Letter Re: Recommendation for the Classic Book Alone in the Wilderness

James,
The public domain book Alone in the Wilderness is available free online at The Open Library web site. In 1913 Joseph Knowles went into the woods buck naked. His 295-page book details his experiences. It is funny how he mentions that he “wonders if modern man could survive in such a situation.”  I had to laugh at that thought because here was a man still very close to the land and yet he wonder if he could do it. Just think how many people in the present day could cope. I’d like to believe that I could but it would be an extreme push.  Sincerely, – Dennis B.

News From The American Redoubt:

Several new laws have been enacted in Wyoming. Among others: You can speed while passing

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Reader M.J. told me about a great new product that is made in Columbia Falls, Montana. It is a new fly trap called the FlyStop, with a very clever design. It has a suction cup to attach it to windows (where flies are naturally attracted, by light.) Notably, it can be effectively used with or without attractants.

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Idaho House Unanimously Passes ‘Enhanced’ Concealed Carry Bill

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Someone did a nice job of putting some “Big Sky Country” photos to this classic Merle Haggard song: Big City (“Somewhere in the Middle of Montana.”) Thanks to John D. in Montana for the link.

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A Redoubt, no doubt: A State Divided: As Washington Becomes More Liberal, Republicans Push Back–New liberal laws and a new senate coalition illustrate the stark east-west divide in Washington state

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One-in-five Americans are whistling Dixie on state secession

Economics and Investing:

Argentina Applies Law That Jails Hoarders as Bread Surges

I noticed that the Gold-Eagle site has been revamped, making it easier to use, especially for those of us who have slow Internet connections.

Gold And Silver – It Is Silver Sending A Message

Items from The Economatrix:

Has The US Lost Control On Debt Market Growth?  Unbridled debt expansion at the nucleus of rising debt inequality in the United States. US total credit market debt now over 3 times larger than annual GDP

Europe’s Creeping Bank Run: Bail-In Fears Grow For Big Depositors In Euro Periphery

Expected Rotation out of Bonds Rattles Hedge Funds

Odds ‘n Sods:

G.G. flagged this: Extreme Solar Storms Could Destroy Earth’s Power Grids

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In Case of Emergency: My Cellphone Knows What to Do

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Indonesia Readies Mass Production of Drones. Coincidentally, I described their Wulung drones in my upcoming novel Expatriates: A Novel of the Coming Global Collapse. (It will be released on October 1, 2013. Please wait until the release date to order your copy. Thanks!)

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Has Motorization in the U.S. Peaked?

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This link bears repeating: Informed Christians New Disaster Crash Course

Field Gear: Identifying The All-American Makers

My Mac’s e-mail in-box is stuffed full every morning. I plow through dozens and dozens of e-mails. After a glance, most of them get a perfunctory “delete” click. In addition to the inevitable SEO Optimization. V*agara, and Nigerian scam letters, I also get a lot of grammatically-garbled e-mails that begin like this one: “Hi friend, Greeting from Ceina. Compoka,China–Headphone manufacturer. What kind of headphones and earphones are you collecting now? Hope we can do some help for you….”

This constant barrage of e-mails are a sign that mainland China is gaining global dominance in manufacturing of consumer goods.

One of my frequent topics of discussion in SurvivalBlog is generically called “field gear.” This includes tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, military load bearing gear, compact stoves, canteens, knives, fire starters, first aid kits, and so forth. While the limits of this category are nebulous, I like to think of field gear as just what a foot soldier would carry on his back, or what a backcountry guide would load on his packhorses.

Surprisingly few brands of field gear are now American made. Sadly, the vast majority of field gear-making has moved offshore to mainland China. Rather than just be depressed about this situation, I have resolved to do something to counter this trend. I urge all of my readers to do the following:

1.) Don’t just blithely purchase merchandise without first checking on its country of origin. Take the time to LOOK at labels! When buying from mailorder catalogs or online, take a minute to call and ask, before you order. If a product listing says “imported”, then the odds are now better than 80% that it is made in mainland China.

2.) Beware of the words “style” and “type.” With field gear, the most common euphemism for Chinese-made garbage is “G.I. style.”

3.) Be sure to thank the management of these companies for keeping their production in the States, and tell them that they earned your business because of it.

4.) Read the codes. (See the following discussions.)

Decoding UPC-A Bar Code Numbers:

Universal Prices Codes (UPCs) are a complex subject, so I’ll defer to linking to a couple of fairly definitive sources: Wikihow and Snopes.

But generally, if the first 3 digits of the number beneath the bar code are between 690 and 695, then the country in which the code was registered was China. But if the codes are between 000 and 019, or between 030 and 039, or between 060 and 139, then the country in which the code was registered was the United States. But remember that this indicates the country that issued the code rather than the country of origin of the product! A list of country codes can be found here.

Decoding NSNs:

For military surplus, get smart about NATO Stock Numbers (NSNs.) A typical NSN looks like this: 8465-01-254-575 . The second group of numbers is the Country Code. If the Country Code is 00 or 01, then it is American made. The code 99 designates the UK, and 20 designates Canada. A complete list of codes can be found here.

By the way, the Defense Logistics Agency has a public web search page, called Web FLIS. There, you can look up even a company name and locale, by searching its CAGE code.

Remember the American Brand Names:

I’m sure that I will miss many companies, but here is a general list of field gear companies that sell all (or nearly all) “Made in USA” products:

Knives deserve their own category, since this is one of the few industries where there is still a large number of American makers. We can maintain this presence by only buying from these makers:

Note: There are thousands of smaller custom knife makers in the United States–too many to list here. (See: The Official “KnifeMakers Database” for a detailed list, with links. Most of these are home-based businesses that do custom work.

Formerly Made in USA: Many knife and multitool makers have moved part or all of their manufacturing offshore. Gerber is typical of this trend. Not only are they owned by a foreign company (Fiskars of Finland), but more than half of their knives are now made in China. On a similar note, I still have readers recommend Marbles brand knives. They were all made in Gladstone, Michigan until a few years ago. But they’ve started importing them from China. 🙁

If in doubt about the origin of a product, then contact MadeInUSA.org, AmericansWorking.com, or www.usab2c.com

Also note: I didn’t even attempt to list the hundreds of American-made brands of guns, clothing and boots. I tried to stick to just field gear.

I’m sure that I will get a lot of suggested additions to the foregoing lists, via e-mail. Once I do, I will expand this post and turn it into a static reference page.

And by the way, I plan to compile a companion piece on American-Made Tools, later in July. Please e-mail me links to the web sites of tool makers that have 100% U.S. made tools that you recommend. Thanks!

 

Pat’s Product Review: Beretta M92FS 9mm Handgun

I’ve put this article off for the longest time, however I’ve had so many requests from SurvivalBlog readers, to give my honest opinion on the Beretta M92 9mm pistol that I decided to finally sit down and give my two cents worth. I honestly thought everyone was sick and tired of hearing about the M92FS – seeing as how it has been our military handgun for close to 30 years – but apparently, more folks want to hear about this handgun.
 
First off all, let’s get the boring stuff out of the way. The Model 92FS 9mm pistol is a DA/SA (Double Action/Single Action) handgun – the first shot, is fired from the super-smooth double-action, and the following shots are fired from the single-action mode. If there is a break in your firing, you simple use the frame mounted, ambidextrous decocker to safely lower the hammer. (Do not try to hold the hammer with your thumb and pull the trigger – you are inviting a negligent discharge when the hammer slips and the gun fires.) Overall length of the 92FS is 8.5-inches, with a height of 5.4-inches. The barrel is 4.9-inches, and unloaded weight, of the aluminum framed handgun is 33.3-ounces. The standard magazine holds 15 rounds of 9mm ammo – however, optional factory and aftermarket magazines can hold 17, 20 and 30 rounds. But note that most of the aftermarket high capacity magazines cannot be trusted. (And while the factory high capacity magazines work well, they are both scarce and expensive.)
 
The chrome-lined barrel provides extra corrosion resistance, and that’s a good thing, and it doesn’t really affect accuracy in a negative way – like some chrome-lined rifle barrels do. One thing about the 92FS that greatly aids the reliability of this fine handgun is the open slide design that virtually does away with stove pipe malfunctions, and it also makes it easier to load one round at a time into the chamber should you lose or damage the magazine.
 
Take-down of the 92FS is a piece of cake, thanks to the take-down latch on the side of the frame – reassembly is just as easy – but make sure you read the owner’s manual. The rear sight has two white dots and the fixed front sight has one white dot – they are fast to pick-up, but I’d like to see the sights a tad larger – just my take on it. I’ve yet to run across a Beretta Model 92FS that needed the rear sight adjusted for windage – they are dead-on from the factory. I had two police trade-in 92FS pistols on-hand for testing – my local gun shop got a great buy on a lot of these guns and priced them right – so I forced myself to take two of them – I couldn’t pass up the deal. Both guns only had some holster wear, other than that, they were like-new.
 
Beretta uses a proprietary finish on their 92FS called Bruniton, and it a non-reflective black coating that can really take a beating from the elements. The magazine release button can easily be changed over to left-handed use, too – great idea. The black poly grips take a real beating, too – however on one of my samples, the grips were rough, so I replaced them with a brand-new pair from Brownell’s.
 
None of my own testing can even come close to what our military put the M92FS through – it is actually the most tested handgun in US military history. The military version is dubbed the M9 and they recently adopted the M9A1 – which has a rail on the frame for attaching a light or laser. On another M92FS that have, I installed a Crimson Trace set of replacement grips on the gun – it does make the already slightly chunky 92FS a little bit thicker, but nothing you can’t adapt to. I love all Crimson Trace products – I’ve toured their plant a few times, and you can’t believe the work that goes into making their laser grips.
 
Okay, the average reliability of all M9 pistols tested at Beretta USA is 17,500 rounds without a stoppage – in other words, the guns just don’t malfunction – unless it is an ammo or magazine problem. I’ve yet to have a M92FS malfunction – even with questionable ammo and after-market magazines – the guns are “that” good. During one test of twelve pistols fired at Beretta USA before U.S. Army supervision, the M9 pistols shot 168,000 rounds without a single malfunction. I can’t even begin to duplicate that kind of testing – and it isn’t necessary, either.
 
At the beginning of the military contract, there was one or two instances, where the slide broke during live-fire, and came off the pistol, hitting the operator in the face. [JWR Adds: Beretta soon added a secondary slide stop, as redundant safety measure. Hence the “S” in the M92FS model desognation.] This was widely reported in the gun press, however one thing they failed to mention was that the rounds being fired were hot rounds – beyond even +P+ loads – we’re talking proof loads the rounds were so hot. Beretta, like other gun makers say you can safely fire +P 9mm ammo in their guns, and I honestly don’t know of any maker that says you can fire +P+ 9mm loads in their guns – just a lawyer/liability thing. I’ve fired thousands of rounds of +P+ 9mm loads through handguns and never had any problems – but be advised!
 
I’m sure most SurvivalBlog readers are aware of the severe ammo drought we are in – have been – for about six months now. The hottest selling rounds are .22LR and 9mm – both are very hard to find, and when you do find them, you pay dearly for them. Last year, I could purchase a brick of 500 rounds of .22LR hollow point ammo for about $16. But today, if you can find it, that same brick will set you back about $70. I usually run about 500 rounds through guns for my articles, but these days, I’ve really cut back – I’m having a difficult time getting quantities of 9mm from my ammo sources for articles – not because they don’t want to supply me, because they just don’t have much 9mm ammo to spare. So my testing was limited t only 200 rounds of various 9mm for this article.
 
I did have quite an assortment from Buffalo Bore Ammunition for this article, and here’s what I had on-hand. 147-grain JHP Subsonic and their same FMJ FN load – both were easy-shooting and no problems were encountered – some subsonic loads I’ve tested in the past didn’t have enough power to make the guns function 100% of the time. Also from Buffalo Bore I had their 95-grain Barnes TAC-XP all-copper +P+ load, and their 115-grain load with the same Barnes bullet – again this is a +P+ load. I had their 124-grain Penetrator load, this is a +P+ loading with a FMJ FN bullet, that Buffalo Bore owner, Tim Sundles carries for deep penetration when needed – Tim will load the first few rounds to be fired in his 9mm handguns with JHP and then the rest will be his Penetrator load. His thinking is, and I can’t argue with him is that, if an attacked fails to go down after the first few shots, then they will be behind cover and this Penetrator load will help penetrate that cover. I also has their 147-grain JHP +P+ load and the same load in 124-grain – +P+ of course. With the current severe ammo shortage, the only load I could get from Black Hills Ammunition was their 100-grain Frangible load, that has a bullet that is made from compressed copper – and this is used mainly on indoor firing ranges – when the bullet hits the steel backstop or steel target, the compressed copper bullet fragments and doesn’t bounce back at you. This load is rated at 1,200 FPS and it seemed hotter than that – but I liked it. I like the Black Hills 115-grai Barnes TAC-XP load in +P but alas, they didn’t have any, and I only had enough on-hand for two full magazines for carrying purposes, so I didn’t shoot that ammo up – it has always been a great load in any 9mm handguns I’ve fired it through.
 
In all my testing, I had no malfunctions, and I even mixed-up different types and shapes of ammo in magazines – and this usually can induce a malfunction in many guns, but not so in the Beretta M92FS samples – and I used both of my guns for this article. The Buffalo Bore 95-grain Barnes TAC-XP and the Black Hills 100-grain Frangible ammo shot a bit lower than the other rounds – which I expected, seeing as how they are both lighter weight loads. Nothing to worry about at close-up distances, but something to keep in mind at long-range shooting.
 
If I did my part, with the gun over a rest, over the hood of my car, at 25-yards, my 92s would keep all the hits right about the 3-inch group. There was one stand out, and that was the 147-grain FMJ FN subsonic load from Buffalo Bore, and that would consistently do better than the 3-inch mark if I did my part and held tight. During my testing, I used some genuine Beretta magazines and some after-market magazines and all worked perfectly.
 
I’m thinking, I’d probably carry the Buffalo Bore 115-grain Barnes TAC-XP +P+ load in the gun, and then my spare magazine – and you should always carry at least one spare magazine – would be loaded with the Buffalo Bore 124-grain +P+ Penetrator load – like Tim Sundles carries – just in case I have to shoot through some light cover. Sundles also tells me this load will penetrate the skull of a black bear – something to keep in mind if you’re in beat country with a 9mm handgun. Now, keep in mind, that all handgun makers tell you to not shoot +P+ 9mm loads in their guns – again this is a lawyer and liability thing. I just wouldn’t shoot a steady diet of +P+ through any 9mm handgun – it accelerates wear and tear. And, Tim Sundles told me that he does not recommend +P+ loads in any 9mm handgun with a barrel shorter than 4-inches that the slide is moving so fast, you might have some feeding problems. I’ve fired +P+ 9mm loads in a Glock 26 and never had any problems – but that was that gun!
 
I wish there was something negative to report about the Beretta Model 92FS, but nothing went wrong, if I had one minor complaint, it would be the gun seems overly engineered and too big for the little 9mm round – but that’s my personal opinion.  There’s a good reason to own a Model 92FS or the military M9 – and that is, in a SHTF scenario, you can probably scrounge some spare mags – a lot of police departments still issue the Beretta 92FS, and the US military has tens of millions of spare magazines and parts – something to think about if you need some repairs or parts – just thinking out loud! Shop around, and I’m betting you can find a police trade-in Model 92FS at a really good price – and when you do, add it to your collection – you’ll really like it, I like mine! – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio

Recipe of the Week:

S.A.’s Cold Spicy Shrimp

I’m convinced that having someone in your group who understands how to cook, stretch meals, and provide filling, tasty, interesting, nutritious, and satisfying dishes will be as vital as your gun guy, security honcho, or medical expert.

This is another well-tested recipe from a friend, a USAF wife. I never served it to a group where it wasn’t completely eaten. Only people who don’t care for it or eat it are shrimp haters and those with shrimp allergies. Often people with limited cooking experience will want to omit a particular recipe ingredient and will proclaim something along the lines of, “I don’t like mustard.” Well, some people don’t “like eggs,” but they sure eat cake. A recipe is a combination of ingredients that meld together to make a delightful dish.

1.5 # fresh cooked shrimp
1/4 c fresh chopped parsley
1/4 c finely chopped green onions
1/4 c tarragon vinegar
1/4 c wine vinegar (red or white, your choice)
1/2 c olive oil
3-4 T Dijon mustard
2 t crushed red pepper
2 t salt (optional)
Fresh ground pepper

I get the grocery store to cook the shrimp with creole seasoning. At home, remove shells but leave on tails for ease of eating. Don’t rinse. Place shrimp in a large container so you have room to stir and mix. I like to use a large, deep Tupperware or Rubbermaid with a tight-fitting snap-on lid. Put shrimp in first, then add rest of ingredients. Stir everything until well mixed and shrimp is coated. Cover and refrigerate, stirring or shaking a few times over the next 24 hours. Best prepared 2-3 days in advance, but may be eaten immediately. Serve with any cracker, 5 Grain Crackers are particularly good.

Other Suggestions

1. Just to have on hand for afternoon appetizer or lunches over several days, I only use 1 pound of shrimp or even less. Amount of shrimp is optional. The sauce doesn’t go to waste.
2. For hard times, if fresh shrimp is not available, now is the time to go to your stores. Use 1 or 2 cans of tiny canned shrimp, depending on how many you are feeding. Open can, drain liquid, reserving, and rinse shrimp. Give liquid to the cat for a treat. Also, practice with other types of canned seafood. Instead of using shrimp, this sauce over drained, chilled canned crab sitting on lettuce would be delicious and refreshing.
3. Use parsley fresh from your herb garden and green onions. (You are growing the ever useful and easy to grow herbs, right? They will revolutionize your meals in the future by adding various flavor, texture, color, nutrition, and visual interest.) If not, use 1/2 of a stored yellow or white onion and its green top that has sprouted in storage.
4. I love to eat this as a salad on sliced avocado with the shrimp and herby sauce drizzled on top. However, avocado possibly might not be available. They don’t grow well here, too cold.
5. Any left-over sauce is a nutritious, delicious salad dressing. It’s amazingly spicy, yet not overly hot, and so tasty over fresh tomatoes. Do you dehydrate tomato slices? I recently was served a restaurant meal with a garnish of “tomato chips.” Leaned over and whispered to my husband, “These are just like what I have put up. We have plenty in our pantry.” Using dehydrated tomato chips instead of crackers….yum.
6. Keeps well due to the mustard and vinegars. It even freezes well. Mustard is said to have anti-cancer properties. I’ve used several types of mustards, such as grainy French mustards and smooth mustards. Anything works, but plain ol’ Grey Poupon Dijon is best.

Chef’s Notes:

  • Grow tarragon and you can easily make your own tarragon vinegar.
  • You could substitute corn oil, or really, any oil. (Olive is just flavorful.)
  • If worst came to worst, you could use your dehydrated parsley and onions. Don’t get me wrong, I put these up and have them in my spice rack. But, if you didn’t have fresh, in my mind it would indicate that things had really gone south, so to speak. However, you would know how to use canned seafood and dehydrated herbs and onions and pantry flavorings to make a nutritious, comforting recipe.
  • Experiment and enjoy!
  • Know how to combine your storage ingredients with innovation. Grow an herb garden and the easy-to-grow vegetables (in a pot if you don’t have a garden), such as lettuce and tomatoes and peppers.

JWR’s Comment: It occurred to me that this recipe might translate well to freshwater crawfish. That could be worth a try.

Useful Recipe and Cooking Links:

Shrimp Recipes

Crawfish Recipes

Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? Please send it via e-mail. Thanks!

Economics and Investing:

The one ounce American Redoubt silver coins are now selling even more rapidly, and Mulligan Mint is doing their best to ship orders promptly. But the current low price of silver (under $19 per ounce) has caused a huge rush of orders with all mints and dealers, so longer delays are inevitable. But rest assured that your coin order will be shipped in the order that it was received.

And so it begins: Digital currency seized in alleged drug law violation in Charleston. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.)

G.G. sent: China, Switzerland sign free trade agreement.

A desperate derivatives scramble: EU Accuses 13 Banks of Hampering CDS Competition.

NYT: Derivatives Are ‘Weapons of Mass Deception’

Items from The Economatrix:

Reports Points To Solid US Hiring In June

Jobs Data Upbeat, But Trade And Services Dim Outlook

Global Turmoil Threatens America’s Economic Independence

Oil Spikes-Portuguese Bonds & Stocks Crash-Eurozone Debt Crisis Returns

Odds ‘n Sods:

One often overlooked traditional tool is a bark spud. You probably already own lots of axes and perhaps a shingle froe and a draw knife. But few folks recognize the importance of a bark spud for peeling logs. (In fact, these days most people wouldn’t even be able to name this tool, if they were handed one.) These are expensive to buy new, so look for used ones, via Craigslist. Or watch for garage sales or estate sales where “logging tools” are mentioned.

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Frank and Fern (pseudonyms) recently started blogging about their retreat and their preps. It is worth a look.

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F.G. suggested this fascinating piece: Underground Gun-Making Industry in the Philippines

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My #1 Son has added a lot of amazing new property listings at our SurvivalRealty.com spin-off site. Check them out!

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Scared of the Sun – the Global Pandemic of Vitamin D Deficiency

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Heads on posts: The latest news from Brazil adds new meaning to the phrase “Ardent soccer fans.”

Notes from JWR:

“They can’t stop the signal!” Please help spread the word to mitigate the latest ping flood attack on SurvivalBlog’s main server. If there is another wave of pinging attacks, folks can use this temporary site:  http://64.92.111.122. (Please bookmark that!)

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This is the last day in Camping Survival’s 25% off sale on Mountain House foods. Meanwhile, Freeze Dry Guy has extended their 25% Off Special on All Mountain House #10 Cans through July 10, 2013.

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This is also the birthday of Robert A. Heinlein. (1907-1988.) I’ve quoted Heinlein in SurvivalBlog more often than any other fiction writer. One of my favorite Heinlein quotes is: “Time to beat those plowshares back into swords.”

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Today we present another entry for Round 47 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course. (A $1,195 value.) B.) 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 $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear, E.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value), F.) Two BirkSun.com photovoltaic backpacks (one Level, and one Atlas, both black), with a combined value of $275, G.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo. and H.) A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com. The current value of this roll is at least $225.

Second Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training. Together, these have a retail value of $589. C.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. D.) $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P.), E.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials and F.) Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206, C.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, D.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value. E.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value), and F.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 47 ends on July 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.

Low-Budget Photovotaically Charged Drill Batteries, by C.K.

I’d like to discuss some practical aspects of power tools. Some posts in the past have been mentioned about them but I am going to discuss making solar power tools. And not just buying the pieces and making them (which you could do if you wanted) but actually making them from salvaged “junk”.
 
I’ll be the first to admit that while I love and own all types of traditional (non-electric) hand tools, using them does take considerably longer and more effort than the powered ones. (Not surprisingly).
 
My background is that of a professional tinkerer, and a trained marine and environmental biologist. I have tinkered with electronics since I was a small child and while no expert (and welcome corrections (there is much I don’t understand)) what I know is from first hand tinkering and reading.
 
As a professional scavenger I have come to realize that we live in an incredibly wasteful and unsustainable society on many levels (no surprise to most readers I am sure). Over the years I have found drills, reciprocating saws, circular saws, chainsaws, and all types of other power tools thrown away for various reasons. You just have to keep your eyes open.
 
The project I am going to describe was one in which I took an older Black and Decker 7.2 volt NiCd battery powered drill (that I found in someone’s trash), and turned into a lithium ion solar-charged drill for free. This project can be adapted to almost any brand, voltage, or type of battery powered tool.
 
Tools and supplies needed:

  • Voltmeter/multimeter
  • Soldering iron
  • Solder
  • Flux
  • Wire (decent gauge, larger than 3mm, preferably braided)
  • Diode (at least rated for 20v)
  • Some type of male/female plug with 2 leads
  • Photovoltaic (PV) panels (5-10 volts (peak) more than the total battery voltage.
  • A battery-powered tool of some sort
  • Several lithium ion computer batteries. (Non-Apple.)

This project assumes the reader has basic soldering knowledge and basic electrical knowledge, if not there are plenty of how-tos and tutorials online.
 
Diodes can be scavenged from almost any types of old junk electronics whether it’s an old television, old computer monitor, printer or many other types of “junk” electronics. Many diodes have numbers on them, just type them into an Internet search engine and you can usually find the power it is rated for. Unsolder it and you’re ready to go.

[JWR Adds This Warning: Use extreme caution whenever cannibalizing parts from any high voltage electronics such as televisions. Most of these include high amperage capacitors which remain energized with a potentially lethal charge, even when the electronics are powered down. (And in fact even after discharged they can even “bounce” building up a new charge, unless they are shunted.)]
 
The same goes for scavenging male/female plugs, it can be the circular types used for plugging an AC adapter into electronics, the square type or anything really that you can plug together and has at least two leads. Adequate wires are easy to find in most electronics, just keep your eyes open.

[JWR Adds This Caution: I recommend using dedicated DC connectors with red and black polarity markings, such as Anderson Power Poles for all of your DC lights and appliances. This minimizes the risk of confusing the correct input voltage an type. You may know how it is intended to be used, but friends and relatives might be confused by a familiar-looking plug and do a Very Bad Thing. Inadvertently applying 120 VAC power could cause some smoke and/or fireworks.]
 
Solar panels can be a little more difficult to find but with the massive influx of cheap solar junk from China if you know where to look they aren’t too hard. I got mine from the solar patio lights you see everywhere and only last about a year before they break. I am sure if walking around your neighborhood you’ll see some that no longer work, and offer to take them off your neighbors hands, or just look in the trash you’ll find some eventually. You can usually find adequate diodes in them as well. It is important to test your solar panels to make sure they function. Most patio light solar panels output around 4-5v or so at peak, but by linking them together in series (+ to -) the total is the sum of each panels voltage (e.g. 4v+4v=8v).
 
Now for the batteries. Most laptop computers made in the past 10 years use round lithium ion metal encased cells. The only exception I know of are Macs which use lithium ion polymer cells which don’t work so well in this application just because they are rectangular and flat. The large battery packs you see actually contain several smaller “cells” inside and when linked together (in series again) provide the voltage required, the same applies for power tools. When your battery no longer holds a charge it is usually because a single cell has “died” and no longer functions whereas the rest of the cells still function albeit at a lower efficiency then they did before. So you can disassemble an old laptop battery pack and test the cells with a multimeter. If all the cells show around 3.7v and one shows 0v you found your culprit.
 
 Most cells are rated for 3.7v, so when deciding how many you will need for your project just make sure the sum is over the rating for your tool. In my case I needed at least 7.2v so I used 2 cells to power the drill (3.7v + 3.7v =7.4v). If you want your battery to last twice as long you can connect some of the batteries in series-parallel ( which produces sum of the current in milliamphours)  (+ to + and – to –) but it is important to balance the batteries out. So if I wanted to double the run time of my drill I would have first made 2 sets of 2 cells together in series, (+ battery – to + battery –) then connect the sets together in parallel by connecting the positives on each end together and the negatives on each end together.
 
If this seems confusing read more about it online and get a solid grasp of the theory behind it before connecting batteries together causing a fire or worse yet, an explosion.
 
The same goes for your solar panels wire them together to produce around 5-10 volts more than the sum of your batteries so that even when a cloud passes by you are still able to charge your batteries. For my project I wired 3 panels together in series (4+4+4=12v) and this works fine for me charging to 7.4v . Once again if you want to charge twice as fast just wire two sets of 3 panels (4+4+4=12v) together in parallel, and now you’re charging twice as fast.
 
Now in comes the diode. The diode functions like a one way valve, allowing electricity to travel in only one direction in your circuit. This is important because without it every time a cloud covers your panels, the electrons stored in your batteries will seep back out into the panels possibly damaging your panel and draining your battery. Diodes typically have a single white or black band indicating the orientation of it. The band indicates the negative side, so current flows from the banded side to the other, not vice-versa. The diode should be soldered between the + of your solar panels and the + of your batteries. If you have a multimeter you can set it to test your diode and make sure it is in the correct orientation, and working.
 
So let’s finally put everything together.
1.      Determine some method to attach your batteries to the drill and that they will fit.
2.      Determine if there are leads coming from the drill and which are + and – make sure they are long enough to reach the batteries.
3.      Solder the drills + lead to the + side of the batteries as well as another wire to attach to the diode and male/female connector later.
4.     Solder the – lead to the – side of the batteries as well as another wire to attach the male/female connector later.
5.      Solder the diode banded side lead to the extra wire we soldered to the + side.
6.      Solder one lead from the male/female connector to the non-banded side of the diode.
7.      Solder the remaining – lead to the remaining lead of the male/female connector
8.      Determine a way to mount the connector to the drill either drill a hole and glue it in or some other secure method.
9.      Solder the other half of the male/female connector to your solar panels (making sure your orientation matches up to the other half attached to the batteries)
10.  There are many ways to make this project look nicer and neater, some possibilities include encasing the back of your solar panels with fiberglass resin, to create a larger single panel, or using an old battery case (Dewalt etc) and taking out the old NiCd cells (please recycle, cadmium is deadly) and placing your new batteries, wires and diodes into the case, and closing it back up.
11.  Remember this should be fun, educational, and there is always a way to build a better mousetrap. I always love to hear others ideas and criticisms. If you have the skills (and time) you could include a charge control system or other features.
 
A few tips
1.      I always first just “soft wire” (as in, I twist the wires together) making sure none are touching and determine if my circuits work (like seeing if the drill works) before soldering things together.
2.      Double check the orientation of your male/female connector using your voltmeter before plugging them together and [with reverse polarity] possibly destroying your batteries.
3.      Make sure that any and all bare wires or soldered joints are not exposed. I use electrical tape, hot glue, and heat shrink tubing to cover all bare metal surfaces. If you don’t when you shove it all together then things will touch and short circuit.
 
The solar powered drill I made for free is still running strong after a year, and I’ve only had to recharge it once! Next solar project is a reciprocating saw!
 
Important safety note: Lithium ion batteries can explode if improperly recharged. (Read the pertinent news headlines.) Make sure you know what you are doing before attempting this project. There is no charge controller in this simplified solar system so it is important to make sure not to over charge your batteries! I would monitor the voltage of your batteries the first time charging in full sun and determine the time it takes to reach full charge. That way you have idea about how long to keep it connected to the panels in the sun. Also note that the quality of the batteries you start with will largely determine how often it needs to be recharged. So if your batteries are on their last legs expect the same from the drill.