Product Review: SteriPEN UV Light Portable Water Sterilizer

The folks at Safecastle recently sent us a SteriPEN Adventurer, charging case, and pre-filter for evaluation. Our #1 Son tested them in the secret laboratory beneath the JASBORR. Here are his findings:

Model Tested: SteriPEN Adventurer

The SteriPEN uses an ultraviolet light to sterilize microbes in water. The pen can treat water in 1 liter batches, in only 90 seconds. It runs on standard CR123 batteries, which are becoming ubiquitous. (A plus for anyone that already stocks these batteries for their tactical lights and/or lasers.)
USE: You just push the power button, put it into a bottle of clean water, and stir for about 90 seconds.
DESIGN: The pen is about 6 inches long and only weighs 110 grams (about 4 ounces), so it is certainly portable enough to take on lightweight backpacking trips. It is water resistant and has a sturdy plastic casing.
ADVANTAGES: It is very easy to use, lightweight, and sturdy. The price of filtration per liter is much less than most filters, and it runs on rechargeable batteries.
DRAWBACKS: The pen can only treat water in batches of up to 1 liter. Also, the water needs to be clear of any sediment, or microbes will survive.

Water Bottle Pre-Filter
The filter attaches to standard Nalgene-thread water bottles. It has a replaceable 4 micron filter, which removes sand and dirt. The pre-filter works quite quickly but still leaves the water a bit cloudy. so it cannot be depended on by itself. (We surmise that a couple of thickness of t-shirt cloth could be used as a “pre-pre-filter.”) But the pre-filter still makes a useful compliment to the SteriPEN.

Charging/Carrying Case
The case is hard plastic, with a small photovoltaic panel on the lid. It has a charging slot for two CR123 batteries, and a foam padded slot to hold the SteriPEN. There is no direct charger for the pen, so the batteries have to be charged separately, and then put in the SteriPEN. The case also comes with a 117 volt wall (grid/utility power) adapter for charging the batteries at home. (Both chargers, BTW are great to also keep on hand for charging the rechargeable varieties of CR123 batteries for tactical lights and lasers.)

The bottom line: Both the SteriPen and the chargers are easy to use and sturdy. We endorse this product. SteriPENs are available from Safecastle, Ready Made Resources, and several other Internet vendors.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Brian H. mentioned an interesting note from retired journalist Charley Reese regarding Swiss preparedness.

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Umpteen SurvivalBlog readers have mentioned the new proposed OSHA regulations on ammunition, gunpowder, and primers. Please get involved and write a few letters during the public comment period,.

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SF in Hawaii was doing some research on potable water storage and he found this low cost supplier for barrels, and this supplier for large tanks.

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Richard of KT Ordnance sent us the link to this entertaining and informative video: Chevy Pickup Truck Versus Various Brands of AR-15/M16 magazines. I should mention that upon seeing it, The Memsahib declared that since “it includes a truck, gun stuff, and things getting broken”, that this video has nearly all the key elements to make it a perfect “guy video.” OBTW, Magpul PMAGs are available from Green Mountain Gear (one of our advertisers.)

Letter Re: My Adventure in Growing Wheat, by Carl in Wisconsin

Sir:
Regarding Carl’s question of cleaning and harvesting grain. First get some horses and a binder, it’s much easier than by hand.

Regarding proper use of a scythe: It is largely a matter of gaining a rhythm. Proper rhythm will allow you to cut all day without much effort., merely swinging your body. To exaggerate, swing the scythe to catch between 1?2 and one inch of grain/grass. At the last second jerk it toward you. In practice, if you have a good swing, it more or less does the jerk by itself. I have found that doing it properly will lay down the crop in rows, and it is almost as easy to pick it up by hand, rather than raking it. If you are using an 18th century basket to transport (No ends but a long handle) Pick up a handful of grain/grass, lay it on the basket with the heads in one direction, and you get about a bundles worth before you have to transport it. If the grain is ripe, and you lay the heads over the end of a flat surface, all you have to do is whack the heads only, and the kernels will fall out. (Or you can do it on a tarp or something on the ground. But still, whacking the heads only on ripe grain makes it easy to remove the straw by hand.) After cutting, the grain should be let dry to loosen the seeds from their hulls.

As to the cleaning of grain, I have seen several versions of a hand operated fanning mill. All were about three feet to 40 inches square. (And about 5 feet tall.) At the top, a hopper the width of the machine and between two and three feet wide with a sloped bottom so the grain would gravity feed. Depth of hopper about 18 inches to a max of two feet) (The whole machine shakes somewhat so feeding isn’t that difficult.) At the bottom of the hopper a variable crack feeds the whole screening area. (A metal or wooden bar that you can tie down with clamps when you have the right amount of flow.) (Facing the machine from the front, the hopper feeds the back of the first screen, and the crank handle is on the right.) The first screen slopes downward to the front. The crud pile is right at your feet.

I think at this point it would be wise to interject that the majority of the machine (except for the fan, the hopper, and the frame,) is a series of sloping screens. All of these screens are zig zagged downwards in a “Screen frame” that all move or vibrate more or less in unison. (Separate from the frame of the machine total.) (And which will be described later)

The screens are the difficult part in an 18th century setting. The top screen has holes large enough for the seeds to fall through. (Of course different grains have different sized and shaped holes.)(Wheat, oats, barley for example so you need different screens.) This first screen is to remove stones, straw, rabbit poop, or any larger items. It simply dumps all of the garbage that makes it to the end of the screen onto the floor in front of the mill.

The second stage (screen) is sloped in the opposite direction. And depending on how the fan is situated, is designed and sized so that the wheat must travel the whole distance because the holes are too small for it to fall through, but weed seeds and dirt get through the small holes and are directed on a solid metal sheet to discard. Either before hitting this second screen, or after, the stream of air coming from the fan is directed at the stream of falling grain. This, if adjusted properly, blows all the light stuff onto the refuse pile. The grain, being heavier than the air can readily move, falls down to the next screen.

Depending on how fancy you want to get, you can get other screens as well, but the two major things are to remove the big, heavy stuff, and the small light stuff which leaves you with the grains you wanted. (And sometimes some very small rocks)(Heavy enough to not be moved by air, and the right size to make it through the screens.)

Regarding the fan. Most of the units I have seen were a sort of straight sided barrel on its side. (Mounted on the rear of the mill.) (15-18 inches in diameter, some smaller. 18 is too big IMHO.) A metal rod with a gear at the end, driven by a chain off the crank, went in one end through a larger than necessary hole (Acts as air intake) You have seen these river boat stern paddlers? That is exactly what the interior fan looks like. A series of flat boards which move the air by centrifugal force, out through a variable slot on the side of the barrel. In what I think were the more efficient (Albeit more prone to breakage and more difficult to repair) models, the air was piped by a stationary oblong box type pipe to the area where the grain was falling off the first screen on its way to being caught by the second screen. This blows the light crud out into the same pile as the heavy stuff falling from the first screen. Not a lot of air is required. Usually the problem is that you are blowing light seeds out into the refuse, and if nothing else they can be fed to the animals. But then, if you are fanning for seed, you can re-fan the crud pile using less air and get the small grain.

In this simplified model, with two screens and one air output, the grain comes out the back. (Which most of them were.)

The “Screen frame”. I saw one (never saw it in operation.) that had a rigid box frame. I would think with so much vibration going on that it would not have lasted long Usually the tray type holders for the screens were part of the screen frame. Under the screen frame was usually two, but occasionally four eccentrics which had a gear on the end, driven by the chain from the crank handle. (Often the gear itself, with a protrusion on the side acted as the eccentric.) The crank chain had three contact points. The crank handle gear, the fan gear and the eccentric gear.

The “screen frame” was simply four hardwood slats ”hinged” at the four corner contact points with the screen trays and the eccentric frame. (Hinged meaning it had a bolt type rod with a sleeve to act as a bearing so the whole thing could flex.) Note that they do require regular greasing, just as wooden wagon wheels.) The whole object of this exercise is to make the grain and materials bounce and roll down a bit so they can hit holes in the screens, and either fall through, or not, to separate them. Not a lot of vibration is needed, but enough bounce is needed get a kernel with its small end stuck in a hole on the screen out and on its way. In fact, I would think the old mills erred on the side of too much bounce if anything. It has been a lot of years since I saw and used these things, but from memory the bounce was about half an inch, and the slope of the screens was three to five inches in 36 [inches], with a favor toward the three inch end of that dimension. (I would use [a] four [inch in 36 inch slope] if I were building one)

To summarize, the whole machine is built of wood with the exception of: the screens, the crank handle and its attachment to the machine, the gear and rod for the fan, the gear and rod (and probably the eccentric itself) for the vibrator, and the flat chain to drive the latter two. (And of course the nails or bolts to hold it all together.) The crank handle could be mounted on the fan, but design problems would likely make it the wrong height, and therefore uncomfortable to operate for long periods. As well, you can vary the speed of the fan, and the vibrator too for that matter, by changing the number of teeth on the gears. – JustaMereFarmBoy

Letter Re: The SurvivalBlog Glossary

James:
I have been reading SurvivalBlog most every day for nearly a year now. I’m a 10 Cent Challenge subscriber. I had long ago read most of those “button” web pages up at the top [of the SurvivalBlog main page], but it wasn’t until yesterday that I read your new page on Peak Oil, and I took the time to read all the way through the Glossary page. That thing has gotten huge. Not only was it interesting and educating to read, but it was also a laugh riot. You snuck some very funny stuff in there, like your definitions for “BS“, “Contrapreneur”, “JASBORR“, “RV“, “Schumer” and “UA 571-C“. (That [last item] was from the movie Aliens, right?) ROTFLMAO!, – Phil in Arkansas

Odds ‘n Sods:

Courtesy of our friend Tom at CometGold.com, comes this blog link: Is Mexico About to Fail?

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More on the commodities boom: The price of tin reached an all-time high early last week, at over $7 per pound!

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Vic at Safecastle is offering SurvivalBlog readers an opportunity to purchase a lifetime membership in the Safecastle Royal buyers club at half-price now through August. Simply enter the coupon code JWRMEMBER on the payment page in the checkout process, and your membership will cost just $9.50. That membership gets you at least 20% off and free shipping on everything in the store. In fact, through August, members get 25% off any Mountain House or Maxpedition purchase. (Note that Mountain House will be raising prices for the first time in six years on September 1st.)

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I found this at SHTF Daily: The Five Stages of Counterfeiting by Gary North on LewRockwell.com:

Note from JWR:

Today we present another article for Round 11 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. I will again be sending out a few complimentary copies of my novel “Patriots” as “honorable mention” awards. Round 11 ends on July 31st. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

Digging Tools Basics, by JN EMT

Knowing how to dig holes, make trenches and move earth is an important, if often overlooked skill. Here are tips that I thought might be helpful.

The Tools of the Trade
Digging instruments are as sexy or fun to shop for as battle rifles and Snap-On automotive tools, but having a good selection of these can mean the difference between completing a task in a day or spending three weeks in agony. Here are the basics.
Folding Shovel – Every vehicle you own should have at least one shovel. A small folding shovel or “E-Tool” is compact and easy to carry. These get the job done when it’s time to dig out under a stuck car or dig a small trench. They are limited by their size and do not have much leverage for breaking hard ground or digging through roots. I prefer the wooden-handles models available as surplus, but any quality military-spec shovel will do. Beware the [flimsy] Chinese imitations. [JWR Adds: Ah, yes, the dreaded “GI Type” tri-fold shovel. Avoid!]
Short-handled shovel – This is the next step up from an Entrenching Tool (E-Tool). Any truck or utility vehicle should have one of these stashed somewhere. With more than twice the length and 3-4 times more area, you will move earth much faster. Get one with a spade point for cutting into hard ground. The flat-blade types are for mucking, or moving already broken up material around.
Full-Size Shovel – This is your basic digging tool for home or farm. You’ll want a sturdy model with a tempered steel blade and a quality wood or fiberglass handle.
Get several, as these are inexpensive and allow you to put your whole crew to work. One limitation of the standard shovel, however, is that you must dig your hole wider as it gets deeper. To get 3 feet deep, you may end up with a hole 4′ wide. That’s a lot of earth to move if you do not need happen to need such a hole, so specialty tools are in order.
Post Hole Digger – This is the best tool by far for digging deep, narrow holes. Some of the tasks you’ll want this for are installing fence posts, digging a pit toilet, or making a foxhole. Additionally, it’s nice to be able to make a small test hole when you’re looking for buried pipes or other objects. [JWR Adds: Here, JN refers to the type with two handles and two hinged shovel ends that “clamshell” together when the handles are separated, as opposed to a twist auger.]
Auger – These are available in hand or powered models. They basically look like a huge twist drill bit with a big ‘T’ handle. These are excellent for making fence post holes or breaking up the ground for bigger excavations (i.e. roots cellars, fortifications). This is the preferred tool for installing caches made from PVC tubes. [JWR Adds: Except in soil with rocks over 1″ diameter, where a clamshell type posthole digger works better.] Note that the gas-powered models are very powerful and can hurt you easily if they bind. I recommend only using a larger model with two people.
Digging Bar – This is a heavy steel bar, about [1″ to ] 1.5″ in diameter and 5 [to six] feet long. [JWR Adds: Typically these have a broad chisel point on one end, and a square-cross section point at the other. The points are hardened enough that they usually hold up to many years of service. This is is an indispensable tool for any property with rocky soil!] ] To use, a person picks it up and drops the pointy end forcefully down into the ground. This tool is excellent for breaking up hard ground and digging in places where a shovel will have major problems cutting through the dirt.
Pickaxe – Also good for tearing through hard ground. The point end can be used for breaking up rocks, while the flat end is best for hard earth and cutting through roots.
Hatchet/Axe – May be needed if you have lots of tree roots to deal with. A big tree root will stop your shovel cold. A hatchet is often easier to work within the confined space of a hole.
Sand Point – If you have pressurized water available, this is a really easy way to bore into dirt or sand. Basically, a sand point is a section of water pipe that is attached to a hose inserted into the ground. When the water is turned on, the rod is forced down through the dirt, and the flushing action of the water erodes away the dirt as it goes with very little effort. Additional pipe sections can be screwed on as needed. This is a great way to install an electrical ground rod for your generator, or run a pipe under a driveway or road. A homemade version would simply be a length of 1/2″ copper water pipe attached to a valve and a garden hose coupling.
Commercially made sand points are available that have a screen at the end and fittings for larger diameter pipe. These can be used to bore down 20+ feet to install a shallow well.
Demolition Hammer – This is a lightweight electric jackhammer. With a spade-style bit installed, a “demo” hammer can make it much easier to excavate hard ground. This assumes, of course, that electricity is available. These are often available to rent at home improvement stores, and they are much quieter to operate than heavy equipment or gas-operated tools.
Water Hose – A shovel works best for moving soft material. Pre-soaking the area to be excavated usually softens the first 12-18″ of hard soil. In sandy, desert areas adding some water makes it much easier to dig, as it prevents the sand from caving in. I’ve found that a 5 gallon bucket of water is just about right for digging a fence post hole.

Putting it all together
Now that you have a good assortment of tools, digging that drainage ditch or digging up a faulty water line should be much easier. But you will not have any idea how much work is involved in digging a large excavation unless you’ve tried it a few times in your [local] soil and discovered what works best.

Anyone whose plans include building a fallout shelter or other structure at the last minute should reconsider, especially if the only tool available is a shovel and the excavators are not accustomed to this sort of work. The time estimates on some of those Civil Defense plans should be taken with a large grain of salt. Some of the available [U.S.] Army manuals, such as FM 5-15: Field Fortifications are full of great earthworks ideas and include time estimates. FM 21-10: Field Sanitation and Hygiene is another great reference for long-term and temporary latrine plans.

Letter Re: Computers – A Cache of Spare Parts For Your Guns

Greetings,
As the British would say, it was one of those rare moments of ‘serendipity,’ but I was watching “The Postman” the other night on cable [television], and decided to field strip and clean a couple of rifles while doing so. As I was reassembling my CAR-15 in particular, I told my wife, as I charged the bolt – and felt everything moving as it should in a rightly reassembled firearm – that, “guns are a lot like computers these days – either you put them (back) together the right way, or they simply won’t work at all.”
The very next day, I was attempting to mount a brand new MTI lo-mount scope base on my PTR-91, and sure enough, I stripped the threads on one of the tiny little hex-head bolts that clamped it to the rifle. In mid-panic, over possibly ruining a $155 mount, I suddenly remembered my own comment about “guns & computers,” and went downstairs to check my cabinet o’ spare computer parts. Sure enough, I found a tiny Phillips head bolt, that was long enough, and threaded perfectly, to work on my mount! Problem solved – expensive mount, saved!
In a worst-case scenario – nuke strike with massive EMP – most computers will be nothing more than over-sized paperweights anyway. But, since all of them are held together with a plethora of tiny, finely threaded bolts, nuts, and screws, they can be a treasure trove of spare parts for mounting optics, rails, and other rifle accessories, not to mention all the other uses you might find, or even dream up, while scrounging out an existence post-SHTF. As I also wear eyeglasses, computers just might be the difference between being terribly near-sighted, and of little use to anyone, and being able to put my eyeglasses frames and arms back together!
In my “can’t do without” bag, I have now added an empty medicine bottle full of assorted computer bolts, nuts, and screws, from my ample supply of spare parts, to go alongside the jeweler’s screwdriver set I also have in there. No guarantee that Lenscrafters will survive the apocalypse any better than any other business. Extra pairs of glasses are nice; extra screws and screwdrivers to go along with them, are even better. – Bob McC.

JWR Replies: Thanks for that tip. BTW, as The Memsahib can attest, I am famous for scrounging hardware. Whenever any appliance here at the ranch is beyond repair, I always strip it of any usable fastener hardware, cooling fans, lamps, lamp sockets, motors, batteries, battery holders, switches, wire, ribbon cables, fuses, fuse holders, annunciators (“beepers” and bells), and power cords. I’ve ve even bought “dead” appliances at garage sales for 50 cents or a dollar, just to strip them for hardware and scrap sheet metal. As I often say: “These things may come in handy someday”. I keep most of the parts in two large sets of well-labelled military surplus metal divider drawers, down in the JASBORR. OBTW, if you plan to do likewise, show great caution when working around capacitors or power supply modules that could still be holding a charge!

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Roger S. sent us an article by David McWilliams in Ireland: World’s financial community gives two fingers to the US. One note of clarification, however: The June 12th auction was of Treasury Bills, not Treasury Notes. The Auction on the 15th was Treasury Notes.

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From The Motley Fool’s UK edition, by way of SHTF Daily: It’s Heading For Crunch Time…

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Rob at Green Mountain Gear mentioned that he is continuing his special on HK91/G3 Alloy magazines in new, unissued condition. He has just a few 20-packs left. Rob notes: “Some of them might have slight handling marks from moving around the world over the years. The first 20rnd magazines I pulled look simply awesome! Hit them with a little degreaser and you have a great looking magazine at a rock bottom price. These are not “bargain bin” used magazines and each shipment will be hand-packed to make sure that no ‘junkers’ slip in. This is not a group buy and thus there is no wait time. First come, first served as there is limited quantity. HK G3 magazines in this condition are drying up fast so this is a great time to stock up. There are no additional quantity discounts available at this time due to availability. I want to make sure everyone has a chance to stock up. However, you can order as many 20 packs as you like. A 20 pack (Twenty HK magazines) is $84.99 mailed to the 48 continental states via USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate ($8.95 is included in the price). That is just $4.24 per magazine, delivered! Most people receive their shipments within three days via this shipping method so it is a real bargain and much cheaper than UPS/FedEx options.”

Note from JWR:

Today we present another article for Round 11 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. I will again be sending out a few complimentary copies of my novel “Patriots” as “honorable mention” awards. Round 11 ends on July 31st. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

My Adventure in Growing Wheat, by Carl in Wisconsin

Some time about June of 2006 I decided after long months of listening to James, the editor of The Bison Newsletter talk about storing wheat that I would try to grow some in an exercise in Post-TSHTF Farming/Gardening.
On page 172 of the Readers Digest Back To Basics book it states that a 10’ by 109 ‘ foot plot would grow about 100 pounds of wheat, enough for a family of 4 for a year. I figured that a plot twice that size would be perfect for two people and a dog and a cat. I also question if 100 pounds of wheat is actually enough for a family of 4 for a year.
I am a firm believer that we are headed for 1880’s technology, therefore, I was going to try to use the tools from 1880. I started by going to the field with my trusty dirt turning spade and small pitch fork. I started on July 1st and stopped on July 2nd. I t was just too much back breaking work. Soooo… I roto-tilled a spot about 20 by 100 feet. So much for 1880!
In September, I got about a gallon of wheat out my storage and proceeded to use my hand-held grass seed spreader. I spread those little wheaties just like a pro. I then raked the whole plot to work the seeds into the soil. That took a day.
Over the next two months until about December 1st the little guys actually came up just like winter wheat is supposed to. From then until March we got some snow, about 1/2 of a normal Wisconsin winter and it got below 0 a couple of times. Winter was just no big deal like it is supposed to be here.
In March I noticed they were turning green again and starting to grow. We two snow storms and temperatures dropped below 0 a couple of nights. It got warm and the wheaties were growing again. In April we got frost about 10 nights in a row, but my little green buddies were okay. Along come May and guess what? More frost and no rain! The wheaties were looking dismal. They grew to about 18” in height. In early June we got some rain and they were looking good again.
It had not rained in 20 days as of July 1st. It was close to 100 degrees a couple of days in there. On Sunday, July 1st I checked on them at about 6:00 am and they were all falling down. I checked some of the heads and there was grain, small but all the same its was grain.
I decided it was time to harvest. I went to my storage building and got my razor sharp scythe. I confidently entered the field and made a sweep with the tool…. Much to my amazement the wheat just leaned further over and did not cut. I tried and tried, faster, slower, adjusting the pitch of cut, nothing worked. Remembering that this is a really dangerous tool, I decided to cheat and cut down the wheat with my walk-behind weed whip. The 20th century made a come back. The weed whip did a nice job. I didn’t give it full gas and laid the stalks down nicely.
I went and got my wife. I told her she was drafted to help rake the wheat up. Between the two of us we had it raked by 11:30. By the way we used leaf rakes. This may be the biggest error of all. A proper hay rake is absolutely required.
We loaded the truck up with the bundles of stalks and moved them to my garage. We put down a huge tarp and spread the wheat out.
Back to the Readers Digest Book! It showed a process on page 173. I saw it called for a flail. I don’t have a flail, but I do have the chained Kung-Fu [Nunchaku] sticks that I confiscated from my wayward son 20 years ago. So I began beating the pile with the Kung-Fu sticks. I only hit myself in the back of the head once before I realized I had to slow my swing down.
I kneeled in the pile; I stood by the pile, swinging madly at a pile of straw. After about an hour I decided to find out how much wheat I had. Of course I was expecting huge kernels and lots of them.
I turned a section of the pile to find chaff, dirt, dried deer and rabbit poop and a few wheat kernels. Once again I checked my trusty Back to Basics and found it called for winnowing. I went to the house and got a sifter. I got a 5 gallon bucket and filled up the sifter with a pile of “stuff”. The dirt fell through but that was it. I decided to get an old window screen and try it that way. This worked better but still too much trash in the mix. So back to the 20th century, I got a small electric fan. This helped immensely. It blew much of trash away and left me grain, no dirt, but left the dried animal poop. I poured the remaining stuff back to the kitchen sifter and hand picked out anything not wheat. A very time consuming job.
I have completed perhaps half the pile and have about a cup of wheat. I think I have negative return.
My little experiment in basic farming skills has taught me the following. Remembering that I wanted to do this without the benefit of modern tools and on a small plot:
1. The seed/plant count was way too low. I need a lawn spreader or a very small grain drill. I bought a small hand operated push unit at a garage sale for $2.00 for next year. I should be able to get a more even and consistent spread of seeds.
2. The weather/climate is/has begun to change here. I cannot rely on “normal weather” to nurture the crop. I need to find seed that is more drought resistant. Non-hybrid, but something that will survive on less moisture. I am considering buying a bag or two of wheat Seed at my local coop.
3. Irrigation may be needed. I am building a rain water catchment system for the house and barn. I believe I need to extend the system to where the wheat plot is, move the plot closer to the barn or build its own system. Both are easier said than done.
4. I can extend the existing house water system 600 feet to the plot and use a sprinkler, but that is hardly 1880s technology.
5. I think I need to get a hand held scythe for cutting. I need to find a grain/hay rake. I am going to see if the local Amish have something.
6. I have got to have a winnowing machine. It does not need to motorized, just designed for the task. I have seen one at a local farm for sale. I will be going that way soon and will check. I have also found several designs on the web for small winnowing units. One that uses an electric fan, the other is hand operated. Both are at the Victory Horticultural Library. This entire exercise was to see how I would do using 1880s technology. It was also a test of skills and ability to adapt. I learned much. The most important being that skills and tools do not come from books, but experience. I live at my retreat so I have the luxury to try learning different things.