Two Letters Re: Sources for Gasoline and Diesel Fuel in a Grid-Down Collapse

Hi Jim,
I work for a general, solving problems in the Middle East. Fixing vehicles is easy, its fixing the people that’s hard…
I love your stuff on SurvivalBlog and thought I’d add:

There are plenty of submersible type improvised fuel pumps will fit down into a 3″ pipe. Background is that GM and most other manufacturers’ in-tank fuel pumps are part of a tank ‘module’ which includes the fuel gauge sending unit, pressure feed, return feed, and evaporative emissions sensor. The pump is designed to run when submersed in fuel. I’ll get some part numbers if you would like but its fairly straightforward.

* Get a fuel tank sending unit module from any post-1987 fuel injected GM truck or car.
* Strip the fuel pump, pick up screen (filter) and electrical connector from the sending unit module.
* Connect 20-25 feet of wire for power and ground using secure and chemical resistant wire/connections.
* Connect 20-25 feet of 5/16 fuel line.
* Connected to a switch and battery you now have a submersible pump like any deep well water pump. Dip [the assembly] and pump.

I’ve used this setup to pump out fuel tanks removed from vehicles but no higher than 6-7 feet although I think that this may work for up to 15-20 foot lift.

Safety Note: Remember that sparks and fuel should only be combined in a combustion chamber or in a structure that you are denying an enemy.

Any poor connection or general stupidity could/would cause similar to what was reported to be the cause of the downing of [Pan Am] Flight 103.
Cheers, ‘The Mechanic’, in Iraq

 

Jim,
I am new to your site. read the first 40 pages of your novel “Patriots” online and ordered a copy. Looking forward to it and digging deeper into you site. Thanks for all your hard work.
As for fuel transfers, I have worked with some #2 oil + kerosene furnaces lately and they have all had a great fuel pump on the side.
Some of these pumps, if configured for a two pipe system, claim to have an 18 foot lift ability at 1/3 gpm. This is quite slow as it’s designed to provide high pressure at a slow rate to the furnace
injection nozzle. However if you cap off the injection nozzle (on a two pipe system) and take the return to tank line and put it in a collection tank I believe you will achieve a much greater flow. These are self priming gear pumps that usually operate at 1,725 rpm or 3,450 rpm. Many cordless 3/8-inch drills can reach at least 1,200 rpm and the drill chuck will clamp right down on the shaft.
I see these pumps still attached to furnace burner guns all the time at the metal scrap yard and out back of the furnace repair shops. They should be easy to obtain for free or scrap price, and are only held on by two bolts.
Most all the info anyone would need to test this theory is here.

It is important to note that the pump must be set up for two line use or capping of the injection line will blow the seals out of the pump. I will hopefully be testing this setup sometime next week and will let you know the results. Diesel should be no problem, transfer of gasoline is probably discouraged by the manufacturer, but I will test
it. – Andy in the Adirondack Mountains

JWR Replies: To the best of my knowledge, drill motor-powered pumps are not approved for pumping gasoline, since drill motors are notorious for throwing sparks. (Read: explosion risk!) They should not be operated near gasoline vapors.



Letter Re: Advice on Blade Sharpening

Shalom Jim,
I purchased some utility knives and a bayonet recently and it got me to thinking about what and how are the best ways to sharpen a dull edge. Do you have any suggestions or techniques that you are using? Seems like the best method would be without the use of power tools. I appreciate your help, once again.
Todah Rabbah (Thank you), B’Shem Yahshua HaMoshiach (In the Name of Messiah Yahshua) – Dr. Sidney Zweibel

JWR Replies: I may be a dinosaur, but I use traditional Arkansas stones for most of my knives. I do have a few knives that were made with extra-hard ATS-34 stainless (Rockwell 60 or higher) that can only be effectively sharpened in a reasonable period of time with a diamond sharpener. For these I use an early-generation Eze-Lap in the field and a medium-size DMT “stone” here at the ranch house. The good news is that once they are sharp, these extra hard blades hold an edge exceptionally well.

I don’t recommend power sharpeners for two reasons: 1.) They cause excessive wear on blades, and 2.) They don’t work without utility power.

Independence from utility power is one of the central tenets of my preparedness philosophy: Don’t complicate things unnecessarily. Don’t use 21st Century technology when 19th Century will suffice. Long chains of dependency (like using on an elaborate photovoltaic power system to run umpteen power tools) makes the loss of that system a real show-stopper. My shop has just a few power tools but lots of old-fashioned hand tools. One of the most prominent is a hand-cranked bench grinder. It is probably 80 years old, and built to last another 80. The only thing better would be one that is treadle-powered. (I’ll keep looking for one of those.)



Letter Re: Sprouting Techniques

Dear James
I saw the posts about sprouting and would like to suggest Sprout People:

The have loads of information on sprouting and have good prices for many types of sprouting seed and sprouters. I have the Sproutmaster, the Bioset and the Hemp Bag. I find the Bioset to
be the easiest (water twice a day) and larger than the Sproutmaster, which also works quite well. I also find that if you want to have sprouts every day, you really need to have two sprouters.
Sprouts are nutritious, tasty and easy to grow. They are the perfect survival food. All the best, – Kurt P.



Odds ‘n Sods:

Gold edges up towards record highs on Pakistan unrest, low dollar  

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SJC sent this piece from Jim Jubak: Don’t count on a ‘normal’ recession

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The humorous and informative Dr. Housing Bubble blog outgrew its Blogspot hosting site, so the editors got serious and bought their own domain and hosting: www.DoctorHousingBubble.com. Be sure to update your bookmarks.

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Speaking of Dr. Housing Bubble, don’t miss their recent article on California house prices: 10 Homes throughout the Golden Bubble State.



Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Now stir the fire,
and close the shutters fast,
Let fall the curtain,
wheel the sofa round,
And while the bubbling and loud hissing urn
Throws up a steamy column;
and the cups
That cheer but not inebriate,
wait on each,
So let us welcome peaceful
evening in." -William Cowper, "The Task" (1785)



Note from JWR:

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction is now at $320. The auction is for a scarce original 1980s-vintage Heckler und Koch 19mm Emergency Flare Launcher (EFL) aka “Notsignalgerät from my personal collection. It comes with three magazines and 28 scarce original German 19mm flares–10 red, 10 white, and 8 green. Together, this package is worth approximately $400. It is not classified as a “firearm” under Federal law. (Consult your state and local laws before bidding.) Sorry, no overseas bids will be accepted for this auction. This auction ends on January 15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.



Four Letters Re: Sprouting Techniques

Mr. Rawles,
I saw the post about Nick B. looking for help on the subject of sprouts. Maybe I can help. Earlier this year I was checking things out on a couple of preparedness sites. Some of the readers may know about these,but I’ll pass the links along for those who may not have seen them. This one Survival And Self-Sufficiency Links has a lot of useful resources, and I found this one for sprouts: Sprouting: a brief overview. It has a few links above the section on beekeeping. There may be others that I have forgotten, or just may not have seen yet myself, but I hope they can be of some help to him and other folks that visit here. May the Lord bless you all and your preps. – Dim Tim

 

Sir,
For sprouting I use a section of the new plastic bug screen material for screen doors. I fold the section up into a flat pouch and pour a measure of seed in then pin the opening closed. To make the pouch I staple around the three closed edges. Then, once closed up I dampen the seeds, roll the screen pouch into a loose cylinder and place it into a coffee can covered with the old plastic cover. I keep a little bit of water, plus what drips off in the bottom of the can to keep the internal atmosphere damp. I just make sure to dampen the seeds as necessary, usually checking once in the morning and evening unless the weather is really dry. – TCD

Hello Mr. Rawles,
I saw that you are looking for suggestions on filters for sprouting seed. The following method works for me with wheat:
Sprout your seeds in a Mason jar with a thin clean cotton rag fixed over the mouth by an elastic band. To drain, simply pour the water out slowly. Make sure you do not let the entire surface of the cloth become wet, or it will act as a seal. As long as some of the rag covering the mouth is dry, water should flow out without any problems. To refill with water, lift the jar so the cloth touches the tap while filling. All the best, – Roo

 

Hi,
I am a daily reader of SurvivalBlog and wanted to send a tip to the man who is asking about how to drain the sprouts. I picked up three stainless steel screens, already pre-cut to fit the top of a wide mouth quart Mason jar from a local health food store/food co-op.
I soak the seeds for about 6-8 hours in water (from my Aqua Rain water filter that I purchased from Best Prices Storable Foods–they are great people to talk with!) then I drain and rinse the seeds thoroughly and turn the jar upside down at an angle in a tupperware type of dish to allow the excess water to drain. I have been pouring the discarded sprout water on my houseplants recently, the water doesn’t get wasted and the nutrients can’t hurt them I bet.
I prefer to use a mix of seeds, I use a bit of Alfalfa, clover, Radish, and mung, it makes a great mix to add to sandwiches and the radish seed spices it up mildly too.
I suggest purchasing or making at least two screens so once the first batch is done, which takes about 3 days, then I have the next batch coming along to replace it..
I am by no means a professional but have enjoyed sprouts all my adult life and just recently figured I should get back to making them as once the SHTF we will need to add fresh greens to our diets.
I encourage people to try different varieties of seeds and to mix it up for different flavor combinations and the nutrients that each different plant seed can provide.
Sprout seeds do need to “breathe” so don’t store them in airtight containers.
Sprouts make people crinkle their noses lots of times, sounds like rabbit food and I strongly encourage them to try them more than once, I find them a wonderful addition to sandwiches and Quesadillas, and oftentimes I eat them straight out of the jar.

I have also read great reviews on a sprouter called the Sproutmaster, but have no personal experience with it, the quart Mason jars with the stainless steel screens work perfect for me.
Hope this helps!
Also, I haven’t seen it mentioned or missed it, but I have been ordering all my wheat, corn, oats, flour, etc from the Natural food co-op, the savings are huge…we are very rural, live in the deep woods of the deep south and so have to drive three hours to get there, we order ahead of time and about 3 days later our order is ready.
Look for a food co-op or whole foods store and ask for their special orders dept, we get a 20% discount for ordering over 50 pounds!
I have to pack them myself, but have been able to purchase much more this way, I have paid about $14-$17 for 50 pounds of wheat berries, we have stored up about 600 pounds so far of Hard Red Winter wheat, Hard White winter wheat, Soft white winter wheat (for cakes and biscuits, tortillas) and Durum (semolina) for pastas, steel cut oats, pinto beans, rice and bulk spices..we make a bulk order once a month. with the price of fuel, we try to order as much as we can afford to make the trip count.
I have collected all my white food grade plastic buckets for free from our local Wal-Mart’s bakery (an hour drive) and I add diatomaceous earth [DE] to all to keep the pests at bay…if using the DE make sure it is food grade, it also works to worm farm critters, the bonus being it worms the animals and also cuts way down on the fly population on the back end. We put it on our outdoor cat and no more fleas, he is one happy kitty.

I wear a dust mask to not breath in the dust, as I am mixing it with the grains. If you have eaten or used a pre-prepared biscuit mix, then you have eaten DE.
thanks for all your hard work on this site! – KW



Letter Re: A Useful Rifle Zeroing Technique, and Effective Spotter Sighting Offsets

Dear Jim,
You brought up an excellent point when you mentioned zeroing weapons.
Everyone should know how to battle sight zero their primary defensive weapon (assuming adjustable sights). The procedure is as follows:
Move the sights all the way left (rear) and down (front). Count the number of clicks or turns necessary to reach the opposite extreme. Move the sights back to the halfway position and remember this number (it can be written on a laminated card in the butt/grip or even on the side of the stock). This is mechanical zero. It should be fairly close to actual zero and is the emergency default for any weapon you can’t sight in by fire or bore sighting.
Go to the range and shoot a tight, supported prone group at this setting. Adjust the sights as needed to get a good center mass group. Record how many clicks from mechanical zero this is, and memorize it.
Upon being issued or acquiring any similar weapon (AR, FAL, M1A, etc), immediately set to this setting. Even if you can’t range zero, you should be close enough to be effective.
It’s also a good idea to learn how to spot impacts, and how to have someone spot for you. This applies both to weapons that may be slightly sight-offset, and to long range shooting through wind or to ranged where trajectory shift occurs.

For sight offset, have the spotter place a small target (a tape disc or such. A thumbtack for really good shooters) on the larger silhouette. They should be able to “dial in” a shooter in a very few number of shots, by calling the distance.
For example, for a target 6″ above and 4″ left of center mass, the spotter would call, “Up six, left four.” Let’s say the shooter fires and hits an inch low and left of this position. The spotter would call that, “offset up one, right one,” and the shooter should estimate the new position, based on the fact that the weapon was off-target by that amount.
Practicing like this develops trust and rapport between shooter and spotter, trust in the weapon to perform consistently (And if it doesn’t, fix or replace it), and trust in one’s shooting abilities.
For spotting and shooting distant threats, the shooter concentrates on putting fire on target. The spotter is responsible for target identification and team security. It is important to maintain this division as much as possible to ensure effectiveness. Typically, the more experienced member of the team will spot. Everyone should be able to shoot reliably.
A shot like this proceeds with the spotter identifying the location and range with easy to find landmarks, then the target. “Straight ahead 320 meters. Lone pine tree.”
Upon sighting this location, the shooter should confirm. “Tree, Check.”
The spotter will continue with offset instructions. “Five meters left. Mutant zombie biker in prone position with rifle.”
The shooter confirms, “Target” or “position,” depending on whether they have seen the target itself, or have only identified the location in which the target is, and will be shooting to direction only. It is desirable but not necessary that the shooter see the target, as long as the spotter can, and the shooter can follow directions.
The spotter will give direction to wait, shoot, or otherwise.
Let’s assume on taking the shot, the impact is a meter short. The target moves and the spotter follows.
” Same target, new location, five meters right of tree.”
The shooter again confirms, “Target” or “position.”
The spotter corrects for the previous shot, assuming that the shooter aimed correctly. “Offset fire up one meter.”
It is important the spotter trust that the shooter is in fact aiming properly, and any miss is due to a combination of environmental factors. It is important that the shooter be aware of any errors they may have made, allow for those, and trust the spotter to give accurate data for offset. Guessing at it will yield poor results. Both must assume the other is effective.
Feedback is also important. If the shooter, for example, is consistently a meter short, the spotter can order, “Offset all shots up one meter.” Likewise, if the (local) shooter knows the tree is only 290 meters, he should relay that information so the (visiting) spotter can adjust his observations accordingly, to aid in locating less obvious landmarks (such as the “gray boulder, 275 meters” and the “depression in the field, 180 meters”).
I’ve been able to hit the previously mentioned thumbtack after dropping and misaligning a scope 6″ at 100 yards. I followed my spotter’s instructions to hit said thumbtack, which I could not see. At the time, my point of aim was over the silhouette’s left shoulder into empty space. It took one shot to determine point of aim, one to get within an inch, and the last to obliterate a .3″ target. This was due less to my shooting ability, than to my ability to trust and follow my spotter with his much more powerful scope and better visual position. It didn’t matter where the reticle was. It mattered where I hit.
This combination of skills saves ammunition and maximizes fire effectiveness in minimum time. – Michael Z. Williamson



Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Ben. L. tells us that the US Transportation Security Agency (TSA, a.k.a.”Thousands Standing Around”) has banned most lithium batteries from passenger plane checked luggage. This includes certain laptop and pro camera batteries, and those ubiquitous “123” batteries used in Surefire flashlights. The new rule reads in part:
“Effective January 1, 2008, spare lithium batteries – extra batteries not installed on devices – will no longer be allowed in checked baggage. Spare lithium batteries may be packed in carry-on baggage and lithium batteries installed in a device may be packed in either checked or carry-on, as long as the battery is installed in the device.”

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From The Financial Times: Euro gains on dollar in official reserves

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Thomas Tan’s predictions for 2008

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I spotted this over at Mish Shedlock’s blog: More Writedowns Force Citigroup To Sell Assets



Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Let your heart feel for the afflictions and distresses of every one, and let your hand give in proportion to your purse; remembering always the estimation of the widow’s mite, but, that it is not every one who asketh that deserveth charity; all, however, are worthy of the inquiry, or the deserving may suffer.” – President George Washington, letter to Bushrod Washington, Jan. 15, 1783



Note from JWR:

Today we present another article for Round 14 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $2,000!) Second prize is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Round 14 ends on January 31st. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.



Time and Energy Efficient Cooking, by KBF

I wish to share some valuable information on my personal experiences with the use of two cooking devices which I incorporate into daily homemaking practice when I am attempting to conserve on water and on fuel usage. Both of them are extremely time and energy efficient.

The two kitchen products which have earned their weight in silver in my home are my pressure cookers, and my newest kitchen toys, which come from an old Asian origin and cooking concept, the thermo cooker pot.

I have and use several sizes of pressure cookers. I chose the pot size for use for the job I’m performing based on the fill capacity of the product I am cooking in it. The pot capacity should never be over 2/3rds full. The food is liquid pressure cooked on the basis of requiring very little water or liquid and a minimal amount is lost and released as pressurized steam, thus it cooks evenly, thoroughly, and quickly. Time savings average about one half compared to the usual on the stove top methods. Fuel savings are dependant on the time required for the recipe. I use this method for large vegetable batches, and large cuts of meat, like roast cuts or several chickens and get a finished product that is tender to cut with a fork. My very large pressure pots are mostly used for canning purposes to put up jars of volume batches of seasonal produce, meats, and jellies. Using the pressure cookers overall cuts my actual cooking and canning time by one third, compared to using the open pot boil methods. When you are putting up hundreds of jars, this time efficiency becomes necessity. I have had a few mishaps however over the years. They were character building learning experiences of what not to cook in a pressure cooker. Beans, rice, and whole grain cereals need to be constantly monitored, as the small needle outlet from which the pressurized steam escapes becomes easily clogged, and when it does you have now created a bean bomb! If you’re like me and are multitasking in or out of the household, constant sitting to a pot is not time efficient or possible. I have discovered my next favorite device as a result of this need to cook my one pot meal favorite dishes and also to simultaneously free myself to leave to do other equally important jobs. This device allows me to leave the house and come home hours later to a safe, hot cooked meal.

The thermo cooker pot is actually two pots, one (the cooking pot) is inserted into a second thermo insulated pot and is sealed with a hermetic seal lid. The pots can be found in Asian market stores, online, and from high end kitchen and industrial supply houses and are sold by numerous makers. Some makers sell their pots to other distributors who stick their retail labels on them. More expensive in this case is not necessarily a better pot. Key points of its success for your needs are to consider the following issues when searching to procure one. The pot set needs to be constructed of excellent quality stainless steel in order to maintain heat conductivity and easily clean and withstand staining. The floor of the pot must be constructed of no less than two air-insulated layers. The inner pot’s volume size needs to be one that will compromise and accommodate the majority of food dishes you normally prepare, if you desire to own just one size. Think in volumes of servings somewhere between how much soup, stew, arroz con pollo [rice and chicken], or how much hot grain cereal you make in one batch. Waste is non productive and expensive ultimately in time and money. Thermo cooker pots work on the principals of applying fast radiant energy cooking to your prepared dish by using the inner cooking pot on the stovetop. The recipe chosen must be able to be brought up to and kept to a boiling temperature for at least 5 minutes, the longer you can boil it the better. Secondly, this inner pot is covered and then immediately placed inside the slightly larger external thermo chamber pot, it is tightly sealed, and taken off the radiant source to finish the cooking process over the next hour on its own kinetic heat requiring no external fuel source. I leave mine in the warmest location in the house. The food contained inside the thermo chamber continues to cook by conductant heat for the next hour or so at a heat temperature gradient loss of kinetic energy which gradually decreases over 6 hours of time and maintains itself at a warming temperature up to 8 hours. The food will then remain warm to +/- 160 degrees up to 8 hours, this being dependant on normal external ambient room temperatures. I have tested my unit with a thermometer after 8 hours, and it made the grade in 65 degree ambient room temperature. This can be a boon to use in fuel and time conservation modes during TEOTWAWKI. It can also be used inversely chill perishable foods safely for consumption for 6 to 8 hours. Think summer mayonaise and egg based salads or cool fruit salads or transporting fresh farm pot cheeses without ice.

I have now mastered my pots usage to include making yogurt, soft goat cheeses and tofu successfully by not boiling the milk or soybean curd but by bringing it slowly up to incubation temp for the culture I am using, and then using the thermo pot to finish the process of maintaining the heat source. In the past I used an old wide mouth thermos bottle to do this method but it did not hold enough volume for my family’s consumption or barter needs. We also now wake up to fresh hot maple wheat berry cereal in the morning by preparing this before retiring for the night. I have used the thermo pot now on different stove and fuel sources, including wood burning and get pretty consistent result. I have used it even away from home to travel and on hunting trips using the butane camp stove. I have boiled the recipes required water, and dumped in our packaged dehydrated camp food, to either wake up to warm eggs and sausage or to come back from the hunt to eat a great hot meal.

I hope this info will help all the cookies create more efficiency in their survival preparations and also to help them find more enjoyment time to read JWR’s great postings and books!
Have a blessed and bountiful New Year!



Letter Re: Peter Schiff’s Commentary–“Not Your Father’s Deflation”

Greetings!
Here’s some more ‘great’ news [from Peter Schiff, by way of Kitco.com] for the coming economic crash.

Thanks to ‘fiat currency,’ this [nascent] economic disaster won’t be nearly as “mild” as the Great Depression, because consumer prices will rise, and, our worthless money will de value at the same time! At least in the 30’s, the gold standard that backed the US dollar, made it hold value – even if there were fewer in circulation. Ditto silver & gold coins, that were still worth something (I found your blog late, and got started late, but I’m buying junk silver coins and the occasional gold one as fast as I can!!!) Don’t guess we’ll have to worry as much about toilet paper as we thought, after the economic SHTF – ‘Helicopter Ben’ [Bernanke] will print us wallets full of toilet paper! – Bob McC in Pittsburg



Odds ‘n Sods:

Stephen in Iraq flagged this: Home Sales Plunge, Feed Recession Fears

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Reader Nick B. says that he has started experimenting with sprouting, starting with alfalfa. He is looking for tips on how to drain them when they are still in seed stage. He has been trying coffee filters, but the filters seem to clog quickly. I’ve always used paper towels, but perhaps there is a SurvivalBlog reader with a better idea. Any tips?

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Thanks to SJC for this: Gold rises after Bhutto death, platinum hits record

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And RBS sent this: Worms infect more poor Americans than thought