Letter Re: Sewing to Repurpose Items for SHTF

Sir:
In her recent article on repurposing material by sewing, Penny Pincher said: “The Army poncho liner is nothing more than a thin quilt with a head hole in the middle.  It’s camo lightweight nylon with thin polyfil for batting, a few strings at the corners, and bound on the edges.  You could make something similar.  If you didn’t mind the extra weight, you could use some thin wool, maybe in two layers, and sandwich that between nylon to make it ride smoother.”

I made something similar last spring, but with nylon on only one side. I like carrying a wool blanket rather than a sleeping bag when motorcycle camping. Heavy wool blankets get very hot — in part due to the nap of the wool directly against the skin. So I took an old olive drab blanket (washing it first to shrink as much as possible) and sewed a similarly sized piece of dark brown thin nylon to one side of it. After “quilting” the two pieces together by simply running it through the sewing machine a few times in both directions, I bound the four edges with canvas left over from an old couch, tan khaki in color. Now I have an extremely durable blanket/quilt (in woodland camo colors) that doesn’t get unbearably hot in the summer, but which can be reversed to make the most of wool’s insulative properties when required.

Because I started out with the largest surplus blanket I could find and pre-shrunk it, and because nylon and wool are both water repellent, I was able to sleep soundly with only my blanket in a solid drizzle while camping this winter in Mississippi. And the whole thing rolls up to about the diameter of a surplus closed-cell foam pad, and it’s only about half the length of those pads. So far it’s been used for motorcycle camping, as a ground pad for rifle practice, as my bedding while at the station where I’m an EMT, and as an occasional play tent for my toddler. Very durable, only been washed once, and looks brand new. – J.D.C. in Mississippi

Letter Re: Post-TEOTWAWKI Welding

Dear Jim,
I have been a welder, machinist, engineer, and someone interested in self-reliance for many years. I read the recent discussion on SurvivalBlog of post-SHTF welding with interest.

I do not disagree that thermite could be made from scrap yard materials (done it, with aluminum filings and black sand (magnetite) from the river), but it would require a custom-made refractory mold for each joint.  IMHO two other forms of welding would be much more practical.

Forge welding was the only available process up into the 1800s, and requires only anvil, hammer, fire of coke or charcoal and forced air.  Borax or other flux is very helpful on steel, as opposed to wrought iron. Common salt would probably work, too, but avoid the chlorine fumes.

Electric arc welding is infinitely faster and more flexible, and not out of reach post-SHTF.

Engine-driven welding machines are common, and can of course be used as designed as long as their fuels, usually gasoline or Diesel oil,  are available.

Gasoline engines can also be run on wood-gas, natural gas, propane, manure gas, with suitable carburetion;  Diesels of course on vegetable or waste petroleum oils.

A steam engine burning wood, or a water-wheel, could run a generator welder just as effectively as a modern internal combustion engine, with suitable belting or gearing to provide the right rotational speed.

A medium-size off-grid solar electric power system will also run some small welding machines for limited duty cycles.

Many types of finely compounded  welding rods are used today for specific purposes. However, a DC welding machine can be used to weld with coat-hanger or most other types of plain bare steel wire.  It is much more difficult to control the arc, and the properties of the weld joint will not be as good, but will be usable for many purposes by a skilled welder.  Nor is it out of the realm of possibility to make coated electrodes with better properties, as for instance the coating on one of the most common and most useful modern (E6010) electrodes could be closely approximated with wrapping of newspaper soaked in waterglass, or probably salt or soda mixed with powdered sand.

However I will leave you with a major caveat: If you are not a skilled welder now, then do not expect to do yourself any good by taking up the craft with improvised materials after SHTF.

One of the biggest income-enhancers for the general repair welder like myself, is the guy who buys himself his own welding machine.  Fixing it after it was fixed wrong the first time, costs a lot more than doing it right the first time. 

As with all skills you may wish you had in an emergency, do not wait for the emergency to acquire them.

Thanks for your service, Mr. Rawles! – Ben F.

News From The American Redoubt:

The historic flying legacy of Ontario [Oregon]’s Merle Maine. What an amazing collection! (Thanks to R.B.S. for the link.)

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Jim W. sent: Wolves vs Lion Hounds: Attacks Rising in Montana and Idaho

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Governor Otter invites firearms, ammunition makers to Idaho. (A hat tip to Rich B. for the link.)

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Jim W. sent us yet another good reason for the partition of eastern Washington: Attention Florida CWPs: Washington State is no longer reciprocal.

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A workshop in Wilsall, Montana will address “drought-proofing” farms and ranches and increasing soil fertility, June 5-9, 2013. More that 80 hours of instruction. Participants will learn about multiple proven technologies and strategies for farms and ranches that increase profitability, maximize water harvesting, minimize inputs, increase forage yield and build soil. This workshop is being organized by Cloud Nine Farm in Wilsall, Montana and Broken Ground in Bozeman, Montana. For more information, see: www.MontanaWholeFarmFertility.com or call Karen Erbe at: (406) 600-7881. 

Odds ‘n Sods:

Bullet blitz: Demand from public, government leaves ammo shelves empty. (Of course those of you who heeded the advice in SurvivalBlog and stocked up before last December are now sitting pretty.)

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Tomorrow is the last day of Camping Survival’s Mountain House Sale. They are offering Mountain House nitrogen-packed cans at 25% off and pouches and long term storage HDPE buckets at 15% off. Order soon!

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Reader M.V.R. spotted this: Use These Secret NSA Google Search Tips to Become Your Own Spy Agency

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Jeff H. mentioned: Mothers Milk: Grow Your Own Vinegar

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Los Angeles Wants To Confiscate Legal 10+ Round Magazines. Here are a couple of quotes from the article: “The city of Los Angeles has filed a proposed ordinance that would allow police to confiscate legally owned magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. Thanks to a motion by Councilman Paul Krekorian of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee.”

and,

“The unconstitutional law would ban possession of magazines under a nuisance law. They’re talking about property that was grandfathered for a reason.”

JWR’s Comment: That sounds a lot like an uncompensated “taking” (theft) to me! It also flies in the face of California’s State Preemption law (53071 GC) that restricts counties and cities from enacting firearm regulations. I must repeat that I encourage gun owners to move out of that Mickey Mouse State, as soon an possible.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“You may hand us over to the executioner, but in three months’ time our disgusted and harried people will bring you to book and drag you alive through the dirt in the streets!” – Field Marshal Erwin von Witzleben (One of the Valkyrie bomb plot leaders), August 7, 1944

Notes from JWR:

Today is the birthday of firearms engineer Theodor Koch (born 1905, died 1976.) Koch, along with Edmund Heckler and Alex Seidel salvaged tooling from the bombed-out Mauser factory at Oberndorf, and with it founded Heckler und Koch. OBTW, Koch is not spoken: “Kock.” Rather, it is correctly rendered in a deep register: “Cohke-hh”.)

—

Reader H.C. kindly wrote to remind me to mention this: Most folks have probably heard that Google Reader is scheduled to go off into the sunset on July 1st, 2013. So if you use it to access any RSS feeds (including ours), then get yourself set up with an alternate RSS reader, before then. (There are plenty of others available.)

Voodoo in the 21st Century: Evil Guns and Other Absurd Notions

A recurring theme in western journalism, academia, and collectivist politics is the quaint notion that firearms are intrinsically evil. That is, that they have a will of their own, that somehow inspires their owners to murder and mayhem. I liken this nonsensical belief to voodoo.

The “guns are evil” viewpoint was encapsulated by social psychologist Leonard Berkowitz when he wrote: “Guns not only permit violence, they can stimulate it as well. The finger pulls the trigger, but the trigger may also be pulling the finger.” I am astounded that something like that can be earnestly said or written in modern times, and not immediately get shouted down. This statement betrays an outlook that is not much different than that of a practitioner of Voodoo. And to see this espoused by some with a nomen appendage like “Ph.D.” makes it even more absurd. (Leonard Berkowitz was awarded a Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Michigan in 1951. But apparently U. of M.’s doctoral program did not include courses in logic. And his study of what he called “the weapons effect” was conducted quite unscientifically.) Just imagine if he or one of his academic cohort were to proclaim: “Typewriters not only permit libel, they can stimulate it as well. The fingers tap the keys, but the keys may also be pulling the finger toward the keyboard by an unseen force, stimulating libel.” Any psychologist who trots out such nonsense needs to consult a psychiatrist.

I have a few questions for Dr. Berkowitz and his peers:

1.) What is the mechanical difference between a “target pistol” and a “murder weapon”?

2.) What is a “Nazi Luger”? Can a Luger pistol join the National Socialist party, and share their hatred of perceived Untermenschen and wish to exterminate them? By the same token, what is a “Communist AK-47”?

3.) How many people have been killed by guns without someone physically pulling the trigger? And in any very rare exception to the norm, was it a mechanical defect or negligent handling at fault, or did the gun really wish to do harm and “go off by itself.”?

4.) Why have gun makers been sued for wrongful death because of murders committed with their products? (If a gun does indeed consistently fire a bullet at high velocity when the safety mechanism is disengaged and the trigger is pulled, then isn’t that device working just as designed?)

5.) What, pray tell, is the distinguishing characteristics of an “assault” rifle, and what differentiates it from a “hunting” rifle? Does the attachment of a black plastic buttstock make a gun in any way more wicked, murderous, or bent on assault than attaching a pretty wooden stock?

6.) Is a magazine capacity of 16 rounds inherently more evil, criminal or sinister than a capacity of 15 rounds? (This was threshold that the geniuses in the Colorado legislature recently declared, complete with jail term penalties. OBTW, Canada set the threshold of evil at a mere five rounds, for semiautomatic long guns.)

Let step back and look at these tools logically and dispassionately: A firearm cartridge can be thought of as a simple single-use internal combustion engine, with a piston that does not reciprocate. Instead, it takes a one-way flight. The engine housing is a brass cartridge case, and the “vehicle” is the entire gun. The pistons as are called bullets. The fuel for these engines (gunpowder) creates the expanding gasses that drive the pistons. Cartridge firearms are compact vehicles for change that have shaped modern history. The righteousness of their use is entirely up to their users, since like any other tool they can be used both for good or for ill.  A firearm is just a tool with no volition. A rifle is no different than a claw hammer. To wit: A hammer can be used to build a house, or it can be used to bash in someone’s skull—the choice of uses is entirely up to the owner.  A bulldozer can be used to build roads, or to destroy houses. A rifle can be used to drill holes in paper targets, or to dispatch a marauding bear, or to murder your fellow man. Again, the choice of uses is entirely up to the user. But, alas, even though it is the 21st Century, we are still dealing with voodoo-like superstition. If you get angry or drunk and you then use your Chrysler car to run over a neighbor’s child, should your neighbor then launch an organization called “The Coalition to Ban Chryslers,” to punish all Chrysler owners?

I am also opposed to all so-called “gun control” laws because they are a form of prior restraint. The gun grabbers presuppose ill-intent on the part of law-abiding citizens and even the guns themselves. I find these laws akin to the concept of “pre-crime”—a term coined by science fiction novelist Phillip K. Dick, in his novel Minority Report. (It was later turned into a movie, starring Tom Cruise.)

If a firearm is used by a criminal or psychopath with evil intentions, then it is a tool for evil. But if it is used for good (to defend life and property), then it is a tool for good. A firearm by itself has no sentience, no volition, no moral force, and no politics. The proper term for this is an adiaphorous object–something that is neither good nor evil. A firearm is simply a cleverly-designed construction of metal, wood, and plastic in the form of a precision tool. Granted, a firearms magnifies the reach of a man’s volition. But so does a long bow, and so does a telephone and the Internet. But to deride the tool itself instead of someone who abuses it is profoundly illogical and superstitious.

So why do they disparage the tool and not the one who wrongly wields it? Why isn’t gasoline seen as evil, since Julio Gonzalez used it to kill 87 people at the Happy Land Club in his murderous arson, in 1990? And why aren’t there calls to ban nitrogen fertilizer, since Timothy McVeigh used it to kill 168 people in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995? And shouldn’t Boeing brand jet aircraft be banned, since they were used to take nearly 3,000 innocent lives on September 11, 2001? And aren’t pressure cookers now the weapon of choice of Islamic terrorists?

Ever since the invention accurate rifled firearms, the course of human history has been set by the men who wield them. For someone to exclude themselves or seek to disenfranchise others from owning or carrying them is the most absurdly illogical and downright suicidal attitude imaginable. It is obvious that so-called “Gun Control” laws have nothing to do with the criminal misuse of guns, since criminals ignore all laws, by definition. Only honest, law-abiding citizens obey these laws. Rather, these laws are just about control–namely people control. Dictators cannot dictate unless they have unarmed subjects.

Here it is, in quintessence: You are either a man with a gun, or you are mere human cattle for the slaughter. The choice is yours. I prefer to be armed and vigilant rather than being at the mercy of some would-be slave master. There is no notch in my ear.

Because they are such useful tools, our founding fathers recognized the great importance of safeguarding our ownership, carry, and free use of arms. Like the printing press, they were specifically protected by the Bill of Rights. These enumerated rights should be taken at face value and not misconstrued. The Second Amendment is about protecting your right to go deer hunting the same way that the First Amendment is about protecting your right to publish poetry.

Conclusion
Please speak up when you see someone preaching voodoo gun hatred. Violence involving firearms is actually down 39% in the U.S. since 1993. But anti-gun rhetoric has recently been increasing. All of the “evil gun” talk is nothing more than an unfounded irrational fear and loathing that has no place in a modern society that recognizes facts and logic. Anyone who engages in this rhetoric should be immediately suspect. Odds are that they are halophantae with a hidden agenda. While they rail against an inanimate tool, I suspect that they are actually plotting against the liberty of a group of people with whom they disagree. They want to disarm you, so that they (or their hired armed thugs) will have a monopoly on force. And if the history of the 20th century taught us anything, it is that a monopoly on force inevitably leads to genocide. – JWR

On Diabetes, and Thinking Outside the Box, by Dr. Cynthia J. Koelker

A thoughtful EMT wrote me to ask:

Dr. Koelker:
What effect could you have on blood sugar for a diabetic (type 1) through blood transfusions? I am a paramedic, and our field treatment for high blood sugar is IV fluids until the hospital can give them insulin to lower the blood sugar. In a SHTF scenario, there is no hospital. The thought process got me thinking though….My questions are these:

1) What, if any effect could you have on lowering blood sugar through transfusions? i.e., basically finding a non-diabetic donor match, and swapping a couple pints of blood…the non-diabetic can process any sugar, and the diabetic gets blood sugar lowered by dilution.

2) Could you time a high sugar meal for the non-diabetic to manipulate the blood you were donating? Could you get enough glucose and insulin transfused to affect the diabetic’s intracellular glucose?

3) If the science and idea are valid, would it be able to have any appreciable effects or would you be re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic?

The idea intrigues me, because blood transfusion gear can store a lot longer than insulin.

Thank you- Eli
 
Here is my reply:
Excellent questions, Eli.  I’ve pondered the possibility myself and will offer my preliminary conclusions.
First, theoretically, the answer is yes, it could work. 
For example, in a scenario where, say, identical twins would essentially share the same pancreas, IV lines could be connected in a continuous system, allowing the diabetic’s blood to enter the non-diabetic’s system, with the “treated” blood being returned in equal amounts from the non-diabetic to the diabetic. 
This is not quite the same as swapping a couple pints of blood, as I’ll address below.
Eli’s preliminary questions raise several more:
1.      Who is a suitably-matched donor?
2.      Would a non-diabetic be the best donor? 
3.      How much blood would need to be transfused?
4.      How long would this arrangement work?
5.      Should the non-diabetic receive blood back in return?
6.      Should serum be used instead of blood?
7.      Could the blood be administered via a different route?
8.      Could non-human blood be used?
9.      Could God have left us a simpler answer for treating diabetes Type 1 than we’ve discovered to date?
To begin with the end, I believe #9 above could well be true.  Though science has investigated pancreatic transplantation, islet cell transplants, stem cell manipulation, and other high-tech options, no simple solutions have been found, but they yet may be out there.
And so, at TEOTWAWKI, what to do? 

(Before I go on, let me say don’t miss the March 13, 2013 SurvivalBlog article by AERC regarding Insulin Dependent Diabetics.  The author offers many excellent suggestions along with personal experience as a diabetic.)

But the question remains: what to do if no insulin is available?  Would transfusion work?
A few calculations will help explain:  In the non-diabetic, serum insulin levels average <30 microUnits/ml (that’s 0.000030 Units/ml), or 0.003 Units per liter of blood or serum.  (In a type 2 diabetic with insulin resistance, the serum insulin level may actually be higher than normal.)  If a type 1 diabetic requires 24 units of insulin/per day, that’s 1 unit/hour, or 0.0427 Units per minute, if my number-crunching is correct (and let me know if it’s not).    The calculations are actually quite complex, in part due to the half-life of insulin, along with multiple other factors. 
To simplify the computation enormously, if it takes a serum insulin level of around 10 microU/ml to metabolize a serum glucose level of 100 mg/dL, it would take about 5 times that much insulin (or non-diabetic blood) to regulate a serum glucose level of 500.  To treat a diabetic’s blood sugar of 1000 could require all the insulin within a non-diabetic’s circulatory system – and clearly you can’t donate all your blood multiple times a day (except in the shared-pancreas arrangement described above).
If a diabetic’s blood glucose level of 900 were suddenly diluted 50:50 with a non-diabetic’s blood (which isn’t really possible), this would decrease the level to around 400 mg/dL to start, then perhaps 50 points further due to transfused insulin . . . but only for a very short time, on the order of hours at best.  And in order to administer this much blood, an equal amount would have to be removed via blood-letting.

Given an unlimited blood supply and ICU-level nursing, perhaps this could be accomplished, but considering factors likely to be present at TEOTWAWKI, the challenges appear to be insurmountable.

Additionally, to answer a few more of my own questions above:
1.      In the identical twins shared-pancreas scenario, with blood going in and out of each person, blood typing is not a problem.  However, for others to share blood back and forth, both the diabetic and non-diabetic would need to be compatible to both donate and receive blood.  Simple ABO/Rh typing does not prevent all transfusion reactions, and of course even correct typing does not eliminate the possibility of infection or fluid overload.  Still, in a life-or-death situation, with a supply of insulin expected to be available shortly, it could be considered.  (Make sure to obtain a blood donation compatibility chart if you would consider transfusion for any reason.  You’ll either need to know everyone’s blood type ahead of time, or learn how to crossmatch it yourself.)
2.      Theoretically a normal weight or an overweight person, even a mild Type 2 diabetic with insulin resistance, could serve as the donor.
3.      Serum alone is not likely to work because transfusion alone is not really feasible.  The only way I see transfusion working is the shared-pancreas scenario already described. 
Next, what about non-human blood?
Animal-to-human blood transfusions have been tried hundreds of years ago, but were often fatal, and assuredly would be fatal using large volumes of blood.
But could the insulin within, say, a gallon of cow blood be put to use some other way?  
Theoretically, maybe so.  The blood would need to be centrifuged promptly to remove the cells, since the blood cells themselves remain metabolically active until they begin to break down.  The serum could be further concentrated by evaporation at room temperatures (with careful attention to sterile technique).  The resulting insulin-containing liquid should not be given intravenously but might be effective via a rectal infusion, high in the anus (see Oral Insulin (Swallowed) and Rectal Insulin Suppository for Diabetics by T.R. Shantha, MD, PhD, FACA).
Although insulin does not degrade when given rectally as it does when given orally, absorption is a potential problem.  Although some insulin is absorbed rectally, I can find no answer to whether bovine insulin would be – but it might work.

Another possibility would be an enema of blenderized bovine (cow) pancreas, though the pancreatic enzymes might irritate or even perforate the colon – perhaps a reader would like to try this experiment on rats or rabbits before trying it on themselves.  Allergic reactions are also a concern.

The earliest treatment of hypothyroid patients involved implanting (not transplanting) sheep thyroid tissue into a patient.  Surprisingly, it worked.  So could the same idea work with insulin-dependent diabetes?  Again, I don’t know, and again the pancreatic enzymes could be a problem.  But it might work, to a degree.  Perhaps a curious reader would be interested in trying this experiment on their diabetic pet.  Answers simply cannot be obtained without experiments (some of which end badly for the subject). 

Transdermal insulin use has also been studied, but requires ultrasound or iontophoresis for transport through the skin.  Could a slurry of pancreas be used on the skin?  We just don’t know – I doubt it’s been tried.  The pancreatic enzymes may irritate the skin.  Alternatively, the same enzymes may aid insulin absorption.  Insulin itself has some deleterious effects when applied topically.  But if the choice is death or experimentation, necessity becomes the mother of invention. 

In summary, the analogy of re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic is probably valid regarding using transfusion to lower blood sugar, but if I had a child with Type 1 diabetes, I’d be motivated enough to start experimenting, maybe even learn how to follow Banting’s recipe for insulin.  And I’d do some hard praying about stem cells – the answer to a new pancreas lies within our bodies; how to unleash it is the only question. 

About the Author: Dr. Cynthia Koelker is SurvivalBlog’s Medical Editor. her web site is www.ArmageddonMedicine.net.

R.J.’s Book Review: At Home In Dogwood Mudhole, Volume One: Nothing That Eats

At Home In Dogwood Mudhole, Volume One: Nothing That Eats
By Franklin Sanders
Copyright: 2012
ISBN 978-1-938817-06-9

Although there is a long standing link at JWR’s Investing page to his Moneychanger web site, not every SurvivalBlog reader may know of Franklin Sanders. His stories will either have an air of familiarity or yearning to follow in his footsteps. Christian, father of seven, farmer, historian, husband, outlaw, and reenactor are all facets to this interesting man.
 
This is first of three planned books. It solidly weighs in with a hefty 379 pages. There’s something nice about picking up a paperback that is well made.  There are also a Kindle, ePub, and pdf versions available for those who like the weightless version.
 
Franklin Sanders wrote the Moneychanger Newsletter every month. In it, he included a section about his personal life. In putting this book together he made a conscience decision to print what he wrote at the time. This is a unique perspective in that most writers would use their notes as a basis and then write history, often years or decades later, as viewed from today. Ask a six year old to what happened to him that day and it might include a story about monsters in the closet. That same writer at twenty-six would likely not tell the tale for fear of looking silly. As you read the book you will get a sense of truthfulness you would not normally expect from someone writing about himself. 
 
Franklin’s Christian beliefs run deep. One could say that he is exuberant in his faith and it shows in his writings. To some, the interspersed Biblical references and quotes may be off-putting, but it is key part of who Franklin is. In no way do these times come off as condescending or preaching which makes for a pleasant read.
 
Another thing that makes this book a pleasant read is the way it is laid out. The sections are headed by the month and year it was published. The length may be a page or a few pages long. Franklin’s writing style is straightforward and easy to read. This combined with monthly sections will have the reader flying along through the adventures.
 
One interesting thread through the book relates to the Y2K bug. For the younger readers, Y2K or year 2000 bug was a crisis in the late 1990s relating to computer programs in their ability to understand the difference between 2-digit year abbreviation (such as 00) versus 4-digit (such as 2000.) Possible catastrophes included all bank account information being lost to public utilities being turned off.  There always tends to be a looming danger in the near future and it is interesting to see how the Sanders family dealt with this example.
 
Franklin is an interesting man and that reflects in his monthly sections. One month may have you reading about a sow and her piglets, touring America, or the Civil War, I mean, the War of Northern Aggression reenactment as he plays a Southerner. There is always something of interest to read about.

The move to country life or homesteading has become more poplar in the last decade as many people realize the substantial benefits of this lifestyle. The Sanders Family began this journey almost 15 years ago. Like many fish-out-of-water tales, this book has plenty of humorous episodes as they relearn what most of our great-grandparents would have thought as being common sense. Read what he does with 2,000 pounds of Y2K rice for a good chuckle.

W. C Fields, American actor and comedian (1880-1946), was once quoted as saying “Never work with children or animals.”The folly of both is bound to drive any sane person crazy when you are trying to get things done on time. Both surround the Sanders. As I am sure Franklin has said to himself many times that God never gives us more than we can handle. Weather it is children that move back home,
horses that bolt off with heavy equipment, pigs refusing to be corralled, or disappearing chickens there were plenty of challenges facing this homesteader.

Pat’s Product Review: H&K Knives Entourage

For the life of me, ever since I was a little boy, who regularly carried some kind of folding knife, could I understand how a “switchblade” knife (read: automatic opening knife) is any more dangerous than any other knife. Somehow, I think we have Hollywood to thank for this nonsense going back many, many years, where they portrayed gang members using a switchblade to intimidate or kill someone. How on earth one can justify how a folding knife opens, to how lethal it is, is beyond my comprehension. I’ve said this many times in the past in my knife articles, and that is, I can draw my folding knife from my pocket, and open it faster, with a flick of my wrist, than I can an automatic folder. On an automatic folder, you have to index the knife and then find the sweet spot – the button – on the handle and then press it to open the knife. Still, I like automatic folders – and not because they open faster – they don’t – at least not for me.
 
Many states ban the mere possession of an automatic opening knife – even if you keep it in your home. In my home state of Oregon, where automatic folders are made, and where they are legal to carry, many, many police officers mistakenly believe that an automatic opening folder is illegal. Ignorance is bliss!
 
Almost a year ago, I received the H&K Entourage automatic opening folder – a “switchblade” for testing. I never carried this knife, but kept it on my desk, and it was used almost daily for opening FedEx and UPS packages, as well as other chores around the house and homestead. To be honest, I had completely forgotten that I received this knife for testing for an article on SurvivalBlog – I just kept on using the knife daily, and it slipped my mind that I was to write this article about the knife – until I found the paperwork in a pile of papers on my desk from Benchmade Knives – who makes the H&K “Entourage.” So, I figured I’d best get this article written.
 
First of all, it is a testament to how useful the Entourage was for daily chores around the house. Yes, it is faster opening, when I picked it up off my desk – as opposed to having to dig into my pants pocket to get my regular folding knife out to use all the time. The Entourage was just “there” all the time for me. What we have is a 3.74-inch 440C stainless steel blade, with a Rockwell hardness of 58-60 – and this is a bit hard, but the edge stays sharp a good long time – only problems I’ve ever encountered with 440C stainless steel is, it takes some work to get the edge back to hair-popping sharpness. However, I don’t let my knife get very dull to start with. Unless I’m doing an intentionally destructive test, I keep a keen edge on my knives at all times.
 
The handle scales are made out of 6061-T6 anodized black aluminum. And, I should mention that, the blade on the Entourage is a Tanto style, which is one of my favorites. There is also a pocket clip on the handle scales, should you elect to carry the Entourage in your pants pocket. My sample had the plain edge, but you can also get a partially serrated edge, and those serrations really help out when cutting cardboard or rope.
 
There are friction points on the top and butt of the handle scales, that greatly aid in getting a secure grip on the knife in many different styles of knife fighting holds. And, there is a very slight upward angle on the front top of the handle scales for proper thumb placement in the fencing grip. On the bottom front of the handle scales, there are also friction points for proper placement of your index finger in the fencing grip. Closed length of the Entourage is 4.70-inches and opened it is 8.44-inches and it weighs-in at 4.50-ounces–not too heavy and not too light.
 
The button used for opening the Entourage is large enough that you can easily make contact with it with your right thumb, and there is an enhanced spring design for improved and faster opening times of the blade. I found my sample had the front pivot pin just a tad too tight, and it only took about half a turn with a Torx head driver, to get the tension a bit looser and more to my own liking. The blade seemed a bit slow springing out of the handle scales – but now it is perfect. And, during almost a year of testing and daily use, I never once had to re-adjust the tension on the front pivot pin.
 
I liked the black anodized handle scales, there were also grooves milled into the handle scales for a more secure grip. With the blackened blade, the knife has a very “tactical” look to it – very cool! On the top of the Entourage’s handle scales, you will also find a sliding safety button – to lock the blade solidly open or closed – making this a virtual “fixed” blade folder in the locked open position.
 
I’ve mentioned this before, but thought I’d mention it again, for new SurvivalBlog readers. Some Preppers mistakenly believe that all survival situations call for bugging out to the boonies – such is not the case. If you live in the big city, you are more apt to need survival tools on a daily basis, and one tool I find useful on a daily basis is a folding knife. The Entourage isn’t a wilderness survival knife – it’s not designed or meant for that type of use, However, if you life in a big city, having a very well made Every Day Carry (EDC) folder is a handy thing to have. I just read a report this morning, about a group of more than 100 teens, who went on a rampage in downtown Chicago – my birth town, and people were attacked by this group. There is such a thing as disparity of force – which means basically, if you are outnumbered, you can use more force to fend off your attackers. In this case, when you are faced with multiple attackers, you would be justified in using a knife to defend yourself with.
 
The Entourage would make an outstanding EDC folder, it’s well-made, strong, and it is priced at $170 – which is a very good price for a Benchmade produced knife. And, if you are into collecting logo knives, the H&K line is very collectible. I played with my Entourage for almost a year, and the blade was opened and closed thousands of times, and there wasn’t a sign of the button or spring failing or working loose. Check out an Entourage, if you can legally own one in your locale or state. I think you’ll be pleased with the Entourage. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio

Letter Re: Post-TEOTWAWKI Welding

James Wesley;
I’m worried about keeping farm machinery operating, in a long-term TEOTWAWKI whammy. Some of my equipment is horse-drawn and a full century old. God forbid we go through a multi-generational scenario like you’ve talked about. How will we repair broken metal, or cast metal, or join metal (‘cept drilling and nuts and bolts)? Obviously arc welding is out, unless someone has a huge solar battery bank, and I’m not at that Pay Grade. (I live almost paycheck to paycheck, other than a seasonal bump when I sell hay each year.) And gas welding will be non-functional once the available welding gas supplies run out. I also saw the SurvivalBlog piece on the giant fresnel lens solar oven (for aluminum casting) but beyond that I’m stumped. What am I missing? Thanks for your time, – Rod C.

JWR Replies: Missing? In a word: Thermite. (The formerly patented trade name was “Thermit.”) Thermite welding is a simple process that just employs a mixture of iron oxide powder and aluminum powder to create what my high school teacher called “a vigorous exothermic reaction.” It is most commonly used to join railroad tracks, using specialized molds and tooling. (Thermited tracks don’t have that traditional “clickety-clack” sound.) The only fairly exotic material needed is magnesium ribbon, to ignite the mixture. An Aside: My #1 Son found that a Blast Match or Sparkie fire starter (both sold by several of our advertisers) works just fine as an igniter, just by itself.

The iron oxide and aluminum powders needed for thermite welding can even be produced locally, albeit very laboriously, with materials from your local automobile wrecking yard. (Hint: Look for aluminum “Mag” wheels.) Welding with thermite can be tricky: If you use too little or if you don’t contain the “puddle” properly, then you don’t get a good weld. If you use too much, then you destroy the parent metal. Practice a lot now with scrap metal so that you don’t make costly mistakes, later.

Warning! All the usual safety provisos for welding apply, and then some! Thermite burns at thousands of degrees and looking directly at the reaction can cause permanently-blinding retinal burns. You’ll need welding goggles. Since a thermite reaction creates its own oxygen, unless you have a Class D fire extinguisher there is basically no effective way to fight a thermite fire. (Without a Class D extinguisher you have to just wait until it burns out–although cooling it with a CO2 extinguisher helps a bit.) Also, keep in mind that if a glob of burning thermite contacts water or even just mud, it can cause an instantaneous steam explosion that will throw burning thermite in all directions. Also, using finely-ground thermite powder, or any sort of expanding gas containment can also cause thermite explosions, so use extreme caution. And if you aren’t wearing welding clothes and dark welding goggles when igniting thermite, then you are foolish. After mixing or otherwise handling loose thermite powder be sure to thoroughly wash your hands before using it. (Setting your thermite-powdered hands on fire would be a Very Bad Thing.)

Thermite has many other clever uses, as described, in my novel Patriots. (The Mythbusters guys demonstrate overkill.)

Reprints of two old thermite welding references now that are now in the public domain are available from Amazon.com. They are:

Thermit Welding Process 1914 by Richard N. Hart

and

Thermit Welding (A series of articles revealing the art and science of welding) by Ethan Vial

Thermite welding is also briefly described in the free Kindle e-book: Oxy-Acetylene Welding and Cutting Electric, Forge and Thermit Welding together with related methods and materials used in metal working and the oxygen process, by Harold P. Manly.

An inexpensive source for iron oxide powder, aluminum powder, and magnesium ribbon with excellent customer service is AlphaChemicals.com. They have been a SurvivalBlog advertiser since early 2011, and I must mention that I have had ZERO complaints about the company, since then. They have satisfied thousands of SurvivalBlog-reader customers. AlphaChem now packages most of their iron oxide powder and aluminum powder in resealable heavy duty mylar pouches. This keeps everything neat and dry. They double package and discreetly ship via UPS in boxes that just have one small blue “ORM-D” safety label. (The binary components are not classified as pyrotechnics until after you mix the component powders yourself.)

Because of its weight, any casting equipment (molds, crucibles, refiner’s sand, etc.) is best found locally, from an industrial supply company, or better yet used, via Craigslist. And of course terra cotta clay pots are available at garage sales or your local garden supply store.

Lastly, keep in mind that if you are planning to cast metal with Thermite, then wet sand or damp clay processes cannot be used. (See my previous warning about instantaneous steam explosions.) Your molds must be quite dry!

Letter Re: Selecting a Prepper’s Firearms

Jim:
I’m writing in response to: Selecting a Prepper’s Firearms, by Frog. First I can say that I like the idea of adding a Bushnell red dot to a few of my ‘tools’ – I wanted to add one with out getting stuff that would fail, and have been unwilling to buy anything overly expensive due to today’s crazy market with it’s inflated prices.  Red dot scope for say a 10-22 with a folding stock would be perfect match. (and it’s around $100) – totally good call.

I only see a few issues with selection of firearms like the glock pistols and Remington 870 ( I have one – love it too.) – just one thing about Glocks I didn’t like, and it might very well be my fault because they were my first reloads back a few years ago…- these are great accurate shooting pistols with stock factory ammo. I gave my reloads (that worked great in my Ruger P95DC) to a friend to shoot when he ran out of ammo, his Glock choked on them, badly enough that my friend had trouble clearing the ammo with out the aid of my leatherman.  That was not a good day, for him…glad we were only putting holes in paper.

It is just worth mentioning that some pistols have tight tolerances, and reloaded ammo might cause issues… When times are bad, reloads might be more prevalent might not work in them as well as stock factory ammo. Almost all ammo has a warning on it saying not to use reloaded ammo.

Being as it was one of my early loads before I started using a ‘case’ gauge, it could have been all me… reloaders might want to take note and invest in case gauges to prevent that same issue…you pop a finished round in the case gauge to test the brass for fit… if it fits in the gauge it should work in anything standard for what your testing. This should be one of the last steps before storing rounds you’ve reloaded up for use.

I started loading ammo back in 2003 or 2004- and like I said even if his Glock didn’t like reloads my used Ruger would eat them all day.  This issue is why I have gauges for 9mm, .223, .308, .30-06 – and anything else I’m planning on loading I would plan on buying now, before things get bad…I’m not saying don’t buy a Glock, or one pistol is better then another, any pistol is better then no pistol at all – I’m just saying be aware that some pistols and rifles are finicky in what you can use in them. How you use that information is your call – like be prepared and have a good supply of stock ammo, and only feed it stock ammo if you already know reloads might have issues. You should take the time now in good times to figure out will your selected defense weapon work with reloads, because in the future… (Ah you got me…  ammo is already scarce!) you’ll want to know.

[JWR Adds: Glocks are notoriously temperamental with cast lead bullets and copper washed lead bullets in reloads, and the occasional expensive and potentially dangerous “Glock Ka-Boom” can be expected with their use.]

The other note is the first thing a guy/gal should do when buying an 870 is get an aluminum tube replacement for that little plastic piece that pushes the shells up in the shell holder… the plastic ones wear out at the worst times- so that is worth mentioning too.  Someone I know gave me this advice when I got my 870 home defense shotgun. Good advice is worth repeating.

And finally, sure! – if I could afford a PTR91 with lots of cheap mags I’d have purchased one already… that weapon was close to $2,000 before the prices inflated, it’s probably way out of my price range now. Get what ever you can get, learn how it works, practice with it, take care of it well.- Fitzy in Pennsylvania

Letter Re: Sewing to Repurpose Items for SHTF

Dear Editor:
I used to be much more of a seamstress than I am now, but I’m getting back into it as I can’t find clothes I like (modern women’s pants all want to fall off my butt) and I am sewing my own gear to save money.  This article will focus on repurposing fabric items that are worn out or that you don’t want anymore, into other fabric items that are more useful for a SHTF situation.

Don’t throw out old clothes, even if they’re stained or otherwise unwearable.  Even clean old underwear can be repurposed into rags or stuffing for pillows.  You can take the hook and eye parts of old bras, and use them in other underwear projects or for mending.  You can remove the zippers, elastic, buttons, etc. of old clothes, and keep them for future projects.  You can even save good strong thread if you are careful deconstructing something.

If you want to dye something that is a natural fiber a different color, you can learn about plant dyes, or there is a kind of dye called procion dye.  The mordant (fixer) for that kind of dye is washing soda, which you can buy at the grocery store in the laundry soap aisle.  This dye is the kind that people who make tie-dyes use, it comes in all different colors including earth tones – you can make your own camo if need be that way, out of your existing clothes.  I used to get mine at Dharma Trading Co. which is online, but there may be other sellers.  To conserve dye, it is much more economical to squirt or spray the dye onto your garment than to vat-dye it, unless you are doing a really big batch all the same color.

If you find elastic eventually wears out and becomes unavailable, you can make drawstrings instead out of strips of fabric and modify your clothes to accept drawstrings.

You can make socks out of old sweaters or sweatshirts.  You don’t even need to know how to knit, if you can cut and sew it so it doesn’t unravel.  (I recommend zigzag stitch). Or in a pinch you can wrap a rag around your foot and stuff it in a shoe like that, but why not have something that is shaped like a sock?

Old pants legs with minimal sewing can make good bags, pouches, aprons, pillows, book covers, gaiters, or panels for bodices.  They could even be made into hammocks or cots if you have enough of them, which if bedbugs take over the world or if you end up being nomadic, you’ll be getting rid of your mattresses eventually anyway.  One thing I haven’t seen yet is a denim plate carrier.  One might fasten a 550 steel target to the inside of the bib of a pair of overalls, as an improvised rifle plate. (but pad the inside of the steel too).

You can make tactical gear or smaller bags out of old luggage you cut apart.  Many suitcases are made from Cordura.  You can save the straps from knapsacks to use for webbing or slings.  Even outdoor upholstery fabric remnants would work, but to get Cordura, the “real thing”, without ordering it, look to the luggage at the thrift store.

You can also hide clothes or gear by making them into cushions.  How about a “bolster-holster” for your rifle?  How about a piece of web gear that is reversible?  One minute it’s a purse or satchel or pillow, the next it’s your vest.   How many sets of clothes can you stuff into a seat cushion?

Back to quilts for a second, the Army poncho liner is nothing more than a thin quilt with a head hole in the middle.  It’s camo lightweight nylon with thin polyfil for batting, a few strings at the corners, and bound on the edges.  You could make something similar.  If you didn’t mind the extra weight, you could use some thin wool, maybe in two layers, and sandwich that between nylon to make it ride smoother.  It would probably be a lot warmer than polyfil, although if you were running around it might get too hot.

If you don’t have a pattern, you can make your own shirt and dress patterns by draping cheap fabric on a dress dummy or a person and pinning it, drawing on it, adding to it, cutting it, etc. You can sew a mock-up and then take it apart and there’s your pattern, only made of fabric instead of tissue paper.  And of course, once you are done with the pattern you can reuse the fabric.

You can make yourself a custom dress dummy by wearing an old T-shirt and wrapping your torso with duct tape, cutting your way out of it and taping the cut back together, then stuffing it.  I suppose if you stuff it with heavy enough stuff, you could also chain it to a door frame and use it as a punching bag when you get frustrated trying to drape cheap fabric on it (just make sure the pins are all out).

Last but not least, it might be slow, but you can always hand sew clothes if you don’t have a machine.  Sometimes I find my machine can’t handle real thick things, and all at the same time I had 3 or 4 projects that would have required a walking foot machine, which is an industrial sewing machine designed for thick fabric, where the presser foot goes up and down with every stitch.  Instead of looking for a walking foot machine, which is expensive, I hand sewed what I needed to, and made due.  You can also hand baste things like quilts, to hold them together before you quilt them for real.  It keeps the layers from migrating too much. – Penny Pincher

Recipe of the Week:

S.A.’s Canned Chicken Recipe

A well-tested recipe adapted from another Air Force wife at England AFB, Louisiana, a base now long-closed. Even picky eaters like this one.

If things do ever go as predicted, knowing how up use your stores efficiently and effectively will be important. The current way of eating with a separate large meat serving, servings of vegetables piled on a plate might become a memory. Cooks will revert to traditional peasant and poor people foods that stretch ingredients, such as soups and casseroles. (Don’t worry, in my home we are never without homemade soups, a pot of beans, and casseroles in the fridge. This is how I was raised.)

Are you using your canned chicken stores? Those chickens take some getting used to, but it is possible to cook with them and mask the tinned flavor and stringy texture. It’s like canned tuna: very different from the fresh product, but with a good recipe can be made palatable. Learn to cook with your stores now in order to be happier in an uncertain future.

The following cold salad recipe is easy, tasty, and uses few ingredients.

Chicken Rice-a-Roni Salad
(a pasta dish using a bit of chicken)
serves 10-12

1 box Chicken Rice-a-Roni
1 13 oz can of chicken (like those from Sam’s Club or Wal-mart)
6 green onions
1bell pepper
1 bunch of celery (as many ribs as you like. I use five ribs, since I like celery.)
1medium jar marinated artichoke hearts
Mayonnaise
Butter

Drain artichoke marinade into a bowl.
Open chicken can, drain, give can juice to the dog, rinse, break chicken pieces up with your fingers. Cover with marinade, stir to cover and coat the chicken well, and let sit while you prep the other ingredients.
Cook Rice-a-Roni according to package.  (Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet, add Rice-a-Roni and brown vermicelli pasta pieces until golden.  Add 2.5 cups of water, the seasoning packet, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, cook 15-20 minutes until rice is tender.) Allow to cool.

Dice the green onions, bell pepper, and celery. Put the chicken and marinade mixture in a small electric chopper and pulse in batches until not so stringy. Do not turn this into a purée, it should still have some texture. (This step could be done manually with a knife or other piece of kitchen equipment.)

In a large bowl, mix the cooled Rice-A-Roni, chicken and marinade, onions, celery, bell pepper, and artichokes. Stir well. Add mayonnaise as needed to flavor and bind.  You may or may not need much or any, depending on the size of the marinated artichoke jar you used. Cover and refrigerate this the night before to allow flavors to meld.

Chef’s Notes:

This is a good and flavorful bad times recipe which can utilize a small can of chicken; fresh, dehydrated, or freeze dried vegetables; pasta/rice package; and a jar of marinated artichokes. Omitting the mayonnaise would make this a good grid down recipe as you probably have bell pepper and onions from your own garden.

Some might not like the sodium load, but we don’t eat this daily. This recipe is just another defense against appetite fatigue.

Useful Recipe and Cooking Links:

Canned Chicken Recipes

Start With Canned Chicken–Quick and Easy Recipes

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