Letter Re: Seeking Advice on Discreet Carry Money Belts

Hi James,
When I traveled in Europe, I found the inside-the-waist, in-front-of-your-crotch travel pouches sold by REI and the like to be very useful for passport, ID, etc., although they do get a bit hot and whenever they get out of position, it’s hard to avoid the urge to mark yourself by adjusting them. Trying to do so in public can also get you some very strange looks. Because of all this I’ve refrained from wearing them when at home in the States, but I’m missing the comforting feeling of having extra cash and essential documents discreetly hidden. I’m imagining a money belt would be more comfortable.

You mentioned in an old post that you always wear a discreet money belt when you travel. Do you recommend a specific brand? Dress money belts are relatively easy to find, but casual/Western money belts I haven’t seen. I’m also having difficulty locating a money belt, either dress or casual, that is big/stiff enough to serve as a pistol belt for concealed or open carry.
Best Regards, – David in Pleasanton, California
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JWR Replies: The money belt that I’ve worn off and on for the past 15+ years was made by Hamley & Company of Pendleton, Oregon. (They are old-time holster and saddle maker, established in 1883.) It is a tooled western belt that was special-ordered with the “money belt option”. The belt was fairly expensive, so I’ve deemed it to be a “weight control belt”–meaning that I don’t dare gain any weight and outgrow it!

Letter Re: Building Strength for WTSHTF Preparedness

Dear SurvivalBloggers:

Modern images of strength conjure up big pectorals and biceps and perhaps a set of 6 pack abs but are these the muscles we need to develop for WTSHTF? No, not really.
Here’s some ideas of the less romantic parts that would be useful to work on now.

1) Hand and forearm strength: Gripping, grappling and weapon retention come to mind. Consider how many things we would have to use our hands for if there were no power (and no power tools). Kneading dough, screwing screws, pulling ropes. Do you have the grip strength to carry two 5 gallon buckets full of water 1/4 a mile at 8.3 pounds per gallon? Do you have any calluses or is your job cerebral and are your hands soft and unprotected.

2) Lower back strength: Lifting, gardening and carrying a pack come to mind. Can you carry your wife or buddy if he or she were injured? Can you drag them (hand strength again)? Try pulling 150 pound person a few times across the lawn and find out.

3) Cardiovascular strength: Okay, perhaps not a strength per se, but how’s your conditioning? Can you run an 8 minute mile without cramps and total loss of fine muscle control (meaning that you can still fire your weapon accurately)? – SF in Hawaii

Letter Re: A Useful Heated Steel Color Emission Chart

Dear Jim,
That chart that you posted on Saturday only applies to steel alloys. At a given temperature, oxidation will show those colors. The brighter colors are incandescent colors that are emission, not absorption colors. This is a good reference for heat treating metal, but only works if you know the alloy in question.

It is actually best to use that chart on overcast days or in shadow. Bright sun will generally cause one to excessively heat in the incandescent range, leading to red-shortness, cracks, decarburizing and burning. – Michael Z. Williamson

Odds ‘n Sods:

Congolese behind rebel lines try to return home. Once again, we see that the last thing you want to be is a refugee–or an “Internally Displaced Person” (IDP) in the modern parlance.

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Ted suggested this article over at Gold-Eagle, by Scott Wright: Commodities Bull Market?

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Reader Marsha U. asked about a good place to find full capacity magazines for her FN PS90 and HK93. (She notes: “I feel the need to stock up well before Bush leaves office.” ) For commercial vendors, I recommend CDNN Sports. For finding private sellers, I recommend Buddy Hinton’s Boards.

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Jerrold W. sent us this video link: Hack a Padlock

Note from JWR:

There are just a few days left in the pre-election 33% off sale for the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course. This course only rarely goes on sale, so don’t miss out on the discount price! BTW, the demand has been so great that a rush printing had to be scheduled. There may be brief delay before some of the most recent orders are shipped.

Letter Re: A Useful Heated Steel Color Emission Chart

Dear James:
I came across this table in a reference book and thought it may be useful to everyone. Note: This chart should not be used as a guide to combating fires. Remember all fires are dangerous, and you should call the fire department, if that is a possibility, when you see flames. All degrees are in Fahrenheit below.

Yellow 450 degrees Fahrenheit
Brown to Purple 550 degrees Fahrenheit
Blue 600 degrees Fahrenheit
Faint Red 900 degrees Fahrenheit
Dark Cherry Red 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit
Full Cherry Red 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit
Salmon 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit
Lemon 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit.
White 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit
Sparkling White 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit

Regards, – Mikael

JWR Replies: Of course all the usual torch and metal-working shop safety rules apply.

That chart, BTW, is handy companion piece to the Combustion Temperature Reference that was posted previously in SurvivalBlog. I recommend printing out hard copies of both posts for your shop reference binders. Keep in mind the standard provisos that the true measurement of the volatility of a stored material is its “flash point”, which in most cases is considerably lower than the flame point figures noted in the Combustion Temperature Reference.

Also, when using color as a reference for gauging the temperature, keep in mind that the ambient light available can skew the color observed. Holding up a piece of metal in the dim light of a blacksmithy will not show the same color as holding up the same piece of metal heated to the same temperature in bright daylight. This can lead to heat-treating errors. This was best illustrated in the classic book “Hatcher’s Notebook.” In it, Colonel Julian Hatcher recounted the story of the “Low Number Springfields”, that many shooters in the current generation might not have heard: Here it is in a nutshell: The smiths at the Springfield and Rock Island Armories were manufacturing Model 1903 Springfield rifles. One of the steps in the process was heat-treating the receivers to a certain color of redness. This was before the days of precise industrial pyrometers–back when heart treating was judged “by eye”.) It was found that some of those receivers failed–due to the heat treating being of insufficient hardness. The Board of Inquiry discovered that some receivers that were heat treated on overcast days, lacked sufficient heat treating (and blew up dramatically when fired), while those made on sunny days had the specified strength. This was because on overcast days, the heated receivers showed the correct “color” when they had not yet actually reached the requisite temperature. This failure in process control was of course soon corrected, but ever since, “low number Springfields” have not been trusted for full-pressure pressure .30-06 loads. (The manufacturing transition BTW, was with Springfield Armory M1903 rifles that had serial numbers below 800,000 and Rock Island M1903 rifles with serial numbers below 285,507.) Just an interesting historical tidbit…

Letter Re: Prisons and Other Institutions Amidst a Societal Collapse?

Hello Jim,
I work at a Correctional Facility. It is a Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) prison with some 1,900 inmates currently housed.

Our facility is cross-fenced inside with a 12 foot fence topped with the military razor wire. Yes, you can get across it but you are going to pay a price. They have tried that here and the one that got across would have died in hours from the cuts without an emergency room.

I have experienced a full blown riot. This was only 98 prisoners but they trashed the whole mess hall and it spilled out into two of the fenced off areas.

These interior fenced in areas can be gated off to reduce movement.

It is just not possible that the staff could not get control if they have not exhausted their supply of CS [tear] gas. One of those large CS guns can fill a large outdoor area with enough gas to choke down the best of them.Then you cuff them all and they are contained. I have seen this happen.

All of the admin buildings have top positions from which the COs [Correctional Officers]–note they are not called “guards” anymore–can dispense from shoulder weapons canisters to any point in the yard to supplement the big foggers.

Is the potential for losing control a problem? Yes, of course…

Is anybody at our prison talking about it? Me… but not the administration that I know of.

My county sheriff (headquartered some 25 miles away) has discussed this with me in detail. He is prepared to protect this area if a general prisoner break takes place.

And when the electric locks fail they stay closed. You can only open them with a key at that point.

So, if the inmates take control of a few pods and some interior yard space: You retreat behind a series of doors and barred gates until you are all back beyond “central”. Central is the command and control center with all the electronics. If you lock [the facility] down and all the doors through to the admin area and leave by the front gate. The only way they can get out is under the fence or over the fence with the concertina wire on top.

Most will die inside once the water is shut off and they strip the kitchen. Most of the food is stored beyond the kitchen in separate security areas. Ultimately the smart ones will try to retrieve enough solid items to build a ramp up to the top of the wire; or dig underneath. After constructing a ramp they’ll probably throw a couple of mattresses over the top and try to get over the first fence. Yes, that’s right, the first fence. But then 15 feet away is the second fence just like the first one. But now they have to build another ramp by moving the objects up the top of the first fence and pushing them over. By this time the locals may be barbecuing just across the fence and shooting one or two now and then just for fun…

So, in my estimation, getting out of our Correctional Facility will not be easy.

I have sat in my car in the parking lot waiting for time to go in for my shift and looked at the security fence and thought “just how would the inmates get across this?” Given enough time, yes they will do it. But only under conditions where they are not opposed from the outside. But any locals who oppose them will keep them inside until they turn to drinking the blood of the weaker inmates. Cordially, – Joe in the Midwest

Odds ‘n Sods:

Ready Made Resources (one of our original advertisers) just launched an unusual 25% off sale on Mountain House and AlpenAire freeze-dried foods. Unlike many storage food dealers, they actually keep considerable stock in-hand. This is a limited-time offer, so don’t delay in placing your orders!

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They say a picture is with a thousand words. Well, these photos are worth 100 Billion: Chuck mailed us a link to a series of amazing photos from Zimbabwe, posted at blogoncherry. Make sure that you scroll all the way down to see the Z$100 Billion note. I suppose that next year’s “reform” in Zimbabwe will be mandating wider tapes for cash registers, to make room for more digits. Seriously, Comrade Mugabe and his band of fools need to be escorted at gunpoint to the airport. Oh yes, I should also mention that if you want to keep current on Zimbabwe, then read Cathy Buckle’s blog.

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Stephanie sent us a link to this US Army article: Blending used oil and vehicle fuel, that describes how to blend used crankcase oil with diesel fuel. Provisos are in order: All of the usual fuel and oil handling safety precautions apply. Avoid letting used motor oil contact your skin, since it is a carcinogen. I also have my doubts that USEPA would approve, but this is something to keep in mind for stretching your supply of diesel fuel in a post-disaster situation.

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The latest economic news and commentary, courtesy of Cheryl: Wall Street Bolts Higher To Add To Week’s Large Gains — Evidence Of A Recession Piles Higher With New Data — Japan Cuts Interest Rates to 0.30% — US Heads Towards Recession — Interest Rate Conundrum Heralds More Market Distress — US Fed Zero-Interest-Rate Policy Coming? — Financial And Geopolitical Forecasts For 4Q 2008 — Stock Market Forecast Current And For The Next 30 Years — Florida’s Freedom Bank Closed By Regulators; 17th Failure This Year — Panic Strikes Hungary, Poland Borrowers As Banks Cut Dollar, Franc Loans

Note from JWR:

Round 19 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. is still underway.The contest prizes include:

First Prize: The writer of the best contributed article will be awarded two transferable Front Sight  “Gray” Four Day Training Course Certificates. This is an up to $4,000 value!
Second Prize: A three day course certificate from OnPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses.
Third Prize: A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing

Round 19 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 will have an advantage in the judging.

Letter Re: Warning on Insect Pests Getting Into Storage Food

Dear Jim,
I thought that due to the recent influx of newbies on your site, I would send this warning to not do as I did. Last year, I lost a lot of my stored food as I left it in the original packets in which it was shipped. I ended up with a major infestation of cupboard beetles, losing food and having to steam clean my cupboards. The bad news is thee bugs reproduce unbelievably quickly. The good news is the die just as quickly, and won’t harm you if you eat them, but they sure are unsightly. It’s sugars and starches they go for, even eating through cardboard, cellophane, thin plastic etc. I now keep all my grains, dried pulses and sugar in heavy-duty food-grade plastic or metal containers. Regards, – Luddite Jean.

JWR Replies: Thanks for mentioning that. BTW, I describe a simple “do-it-yourself” CO2 packing method in the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course. With CO2 packaging, you can protect even foods that have already been contaminated with adult insects, insect pupae, insect larvae, or insect eggs.

Letter Re: The Least Expensive Way to Stock Up on Storage Food?

Sir,
In regards to TJD, “Somewhere in Kansas” lamenting that he is in the middle of nowhere and can’t easily stock up on food, I must say I find his worries a bit hard to understand.

In the Bible, Joseph stored up seven years of harvests to prepare for seven years of famine. Those stores were made up of grain crops. That is how Egypt made it through a great famine and gained great wealth by selling their grain at high rates to nations that did not prepare.

Being from North Dakota, I know that the title for greatest wheat producer in the USA bounces back and forth between Kansas and North Dakota. He is in one of the most bountiful food producing regions in the world. He could probably travel to any small town grain elevator within 5-15 miles and fill up all his white 5 gallon pails with various grains (wheat, oats, corn, etc). Between bread and sprouting seeds, there’s plenty of energy and nutritional content in wheat and other grain crops. It doesn’t seem like he should have a hard time finding food. It is the crops grown in his state, perhaps not far from his location, that currently keeps America fed.

I think it is a testament to our modern society and the dependent and helpless nature of the people, that most people think food comes processed and prepared from the grocery store, and have no idea where it comes from. If a starving family in a big city was given a few bushels of grain, they’d probably look incredulously at their benefactor, leave the grain to spoil in the elements and continue their search for whatever scraps of prepared/processed food they could find. A pretty ridiculous situation but I don’t think it’s too far from the truth.

I think it was old time survival writer Mel Tappan who said if you want to store food cheaply and quickly, you can buy salt, grains and beans, and various vitamin tablets. You may miss some of the variety that you are accustomed to at the grocery store, but you won’t starve or develop nutritional deficiency diseases such as scurvy, goiter, etc.

TJD might want to look into storing bulk grain at elevator prices, and add desired variety with some of the bulk foods he can obtain at Sam’s Club such as rice, bulk condiments (ketchup, mustard, salsa, mayo), canned foods and some frozen foods. I think frozen foods have a place in preps as they can be eaten in the first weeks or months of an emergency situation, while families get their bearings and figure out how they are going to ration their long term food and prepare for the next growing season. – M. “Somewhere in ND”

Letter Re: Market Observations From The Trader Blog

Mr. Rawles –
Thank you for your recent mention of my site, TheTraderBlog.com. I am a former Lehman Brothers employee, I worked in New York City on the FX trading desk, but left in 2002, so I am glad to have missed all the recent excitement. I publish my blog in an effort to help me reason through my personal trading strategies, and also like to share my opinion about the markets and related events in general. I have not yet figured out how to make any money off of the site, so for now it is just a great hobby for me. I currently work in an unrelated field, so I have left my information anonymous on the site so as to not risk anything with my current employer.

I have become a regular visitor to your site since August, and coincidentally I have just finished your novel “Patriots” – and frankly I am scared to death about recent developments. In addition to the scenario you laid out, I have also just finished The Fourth Turning by William Strauss and Neil Howe, which describes the potential for an upcoming crisis – right about now – through 2025. Written in 1997, it is also very chilling. So, in addition to my own work and analysis of the markets (I see the DJIA going to the 6000 level over the coming two quarters), the confluence of all these sources really makes me ramp up my preparedness. It is like connecting the dots, and I have just come to a very clear picture. I feel as if I found your site a bit late, and am behind the curve. But better late than never. And thanks to the suggestions in your CD [that is included with your “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course,] I now have my wife on board! Thank you! Great stuff.

What just happened in Iceland is a microcosm of what can (will?) happen here in the U.S., if in fact the U.S. Treasury bubble does implode. I think a government debt default, USD devaluation and hyperinflation are very probable events into 2009 – 2010. Just how is the [US] Treasury going to finance an additional $2-to-3 trillion in 2009? As always I appreciate the information you publish. Best Regards, – Editor, The Trader Blog

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Mark A. wrote us to mention that he had found this web site that houses “more information then in one spot then I have seen anywhere else. The site is maintained to provide Third World countries information on farming and sustainability. All their information is free to download. Note, however that their ZIP files are very, very large. There are 4,000 titles, totaling 13 gigabytes.”

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In a recent e-mail, The Chartist Gnome mentioned two things about the precious metals market that confirm my observations: 1.) The COMEX spot prices now have no correlation with “real world” prices of bullion coins and small, serialized bars. “The ‘real world’ price for silver is more than twice the COMEX price, that is IF you can find any coins for sale, James.”. 2.) The recent slump in precious metals prices looks worse from your American perspective. “Your viewpoint is askew because the US Dollar is gaining so rapidly against so many other currencies, which are becoming Toilettenpapier. (The US dollar has no inherent strength–just perceived relative strength, in a time of crisis. It will eventually be toilet paper, too.) Take a look at the charts at BullionVault.com. The one year Gold in USD chart looks gloomy, but the Gold in Pounds Sterling chart doesn’t look bad at all. Hang in there with your metals holdings, and even acquire more, on dips. When the Dollar charges into double digit inflation, you’ll be joyous that you did.” OBTW, as further confirmation that inflation is indeed ahead, see this piece by Steve Saville: Inflation Watch.

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David V. flagged this Bloomberg article: Greenspan Slept as Off-Balance-Sheet Toxic Debt Evaded Scrutiny

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Another batch of cheer from our Economic Editor: “Harsh Storm” Threatens Global Economy As US GDP Shrinks — Will Gold And Silver Futures Default? — Goldman Sachs Ready To Hand Out 7 Billion Pound Salary and Bonus Package After Its 6 Billion Pound Bailout — Russian Stock Market Up 18% On The Day — AMEX To Chop 7,000 Jobs — The Quoted Spot Price of Gold is ‘A Lie’ — Loans? Did We Say We’d Do Loans? — Trade Suffers As Banks Curtail Loans — Gold Coins Now Getting a 50% Premium — Fed Interest Rate Cut May End Up Making Matters Worse — House of Credit Cards About to Crash — Next Bailout Battle Rages In DC