding engraver in his own right, his practiced touch , attention to detail, and depth of gunsmithing knowledge make him a true master stockmaker.  He is as good as there ever has been, and I’m proud and fortunate to have him as a dependable participant in the art of building our high quality American made rifles.”                                 Larry Romano

Harold Soltau, master stockmaker is the core of our custom shop at the L. Romano Rifle Company.  We believe the mastery of our artisans makes our custom shop second to none in quality and raises the finish and decoration of L. Roman Rifle Company firearms to a true art form.         Mr. Soltau has fond memories as a child watching his father carve an Ithaca SxS buttstock from a walnut stock blank.  At seventeen, after a lively all day rabbit hunt, a favorite Model 97 Winchester slipped from his hand a broken butt stock was the result.  Mr. Soltau reminisces “after much consultation from Dad on how to drill the bolt hole, a M97 buttstock came to be by my own hand.” His enrapture of his grandfather’s newly purchased grade IV Bar cinched Mr. Soltau’s love of stockmaking and engraving.  Marveling at his fathers ability to hand engrave his name on his carpenter’s tools Mr. Soltau knew that his destiny was stockmaking and engraving.  Instilled in the young worker by his father was the ethic of always making the next cut better than the last.  From this  ethic learned in childhood, an artist in the purist sense of the word has emerged in the man.

							“ An excellent wildlife artist, STEPHEN OLIN is a Traditional Hand Engraver whose extensive experience in every type of American, not to mention European, engraving and gold work undoubtedly labels him one of the most versatile engravers in the world.  His specialized knowledge and ability in the correct scroll styles and cutting techniques of the appropriate period of the Maynard and Spencer rifles even further authenticates the quality and historical correctness of the L. Romano Rifle Company’s firearms.”                                                  Larry Romano
		Stephen Olin: Master Engraver
	Some success engraving knives as a hobby in the early 80’s encouraged Stephen to enroll in the Robert E. Maki School of Firearms Engraving in Glenview, Illinois.  Here, Stephen acquired an unrestrained devotion to the quality of the cut itself as well as mastering chisel making and scroll design.  Due to the rigors of the program, very few students graduated. Stephen persisted, received his diploma in 1993 and immediately began engraving quality firearms on a very high level.  That same year Stephen took up engraving on a full-time professional basis.            Lefever Arms in Lee Center, NY discovered that Stephen could exactly duplicate the engraving on any European or American firearm.  He was quickly set to work by them, duplicating all the factory engraving styles from Purdeys to Parker’s , mostly for restoration purposes.            A few years later, the Perazzi importer (Giacomo) bought Lefever Arms, and Stephen suddenly found himself engraving Perazzi’s, Giacomo telling him that his work was “...better than what I can get from Italy.”            After a couple years later the novelty of “besting” the Italians wore thin as well as the stuffiness of the Europeans and Brits in general. Stephen believes that any work done in Europe, artistic or otherwise, is nearly always done better in America, by Americans.Stephen relates that “My experience with Lefevers was a tremendous opportunity in that I gained a wide range of experience in museum quality restoration engraving as well as custom engraving, not to mention the engraving commissions collectors brought directly to my own shop.”  “Purdey’s, Westly Richards, drillings, fusils, jaegers, matchlocks and all the fine American doubles,  rifles and pistols crossed my bench in those years.” “Since the advent of the Pennsylvania Longrifle, Americans have continued to make overall, the best firearms in the world.  Scroll engraving in the correct style for the period of the Spencer and Maynard rifles are some of the most graphically correct and beautiful that have ever been executed.  I’m very proud to be engraving quality American made firearms for the L. Romano Rifle Company custom shop.”                                                                                                                          Stephen L. Olin

	Firearms from L to R Spencer Single Shot Rifle, 1860 Spencer Repeating Carbine Keen & Walker Maynard Model II