A New Freeze Dryer – Part 2, by Captain Nemo

(Continued from Part 1.)

Testing and Bread Run

Once things are assembled, it’s time to test the machine. From the start screen, press the leaf logo to go to the testing screen. They want you to close the door and also close the drain valve. Begin by touching the freeze switch. The refrigeration system will kick on and the chamber will begin to cool. Next, turn on the vacuum switch, and the pump should start. Let both run for 30 minutes. Within 20 minutes the pressure should be below 500 mTorr. If it is not, call Harvest Right Customer Support. By that time, my machine was at 111 mTorr and holding. Turn both switches off and repressurize the chamber slowly by cracking open the drain valve. Once the door can be opened, turn on the heater switch and place your hand on the tray rack. It should begin to warm up. Turn the heater off as soon as you notice warmth on all rack levels. Press Done to go to the start screen.

Since I received my machine, I’ve seen many people that are having vacuum and refrigeration problems with their new machines. Some I think is due to squeeky wheel syndrome, but may also be the reason that Harvest Right is so adamant about inspection after shipping. My machine came with a factory test card in which it was tested before shipping. Failures upon receipt may be the shipper’s problem. I’ve worked with high vacuum equipment and you are always chasing a leak somewhere. It’s a real problem when fusing deuterium gas as it doesn’t react well with oxygen! The same goes for underwater photography, as you’re paranoid about your seals. Lose a seal in either case and it gets expensive fast. You really do need to become a service technician with this kind of equipment and many aren’t up to it. So, be ready to learn!Continue reading“A New Freeze Dryer – Part 2, by Captain Nemo”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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Coming from the geographical determinist school of history study, I found this 20-minute video fascinating: Facts In Geography Never Taught In Schools — Thomas Sowell. For some further reading on geographical determinism, I recommend the book  Zones of Conflict.

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A special request from JWR:

A close family member of mine is prayerfully looking for a property to buy near Coeur D’Alene, Idaho. He has had no luck thusfar, searching via the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). He is now hoping to find a For Sale By Owner 2+ acre property that is not visible with MLS searches. Here are his specifications:

  • If it is a property with an existing 3+ bedroom house: Up to $900,000.
  • If it is a property with unimproved land: $400,000.
  • If it is a property with an existing septic system, water, and power:  $450,000.

Geographically, his search area vaguely includes anything inside of this radius:

  • Anywhere east of CDA off of I-90, but no farther east than Mullan Road Historical Park
  • Rockford Bay
  • Wolf Lodge
  • Garwood
  • Rathdrum
  • Dalton Gardens
  • Pleasant View
  • Worley/Fighting Creek
  • Bonus points for a place near Mica Flats.

He might consider places a bit farther out, but he wants to be near his church (in CDA), and his work in Spokane Valley.

Please let me know if you have such a property available, or just know of one, or if you own a larger property and would willing to sell 2 or more buildable (fairly level) acres of it. That would be an answer to prayer. You can contact me either via e-mail or via the blog contact form. Many Thanks! – JWR

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Reader Joe S. had this response to Tom Christianson’s recent review of the EAA Witness .22 conversion kit:

“I  have two EAA Witness (Tanfoglio) pistols that are exceptional – my experiences with the conversion kit were much different – it went back to EAA, twice for “some fitting may be required”, but mine never ran reliably.  I sold it online at a loss, with full disclosure about the problems I had run into.

I’m more and more a believer that guns should stick to their designed-for caliber – .45 ACP for 1911s, etc – as for shooting 22LR, which I shoot a lot of lately, there are some really fine guns for that caliber – the Ruger MK series, Ruger 10/22, Taurus TX 22, some of the S&W revolvers, the Browning Buckmark pistols, etc. – why make something work with a caliber that it wasn’t designed for?
I’m not sure that using a .22LR conversion on what was originally a 9mm or .45 ACP handgun makes much sens at all – just like with a self-defense handgun you’d want to use the actual type of bullets that you’ll use in the gun for self defense (frangible, for example, versus “ball” ammo”) using .22LR is gonna be so far away from the actual experience of shooting the ammo you’ll use to defend yourself that about the only thing you’ll practice will be stuff like grip and stance – even racking the slide and handling magazines will be different – certainly felt recoil and muzzle blast will be VERY different – for proficiency practice, bite the bullet and use the actual ammo in the exact gun configuration you’ll use to defend yourself, in my opinion.”

o  o  o

Lily alerted me to this: Google Is Rolling Out Password-Killing Technology to All Its Accounts.

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One Texas man’s personal history preservation project: Missile Silo (Texas Country Reporter).

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — May 9, 2023

On May 9th, 1945, Herman Goering – commander in chief of the Luftwaffe, president of the Reichstag, head of the Gestapo, prime minister of Prussia, and Hitler’s designated successor – was taken prisoner by the U.S. Seventh Army in Bavaria. Goering, who was addicted to painkillers due to a wound, was instrumental in creating concentration camps for political enemies. It was Goering who ordered the purging of German Jews from the economy following Kristallnacht in 1938, initiating an “Aryanization” policy that confiscated Jewish property and businesses. Tried and convicted at the Nuremberg trials, he was sentenced to hanging, but before he could be executed he committed suicide by swallowing a cyanide tablet he had hidden from his guards.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 106 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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 $795.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. EBL is providing an EBL Voyager 500-Watt Power Station with deep cycle lithium batteries, providing reliable 120 Volt AC and DC (12 Volt and USB) power for emergencies or outdoor use. (A $399 value.)
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 106 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

A New Freeze Dryer – Part 1, by Captain Nemo

We finally decided to purchase a Harvest Right freeze dryer. Originally, Mom wanted to go with only a medium, but I insisted on a large due to how much the garden can produce. Last season, our garden produced so fast that we couldn’t process it fast enough. We lost about half of what we produced. We waited awhile and then mom asked about it again, so I checked the website, and there was a special running. She agreed on the purchase of the large dryer.

The large dryer comes with a choice of pumps, the oiless pump, the premium oil pump, and the standard oil pump. I originally wanted to go the oiless route, but then I heard about its bad side, and it didn’t seem to be worth the cost. I could get two premium pumps for the price of the oiless, so I chose that instead. After using the premium pump, I’m glad I went with it. The rest of the package includes 5 stainless trays, impulse sealer, vacuum hose, oil filtration kit, 50 O2 absorbers, and 50 8”x12” mylar bags. I also thought it a good idea to add another set of trays, so I went with the pharmaceutical tray set which is 8 trays. Also added to the order: extra pump oil, tray covers, silicone molds, 50 O2 absorbers, and 50 10”x14” bags, and their cookbook. I did want to get a set of silicone tray liners and oil filters, but they were out of stock. Everything including tax was just under $4,000. The order would be shipped in two weeks.Continue reading“A New Freeze Dryer – Part 1, by Captain Nemo”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. This week’s column is a bit of a side trip, to showcase some backcountry adventure videos.

Idaho

We Drive Idaho’s Most Beautiful Road.

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5 Day Backpacking Trip in Remote Idaho with a group of Young Men.

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Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route Documentary Film (IDBDR).

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Dirt Biking Across America — Part 3 IDAHO BDR (Back Country Discovery Route).

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“We may be thankful that frightened civil authorities … have not managed to eradicate from the country the tradition of the possession and use of firearms, that profound and almost instinctive tradition of Americans.”

“Luckily for us, our tradition of bearing arms has not gone from the country, the tradition is so deep and so dear to us that it is one of the most treasured parts of the Bill of Rights–the right of all Americans to bear arms, with the implication that they will know how to use them.” – John Steinbeck

Preparedness Notes for Monday — May 8, 2023

Today is the 78th anniversary of VE Day, otherwise known as Victory in Europe Day.

May 8th is the birthday of missionary and U.S. military intelligence officer John Birch. (Born, 1918, died August 25, 1945.) He is considered by many to be the first American casualty of the Cold War.

This is also the birthday of Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek.

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Today’s feature article is a product review penned by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.

Utica Cutlery Multimaster Tool, by Thomas Christianson

I generally favor multi-tools for everyday carry (EDC). I use a blade more often than other tools, it is true. There are always packages to open, cordage to cut, wires to strip, and other tasks appropriate for a blade. But it seems like every time that I carry only a knife instead of a multi-tool, I end up needing pliers or a screwdriver as well.

So when I ran across the Utica Cutlery Multimaster, I just had to give it a try. I contacted Utica Cutlery, and they were kind enough to provide me with a sample for testing and evaluation.

I found the Multimaster to be a well-machined tool constructed of heavy-duty, high-quality materials. Its layout is practical, but it lacks the elegance of design that characterizes some of its competitors. As a result, the tool is a bit on the large and heavy side. This makes it a less practical solution for EDC in many settings. For example, it was just a bit too bulky for me to comfortably carry in an office setting.Continue reading“Utica Cutlery Multimaster Tool, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week:  Sweet Cinnamon Rice

The following recipe for Sweet Cinnamon Rice is from SurvivalBlog reader D.B..  She notes: “This is a great way to use some of your stored rice. I use Basmati Rice, but other white rice varieties work quite well.  I have not tried this with brown rice.”

Ingredients
  • 2 cups rice
  • 4 cups water
  • Pinch of salt.
  • Cinnamon (Just enough to suit your taste.)
  • 1/2 cup Brown Sugar. (You may use more or less, to suit your taste)
Directions
  1. On a hot stovetop, bring water with a pinch of salt to a boil in a pot for which you have a lid.
  2. Stir in the rice.
  3. Watching closely, let the pot return to a boil.
  4. Stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon (to taste — don’t over-do the cinnamon!)
  5. Immediately remove the pot from heat, and let it stand for 15 minutes, covered.
SERVING

This can be used as a breakfast dish, to break up the monotony of eating oatmeal, grits, or cereal.  It also makes a great fish or chicken dinner side dish.

STORAGE

This rice dish stores fairly well, if kept covered and refrigerated — for up to two days.

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Do you have a well-tested recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long-term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. Most of these items are from JWR’s “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the twilight of dollar dominance. (See the Forex & Cryptos section.)

Precious Metals:

California readies for treasure hunt as floods wash up ‘Gold Rush 2.0’.

o  o  o

Gold stuck at $2,000, caught between high inflation and recession fears – Quant Insight.

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At Gold-Eagle.com: Gold, Oil & Global Currencies Entering a Watershed Moment.

Economy & Finance:

I fully expect more turmoil in the banking sector, in the coming months. There are dozens of regional banks and hundreds of smaller banks that are precariously under-capitalized. The blame for all this lies at the feet of the Federal Reserve, which kept interest rates artificially low for much too long. Now that they are gradually ratcheting-up rates, The Fed is putting the squeeze on banks that “lent long”, at low rates. Their depositors are leaving them in droves, lured away by Federal government debt paper that is now paying higher yields. These “troubled” banks are at great risk of both bank runs and sell-offs of their stocks. I believe that the unfolding banking crisis will last for many months to come.

The aggregate deposit dollar value of the banks collapsing in 2023 already exceeds that of the 2009 crisis. The end result of this protracted crisis will probably be that the biggest banks will gobble up a lot of smaller banks. This will consolidate money and power in the hands of the Eastern banking establishment. As with any other major financial or political crisis, we should ask: “Cui bono?” In this case, it is some of the biggest coastal banks that will benefit the most, and it will be the interior banks that will suffer. – JWR

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IWB: How to Tell If Your Bank is in Trouble.

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Regional Bank Crisis Spreads To Big Banks As PacWest, US Bancorp Tumble, Stocks Dump Amid Widespread Liquidation.

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Federal Reserve Raises Interest Rates by 25 Basis Points, Opens Door to Pause.

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Josh Walkos: The Long Shadow of BlackRock.

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Over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: American Disaster: Credit card debt explodes at 2nd-fastest pace in history.

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The BRICS alliance is expanding.

To summarize, the following nations have formally applied for acceptance into the BRICS cooperative:

  • Algeria
  • Argentina
  • Bahrain
  • Egypt
  • Indonesia
  • Iran
  • Saudi Arabia
  • United Arab Emirates

In addition, interest has been expressed by at least 17 more countries.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” – C.S. Lewis

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — May 7, 2023

On May 7, 1867 Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel patented dynamite in England. This was the first of three patents he would receive for the explosive.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 106 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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 $795.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. EBL is providing an EBL Voyager 500-Watt Power Station with deep cycle lithium batteries, providing reliable 120 Volt AC and DC (12 Volt and USB) power for emergencies or outdoor use. (A $399 value.)
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 106 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

AR-15 Setup and Maintenance – Part 3, by John Smith

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.)

Rifle lubrication / Maintenance

Proper AR-15 lubrication is essential. Everyone usually has their favorite lube of choice. Personally, I started using Lucas Oil Extreme Gun Oil on the outside of the bolt and a homebrew mix of Mobil1 synthetic grease and Mobil1 synthetic oil for the inside of the bolt carrier group (BCG). I went with the Lucas Oil lubricant because they make high performance automotive oils and I trust that they put actual research and testing development into making a high-quality oil that won’t burn off easily from heat. Other small companies may not be able to do as much research and testing. They offer their oil in a small bottle with a syringe type tip that I prefer for oiling.

I got the idea for the Mobil1 homebrew mix from the School the American Rifle channel on Youtube. He uses it because it is relatively cheap compared to name brand gun oils. You mix the synthetic grease with synthetic oil until it is about the consistency of tacky but just starting to drip honey. Use caution on mixing lubricants that may not be compatible with one another. I prefer the Mobil1 mix for inside the BCG because it will probably stay in place longer than straight oil that can be burnt off by the combustion gasses entering inside. Additionally, I believe the Mobil1 mix is probably better for the cam pin-bearing surface to prevent damage.

One of the easiest ways to prevent malfunctions is to ensure that the rifle is properly lubed in the correct places. The main places that you will need to lube will be on the bolt and bolt carrier group (BCG). Ensure all surfaces that make metal-to-metal contact are lubed. On the outside of the BCG, there are two upper “rails,” two lower “rails,” and the bottom that should be lubed. If you are unsure the locations look online or look for where the finish on the BCG is worn. You should also take the bolt out and lube the appropriate surfaces that interface inside the BCG including the gas rings and bearing surface. I use the Mobil1 mix for this job.Continue reading“AR-15 Setup and Maintenance – Part 3, by John Smith”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

14 Gun-Hating State Governments are About to Be Taught a Lesson
On the Blank Page History, Text, and Tradition of Pre-1787 Gun Laws

News Links:

JWR’s Comment: The restrictive gun and magazine laws in those 14 states will fail the Bruen Test, because there were hardly any restrictions on the manufacture, purchase, ownership, storage, and carry of firearms, firearms ammunition, and firearms accessories before 1787. There simply were not any bans on particular types of weapons in 1787. Even cannons and grenades were not in any way restricted from private ownership. And the very few gun laws that did exist in or before 1787 applied only to gun ownership or carry by Native Americans and freed slaves. And all such laws were invalidated by the 14th Amendment.