Mr. Rawles:
In yesterday’s blog, you mentioned that bolt cutters are important to have available. This reminds me of something that my father always taught me: There is no such thing as “wasting” money on tools. With maybe a few exceptions, you can never have too many [tools], because you can use the extra ones as barterables or to pass on to your kids. A lot of things can be improvised, but proper tools can’t [be improvised]. As a prepper, I have a big assortment of tools, mostly hand type. I do have some power [tools], but I consider those secondary because if there’s ever a long term the-end-of-it-all kaflooey, you can’t rely on grid power and the number of people with windmill, solar, or waterwheel power will be few and far between. So I mainly buy 19th Century-style tools. Yup, a big Makita battery pack power drill is nice, but my old reliable bit-and-brace runs forever on muscle power.
All SurvivalBlog-oriented families ought to buy a big assortment of hand tools [in all categories]: carpentry, metalsmithing, farrier, gardening, auto-mechanical, pipe threading/plumbing, pipe bending, and so forth. Get the basics first, like hammers, chisels, screwdrivers, pliers, tin snips, files, pipe wrenches (several sizes), open-and closed-ended wrenches, socket wrenches, hand saws, and such. For high-stress tools like your wrenches and socket [set]s, stick with buying just the best [quality] name brand tools: Craftsmen and Snap-on.
After you have the basic tools, move on to getting specialized tools that most of your neighbors won’t have. These will make you the “go to” guy in The Big Crunch. These specialized tools are things like big Stilson wrenches, bolt cutters, tubing benders, planes, Surforms, an old-fashioned blow torch, an oxy-ac cutting/welding rig, big 2-man saws, digging bars, pulleys/hoists/snatch blocks, oversize wrecking bars, post hole diggers, and an so-on. In your novel [“Patriots”] you talked about Hi-Lift Jacks and [ratchet cable hoist] come-alongs. I’m glad you did, because those are both “must haves.” (They have a gazillion uses.) Buy a pair of each, plus rebuild kits.
For anything that wears out quickly, breaks, or that gets used up, buy lots of spares–like hacksaw blades, linoleum/box cutter knife blades, tubing cutter blades, the smaller-sized drill bits, [welding] gasses, and welding rod. You gotta think things through: What will people run out of in one year? In five years? Any of those things are a “must” to stock up on–both for you, your friends, and for bartering.
Beyond that, you should have a full set of tools for any home business that you are planning to run to earn a living in TEOTWAWKI. So if you plan to be a cabinet maker, you need a full set of carpentry tools. If you plan to do generator repair, you need a full set of those tools. If you plan to be a gunsmith/armorer, you need a full set of those tools, and so forth.
My favorite places to buy tools by mail/online are Northern Tool and Lehman’s (the Amish store, in Ohio.) Some auto-mechanics tools that are hard to find locally you can get through JC Whitney or AutoAnything.com. When deployed [overseas], a lot of us bought knives and Leatherman tools from US Cav[alry] Store
. I saw on one of your pages you have links to Hechinger Hardware
and Boater’s World who I’ve also done some biz with. Oh, and I should warn everybody: watch out for Harbor Freight. Most of their tools are Chinese cr*p. A lot of cheap castings that break, plus mostly they are made with slave labor.
Thanks for the fantastic blog, Jim. I just started reading the blog again after being away for a 14 month deployment in the Sandbox. I was blown away by how much useful stuff you posted while I was gone. The Archives are a-maaaazing! As of last week, I became a 10 Cent Challenge member. What a small price to pay for so much! I encourage others to do same-same. Be Ready, Be Able, and Check Six, – G.T.C.
JWR Adds: I like your “19th Century” approach to tools. That is entirely appropriate for the circumstances that we envision. And your assertion that “there is no such thing as ‘wasting’ money on tools” is sage advice.
Proper sharpening, oiling, and storage are crucial for giving your tools multi-generational longevity. This is particularly important in damp climates. Keep tools well-oiled. Depending on your climate, you might need tool chests with tight-fitting lids and plenty of silica gel. If you have any tools that are rusty, evaluate their condition. Minor rust can be removed with a wire wheel. But if any tools are badly rusted, consider either paying to get them bead blasted, or if need be, replacing them completely. Why? Because leaving one rusty tool in contact with your other tools that are in good condition will encourage”sympathetic” rusting, and eventually ruin many more.OBTW, bead blasting is good potential part-time home business.If you have a side yard available to dedicate to it. (It is a bit messy.) You could even carry on this business post-Schumer if you have a generator an/or a large alternative power system.