Day: February 23, 2010

Note from JWR:

Today we present Part 4 of an entry for Round 27 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A HAZARiD Decontamination Kit from Safecastle.com. (A $350 value.), and D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Luger, 124gr. …


The Home Foundry, Metal Casting – Part 4, by Dan in Oklahoma

Safety, Aluminum Sources, Melting, and Pouring We are now at the most exciting and most dangerous part of the aluminum casting process. You will be working with fire, an extremely hot fire, fed with forced air. But the biggest hazard lies in a possible spill of molten metal. Before I even start the fire I wear tall, heavy leather boots, this is no place for sandals, or plastic tennis shoes. I also wear a pair of welders suede leather leggings, and a welders suede leather apron. It is wise to wear long pants and long sleeve shirts. This is a …


Letter Re: Charcoal Making Via Wood Gasification

James, Just to note, the process and apparatus which Dan in Oklahoma described for making charcoal also goes by the name of “Gasifier.” The venting of the volatile gases in the wood can be put to several purposes, to include running carburetor engines on generators and trucks. The Russians used this system extensively for rear area operations as liquid petrol was priority for front line vehicles and aircraft. They would fire them up at breakfast time and run them all day. Me thinks that today’s breakfast was probably cooked on yesterdays driving around…the charcoal. Some examples of delivery trucks in …


Letter Re: Survival Tips for the Business Traveler

The recent SurvivalBlog piece titled “Survival Tips for the Business Traveler”, by F. Russell was well written with lots of good information. I also travel on business and didn’t see anything I disagreed with but I would add a couple of items if you care to link my comments to the article. 1) No matter how well you plan, if you travel much over the road you are going to be places where the fuel in your tank is not enough to get you home. Be that because of the distance you are from “home” or that traffic congestion or …


Product Review by Michael Z. Williamson: Choate Machine and Tool M1 Carbine Military Folding Stock

Today, we look at the Choate Machine and Tool Company M1 Carbine Military Folding Stock. This stock is designed to fit original U.S.G.I. M1 Carbines, but also fits the Plainfield brand of carbine, the Auto Ordnance M1 Carbine and some UniversalM1 Carbine clones (early 1950s models, built with military surplus parts), but will not fit the later Universal or Iver Johnson carbines. Here is a photo. Installation is drop in, though it was a snug fit, which is good. The stock has positive tension when folded but doesn’t latch. It latches in the open position very positively. The stock swings …


Economics and Investing:

Hollis wrote to mention that “John Galt” of the Shenandoah blog has completed his “The Day The Dollar Died” web novella. Adrian sent us this: Argentina Seizes Central Bank. GG flagged this one from Time magazine: How Big is the Threat from Option ARMs? Items from The Economatrix: FICO and the Credit Card Financial Prison: How a Three-Digit Credit Score Reflects Consumerism and Not Financial Independence Boeing Sends More than 1,000 Layoff Notices Citigroup Warns Customers it May Refuse to Allow Withdrawals Fastest Shrinking Restaurant Chains Stocks Waver in Early Trading on Earnings, M&A Poll: Economists See “Healthy” Expansion Underway. …


Odds ‘n Sods:

F.R. sent this news item: Shipwrecked students feared remote death at sea. F.R.’s comment: It pays to be lucky, but being prepared is better.    o o o A reminder that the folks at Medical Corps are holding another one of their excellent three-day Combat/Field Medicine School courses, April 30th through May 2nd. The class will be held near Caldwell, Ohio at the Ohio State University Extension building. Contact: Chuck Fenwick at 740-783-8009 for details.    o o o I noticed that some of the gardeners over at the LATOC Forums have organized: The Great LATOC Seed Swap of 2010. …