Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“What [doth it] profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be [ye] warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what [doth it] profit?

Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” – James 2:14-20 (KJV)

Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 37 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) 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.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, C.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and D.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 37 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Making Survival as Easy as P.I.E., by Reece in Missouri

When I finally grew up and opened my eyes to the chaos occurring across our country and the entire world, I knew I needed to prepare for the tough times ahead.  As I started my research, mainly online, I came across some startling observations. When I would type in “survival techniques” or “tips for survival” and such, the same results would appear. Article after article, blog after blog, site after site, and YouTube video after YouTube video of the same things showed up: Guns. What the best gun for survival, what guns do you need when TSHTF, and on and on. Don’t get me wrong, I am an avid hunter and gun nut. I like my toys just as much as the next guy (or gal–I know there are some gun-ettes out there). But even just starting prepping, I knew there was more to surviving any sort of disaster than just having guns around. So with some search engine fine tuning and a little more elbow grease, I finally came across this web site. What a relief that was for me. A place I could go to get real information and how I should prepare and the things I might need. After some time went by, I did more research and starting really getting into the mindset of how to go about prepping. Then at work one day the light bulb was switched on and I “developed” an easy solution that might ease people into prepping and survival.

The first ingredient in this P.I.E. is twofold. In my humble opinion it’s where the majority of people should start when realizing they need to do something for the future. The "P" is to PREPARE and PREDICT. Just skimming past the news and turning the radio dial led me to some programs that didn’t lend themselves to the typical left wing media slant. I felt like I was hearing the “real” news for the first time, not just what other people wanted me to believe. This is when I began the prepare/predict portion of the P.I.E. I felt like with the information I was given I needed to evaluate the current signs in order to assess what I believe is the future threat. I asked myself many questions. Do these signs point to a nuclear threat, an EMP, economic collapse and so on? What will I need to do to be ready for this event? Where can I find the information I need to get ready? A sudden sense of overwhelming can come over you when trying to sort everything out. You need to use the information and your intelligence to make this decision, but also don’t forget to trust your gut instinct and most importantly pray. Trust in The Lord to guide you through the decisions and the difficult times ahead. You should learn quickly that preparation doesn’t mean going out and clearing the store shelves of guns and ammo. (My wife let me know early on that buying things all the time wasn’t going to happen.) All this is going to do is get you into hot water with your companion and probably get you on some sort of government watch list. This is especially true if all you do is buy boatloads of guns and ammo. Acquiring things, useful things, should be a direct result of preparation with lots of research done searching for the proper equipment and getting the right deals. Instead of spending, start out by planning alternate routes from home and work to a safe retreat. This is also good because it lets your spouse know that you are serious about your family’s safety rather than just being a kooky gun nut. Also learning new and useful skills and mastering those skills is a cheap way to prepare and can be a good time spent with the family. Are you already a skilled tradesman of some sort, maybe a carpenter or electrician or a plumber? That’s good but my guess is that if you are prepping with others they have the same skill sets. It won’t do anybody any good to have a lot of people that have the same skill much good. Learn how to grow food, shoot, trap, first aid, radio operation and such, and then cross train everybody in your outfit to be proficient in other areas in case of injury or death. This is also a good way to find out who is really great at certain things and who has weaknesses. Also, it’s fun and important to learn tactical skills like stealth and OPSEC and others, but the fact is when your three year old is crying because of hunger, those things just aren’t as important. I realized that acquiring these skills is a good way to accumulate “things”, which feeds your prepper “fix”, but not spend much money if any at all. This information is also helpful to you even if there never is any sort of disaster unlike having a safe full of guns. Whenever I get the hankering for a new toy I remind myself, “it’s not the gun itself that will save me, it’s the time I spent training how to use it that will.”

Now that you have planned and prepared yourself for whatever you think is coming, what do you do? Be patient, hone your skills and learn them backwards and forwards. Be in tune with what is going on in the world and be ready to IDENTIFY the event. Watch and listen to the news (and I don’t mean the left-winged alphabet-named cable networks) but rather a reliable news source. I think most of us can agree the entire world is in disarray and things are happening each day to bring us closer to the coming chaos. Notice these signs and document them. Then you will be able to see you frequent they are becoming and stay ahead of the curve. Keep your eyed on the stock market and precious metals market. Get daily updates on the food commodities. Be sure to understand what is happening globally as well as regionally and locally. Anything that might indicate a even a small shift toward a disaster will give you an advantage over the masses. Once the chaos starts it will probably be too late for you to G.O.O.D. Don’t forget to trust your gut. If you feel like this is the time then MOVE IT. What is the worst that can happen if you’re wrong? You have to load and unload your vehicle. You got a good practice run in? At least if you are wrong, you have the opportunity to fix any mistakes you may have made during the exercise.
Well, now you have done all you can do.

You are prepped and you have identified all the signs of the disaster, what’s next. It’s time to EXECUTE. This is the time when all your hard work and alleged paranoia pays off so to speak. If you have prepared properly you have gear ready to go, your route mapped out, and you are hitting the road. I have never experienced this phase but I predict this is where a lot of people might panic. It is pretty easy to execute your plans when there is no imminent threat to you and your family. It is a different ball game trying to execute when your lives might be on the line. This is why the prepping stage is so vital. It should be like second nature to pack your gear and hit the road. This is also why it is so important to identify the signs. If you identified them correctly, then you will be hitting the road before TSHTF. We all know that plans usually don’t go off as expected. Even though this is the case it is of importance to follow those plans the best to your ability. They are the plans that have been worked over with a fine tooth comb and it probably won’t be the best of times to go out and “wing it.”

This might not be the most in-depth survival guide and it definitely isn’t the end-all-be-all of prepping, but I believe that it is a good outline for people just starting out to begin prepping. I found that it is a good way to encourage your spouse and loved ones to see your point of view without being labeled the family whacko. Don’t get discouraged when starting your research into prepping and survival. There is a lot of misinformation and just plain stupid information on how to start and what you might need. To be fooled by videos of guys in tight tee shirts with a basement full of guns telling you how to survive and prepare. Research, study and arm yourself with information before you ever spend a dime. If you have stumbled across this site, you are already off to a good start with a community of like-minded people and a treasure trove of information.

Maintaining Mental Health in the Face of Crisis: Dealing with Anxiety Disorders, by G.M., RN, MSN, CNL

Many of us have considered how we would provide for our family’s physical needs, including medical care, during a prolonged crisis.  Indeed, it would seem foolish to be unprepared for trauma related to accidents, violence, fire, etc., when professional medical care might not be available for weeks, months, or more.  What most of us don’t think about, however, is the toll a long term crisis could take on our mental health.  This may seem to be a low-priority concern, next to food, shelter and security, but depression and anxiety related to traumatic events can have lasting and highly detrimental effects, ranging from loss of productivity, to violence and suicide. 

We may feel that we are tough and hardened to the rigors of even the worst scenarios we can imagine.  Many soldiers have felt the same way before entering combat and yet have still developed anxiety, depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  Anxiety disorders such as PTSD are common in those who face extreme mental stress, as they are related to increased activation in the fear center of the brain. These disorders are not a sign of mental weakness, but simply the result of facing extremely traumatic events and/or prolonged high-level stress.  Typical signs to look for are hyper-vigilance (jumpiness, loss of sleep, increased hostility), intrusive thoughts (inability to stop thinking about traumatic experiences), recurring nightmares, emotional detachment and depression.  Together, these symptoms can lead to suicidal thoughts and increase the risk of violent and abusive behaviors.
 
Accident survivors and victims of violent crime (especially rape) are commonly diagnosed with anxiety disorders such as PTSD, so it’s not just soldiers who are at risk.  It’s not absurd to think that our family members, our friends, and even we might succumb to these problems if things turn out to be as bad as some predict.   In a changed world where much of what we’ve taken for granted is gone, even the strongest and most resilient of us could have a tough time coping.  This is especially true for children, since they usually don’t deal with change and upheaval as well as adults.  In a TEOTWAWKI scenario, or even in a prolonged crisis, maintaining mental well-being may be as much of a challenge as maintaining good physical health.
Fortunately, early action can be very effective in reducing the fear and anxiety caused by traumatic events, helping those affected to cope with their situation and return to normal functioning.  Scores of books and manuals have been written on treatment methods for anxiety disorders, more than we have time to go into here.  This essay attempts to present a plan that is both easy to follow and easy to implement, and which can provide help to those suffering from anxiety when no professional medical care is available. The plan is based in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), which stresses short-term treatment to change thoughts and behaviors, thereby reducing fear and stress.  To keep it simple, the plan focuses on two specific areas: exposure therapy and group support.

You’ve probably heard the term, ‘you have to face your fears in order to beat them’.  This is the basis of exposure therapy, to desensitize a person to traumatic events by leading them to face their fears.  One of the methods commonly used is journaling, simply writing out the bad experiences that caused the anxiety in the first place.  Writing out a detailed account of traumatic experiences has been proven to lessen their effect, reducing their power to prolong fear and anxiety.   The same idea works for recurring nightmares, but with a twist.  With bad dreams, the key is to write the dream out, but change the ending to how you would like it to end.  Don’t be nice or polite when doing this, but think at a ‘caveman’ level.  If someone attacks you in the dream, write out how you would destroy them.  Then read this ‘corrected’ dream each night before going to bed.  This idea comes from Navy psychiatrist Beverly Ann Dexter, and it’s been proven to work.  Journaling of both experiences and dreams is an important aspect of CBT, and provides a homework-like structure.  It is important that journaling be done every day, even if you’re writing the same ideas over again.  The repetition helps to lessen the effect of intrusive and recurrent thoughts and dreams, and reduces anxiety.  It sounds simple, but it works.

In addition to journaling, group meetings help in two ways.  First, they provide a context for the journal writings. The group setting provides a comfortable place for people to read their journal work aloud; the final step in the weekly homework process.  The writing and reading of journal work together help to promote desensitization to the initial trauma, and also help to instill resilience to future trauma. Secondly, group meetings provide peer support by allowing people to work through their own problems alongside others who share similar issues.  Group discussions help people better understand and cope with their own experiences, and listening to the experiences of others contributes to the exposure therapy aspect of the plan.

In group sessions it is important to have a moderator who oversees the process, allowing everyone time to share their thoughts and journals, while keeping comments from others in line with what is helpful.  Statements such as, “You should have…”, or, “I would have done…” don’t have a place in this process, nor does any hurtful or derogatory commentary.  Everyone should be focused on helping the rest of the group, even if their approach to problems is different.  Some people will be talkative, some shy, and if some don’t want to share at first that’s all right.  Take time to allow people to read their journal writings, and allow discussion to flow from the topics that come up.  Discussion helps to provide support, and shows group members they aren’t alone in what they’re going through.

An open (or public) group will do the most to help the greatest number of people, and it will take the least amount of time and effort to organize.  Open groups also help to reduce the stigma commonly associated with mental health problems, leading more people to seek help.  Groups should meet once a week, for an hour to an hour and a half, but meetings can be held more often if needed.  A group size of six to twelve often works best, but whatever suits your own purposes is fine.  Even if you work one on one with a family member, you can still get results, but you will be missing out on the benefits of group support.

What you will need: pads of paper and pens or pencils (not bad things to have anyway), a place to meet, and a mediator.  Meeting places should be safe and non-threatening, and meetings should be held during a quiet part of the day.  Mediators should have an even temperament and a fair amount of patience.  It also helps If they have some affinity with the group (for example a teenager or young adult would work best with a group of children), but the best quality is simply the desire to help others get through a tough time.  The average CBT session is time- limited, usually lasting about eight weeks or so.  Shoot for a six to eight week run of group sessions and see how people progress.  You should see good results in this amount of time.  If anyone still needs help after the group session has run its course, encourage them to take part in future groups.  Preparing to run several group sessions consecutively can help those who may need more time, and allow people who were initially reticent to seek help another opportunity to participate.

This is a rough overview which only highlights a few of the tools used to deal with anxiety disorders, but it does provide a framework for those who would be without any help during a long term crisis. Doing something is always better than doing nothing, and this is doubly true for anxiety disorders. They are more easily treated when discovered early on, but if left unattended they will often get worse over time.  Look for withdrawal, depression, hyper-vigilance and intrusive thoughts or nightmares, and remember that these signs can manifest several months after the original trauma.   

As we’ve seen with the generations of vets who have come home with PTSD, the consequences of non-treatment can be devastating.  Doing what we can to intervene at the early stages of an anxiety disorder can make all the difference, for us, our loved ones, and our community.

Letter Re: Adaptation to Cold Environments

James,
Thank you for your excellent web site and the forethought that has gone into making it so successful. I wanted to make a brief comment on the “Adaptation to Cold Environments, by D.W.” piece which appeared 11/24/11.  One of the best ways to maintain internal body heat is by increasing specific foods in one’s daily diet.  During extreme cold conditions, there are few foods that improve thermoregulation better than fats — specifically, animal-based fats. 

Fat is an easily digested, readily utilized metabolic heater that “stokes the furnace” to help maintain body temperatures during extreme cold conditions.  Although our culture emphasizes reduced dietary fats, those recommendations arise out of current conditions where we are rarely exposed to true weather extremes (thanks to air conditioning and interior heating systems). 

Fat can be obtained from fatty meats and fish, bacon grease, fish oils, and even from coconut oil — which is a superior source, by the way.  Vegetable oils, in general, are also effective, but possibly less so; their molecular structures cause their fats to be utilized differently than animal fats.  Although I have heard of individuals in the arctic drinking up to a cup of bacon grease (mixed with brown sugar) daily to help maintain body temperatures, each person’s needs will vary depending on size and energy expenditure — those who work outdoors in the cold will clearly require a higher daily ration.  Use of fats during a SHTF situation will depend on how much one has stored, and what alternative types of body heating (clothing, heaters, etc) are available, as well. 

Thanks again for an excellent and informative web site. – Anita E.

Letter Re: Book Recommendation: “Holding Your Ground”

Mr. Rawles,
I recently picked up a copy of your novel, “Survivors”. It was a great book and I flew through it in no time. When I was making the purchase on Amazon, I also saw as a recommended [nonfiction ] book titled Holding Your Ground: Preparing for Defense if it All Falls Apart. I bought a copy of that up at the same time. After reading “Survivors”, I read “Holding Your Ground”. I think readers that like your writings and site would also like “Holding Your Ground”. It presents helpful “how to” information on how to defend your home in the event of a societal collapse, information that I hadn’t seen before. Next on my book list is “Patriots”. Keep up the good work! – Jason B.

Three Letters Re: Need a Power Source? Got Water?

JWR:
Regarding the recent article by CentOre, titled: Need a Power Source?  Got Water?: There is good info on the waterwheelplace.com web site for the do-it-yourselfer to calculate potential horsepower and watts from any given wheel configuration. Pa in Pennsylvania

James;
I won’t claim to be an expert on hydro power generation, but would advise against two non-durable materials mentioned: Instead of aluminum pipe for a shaft, get some steel pump shafting from an industrial metals supply or a well supply. Aluminum won’t hold up. Another is Teflon. While very slick, it will not last at all. I would suggest UHMW for the bearings if you are going to use plastic. Get in touch with a plastic supply to obtain some. It is not expensive, nor is the shafting very costly. – Michael H.

Dear Jim,
Yesterday’s discussion of floating boat mills reminded me of a very thorough article on boat mills and hanging mills in Low Tech Magazine.  Anyone interested in this versatile technology should review it.  Allow me to commend the online magazine also.  With detailed articles on pedal-powered machines, human-powered cranes, ropeways, and other neglected technologies, it’s both fascinating and practical. Best wishes to all and thanks for your hard work. – W.T., M.D.

Economics and Investing:

Brother, can you spare $2.1 trillion? Eurozone needs a cash infusion “ten times bigger than TARP”. A hat tip to Yishai for the link.

Fed Minutes: Bernanke Firmly in Control of FOMC, QE3 Coming

A Silver Price Surge Coming? Sprott to Buy $1.5 Billion of Silver Bullion!

Items from The Economatrix:

Eurozone Unlikely To Survive Intact:  Reuters Poll

Rich Fleeing Euro, Says Irish Advisor

MF Global Looted Customer Accounts

Odds ‘n Sods:

F.J. found this at The Blaze: This Hobbit house is an honest-to-goodness man-sized home. Not only does it fit a family of four, but it cost just over $4,650 to build.

   o o o

The Prepper Website has begun incrementally posting a review/synopsis of my novel “Survivors”. (Warning: lots of plot spoilers.)

   o o o

Nic recommended this video primer by STRATFOR’s Fred Burton: How to Stay Safe in an Urban Environment.

   o o o

Kevin A. suggested an essay by John Silveira of Backwoods Home magazine: The threat of electromagnetic pulse

   o o o

And speaking of EMP, see: Gingrich warns EMP greatest strategic threat to U.S.–Claims it ‘would literally destroy country’s capacity to function‘ (A hat tip to the Guinea Pig Gal for the link.)

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: [and to] Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.
The LORD thy God in the midst of thee [is] mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
I will gather [them that are] sorrowful for the solemn assembly, [who] are of thee, [to whom] the reproach of it [was] a burden.
Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame.
At that time will I bring you [again], even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD. – Zephaniah 3:16-20 (KJV)

Notes from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 37 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) 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.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, C.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and D.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 37 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Need a Power Source? Got Water?, by CentOre

My family roots go back to Ohio’s Muskingham River area in the mid 1800s.  There are no raging cataracts or other major stream drops on the Muskingham.  At least, not in the first twenty miles upstream from McConnellsville.  Observing the river channel confirms this stretch at least, is subject to erratic, heavy flooding.  Despite this my pioneer ancestors still used the river to grind their grain, and provide power for several other industries.

How did they do it?  They had no metal to make pilings out of.  Wood piling would have just washed away at each flood since most of the watercourse bottom is bedrock.  Construction of a water retention dam with the water trapped in a pipe until sufficient ‘head’ is created to turn a turbine was not an option due to the very gentle fall.  In the roughly twenty miles stretch from Philo and downstream to Stockport the Muskingham drops a total of approximately 23 feet.

What to do?  What they did was build floating mills.  Logs were gathered and shaped.  At least two would be shaped similar to canoes.   More logs would be fashioned for cross members often called stretchers.  The two ‘canoe’ logs were held rigidly apart by the stretchers.  Think of a catamaran sail boat.  The raft is held against the current by a line from the barge that was led upstream and tied off to a convenient tree or rock.  Poles then kept the raft pushed out into the current so the paddlewheel would not strike the bottom.  Paddlewheel?  What paddlewheel?
A paddlewheel was fashioned that would fit between the two canoe logs with its axle perpendicular to the current and parallel to the surface of the water.  Many paddlewheels were fashioned with axles of wood, turning in wooden bearings.  Once my ancestors had a rotating wheel they could perform many functions of ‘modern life.  The raft, always floating on top of the water, would rise and fall with the river level.  In times of major flooding many rafts were lost, but many others were floated over the normal banks and tied off as tight as possible.  After the flood they were disassembled, the parts returned to the water where reassembly took place, renewing any parts damaged by the flooding or otherwise showing excessive wear.

Now, what do we care in our day and age, and, how can we apply this knowledge?  The basic principles still stand today.  Two uses that come immediately to mind are water pumping, and turning an alternator (hydro-electric power!).  If you are ever in the vicinity of the beautiful Metolious River near Sisters, Oregon, stop by the store in Camp Sherman and feed the huge, wild rainbow trout pellets off the bridge.  Look downstream toward the left or west bank.  There are a string of quaint vacation cabins lining this bank.  Many have two-pontoon rafts floating in the current pumping river water to sprinklers in their yards.

With but a small amount of imagination you could put a large pulley on the paddlewheel shaft, and a smaller pulley on an alternator.  You may have to play with the ratio combination of the pulleys because your paddlewheel will probably have more, or less power that mine since there are many variables:

  • Velocity of the current
  • Length of each paddle
  • Distance each paddle is submerged [maximum depth]
  • Number of paddles
  • Efficiency of your bearing system that will be supporting the paddlewheel shaft.

Why not get creative and put a water pump on one end of the shaft, and an alternator on the other?  Shifting between utilities could be as simple as putting the v-belt on the desired utility and removing the v-belt from the other.
Our little brook out here in the Oregon High Desert has a drop of approximately 43 feet in ten miles.  While I’ll not alert the neighbors by installing a floating mill right now rest assured I have all of the materials at hand to:

  • Provide water to our wheat field;
  • Provide battery recharging; and,
  • Provide fire water tank filling.

My bill of materials list that we have stockpiled includes a:

  • Length of 2 inch aluminum irrigation pipe for my main shaft;
  • Block of 2 inch Teflon to cut my bearings from;
  • Lot of 2 inch angle iron for my paddle arms; and,
  • A large selection of stainless nuts, bolts, and lock washers.

I am currently looking into using a five or ten speed bicycle frame with the paddlewheel turning the peddle gear and the load placed in lieu of the rear wheel.  Including the shifting mechanism allows me to vary the speed for various loads without any pulley or chain swapping.
There will need to be a bit of calculation performed to insure proper operation.  The variables include:

A.) Normal speed of the current;

B.) Normal depth range of the water, that is, the minimum you can expect and the maximum;

C.) The type of load your water mill will be expected to operate; and,

D.) What is the type, size, and quantity of drift [debris] must you plan on that will be striking your wheels paddles?

All these, and more, factors come into play in designing your wheel to insure proper operation.  Submersion depth is primarily influenced by variables B &D.  While the width is influenced primarily variables A & C. If your float system has sufficient reserve buoyancy you can construct a small shed or building on it and have covered space.   With covered space you could operate machines like your grain grinder right at the source of water power instead of muscle power in the kitchen.  My wife really likes the idea of having sufficient capacity to operate the ringer washing machine that we picked up from somebody’s front yard (After seeking and gaining the owner’s permission.  Their response to my request was, “Sure!  Want any help loading it?)
Proper mooring of your floating structure is vitally important. The mooring system has to meet three needs:

  • Hold your structure well away from the shallow water near the bank;
  • Hold your structure steady in the current; and,
  • Prevent your structure from sailing away during floods

There are at least two methods that I am familiar with for holding a raft away from the bank.  You can cut two stout poles, their length the distance you wish to hold your raft from the bank.  Lash the poles to the raft, one forward and one aft of the side you want facing the bank.  Now run a line from the upstream, bank side corner of the raft to a stout object well up stream.  A solid tree, a rock outcrop, etc. will work just fine.  With the line tied off solidly on the bank and to the corner of your raft the moving water forces will cause the raft to push in, toward the bank.  Your two stout poles will prevent this.

Another method is to use a stout line tied off well up stream and attached part way back on the side of the raft toward the bank.  Sailors call this a breast line or spring line depending on its actual use.  This line causes the raft to shear into the current.  Now, instead of stout poles to hold the raft off the bank, you will be using a pair of lines (In place of the poles.) to keep the raft in position.  Which system to use?  That will depend on local factors such as the height and slope if the bank.  A high clay bank would not hold the stout poles very well for very long.  Whereas a nice wide gravel bar shore may leave you nothing to tie lines securely to.

In our situation I will end up using both systems.  I guess I am a belt and suspenders guy.  In fact, since our stream is about fifty feet wide where we will cite the mill, I will run lines to both banks.  We picked this narrow spot since it is a bottle neck that creates a better velocity of the water than most of the pool stretches, etc.
I shun the idea of putting out anchors upstream, (sometimes called “kedging anchors”) , from the raft.  There have been far too many instances of a log or large amount of brush hanging up on anchor line[s].  The only alternatives are then are the:

  • Line must break, or
  • Raft must submerge from the weight on the anchor line[s].

By choice I leave out, as an alternative, having someone watch for large debris and then removing or steering the log or debris around and off of the anchor lines as it would be a twenty-four/seven task at a time with much more important tasks to complete.

So, if your retreat has that pleasant little brook running through it, you may look at it in a whole new light now.  What other uses can you think of to make use of this little thought of twenty-four/seven power supply?  How about running a flour mill or washing clothes during the day, and filling a cistern at night so you have gravity water pressure to your home?  This might qualify as one of the original Eco-Friendly machines. Nothing, except for velocity of the water, is removed from the Eco-system.

(CentOre is a loosely connected group of people in the Oregon High Desert interested in improving our existing skills, and learning new skills that will enhance our odds when it hits.)

Reasons for Rawhide, by Pat in Oregon

This time of year we have a lot of hides on hand – deer, elk, and even cow hides when we are butchering.  We’ve tanned them, traded them for gloves, given them away to others, but usually we just dispose of them.  Not anymore.  This last year we’ve been experimenting with using rawhide, and after a year, we are convinced having rawhide on-hand is one of the more valuable items for regular or emergency use.  It is quite easy to process, unlimited in its use, and readily available to most of us.  Hopefully some of our experiences get others thinking and considering how to make use of rawhide.

Tanning a hide for leather is quite a laborious activity, and while leather is very valuable and useful, its manufacture is intimidating.  Rawhide in comparison is quite easy to produce, and provides many of the values and versatility.  Rawhide is simply an untreated animal hide.  Any animal hide is useful, and I would recommend trying out rawhide from a smaller animal, preferably a road kill, as your first foray into this product.  The only tools needed are a plastic garbage can or barrel, and a good stick for stirring.  We are currently processing several hides and you can see pictures and follow the progress on our blog.

The best part of working with rawhide is that you can set it aside for long periods of time and not worry about taking care of it.  Even the unprocessed hides can sit if you keep them dry with some salt on them.  The salt will help keep bacteria down that cause rot or smell.  We made one deer hide into rawhide last year, and we used it up so quickly that we decided to keep all of our hides this year.

After pulling the hides off our deer, we trimmed off the larger pieces of fat and meat, then simply folded them and allowed them to dry out in the Wyoming air.  In wetter climates we have found the hides don’t dry very quickly or as thoroughly and recommend you salt the hide heavily before it dries to keep bacteria and smell down.  When the hide is dry we can simply fold and store it as is for up to a year.  Check on the hide periodically to make sure it doesn’t start to smell or go bad.  We sometimes dry them by the woodstove if needed.

If you prefer a cleaner hide (which we strongly recommend) and you have the time immediately after removing it from the animal, it should be scrapped to clean off all meat, fat, and membrane just as you would to tan it for leather.  If the hide has been stored for a while dried, lay it out and put some water on it, or soak it for about a day to loosen it up and make it easier for scraping.  A 4 to 6 foot long piece of 2×6 lumber is the best tool to drape the hide over, with the flesh side up for scraping.  Another recommendation is to use an 8” draw knife (two handled) for scraping with.  It makes the work more uniform and easy.

With the hide scrapped, it is ready for removing the hair.  Soaking the hide in water or solution is often sufficient to loosen the hide’s hold on the hair allowing it to pull off easily.  In the colder winter months, however, we have found it best to mix up a solution of water and hydrated lime at about 70 degrees F – about a quart of lime for every 15 gallons of water used.  Soaking the hides in this solution for a week is enough, and you can leave the hides in the solution up to 6 weeks if you need to.  Raising the pH of the hide is what we are after.  Right now we have two hides soaking outside at about 45*F and after 3 days the hair is starting to pull out.  We may let them soak more than a week because of the cold.  Be sure to regularly stir the hides to keep them in solution.  We also use a bucket of water on top of the hides to keep them from floating out of the lime. 

We use hydrated lime because we already have it on hand for gardening needs.  You can use (and many other folks do) other options such as lye, wood ash, or other alkali options.  Just be careful with protective gloves and goggles but give it a try.  Rawhide is fun because it is so basic and forgiving.  Play around with options and see what works for you – you really can’t go to wrong with rawhide.

Once the hair is slipping out remove it from the solution and when dry enough to work, we put it back on our 2×6 with the hair up and use a duller draw knife to carefully scrap off the hair.  It comes off pretty quickly, but be careful not to damage the hide – it is quite soft and can be cut or torn after soaking so long.  When the hair is removed, you will need to rinse and treat the rawhide to restore the pH back neutral.  If you have a source of running water you can put it in that for a day or two.  We have lots of rain barrels, and soaking in one of those for 2 days is typically good, followed by a few rinses in a bucket.  Next, we use a cup of vinegar for each 15 gallons of water used to neutralize the hide and get it as close to neutral [pH] as possible.  Years ago we had a swimming pool, and we still have pH test strips that are very handy for projects like this to see how we are doing with respect to the pH.

Guess what – that is really it!  The rawhide will need some stretching and scraping, but only if you want to do it, and only when you are ready to it.  At this point, we fold up the hide again and dry it out well by the woodstove to put it into storage.  Without the hair, a deer hide will fold up and fit in a shoe box, so it is nice and small.  I recommend smoking the hide outside if you can around a fire – it will dry it out very well, and the smoking gives it a nice smell and will help preserve it for later use.  If you don’t smoke it, adding a layer of salt will also be advisable.
Depending on how you plan to use the rawhide, you will stretch and scrap it more accordingly.  We have found by repeatedly stretching and scraping the hide as it dries, it becomes more translucent – enough so that it could even be used as an emergency replacement for a window pane if glass were broken and unavailable.  Stretching it less will make it thicker and more opaque.
Now is the real fun part of rawhide – using it for everything!  As an engineer, I love finding new tools or techniques that let me do the most with an item, and rawhide is one of the best I’ve found – ever.  This stuff is really nature’s ‘duct tape’, better than plastic, and begs for experimentation.  In the event of SHTF, I believe this stuff will be prized by all who have access and use it.
The most common use for rawhide is cordage and rope.  We’ve made a lot of plant-based cordage, and even made string with ligaments, but nothing is as strong or long-lasting as rawhide strips.  Cordage will become rough and stiff over time if not well used or kept dry, but with repeated use, working it over and over on metal or wood posts, and with some oil the cordage will be quite supple.  It can be twisted or braided and both work well.  If you plan to make a lot of cordage, I’d recommend getting a leather strap cutter – they are inexpensive and make great, uniform cuts.
Many folks on the internet have some great examples of using rawhide for knife sheaths and hard, custom formed containers.  We haven’t tried these yet but they look like fun.  With rawhide, the key is keeping it dry to keep its form.  When it dries out, it is tough, rigid, and durable.  When it gets wet, it softens and can be reformed – this can be a big advantage, too.  I also recommend oiling rawhide lightly to help make it more water repellant, but do so lightly as the oil itself can soften the hide.

Rawhide is a fantastic replacement for nails, which is how we use most of ours.  Small strips of cordage wrap easily like string when wet and then as it dries, it will shrink, tighten, and harden into a rock-solid bond.  Think of the rawhide bones that dog’s chew (another good use for your hide) and remember how hard those can be.  We use rawhide to bind arrowheads on shafts, and when covered in a protective, thin layer of pine pitch, the arrowhead becomes a solid part of the shaft.  The strength to weight ratio of rawhide is very good.  Early pioneers constructed “Red River Carts” entirely without nails, using only an axe, wood on hand, and rawhide.

I fixed a rake handle when it was stepped on and split by wrapping a s3x4 inch strip of wet rawhide tightly around the break, and tying it in place until the hide dried and shrunk.  That fix will outlast the rest of the tool.  Similarly, a loose head on a splitting maul was tightened easily with a long, 1×8 inch strip wrapped cross-wise and dried.  When roasting marshmallows, we found that a few wraps of rawhide are good enough in a pinch for a handle and insulate from heat quite well.  This led us to speculate that rawhide would be useful for any number of automotive repairs on exhaust, water, or engine related repairs, though we have yet to try them.

I have heard it is possible to boil up glue using rawhide, though I’ve never tried it.  Likewise I have never tasted rawhide, but know throughout history it was a common staple for famished travelers and pioneers.  In a situation of starvation, boiled rawhide will nourish better than boiled plastic – and let’s hope we never get to that point.

Rawhide applied around an object also is a great stiffener.  We have stiffened wooden bows with narrow strips of it wrapped or laid along the outer edge of a bow, and in some cases stiffened the bow too much with what seemed a small piece of hide.  A loose furniture piece or piece of machinery could quickly and inexpensively be helped along by that old deer skin.  A few years ago I gave a steer hide to a woman who made a beautiful set of rawhide pack saddle panyards with the hair left on it.

I’ve read of several accounts of Plains Indian shields made from buffalo rawhide stopping or deflecting bullets.  It is quite feasible, seeing the thickness and toughness of rawhide to imagine it working though I don’t think a modern rifle bullet would be stopped in such a way.  It does make you wonder about armor applications, though.  Our 12 year-old son is working a deer hide right now that he wants to experiment with to see if and how several layers of rawhide would perform against different caliber bullets.  Sounds like a great school science project in the making.  Another thought he came up with was putting a layer of rawhide on cowboy chaps or a motorcycle jacket for added protection.  Perhaps a shoe’s sole replacement or shin guards during rattlesnake season.  Our older son speculated at casting a broken arm in rawhide to protect it if plaster were unavailable – though rawhide is far from sterile and I would not recommend it on a wound, it was a good idea.  At least they are thinking of ideas and that is worthwhile in and of itself.

Even if you are not a hunter or rancher it isn’t difficult to get hides.  I’ve posted on Craigslist to give away cow hides after butchering and was overwhelmed with the volume of responses.  Posting online or asking around will put you in touch with hunters in your area, or ask at a local butcher shop or meat processor.  These are good folks to get to know for future emergency events anyway.  Another option is road kill – yes, it is gross and a little hillbilly, but the price is right, and small hides are easiest to work with.  I recommend being picky about the road kill you pick up 😉  The price is right and there is a ready supply.

The last recommendation I have for rawhide is to avoid the larger animal hides like elk or cow in favor of a deer hide or smaller animal.  The larger animal hides are much thicker and heavier to work with and unless you have a big project needing these features the rawhide is less versatile.  Deer hides are thinner, more pliable, and more than adequate for most jobs.  For small cordage, squirrel or rabbit are actually my preference, so bigger usually isn’t better.  As we finish our latest batch of rawhide and put it into use we will post more pictures on our blog,

Rawhide has been the ‘duct tape’ of the world for centuries.  It is reasonably available, requires minimal effort, and offers great strength, versatility, and usability for so many situations it is worth considering for your preparations.  It will be a valuable barter item in the case of TEOTWAWKI.  God in His wisdom has provided us with yet another item for our needs and deserves our praise and thanks.  I hope these ideas and options are valuable or useful in your efforts.  It has been fun for us.

Letter Re: The Accidental Orchard – Persimmons and Mulberries

James Wesley:
As trees go dormant, you can look for saplings to transplant and seed to germinate. 

In the southern US, right now is the time to look for persimmon fruit to get seeds.  Persimmon grows on the edge of fields and as an understory tree. About the time of the first frost, the fruit loses it’s famous sour taste and becomes sweet like an apricot. At this point,the fruit is wrinkling and starting to look spoiled but it isn’t. Look for 1″ orange fruit hanging on bare branches in moist areas, roadsides, and power line easements. Animals eat the fruit when it drops, but horses may suffer fatal intestinal blockage (phytobezoars) from the seeds if they are allowed to eat unlimited amounts of unripe fruit. 

The large dark seeds can be planted in pots and left outdoors all winter.  Because persimmon tree sucker aggressively from underground  roots, you can also dig up suckers and pot those.   There are male and female trees, but they will have to get several feet tall before you can tell them apart. 

Winter time is also a good time to transplant  mulberry trees.  Mulberries aren’t planted much because they are “too messy” which is to say they make too much darn fruit in the late spring. Cultivated fruiting varieties  can have berries over 2 inches long, and in other countries they are a major source of food. They are one of those trees that thrive in rocky soil and harsh climates like Afghanistan, or they will grow very fast near water.  We found a grove of them in a utility easement with berries over an inch long and quickly picked a few quarts by shaking them onto a tarp. These were trees that were in shade, tangled, and never pruned.  A tree that gets minimal care might make 50 pounds of berries. 

I have dug up mulberry seedlings and suckers which are now growing in pots. I also planted ripe berries in a pot and after about 2 months each  berry had sprouted a small cluster of seedlings.  The seeds don’t seem to need any treatment to make them germinate.   

Mulberry is a useful hardwood and as firewood has  roughly the same heat output as red oak. Persimmon is a hard high quality wood that can be used for tool handles and was used for the heads of golf clubs. Both persimmon and mulberry have been used for making longbows. 

Mulberry and persimmon are useful trees that will propagate themselves and need no maintenance. A little encouragement will lead them to take over an area. Mulberry is a very early season fruit, persimmon is very late season, so they complement other crops. Both are good food for wildlife, people, poultry, or swine.  And both of them produce useful hardwood. – H.C.

Letter Re: Rawhide and Brain Tanning

James,
J.M.’s article on brain tanning mentions buildings and furniture held together with rawhide straps, and I thought I’d mention another such building. The roof of the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah is a particularly innovative design for its time, and because of the builders’ lack of available metals (the few metal fasteners in the roof were made from discarded ox shoes) most
of the structure depends on wooden pegs to hold it together. The builders wrapped parts of the wooden trusses in green rawhide; as the rawhide shrank during drying, it formed tight, strong straps around the trusses, preventing splitting and holding the wooden pegs firmly in place. These trusses and their rawhide straps remained in place from the building’s dedication in 1867 until the Tabernacle was renovated in 2005. – Joshua T.

Michael Z. Williamson Re: Guns for a Tight Budget Minimalist Survivalist

Dear Jim,
While I much prefer modern autos, there are many good Colt and Smith & Wesson revolvers from the early part of the 20th Century, in .38 Special (an easy to find, common caliber) that retail for $100-$250.  The finishes may be well-worn and ugly, but as long as the function is sound, these are an excellent choice.  The hand fitting done at the time usually exceeds what is done on modern guns.  I am especially enamored of the Smith Model 1905 Military and Police, and the Colt Cobra.

For shotguns, the classic single shot is available for as little as $80 in some forums, used in good shape.  I also really like the Stevens Model 520 takedown.  Mine disassembles small enough to carry in the bottom of a gym bag, and cost $250. Here is a picture of one.  There are many out there, usually reasonably priced, and there are plenty of spare parts for repairs.  It’s a reliable shotgun, and compact enough to be discreet for travel.

I also like the 10-22, there really isn’t a better choice.  It’s easily improved, I just wish the factory did most of that up front rather than leaving it to the aftermarket.  It would cost the same to put in a decent trigger and round the rear of the bolt as it does to produce now, and save buyers a lot of hassle.

As to birdshot, this has been posted before, but bears repeating: Birdshot is for birds, not people.  The physics of this is that a column of shot acts as a fluid, not as a mass.  This means it splashes on impact with heavy targets.  One ounce of shot cannot hit as hard as a one ounce slug, or a smaller number of much larger buckshot. Remember that Dick Cheney’s hunting partner was shot with birdshot and suffered minimal effects.  The range was not close, but both rifles and buckshot would easily deliver stops at that range.

Also, I would like to remind readers that the “storing magazines is bad for springs” myth is from a misunderstanding of mechanics.  A spring will not suffer harm within its design range.  What wears out a spring is cycles and metal fatigue.  Constantly cycling your magazines is bad for the magazines, and bad for the ammo that is being constantly bumped around.  Load it and leave it, unless you intend to shoot it. (One exception: Some box magazines for shotguns, such as the Saiga, can deform the plastic shotshell.  But his is a different matter.)