Letter Re: Night Defense on a Budget

Mr. Rawles:  
I ran a recon/sniper unit in Viet Nam.  We had first generation starlight scopes and tweaked M14s and we shot the dickens out of the bad guys.  I was tasked with keeping a critical part of Hwy 1 open and would often do road security taking a jeep with a borrowed xenon searchlight to provide additional infrared (IR) support for my snipers. It would cast shadows at 500 plus meters and you could not see it with the naked eye.  

Many of us have more prep to do than budget to spend… but being able to see at night can literally amount to life or death. An inexpensive Yukon Gen 1 device (under $200) with a $40 Brinkman 3Meg Searchlight (comes with a yellow, red and blue plastic filter) and eight 4″ x 4″ sheets of red and blue cellophane ($2.99 per roll at Hobby Lobby) will create a situation where you can light up your surroundings (no visible light) to make sure the bad guys are properly welcomed.  

Powering up the Brinkman (with the blue filter and cellophane sheets), you do not see anything but a soft blue/red (barely visible at 10 feet) haze, yet you can see into and behind bushes, trees and all other types of cover at distances far enough out to make a difference.  The down side is that with and active IR emitter you do become a target for other night vision devices (unless they shut down due to overload… which the Brinkman will provide if they are looking at it directly)… unless you have a standoff.   Several of us are working on mounting the Brinkman (multiple locations) with remote directional turning  and on/off switch so we can activate, point and take action and not be in any light splash or reflection.  

This combination works almost as well as the equipment I used 40 years ago in Viet Nam.   Just wanted to pass on a good solution. – David R.

Letter Re: Strapping Hot Water Heaters for Earthquakes

Hi James,
Regarding River’s advice about strapping a water heater: He is correct about the value of doing this, but I would advise anyone considering this task to do more than just nail a strip of plumbers tape around the water heater.

As a 40 year native of Southern California (yes, I am looking to escape) I am better acquainted than I would care to be with earthquakes and what they do. I am also a general contractor. California’s requirements for bracing water heaters can be annoying, but they do exist for good reason. Anyone looking at bracing their water heater should at least take a look at what California requires. A web search will turn up a number of methods. A good page is provided by the State of California.

Note that a water heater needs to be held from moving both forward and backward. Water heater manufacturers generally specify a minimum distance to the wall. In my experience water heaters tend to be anywhere from 3″ to 6″ away from the wall. That’s a lot of room to rock. A nailed-in strap will be pulled out of that wall within three or four rocks of the hot water heater tank.

At the very least, brace the back and use lag bolts for that strap.

Consider purchasing a California earthquake strap kit. They are produced in large quantities and generally cost less than $20. They come with directions and lag bolts. They come with enough strapping to run full loops around the water heater and instructions for adding bracing in the back.

Just my experienced two cents. – Tom in Southern California

Federal and American Eagle .45 ACP Ammo Recall

There has been a safety recall announced on .45 Automatic ammo with the following brand names and product numbers: American Eagle® (AE45A, AE45N1, or AE45A250), Champion™ (WM5233), GoldMedal® (GM45B), Hi-Shok® (45C, 45D) and Federal® Personal Defense® (C45C, C45D).

The recall applies only to the following Lots: 38X628 through 38X765 and 38T401 through 38T414.

If you possess ammunition from any of these lots, or have questions concerning this warning, please contact Federal at 1-800-831-0850 or 1-800-322-2342 and ask for Product Service. Federal will provide replacement product and will cover the cost of returning the recalled ammo.

Economics and Investing:

Several readers sent this: IMF calls for dollar alternative. Non-Dollar SDR bonds could replace the US Dollar in some international trade. This may hasten the demise of the US Dollar.

Fiscal Insanity: Here we are in the midst of a recession-cum-depression and the Federal government is swimming is a sea of red ink. They’ve amassed a National Debt that exceeds $45,500 for every man woman and child in the nation. But now Vice President Joe Biden is pushing for a $53 billion Federally-funded high speed rail system.

Air Force Dad sent this: Fed’s Warsh Quits; Bernanke Adviser Questioned QE2

The tightening of the screws: Cash for gold buyers regulated under proposed Washington [State] law. I expect that the “45 Day Hold” provision will push down the buyer’s bids by 10%, to hedge their risk of a declining spot price for gold. So who loses? The private seller. Politicians need to learn about unintended consequences, and when to respect private commerce! Mrs. Asay may be a Republican, but she certainly isn’t one of the libertarian variety!

Items from The Economatrix:

Why Another Financial Crash is Certain  

Bernanke Says Unemployment Will “Remain Elevated” 

Over at Zero Hedge: The Great Global Debt Prison  

Billionaire Fund Manager Tomas Kaplan on Gold  

Pricing the World in Gold: Four Charts  

Is This the End of America?  

Odds ‘n Sods:

Some commentary from novelist Stephen Hunter: Why 33 rounds makes sense in a defensive weapon.

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Nicholas S. sent this news item from The Washington Post: In Pepco territory, blackouts mean more home generators, more noise complaints  

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Ol’ Remus (one of the web’s most entertaining bloggers) recently had a link to Kellene Bishop’s article: Forever Foods and More.

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O’l Remus also mentioned: “The reservoir of bees is dwindling to the point where ratios are dangerously out of kilter, with the US reaching the “most extreme” imbalance. Pollinated crop output has quadrupled since 1961, yet bee colonies have halved. The bee-per-hectare count has fallen nearly 90 percent, reports Ambrose Pritchard in his article, Einstein was right – honey bee collapse threatens global food security, at the Telegraph UK.”

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act." – Dietriech Bonhoeffer

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 33 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 $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 250 round case of 12 Gauge Hornady TAP FPD 2-3/4″ OO buckshot ammo, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $240 value), 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.) , and B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value.

Round 33 ends on March 31st, 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. 

Protecting Your Firearms Investment, by Grey Knight

Survival is a mindset.  The most valuable item one can have is knowledge.  One area of preparedness that gets reams of attention is the firearm.  The debate over which type, caliber, and capacity is endless.  Some of this is based on opinion, while other on experience. Yet with all the hoopla about the importance of firearms and ammunition, you never see much about care and cleaning.  I’m not going to throw my hat in with the hundreds of “experts” on firearms out there in the preparedness community, but I do want to talk a little about the importance of protecting your investment.   High quality firearms are an investment.  The investment purpose of firearms, for the serious survivalist, is not a hefty return on the investment.  The purpose of this investment is to provide safety (the ability to provide) and security (the ability to protect).  

Starting with the basics, you need a good cleaning kit.  Most “gun-people” have a kit, somewhere between a tackle box and a Craftsman rollaway, made up of bits and pieces we’ve accumulated over time.  Understand, you don’t need to have a rollaway to be able to take good care of your firearm.  Most sporting goods stores will have universal gun cleaning kits that are reasonably priced.  A good universal kit, meaning rifle-pistol-shotgun, can be bought for around $10.00.  Is it the equivalent of an armors kit?  No, but it will get the job done.  Here’s my building block approach, you’ll need the following:  

  • A small plastic tackle/tool box:                            $5.00
  • A universal gun cleaning kit:                                $10.00
  • Bore brushes for the calibers of your gun(s):       $5.00
  • Bore swabs for each caliber:                                $5.00
  • One bottle of powder solvent:                              $5.00
  • One pack (250 count) of .30 cal. rifle patches:    $5.00
  • One squeeze bottle of gun oil:                              $3.00
  • One package of pipe cleaners:                              $2.00  

 

On the high end, you’ve spent $40.00.

Now let’s look at a few things you have around the house that fits nicely into the kit:

  • An old toothbrush.
  • An old bath towel, cut into quarters.
  • Q-tips (several).  

Before you begin, make sure the firearm is UNLOADED!   Every year we will read of an account where someone was killed while cleaning their firearm.  Unload and make sure the ammo is well away from the cleaning area.  This is two-fold.  One, the gun can’t go “boom” unless it has ammo and two, cleaning solvent can cut thru the sealant on your ammunitions primers thus making your ammo useless.   

Here’s the purpose for the items in teh forefoing lists: The tackle box holds everything together.  This common sense approach keeps me from having to search all over the house to find my gun cleaning equipment, I just have to search for the tackle box!  The universal kit will contain cleaning rods, a handle, and in many cases a patch jag, brushes, solvent and oil (compare the contents). 

These rods are screwed together to the desired length of the barrel you’re going to clean.  Attached to the end of the cleaning rod are brushes, patch jags, and barrel swabs.  The solvent is used to dissolve the powder residue as well as removing lead and copper fouling, a by-product of firing the gun.  The patches are used to “dry” the barrel of the solvent and clean the aforementioned fouling from the barrel.  I use the bore swab to push the patch down the barrel (if at all possible, clean from the chamber end); this forms a tight seal and removes more fouling than a jag and patch (A note of caution:  Make sure you clean up and account for the solvent-soaked patches.  These are deadly poisonous to a chid. As we all know “If it gets in their hand…where does it go?) 

Following the manufactures recommendation, you can now concentrate on cleaning to rest of the firearm.  Q-tips, pipe cleaners, and an old toothbrush are excellent for cleaning frames of both revolvers and semi-auto pistols.  The cut-up towels make for a good cleaning mat as well as a cleaning rag.   I could write a book on the nuts and bolts of cleaning the individual weapons but for the most part, I wanted to give you a rundown of what you need to be able to provide basic care for your investment.   

JWR Adds: Use great caution where you use Q-Tips, since they can shed "fluff" that can bind up small gun parts.

Letter Re: Using Tea Candles for Urban Low Light

I have learned WSHTF, that after dark, subdued lighting is mandatory. A complete conversion of a home into a cave is not my idea of living so my thought is to choose one often used room and black out the windows with black plastic, duct tape and heavy curtains. Hang a thick blanket in front of the room’s door and specify bright lights out before any one enters or leaves that room.

The rest of the home would be dimly lit. With preferably one, no more then two at a time candle-like devices behind heavy lined curtains.

The thinking behind this is that a lot of other folks in urban settings will be hunkered over candles and oil lamps during grid down time So you are blending in with the majority.

Tea candles are drip free and easy to manage if left in one spot. [The wicks tend to shift if lit and moved].

The candles can be easily by removing the metal wick holder, turning it upside down an fitting it in a 5\32-inch hole drilled near one end a 3\8-inch thick 8 inch long board held in a vise [orthe hand if you are carful]. Using a ice pick push out the old wick stub and enlarge the wick hole.

Insert a new slightly thicker cotton wick holder and push and pull it till it sticks through about 1 inch. Remove the wick holder from the board and using a pairof smooth jawed pliers grip near the hinge and gently crush the little nipple on the upper part of the wick holder till it holds the wick snugly.

Scissor off the bottom of the wick so that the holder and wick sits upright in the little metal pan.

Get wax from old large discarded candles or other sources, chip off wax with a 1\2-inch wood chisel and rubber mallet into a metal 11.5 ounce coffee can with a formed pouring spout. Use the lowest gas setting of the lowest gas fire and position the can of wax chips in a double boiler. (The can inside a larger pan of water). Never, ever leave the melting pot unattended! [Since fires can easily result.]

Place the tea candles to be filled on newspaper. When about one-half of the wax in the can has stared to liquefy, slowly fill the tea candles cup to the rim.

Turn off the gas burner and leave the can on the burner it will cool slowly. But keep the wax liquid for a long time.[never allow the wax to get so hot it smokes danger danger]

Once the tea candles have set up, add more wax around the wick to top them off. – Axman

JWR Replies: Wax tea candles are available in bulk for as little as 12 cents each, if you buy them 200 or more at a time. And as you describe, they can be re-filled.

All the normal safety precuations for open flames must be observed when burning tea candles. One advantage of these is that they are much less likely to tip over than tall candles. But keep in mind that nothing is ever foolproof! I recommend that you position tea candles in the middle of a large ceramic plate or a steel pie tin. (Old plates and pie tins are usually available from thrift stores for less than a dollar each. Use these mis-matched pieces instead of your matching kitchen china, and you will get along better with your spouse!

Letter Re: The Golden Hours

JWR,  
I’ve been reading SurvivalBlog for about a year and participated in this year’s Ten Cent Challenge. Just thought I’d throw in a quick comment about the recent post, The Golden Hours by Brad H. A much better way of tranferring fuel by siphon is to spend a couple bucks on a “jiggler” type siphon which allows the user to start a siphon without the risk of getting fuel or other noxious liquid into their mouth. [JWR Adds: A siphoning slurp can mean a trip to the Emergency Room, or worse!] At my place of work, we use these to defuel our vehicles for maintenance, and they work wonders. We frequently drain 50-gallons of fuel from a tank in a matter of minutes. Essentially, they are one-way valves with a glass ball providing the valve function. Each “jiggle” of the valve lifts a bit more liquid past the ball until a gravity siphon is established. God Bless,   – G.R. in Texas

Economics and Investing:

John R. recommended this editorial: Ben Bernanke and The Confidence Men

Aaron A. suggested this televison news item: Economy keeps parts out of auto body shops. (It includes yet another sob SAAB story.)

C.D.V. sent this: China’s Wheat Basket Faces Its Worst Drought In 200 Years

Items from The Economatrix:

Job Openings Fall for Second Straight Month  

Business Travel Bounces Back as Economy Improves  

AP Analysis:  Foreclosures Raise US Economic Stress  

Treasurys Fall After Weak Auction of Three-Year Notes
 
Silver to Soar in 2011, Says Investment Guru  

Odds ‘n Sods:

R.F.J. mentioned this over at the Makezine web site: How-To: Ultralight camp pot from Heineken “keg” can

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I heard from Ulysses Press that my novel “Patriots” is about to surpass 100,000 copies sold. (This is not counting the 30,000+ copies sold of the older Huntington House Publishers edition.) It is now in its seventh printing, and still ranked around #600 of the more than three million titles sold on Amazon.com. (That ranking is unsusual for a novel that has been out for more than two years.) Meanwhile, my nonfiction book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It” has 110,000 copies in print, and is now in its 10th printing. It is ranked around #250 on Amazon.com. For that book, there are now nine foreign publishing contracts in place to produce editions in eight languages. Thanks for spreading the word about my books!

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Rick H. flagged this: Eritrean officials panicked by events in Egypt

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Reader M.M.S. sent this one: Storm aftermath: Some gas pumps idle due to depleted supplies

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Another video from The Patriot Nurse: Top Five Antibiotics for SHTF Storage

Notes from JWR:

We’ve reached the milestone of 2,000 days of SurvivalBlog posts, with nary a pause. There are also now 2,000 archived Quotes of the Day. My sincere thanks to the many readers that have e-mailed me their favorite quotes. (And please keep them coming!) I hope that you enjoy them. I suppose that once I’ve posted around 3,000, I ought to publish a book of quotations.

—

Today we present another entry for Round 33 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 $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 250 round case of 12 Gauge Hornady TAP FPD 2-3/4″ OO buckshot ammo, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $240 value), 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.) , and B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value.

Round 33 ends on March 31st, 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.