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.

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

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

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

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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.)

Economics and Investing:

Reader B.B. sent us this: 25 Bitter And Painful Facts About The Coming Baby Boomer Retirement Crisis That Will Blow Your Mind

I warned you about this more than a year ago: Popular Mom-and-pop water purification business shuttered by DEA’s meth-hunting “knotheads”

KAK flagged this: License plate readers: A useful tool for police comes with privacy concerns

Robert O. suggested this NGC web page: U.S. Silver Coin Melt Values

Items from The Economatrix:

Wall Street Falls For Sixth Day

Eurozone Debt Bomb Reaches Land Down Under — Australian Bonds Head For Implosion?

45% in US Struggle to Make Ends Meet

Odds ‘n Sods:

Mat Stein’s new non-fiction book “When Disaster Strikes: A Comprehensive Guide for Emergency Planning and Crisis Survival”has been released! Yours Truly wrote the Foreword. Let’s do our best to push it into Amazon’s Top 10.

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I heard from Mark Baciak of PNW Arms that his company’s relocation to The American Redoubt is almost complete. They have moved their ballistics division over and should have their weapons division moved by January, 2012. They are moving to Potlatch, Idaho. They have also announced a “Black Friday” sale with a 25% discount on all in-stock merchandise. I should also mention that their new line of solid copper bullet pistol ammunition will be formally announced in April.

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John G. in California mentioned that Empire Masonry Heaters makes a prefabricated masonry stove kit that is relatively inexpensive ($3,900) and easy to assemble.

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Another over-reliance on GPS news story: Single-engine plane makes hard landing in Pasco neighborhood. (Thanks to J. McC. for the link.)

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John N. forwarded this bit of odd news from Nanny State Britannia:You can’t buy that lime… it could be classed as a weapon: Shock for chef shopping at Asda

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“My advice: We are moving closer and closer to what I call ‘survival period’ — the period where the magic of compounding turns into what will be the poison of compounding. This isn’t a time for timing. This is a time for action. Reduce your exposure to bonds and all items that provide fixed interest rates. Similarly, reduce your exposure to stocks except the gold miners. Look to expand your positions in inflation-protected assets, especially gold.”

“Those who are holding stocks in the hopes of the usual rebound are going to be terribly disappointed in the years ahead. This bear market is going to be unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. In the end my survival vehicle will be gold. I say again, timing is hopeless. Gold will have purchasing power and true wealth as almost everything else is destroyed by this unprecedented bear market. The US Government is now so loaded with ever-growing debt that it has become a mathematical freak. We return to different times, when rising interest rates will eat up the US government. With $55 trillion in assorted debts, the US is in no shape to deal with rising interest rates. We are in a state of reverse compounding, leading to inevitable bankruptcy on a massive scale.” – Richard Russell, Editor of The Dow Theory Letters.

Notes from JWR:

Because of the apparent likelihood of the U.S. Congress passing the loosely-worded Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), we are in the process of moving the primary web hosting of SurvivalBlog to a dedicated server in Sweden. (The legislation could have far-reaching effects that will go far beyond stopping pirate sites.) Our URL will remain survivalblog.com, but our dotted quad address will be changing. We’d also like to establish a couple of low-bandwidth offshore mirror sites. Any volunteers? (Eventually, we’d like all SurvivalBlog readers to have a list of of four or five dotted quad addresses bookmarked, so that you won’t be without the SurvivalBlog , as long as there is any sort of Internet intact.)

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Today we present another entry 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.

Adaptation to Cold Environments, by D.W.

The human body can do little to adapt to a cold environment. This is in contrast to the body’s ability to adapt and become more efficient when exercising in a hot, humid environment. Cold, wetness, and wind challenge the body to maintain core temperatures above 35oC (94oF). Heat loss or inadequate heat production elevates the risk of physical discomfort, hypothermia, or surface injury such as frostbite. Blood flow bears principal responsibility for maintaining peripheral temperature in cold weather and is the metabolic vehicle for the transportation of oxygen and generation of heat.

The one adaptable characteristic that can contribute to better tolerance of recreational activity in a cold environment is aerobic capacity (physical work). When working muscles and the thermoregulation system must compete for the same limited blood supply, reduced demand for the same level of work in persons with higher aerobic capacity can mean an increased margin of safety when temperature regulation becomes critical. A second advantage is that at the same workload, aerobically fit individuals derive a greater percentage of energy from stored fat. This is in plentiful supply even in the slimmest of individuals. Therefore, a lesser percent is required from the limited supply of carbohydrate foods, which need to be conserved in any survival situation in cold weather.

It can therefore be concluded that the ability to exist safely in cold, wet, or windy environmental conditions does not depend on a robust, adaptable body, but on mastery and use of information that enables self-preservation. Two major areas of information are critical: (1) knowledge of physiologic phenomena relative to exercise and temperature regulation and (2) knowledge of the insulation, ventilation, and protective properties of outdoor clothing and how to employ such clothing to gain the greatest advantage in a cold weather survival situation.
Management of Thermoregulation:
  As metabolic machines, humans produce heat profusely during recreational activity. Heat energy increases as the rate of physical activity increases. Roughly between 80% and 90% of the energy produced is in the form of heat. Just sitting on the couch produces 60 to 70 kcal/hr, or a body temperature rise of 2oF if none of the heat is dissipated. A moderate hiking pace with a day pack could raise core temperature 8oF in an hour if the heat were not dissipated. Thus generation of metabolic heat can be a threat to proper thermoregulation. It is remarkably easy to overdress for activity in cold weather, to sweat needlessly, and to thereby lose heat rapidly. The adverse effects of sweating in a winter survival situation can be compounded by wearing clothing that sweat can permeate. This reduces garment temperature to that of a refrigerator. Clothing manufacturers have done a marvelous job of producing materials that preserve a warm microclimate for the body to maintain warmth at rest or at low levels of physical activity. However, most have not designed garments that can efficiently ventilate metabolic heat during more vigorous activity. To minimize the risk of this situation, a person surviving in a harsh environment must know what clothing is appropriate and how to use their garments correctly.

At rest body heat is lost primarily by radiation of body surface area. Radiant heat forms a barrier of warm air around a person, unless there is a breeze. In the presence of moving air or when a person is moving, significant amounts of heat are lost by convection. Loose fitting clothing pulled by body movement creates a bellows-like convection action of air between the skin and clothing, purging body heated air out, like smoke up a chimney. The neck, waistband, sleeves, pockets, and pant legs are the usual orifices. Using garments that have the ability to selectively loosen or close these “chimneys” to intentionally lose or conserve heat from the microclimate within the garment is always prudent.

Heat loss by conduction is the least frequent mode of transfer in a wilderness environment, although conductive heat loss occurs across the skin whenever it is in physical contact with matter that is 2 degrees C cooler or warmer. Some examples of heat conduction that occur in the outdoors include sitting on rocks, lying on the ground, or being in contact with clothing that has been cooled by evaporation of sweat or environmental moisture. Unquestionably, the most important mode of heat loss is through evaporation. A body engaged in physical activity of sufficient vigor to produce sweating will lose 70% of body heat loss through evaporative cooling. Because cooling occurs at the site of evaporation and, of most consequence, when evaporation takes place on the surface of the skin, the value of garments that can transfer, or “wick,” moisture away from the skin to be evaporated on outer layers of clothing is readily understood.

It helps to know the mechanisms of heat loss to critically evaluate the design and type of clothing material selected to be worn in a hostile environment. Being able to selectively control the amount of heat loss by evaporation and convection is the key to outfitting. Most important is the ability to regulate skin temperature in the trunk, where most sweat glands are located, the head and neck, and the areas of natural folds in the body such as the axillary (arm pits), crotch, and backs of knees. Using buttons, zippers, and Velcro fasteners and simply adding or shedding layers of clothing are methods by which to regulate heat loss. Despite manufacturer’s claims about product ventilatory capability, any activity of greater activity than walking requires conscious temperature regulation. The challenge is to maintain near normal core body temperature, to conserve body energy stores, and to lose body heat to the extent that sweating is minimal. This requires balancing clothing to be worn against expected climatic conditions and properly assessing the amount of physical activity that one will endure. All of these factors influence thermoregulatory balance.

Selection of Clothing:

Material properties important to outdoor activities: (1) THICKNESS. The thicker the material, the greater the insulative value, so long as it stays dry. (2) FIBER REACTION TO MOISTURE. Four qualities are important: (a) The ease of “wicking” action. Transferring moisture from body surface to material. (b) Evaporative ability. The rate of drying. (c) Moisture regain. The amount of moisture the material can absorb before it feels cold. (d) The amount of insulative value a material loses when wet. (3) THERMAL CONDUCTANCE. The less the conductance, the better the insulation. (4) RESISTANCE TO WIND.
  The most commonly used clothing materials for outdoor activities are wool, cotton, nylon, polyester, and polypropylene. The four material properties are different for each of the fibers cited.
   WOOL is a poor conductor of heat and therefore a good insulator. It has a moderate affinity to absorb moisture, but it can absorb a great deal, about 35% to 55% of saturation, before it feels wet. Its evaporative ability is poor, but its fiber suspends water vapor without decreasing its insulative value.
  COTTON feels great in summer time, however has meager value in a harsh environment, where conservation of heat may be needed. Cotton loses up to 90% of its insulative value when wet. It readily regains moisture therefore its moisture regain is poor.
  NYLON evaporates moisture quickly, is a good insulator, and has good quality of moisture regain. Because of its durability it is often the material preferred for outerwear. However unless nylon is tightly knit, it doesn’t screen wind and water well.
  POLYESTER is justifiably the most widely employed material in outdoor clothing today. Polyester is a poor conductor (good insulator), high in moisture regain, and in some forms good in wicking.
  POLYPROPYLENE, like cotton, wicks moisture well, but unlike cotton it has a very low conductive index and high evaporative qualities. These properties are what make it so popular as an under layer material for active outdoorsmen.
  DOWN and SYNTHETIC LOFT material are not often appropriate for clothing to be worn by the physically active. They certainly have value when insulation is needed for quiet situations such as fishing, sitting around a camp fire, using a sleeping bag, or other relatively inert functions. The greater amount of “loft” possible in the material, the better the insulative value. There are other synthetic hollow-core fibers such as QUALLOFIL, THINSULATE (THERMALOFT), or POLARGARD that approach the insulative value of down, and are much less bulky, lose less insulative  value when wet, and, being predominantly hydrophobic, dry more rapidly when wet.

Layering Clothing:

  UNDERLAYER: Warmth and wicking ability are the principal requisites for layers next to the skin. Polyesters designed for moisture transfer and polypropylene best satisfy the needs of this layer. Some manufacturers have added a small percentage of Lycra to the polyester to achieve a consistent snugness to the skin. This enables the garment to be somewhat more effective in both insulation and moisture transfer. On days when the temperature is above freezing , the under layer may not be needed.
  INSULATION LAYERS: Adequate insulation and ability to selectively ventilate are by far the most important characteristics of the insulative layers. When protection from wind and moisture is not necessary, an insulation layer may also be the outermost layer. Finding garments that are well designed for selective adjustment can be a challenge. Zippers or Velcro fasteners that vent areas around the trunk (core) are extremely important. Also ability to adjust tightness around waist, sleeves, and collar can augment the bellows action of clothing movement by providing a chimney for air circulation.
  PROTECTIVE LAYER: wind and moisture can be serious challenges to thermoregulation, so protection against the elements and selective ventilation are the most important functions of the outer layer. Tightly knit, tough shells of nylon or webbed layers of nylon polyesters are the most popular materials for this layer. Gore-Tex laminate remains the gold standard for qualities of both water resistance and breathability. In vigorous activity performed in rain or wet snow, however, no garment will satisfy the weather because body heat production overwhelms the breathability of any material. Special finishes can be sprayed or laminated to polyester weave or microfiber garments to be used as outer layers which may be somewhat less expensive and less moisture repellent but the tradeoff would be for more breathability.

The wide variety of gloves made from polyester fleece, synthetic down, and wool, with a nylon outer cover are appropriate. Glove liners should be used when more insulation is needed. As with all cold weather clothing, gloves should not fit so tightly that peripheral blood flow is restricted.

Appropriate footwear remains a problem in cold environments. Boots are vulnerable to moisture and cold wherever they are stitched, although sealing compounds and waterproof tape can help. Instead of trying to keep moisture and cold out of the boot at the expense of sweaty feet, an alternative strategy may be to use breathable and less waterproof boots such as Gore-Tex or comparable sock liners with the intent of keeping the inner sock dry.
All for one and one for all.