Day: February 22, 2010

Note from JWR:

Today we present Part 3 of an entry for Round 27 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. It is noteworthy that some folks loosely use the terms forge/forging and foundry/foundring interchangably. Technically, however, the term foundry should be used to describe equipment for melting metal to a liquid, while “forge” should described equipment for heating metal to the point of malleabilty. But in actual practice, some of the same equipment is used in both processes–its just a question of the temperature achieved. First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice …


The Home Foundry, Metal Casting – Part 3, by Dan in Oklahoma

Forge Fuel & Homemade Charcoal The aluminum melting forge is fueled by hardwood charcoal. To begin making charcoal you are going to need 2 steel barrels. One standard size 55 gallon drum will serve as your outer barrel, the second barrel is a little more difficult to acquire. The inner barrel or actual charcoal out gassing barrel needs to be small enough to fit inside the 55 gallon barrel. The smaller barrel also must have a lid that can be locked in place during the cooking and removed later to extract the charcoal. I was fortunate enough to find Military …


Letter Re: Operational Security (OPSEC) 101

Dear Mr. Rawles, The importance of operational security is well known by most of the readers of this site. It is, however, easy to assume that as long as one doesn’t blab it all to the neighbors one is doing just fine. This may not be the case. Security breaches come in more forms that loose lips. There are lots of little ways to betray what is going on behind the quiet facade of 101 Preparation Place. Do you realize what you throw away tells about what you have? An old lawnmower at the curb reveals my neighbor just purchased …


Letter Re: An Overlooked Preparedness Item: The Magnifying Hand Mirror

Hi SurvivalBloggers, Have you have ever had a foreign object in your eye, and had a hassle finding and removing it,with or without help? I recommend that you get a big, powerful enlarging bathroom type mirror,the type you see on a swivel,usually with lights around it. These are about a foot square, and have a normal mirror on a swivel with an enlarged mirror on the reverse side. As a regular mirror gives you a half size image, examining your own eye for a tiny object can be difficult. With an enlarging mirror, its lots easier. I use a mirror …


Letter Re: MZBs: Are You Prepared?

I’d just like to comment on the forum thread you linked to, titled “MZBs: Are you prepared?”, over at doomers.us The dynamic of the petulant and angry underclass rearing a rather violent head once the social controls are gone is precisely what happened in places like Yugoslavia and Russia. On the Serbian side, these types were actively armed by the nationalists. On the Croatian and Bosnian side, they came from a pre-existing underworld and before anyone knew what was happening they had almost completely hijacked power in many areas. And they took what they wanted, took out anyone who got …


Economics and Investing:

SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson sent us this sign of the times: Frustrated Owner Bulldozes Home Ahead of Foreclosure. Robert H. and A.P. both sent us this link: South Carolina Lawmaker Seeks to Ban Federal Currency Reader H.M. e-mailed me to mention that he greatly enjoyed a recent radio interview with Jim Sinclair. Adrian recommended this commentary by John Rutledge: Banana Republics Need Compliant Central Banks. Here is an excerpt: “Wait a minute. Huge increase in government spending. Fast-rising debt. Tax the rich. Appoint political advisors to run the central bank. That’s us! “ Items from The Economatrix: …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Loren sent this: Is This the Safest House in the World? [JWR’s Comment: No, it isn’t! To start with, its in Los Angeles… Talk about an OPSEC nightmare!]    o o o EliteT sent us a link to an interesting New York Times piece about a home aquaponics experimenter. (Be sure to click on the link to the YouTube video But don’t get too excited.. Just think how many PV panels it would take to run those pumps, 24/7. Traditional pond aquaponics are more suitable for preppers. )    o o o Thanks to RVL for this article link: What …