A day in the life of Rick Jorgenson

[bearcatter]

Six and a half years ago, Rick's story of his first mini holster.

http://www.rickjorgenson.net/horse-bits/a-new-little-holster/

I'll bet he'd forgot about that; and this

https://leescutlery.com/?s=Jorgenson&post_type=product

[Uncle_Lee]

Now we have the most beautiful (wonderful smell also) ever made for  the Mini.

[Canoeal]

Seems "the customers like them" pretty well! 

[bearcatter]

Rick didn't make his usual late evening posts yesterday. Probably burning the midnight oil crafting postalman's holster. When you total up his contest costs, that was no small gesture he made for us. Postage alone will be considerable.

[Rick_Jorgenson]

Now we have the most beautiful (wonderful smell also) ever made for  the Mini.

Thanks Uncle_Lee!    Leather does smell good!

Seems "the customers like them" pretty well! 

Thanks Al!  I do aim to please! 

Six and a half years ago, Rick's story of his first mini holster.

Well bearcatter your dug up some history! lol! Good job 

[bearcatter]

I didn't know you made saps, either. If you can't shoot 'em, just beat 'em ...

[Rick_Jorgenson]

I didn't know you made saps, either. If you can't shoot 'em, just beat 'em ...

lol! They are legal in AZ (Impact weapon)  I just sent a batch of them to Lee's Cutlery this week! He has sold 100's of them!

Almost as fast as we can get lead shot to fill them! lol!

[bearcatter]

You could have a 'training model' filled with styrofoam beads ... LOL

[RogueTS1]

I didn't know you made saps, either. If you can't shoot 'em, just beat 'em ...

Hey Bearcatter; here are two Rick made for us. They are made quite well: 

PS: Still waiting for when Rick comes out with his proposed "Coin Carrying Sap." Errrr; we mean "Coin Carrying Purse." 

[Rick_Jorgenson]

We are in full Thread Drift territory now   

There are a couple business' that I've sold so my name is no longer on them...

www.ArizonaBootandSaddleRepair.com   Sold to Butch Perez 7 years ago, he recently passed away and the shop closed

www.JorgensonBits.com  Sold to Dale Myres and is now Myres Bits. I think Dale mostly sells at Team Ropings and on Facebook

www.AZTack.com        Team Roping mobile gear store. Sold it to a couple that live in Snowflake AZ.

www.AZHeelPlates         A niche website selling metal and polyurethane Heel Plates for shoes. It is winding down now, the company that made the metal heel plates and Army Rims (horse shoe shape heel plates) closed down last year. I bought all I could find from distributors and the stock is now down to a couple sizes only. I'll shut it down in a month or so. We shipped 400 to 500 pair a month when every size was available! I've had this for 10 years now, I'm glad its winding down. I would fill the orders in the morning before going to the shop.

www.BlevinsBuckles.com   These are on 95% of Western saddles made. They are the "buckles" for adjusting stirrup leather length on saddles.  There is a Sleeve that holds a tab with pins that go in punched holes on the stirrup leathers to slide longer or shorter. When I owned the team roping trailer I sold replacement sleeves (they come off and get lost somehow) The manufacturer didn't have a website. I checked and the url was available and I bought it. When I ordered stock I asked the owner and he had no interest in a website (his sales are mostly wholesale accounts) so I asked if he cared if I sold retail using the name and he was fine with it.
This website has ramped up in the 3 years since starting it without much work to the site. I ship daily from orders from all around the world.

I've also been interviewed on a Podcast.  I don't see it listed anywhere "Shifting Work" was the name of it. It was podcast #7 for them

After a quick search on the internet there is nothing I can find about the car restoration I've done. I did the body on a 68 MBZ 280SL That placed 2nd at the Santa Barbara Concours in 1991 and I did 2 pre war Rolls Royce cars and his Morgan for jazz musician Gil Melle. Gil didn't show his cars, he drove them.

There are a few other custom cars I did. Unfortunately some I can't prove without photos. An ex-wife decided they needed to be thrown away but I do have a few. I'll find them and post later. (she drank herself to death at 46)

[bearcatter]

I've been waiting on your late posts, thought you'd have something interesting. Those past businesses certainly are. In my area, in my high school days, guys had to have those boots with the brass rings on both sides (I think we called them harness boots). The heel taps were a big deal too, and I think I remember having some with the Eagle name stamped.
You've really been an entrepreneur.

How do those beautiful horse bits hold up against horse slobber? ...

[Uncle_Lee]

I made my own "heel caps" out of 3/16 steel plate.
Running the highway at night on a bike and drop both heels and they would light up the whole area.

[OV-1D]

  Unc I bet they did , it gets people in cars to close to back off real well .

[Uncle_Lee]

  Unc I bet they did , it gets people in cars to close to back off real well .

That was the purpose.

[OV-1D]

   Again Unc call me in the morning .    You telling me if a car is riding up your rear those sparks don't make a influence on the drivers windshield and gets their attention . Brake lights just don't do the trick very well at night especially with some bozo fighting with his wife, lets say, won't slow him down and back away some .

[Rick_Jorgenson]

I've been waiting on your late posts, thought you'd have something interesting. Those past businesses certainly are. In my area, in my high school days, guys had to have those boots with the brass rings on both sides (I think we called them harness boots). The heel taps were a big deal too, and I think I remember having some with the Eagle name stamped.
You've really been an entrepreneur.

How do those beautiful horse bits hold up against horse slobber? ...

The more you use them, the better they look! After all, it's a "antique" look!

After doing the final shaping, grinding and polishing I would heat them in a kiln and apply Birchwood Casey "Plum Brown" barrel browning solution while they were hot (I mixed 50/50 with water) after they cooled I dipped them in mineral oil and let them drip for 24 hours.
Then, wiped them off and put the conchos on the shanks and they were ready to sell!

The Barrel Brown holds up excellent. I have an old shotgun I'm looking at doing it to (in my spare time) lol! 

[Uncle_Lee]

   Again Unc call me in the morning .    You telling me if a car is riding up your rear those sparks don't make a influence on the drivers windshield and gets their attention . Brake lights just don't do the trick very well at night especially with some bozo fighting with his wife, lets say, won't slow him down and back away some .

Sparks make them back off real quick.
If that don't work, a hand full of ball bearings. Never left home without them.

[OV-1D]

  Oh yeah . Golf balls work also .

[Rick_Jorgenson]

Good old fashion "Get Back Whips" across a windshield will get a drivers attention 

https://www.chilhowee.net/whips.html

The heavy end is a quick release "panic snap" that we use in horse trailers while hauling. A regular snap needs pressure let up to release with these all you need to do is pull the slide down to release it. They are quite heavy so they are used on the "trailer side" of the horses halter not on the halter side. I just left them on a 2 foot rope in my horse trailer and snapped the horses in after loading them.

Back to motorcycles... They hang on the brake grip or clutch grip and are about 40 inches long. They can be deployed quickly and with a short swing can "thump" a car that is too close.

I've made a few for bikers and braided them in their chosen "colors"    Sonny Barger is one of my clients 

[Uncle_Lee]

Sonny was one of my heros.

[RogueTS1]

Rick; here is a few photos showing a car with some of the interior work you helped with: 

[Uncle_Lee]

That sure is pretty.

[Rick_Jorgenson]

Rick; here is a few photos showing a car with some of the interior work you helped with: 

Wow! really nice! That would be fun to run at a track!

It looks super clean, the details really show.

[Uncle_Lee]

I would put the top down, put on one of those English caps and drive real slow around town.
I would show it off.     

[OV-1D]

  Don't forget a good cigar . Sure is a sweet , clean lined vehicle you put together , fine job Rogue .

[RogueTS1]

Thank you Uncle Lee and OV. Thank you Rick for the help with her. Hopefully she will be running the Dragon in May. 

[OV-1D]

  The best timing for that run , a little cool yet might be dang cold with this change in weather ,make sure the heater works . . 

[RogueTS1]

The heat in these Spiders runs hot enough to nearly melt the consoles. 

[RogueTS1]

PS: Rick; almost forgot to show some more of the wonderous leather work performed by you for this Spider. Take a look at your now finished Door Pulls. Well done Rick, well done.

[bearcatter]

Now you just have to keep your distance from all the drivers speeding, playing with their phone, or chemically impaired. People's driving is to the point that I'd like to have something armor plated.

[Rick_Jorgenson]

PS: Rick; almost forgot to show some more of the wonderous leather work performed by you for this Spider. Take a look at your now finished Door Pulls. Well done Rick, well done.

It looks great! The detail you put into this project really shows!

It was a pleasure and an honor to be a very small part of it!  Thank you! 

[RogueTS1]

I'd like to have something armor plated.

Bearcatter; That is what the Black Suburban, at 6000 lbs and with the crash bar, is for. 

The bright coloured paint job is to hopefully make it easier to see by those miscreants. 

Thank you Rick for the praise and the help.

[heyjoe]

I'd like to have something armor plated.

Bearcatter; That is what the Black Suburban, at 6000 lbs and with the crash bar, is for. 

The bright coloured paint job is to hopefully make it easier to see by those miscreants. 

Thank you Rick for the praise and the help.

i figured you for a Hummer

[bearcatter]

I'd like to have something armor plated.

Bearcatter; That is what the Black Suburban, at 6000 lbs and with the crash bar, is for. 

It's still Pepsi can sheetmetal and plastic bumpers. That was one of the good things about the buses I drove. We  had cars rear-end us up to their windshield, and just scuff our rubber bumper cover. It has a cast iron I beam inside of it ... 

[RogueTS1]

It's still Pepsi can sheetmetal and plastic bumpers.

Not this one Bearcatter. Ours is from the days when one could only write off a vehicle for business if it weighed over 6000 lbs. Steel bumbers; no plastic anywhere. There were only two vehicles that met the criteria at the time. One was the Suburban; believe the other was the Hummer. We prefer the Blacked out GMC vehicle.