Category: Traditional Skills/Fieldcraft

How to Build an Inexpensive Forced Air Wood Burning Heater, by Marc S.

How to Build an Inexpensive Outdoor Forced Air Wood Burning Heater If wood is available but you are unable to safely utilize it as a heat source due to the fact that your permanent or temporary shelter happens to be a recreational vehicle (RV), mobile home or travel trailer, then this idea may be helpful. On the other hand, it may also have appeal to those who live in a home where a wood burning heater could be safely used but for those who do not want the mess associated with constantly transporting wood and ash. Those with large homes …


Letter Re: Recommendation for the Movie “Defiance”

Hello Mr Rawles, Just a quick comment on the new movie that’s out called “Defiance”. It is rated R since it has killing and some cursing but is based on a true story about three Jewish brothers [named Bielski] who lived in Byelorussia at the start of WWII when the Germans [and their Quisling allies] began to round up and murder entire villages and communities of Jews. They decided to live in the woods that they knew so well and escape and resist the Germans…They met others who had escaped to the woods to hide and began to pool their …


Lessons from Peru on Third World Living, by Tantalum Tom

I hope this can be useful to people who want a perspective into the Third World way of life. I recently had the chance to interview two people from Peru. One is a man who grew up in the Andes with no electricity, dirt floors, etc. who worked his way to becoming a geography and history teacher. The other is a former Peruvian Special Forces soldier of 15 years. My mother in law’s input is also dispersed throughout this article. Although I have little respect for modern reporters, I found out how difficult it can be to interview someone. When …


Letter Re: Victorian Era Farm Skills in the UK

James, Thanks for your continued efforts in continuing to bring the right thinking to a troubled world. I have one heads up and one question that you might be able to help with. 1. Heads up : For UK-based readers (and those who have access to UK IP address) you might like to point out to them a series currently running on BBC 2 : Victorian Farm To quote from the BBC site: “Historical observational documentary series following a team who live the life of Victorian farmers for a year. Wearing period clothes and using only the materials that would …


Survival Gardening: Growing Food During A Second Great Depression, by H.I.C.

By God’s grace I was born and raised on a small family farm. During the 1960s and 1970s we were trying to pay off a 340 acre corn and soybean farm in northwestern Iowa and we were flat stinking broke. So we raised nearly all of the food to support our family. This required a large garden (80ft x 120 ft), an even larger truck patch (48 ft x 1,200 ft), a small fruit orchard (12 trees), livestock (caves, sheep, hogs, and 300 laying hens). With some of the best and most productive farm land in the entire world, with …


Letter Re: Preparedness Wisdom from The Foxfire Book Series

Dear Jim, I just got my new (old) set of The Foxfire Books. I sat down and began to cruise through the pages of the first one. What a wealth of information! Then it happened. I turned over page 370 and there was a picture of Hillard Green. He is almost 80, (the book was published in 1972) and here is what it says, unbelievable: Excerpt from the facing page: “The last time we visited him, he was busy peeling tomatoes he had just gathered and scalded. He waved us in, put a fresh plug of tobacco in his cheek, …


Letter Re: New “Defiance” Resistance Warfare Movie

Hi; I have learned a great deal from your site and recommend it to my customers (I sell preparedness books). There is a movie being released on January 16th called Defiance. You can go to the movie web site to get a several minute long previews. This is a movie on the Polish Partisans, or resistance forces that fought against the Nazis in World War II. My dentist escaped from communist Poland and told me that her grandfather was a Partisan leader. I have done was research I could to learn about her grandfather and the resistance forces. Basically, as …


Field Gear on a Shoestring Budget: Ten Project Examples, by George S.

The following are some hopefully useful field expedients, substitutes and spares, all of which can be had for a buck to about ten bucks each: #1: Drywall Saw: if you don’t have one of those all-purpose $49.95 survival knives or field shovels from Gerber or Glock with the accessory root saw, or you’ve found that the finger-length saw blade on a Swiss Army folder leaves a lot to be desired when cutting a 2×6 [board] down to size? A bow saw or flexible survival kit saw are a couple of possible candidates that may be up to the task, but …


A Farmer’s Perspective on Combating Crime in South Africa, by Joe Ordinary Voortrekker

Although we in South Africa do not live in a TEOTWAWKI situation, we routinely have to deal with constant attempts to appropriate life, possessions, and freedom that could be good training for a TEOTWAWKI situation. The following are some real life insights as to what and how we handle these regular attempts at property liberation on our homesteads and surrounds. We are fortunate to live well outside of South Africa’s largest city, our community is isolated and not visible from any main road. To a point where people that live in nearby areas do not know where our entry road …


“Show Your Colors”–Recognition Flags for Post-Collapse Travel in Groups?

Jim, Some friends and I were out on a hike several weeks ago with our bug out bags, and we were talking about how we could easily identify non-threatening travelers or [perhaps even] fellow SurvivalBlog blog readers. Maybe a flag of some type? Being able to identify [“friendlies”] would be especially helpful in a TEOTWAWKI situation. I’m just wondering if anyone else had suggested anything along those lines. Thanks, – Steven JWR Replies: Your chances of meeting a fellow SurvivalBlog readers are slim. (There are only about 282,000 SurvivalBlog readers in the US, scattered in a population of more than …


Letter Re: Advice on Grungy Military Surplus Magazines

I took your advice and ordered some FN-FAL magazines from What-A-Country, and they were promptly delivered. However, I was surprised to find that the military surplus magazines were quite dirty with what appeared to be black sand, and slightly oily. Is that common for used magazines? As a first time battle rifle owner making my first military surplus purchase. I don’t know if this is common practice or not. If it is, what is the best way to properly clean the magazines so they can be used? Any advice or a link to a web site with additional information would …


Letter Re: Learning Old-Fashioned Trades and Skills

Jim Concerning the article that Lisa sent: “Blacksmith-collector of forgotten trades”: Many survival minded folks consider learning a basic trade to help them through TEOTWAWKI. Most commonly they think farmer, gardener, blacksmith, bullet reloading. But there are many other basic skills and trades that will be highly prized and needed if the electricity goes off. Tinsmithing, broom and basket making, wheel and barrel making, pewter casting, weaving and spinning, candle and soap making, harness, horse collar, boot and shoe making, hide tanning, etc., will all be needed. Many of those trades need specialized tools, equipment and knowledge. Most 19th Century …


Letter Re: Acquiring Tire Repair Supplies and Compressors

Mr. Rawles, After getting a flat tire recently in the back-country I decided to beef up my off-road repair kit with more than just a spare tire. I now have two spares. I’ve also added a portable 12V compressor along with a portable tire puncture repair kit like this one. For $35 the kit includes enough plugs to repair perhaps a dozen punctures, extra valve stems and valves, valve wrench and high quality reamer and needle for applying the tire plugs. It is an excellent kit and is much higher quality than the plug kits you find in typical auto …


Letter Re: Building a Very Inexpensive 10-in-1 Machine Tool for Every Retreat

Dear Mr. Rawles The [home-made] MultiMachine is an accurate all-purpose machine tool that can be used as a metal or wood lathe, end mill, horizontal mill, drill press, wood or metal saw or sander, surface grinder and sheet metal “spinner”. It can be built by a semi-skilled mechanic using just common hand tools. For machine construction, electricity can be replaced with “elbow grease” and all the necessary material can come from discarded vehicle parts. If the MultiMachine builder adds just three easily-learned skills: Making small welds with a welder made from three vehicle batteries hooked in series. Using a flower …


Letter Re: Sources for Fasteners for D.I.Y. Web Gear Fabrication

Good Morning, Jim! I am a long-time regular reader here with a question. On your blog you’ve been recently posting about various web gear, etc. I have long desired to build some of my own gear using nylon straps and high strength plastic buckles, tensioners, and adjustment components typically found on outdoor gear. The problem has been finding a source/supplier for these components. Do you have any recommendations? Thank You, – John Geerman JWR Replies: In my experience, piece parts for Fastex buckles and similar parts are ridiculously expensive if bought new in small quantities in a “brick and mortar” …