Preparedness Notes for Friday — August 6, 2021

On August 6th, 1945 at 8:16 a.m. (Japanese time), an American B-29 bomber– the Enola Gay– dropped the world’s first war-time atom bomb over the city of Hiroshima. Approximately 80,000 people were killed as a result of the blast, with another 35,000 injured. At least another 60,000 would be dead by the end of the year from the effects of the fallout. History is always written by the victors, so the reasoning and justification for this will be argued for years to come. But one thing is for sure: this action officially ushered in the nuclear age in war and has generated mass fear among civilization ever since, even though the firebombing of Japanese cities caused far more damage and loss of life. An interesting side note is Tsutomu Yamaguchi was 3 kilometers from the Hiroshima blast, but survived. Along with a few other survivors, he made his way to his hometown, Nagasaki, and was again within 3 kilometers of the second blast yet also survived this one.

On 6 August 2011, a U.S. CH-47D Chinook military helicopter operating with the call sign Extortion 17 (spoken “one-seven”) was shot down while transporting an Immediate Reaction Force attempting to reinforce a Joint Special Operations Command unit of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the Tangi Valley in Maidan Wardak province, southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan. The resulting crash killed all 38 people on board – 25 US Navy Seals, one pilot and two crewmen of the United States Army Reserve, one pilot and one crewman of the United States Army National Guard, seven members of the Afghan National Security Forces, and one Afghan interpreter, as well as a U.S. military working dog.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today, we begin Round 96 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  5. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Siege Stoves is generously donating a SIEGE® STOVE kit, including a Titanium Gen 3 Flat-Pack Stove with titanium Cross-Members and a variety of bonus items including a Large Folding Grill, a pair of Side Toasters, a Compact Fire Poker, and an extra set of stainless steel universal Cross-Members. (In all, a $200 value.)
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Honorable Mention:

A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit toward the purchase of any antique or percussion replica gun from Elk Creek Company will be awarded to each Honorable Mention prize winner.

—

Round 96 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

My Many Fast Failures – Part 2, by M.P.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)

A couple of months ago another hen went broody, and I decided to take advantage of this to have her hatch a clutch of eggs all from these hens and rooster. Her first clutch was eight eggs. I moved her and the eggs into a temporary nest, made from a cardboard box, in the cage I had used before to separate her from the flock a bit and protect her eggs from the other hens who might try to lay in that box. She was not happy about the move and repeatedly tried to return to the original, now empty, nest box. One mistake I made was using too small a box for her. It was the same size as the one I had used earlier, but this was a larger bird and it was too small for her. She was not at all happy with that nest and it showed.

She managed to get out of the cage one night and I found her in the morning in a regular nest box in the coop. I counted those eight eggs a loss since they would have chilled overnight, put five fresh eggs in a larger temporary nest box and closed her in securely so that she couldn’t get out of the cage. I worried that all of this hassle would break her broodiness, but I thank the Lord that it didn’t and she settled on the new clutch. Then the waiting began, at least three weeks maybe a bit longer.

This summer was fairly warm and very rainy. I don’t think the humidity dropped below 85% at any time during the three plus weeks she was on the nest, and most days it was in the 90-100% range. That may explain why none of those eggs hatched, even after 25 days with her on the nest since eggs need to be kept at about 70% humidity while the embryos are developing, though that is just a guess. In any event, even though I waited four extra days, none of those eggs hatched.Continue reading“My Many Fast Failures – Part 2, by M.P.”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at the jet fuel shortage. (See the Commodities section.)

Precious Metals:

August could be a ‘terrific’ month for gold, says Jim Cramer.

o  o  o

Arkadiusz Sieroń: Allocation to Gold Is Set to Rise. How Will Prices Respond?

Economy & Finance:

Will the Delta Variant Wreck the Recovery?

o  o  o

At Zero Hedge: Banks Are Literally Begging Americans To Take Out Loans And Max Out Credit Cards.

o  o  o

$12 Billion Hedge Fund Suffers $1.5 Billion Loss On Massive Treasury Short Squeeze.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — August 5, 2021

August 5th is the sad anniversary of the Mann Gulch Fire in Montana that took the lives of 13 firefighters (including 12 smokejumpers and one former smokejumper), in 1949. The intense, fast-moving forest fire took place in what later became the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness. The events of that fire were chronicled in the book Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean and immortalized in the haunting lyrics of the ballad Cold Missouri Waters by James Keelaghan.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today, we begin Round 96 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  5. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Siege Stoves is generously donating a SIEGE® STOVE kit, including a Titanium Gen 3 Flat-Pack Stove with titanium Cross-Members and a variety of bonus items including a Large Folding Grill, a pair of Side Toasters, a Compact Fire Poker, and an extra set of stainless steel universal Cross-Members. (In all, a $200 value.)
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Honorable Mention:

A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit toward the purchase of any antique or percussion replica gun from Elk Creek Company will be awarded to each Honorable Mention prize winner.

—

Round 96 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

My Many Fast Failures – Part 1, by M.P.

I just learned the hard way the truth about not counting your chickens before they are hatched. This is but one of the many failures I have experienced over the past several years as I have been trying to climb the learning curve of several different self-sufficiency skills. I wanted to share my experiences with the other readers of SurvivalBlog in hopes—not so much that you can learn from my mistakes though if that happens, wonderful!—but as much as anything to encourage you to start now making your own mistakes and learning from them if you haven’t already.

“Fail fast” is a term we don’t hear a lot of anymore, but it was big in tech circles a short while ago. It essentially means try lots of things and test often, fixing mistakes and errors along the way or learning early if a different direction needs to be undertaken. It is a practice that I think we preppers should be doing now and if we aren’t already, we need to start immediately.

If this nation and this world continue along the path we seem to be heading down faster and faster, then we are going to need to be providing for ourselves from our own resources in the near future. For most of us, this will mean having not only essential materials (seeds, animals, water, protection, etc.) but the essential skill set to use and manage these resources reliably and successfully. But the reality is that many, maybe most of us, even when our stores of essentials are deep, don’t have the skills developed to such a level that we can know that we will be able to provide for ourselves and our families in the long run. This is where implementing the concept of fail fast now—when we can afford to make our mistakes and recover from them—becomes so important.

If we wait until we must depend on our skills to get by, we are past the point of easily recovering from those inevitable mistakes. And if you can learn from my mistakes and fast failures, so much the better!

My chicken saga began several years ago, when I ordered a batch of chicks from a local feed store. I did quite a bit right, I think, at first. I had the coop and a run built by the time they were to arrive. I had all the supplies I needed on hand as well. When the chicks came, they went right into the ready brood box with a heat lamp, bedding, feed, and water. The box had to be in our breezeway (I’m not sure my wife thinks I did this part right as still years later she claims the breezeway smells like chickens) because of the cold temperatures in this region that early in the year. The box had a screened top to keep our cats away from the chicks, so that though they enjoyed sitting on top and watching them they couldn’t do them any harm. We enjoyed them, too, as did any grandkids or other children who came to visit.Continue reading“My Many Fast Failures – Part 1, by M.P.”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, we look at software-defined radios (SDRs).

A Primer on Software Defined Radios (SDRs)

This video is a primer on inexpensive software-defined radios (SDRs): The Coolest Radio You’ve Probably Never Heard Of.  JWR’s Comment: The software to operate these radios is available for free download. At just $35, this is a great radio to give as a birthday gift to a tech-savvy kid who already owns a laptop computer.  It is mind-boggling to think that a radio with both a spectrum analyzer and a waterfall display is now available at that price point.

Global Warming Debunked?

Reader H.L. recommended this, over at American Thinker: Is Earth Actually Getting Hotter?

NYC to Require Proof of Vax at Restaurants, Gyms and Shows

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: NYC to be first in nation to require proof of vaccination for indoor restaurants, gyms, shows.

FCC Approves FM for CB

CB Radio is Going FM! Why is the FCC Doing It?

Czech Parliament Recognizes the RKBA

Over at the JPFO site: Czech Republic: A Right to Armed Self Defense. A quote:

“The amendment states that “the right to defend one’s life or the life of others, even with the use of weapons, is guaranteed.”

The lower house of the Czech Parliament passed the amendment on 28 June with a 139 to 9 majority.

On 21 July, 2021, the Senate passed the amendment, with 54 of 74 senators voting for it.”

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Cannot you see, cannot all you lecturers see, that it is we that are dying, and that down here the only thing that really lives is the Machine? We created the Machine, to do our will, but we cannot make it do our will now. It has robbed us of the sense of space and of the sense of touch, it has blurred every human relation and narrowed down love to a carnal act, it has paralysed our bodies and our wills, and now it compels us to worship it. The Machine develops — but not on our lines. The Machine proceeds — but not to our goal. We only exist as the blood corpuscles that course through its arteries, and if it could work without us, it would let us die.” – E.M. Forster, The Machine Stops

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — August 4, 2021

On August 4th, 1944, 15-year-old Jewish diarist Anne Frank and her family were captured by the Nazi Gestapo. The Franks had taken shelter in a small space in a sealed-off area of an Amsterdam warehouse along with another Jewish family and a single Jewish man. They were aided by Christian friends who brought them food and supplies. Her diary survived the war, overlooked by the Gestapo, but Anne and nearly all of the others perished in the Nazi death camps.

—

Two of my recent gun auctions at GunBroker.com ended very satisfactorily. But oddly, the third one got no bids. So, I decided to start a new auction for it with a $1 opening bid, and no reserve! It is a stainless steel Seecamp LWS .380 ACP made in Milford, Connecticut, new in box with three factory magazines, and extra factory springs. As a modern gun, it would require delivery to or through an FFL. This scarce Seecamp pistol has a current market value in excess of $1,000. Please consider bidding. Not only will you help support SurvivalBlog, but you’ll end up with a gun from my personal collection. Mark your calendar: This auction ends Sunday, 8/15/2021 at 10:03 PM, Eastern Time.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 96 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today, we begin Round 96 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  5. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Siege Stoves is generously donating a SIEGE® STOVE kit, including a Titanium Gen 3 Flat-Pack Stove with titanium Cross-Members and a variety of bonus items including a Large Folding Grill, a pair of Side Toasters, a Compact Fire Poker, and an extra set of stainless steel universal Cross-Members. (In all, a $200 value.)
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Honorable Mention:

A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit toward the purchase of any antique or percussion replica gun from Elk Creek Company will be awarded to each Honorable Mention prize winner.

—

Round 96 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Money, Finances and Preparedness, by Mr. Zipph

As an executive with a multi-billion financial institution, I am a financial insider (boo, hiss). I also believe in preparedness. I believe that I have some insights into the money side of preparedness that you might want to consider. I will not delve too deeply into the fragile nature of the global financial system, but I will share my biggest concerns without going into detail:
• The fractional reserve banking system allows your bank to create money out of thin air
• The central banks of the world are creating unprecedented amounts of money out of thin air
• Fiat currencies are not real money
• The central banking systems of the major nations only exist to prop up large commercial banks and do not care about citizens
• There is an enormous amount of leverage in the financial markets, government balance sheets, shadow banks and the average household
• Some private equity firms operate in the shadows, taking enormous leveraged bets which can shake fixed income markets when their bets go bad.
• Regulators are incapable of understanding the risks being taken by the firms that they regulate

But enough about what keeps me up at night. My primary objective of this article is to share my thoughts with you on appropriate financial preparedness strategies. I will not go into the non-financial aspects of prepping, of which you are all so familiar.

I was oblivious to the concept of prepping until the 2008 to 2009 global financial crisis. It shook my beliefs about money and the financial markets to the core. During this crisis, I became “red-pilled” and started to question everything that I believed about our government, the financial markets and money in general. I realized that many of the concepts that I thought were ridiculous conspiracy theories, were not. I was very concerned about losing my job and realized that I would be in big trouble, if I did. I had way too much debt, very little savings, no cash on hand, no silver, no gold and only enough food in the house to last about a week. But I took the bull by the horns and started my various financial and non-financial prepping efforts during the depths of the financial crisis.Continue reading“Money, Finances and Preparedness, by Mr. Zipph”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. We may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

We’ll start out today’s column with this:  Pompeo Says ‘Collapse From Within Is Possible’ In Dark Vision Of Nation’s Potential Future. (Thanks to Reader A.K. for the link.)

o  o  o

Avalanche Lily pointed me to a brief “must read” essay, over at NC Renegades: Bad Things Are Coming! Nothing Is Going To Stop It Now!

o  o  o

In a recent two-part article on cordage, J.M. wrote: “When I’m traveling and staying in hotels or working in multi-story office buildings I wanted something I can use to safely climb or rappel in case I get trapped in a fire, earthquake, etc., so in those situations I carry 100’ of 1500lb. Kevlar line, which has extremely high heat resistance.”

This prompted reader PNG to send this query:

“I’d be very curious to know how what additional equipment he uses to climb or rappel on that stuff. At 3mm or less in diameter, it’s incompatible with normal descenders and belay devices, you can’t grip it, and if you tried to get some friction for rappelling by wrapping half a turn around your back like in the old days, it would make every effort to cut you in half.

Structural firefighters carry escape kits with 7mm to 8mm aramid ropes (Kevlar or Technora) and suitable anchors, descenders, and carabiners. These kits usually have only 50’ of rope to keep them to a moderate size. If J.M. knows something that these professionals don’t know, I’m sure they’d love to hear about it as much as I would.”

o  o  o

New Zealand rated best place to survive global societal collapse.

o  o  o

Reader C.B. forwarded this piece that might explain some AWOL Bees: Study shows common insecticide is harmful in any amount.

o  o  o

Shirley suggested this essay by Brandon Smith: Why Are Globalists And Governments So Desperate For 100% Vaccination Rates?

o  o  o

Ready To Blow: Map reveals where WW3 could break out in 2021 as experts warn about next big frontier of warfare.

o  o  o

Reader D.S. recommended this: Heads Up, Senate Votes to Advance Unwritten Infrastructure Bill as Biden Hints HR-3684 Will Include Amnesty in Reconciliation Process.  JWR’s Comment: To call the Senate  “corrupt” “broken” is putting it mildly. I expect to see a horse appointed to the Senate, any day now…

o  o  o

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Bitcoin is not an actual physical coin, and if computers are shut down, you can’t buy or sell them. That’s why nothing will ever replace gold and silver coins themselves, and all investors should have them at home or in a safe deposit box.” – Mark Skousen

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — August 3, 2021

On August 3rd, 1914, Germany and France both declared war on each other, formally beginning the First World War.

August 3rd, 1846 is the day that the Donner party found a note warning the emigrants that their expected route through the mountains ahead was nearly impassable. Hastings, an unscrupulous trail guide had created his own “short cut” route and wasn’t even at the planned meeting place at Fort Bridger, but had left word for the party to continue on. Hastings had claimed easy passage through the rugged Wasatch Mountains, but had left a note attached to a forked stick for the party explaining that the route was more difficult than he thought. That shortcut cost the Donner party 18 valuable days, but their difficulties were only beginning. They crossed the Sierra Nevada Mountains late in the season and on October 28, a heavy snowfall blocked the high mountain passes, trapping them in a frozen wilderness. Eventually reduced to cannibalism, only 45 of the original 89 emigrants reached California the following year.

—

I’m pleased to announce that we finally got the “shopping cart” ordering system for Elk Creek Company working again. It seems that establishing the Pre-1965 silver coinage pricing option created a couple of glitches. But they seem to be resoived now. I look forward to your orders! – JWR

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today, we begin Round 96 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  5. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Siege Stoves is generously donating a SIEGE® STOVE kit, including a Titanium Gen 3 Flat-Pack Stove with titanium Cross-Members and a variety of bonus items including a Large Folding Grill, a pair of Side Toasters, a Compact Fire Poker, and an extra set of stainless steel universal Cross-Members. (In all, a $200 value.)
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Honorable Mention:

A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit toward the purchase of any antique or percussion replica gun from Elk Creek Company will be awarded to each Honorable Mention prize winner.

—

Round 96 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

The Blind Squirrel Report, by The Novice

It is said that even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then. I have some nutty discoveries to pass along. These discoveries do not merit 1,500 words individually. Collectively, they may deserve some attention. I have compiled them into a single article for your edification and entertainment.

Fire Starting

Cadillac Mink Oil

Mink oil is a byproduct of the fur industry, obtained by rendering the insulating fatty layer found under the skin of minks. It is more resistant to rancidity than most other animal and vegetable oils. It is used as a skin moisturizer and in other cosmetics, as a treatment to make leather more pliable and waterproof, as a biofuel, as lubrication for black powder patches, and as a case lube for reloading. As a biofuel, it produces more energy per unit than most other animal fats.

I recently ran across an 8 ounce jar of mink oil at a thrift store for 50 cents. That is a great deal. The cheapest I was able to find a similar jar elsewhere was for $6.95 on eBay.

As a dedicated kindler of campfires (pyromaniac), one of my first questions was, “How well does this stuff burn?” One of my favorite tinders is a cotton ball dabbed with petroleum jelly. I wondered how mink oil would compare with petroleum jelly as an accelerant when used in conjunction with a cotton ball.

Two times I put a dab of mink oil on a cotton ball, and then ignited the cotton ball with a ferrocerium rod. Both times I got the same results. The mink oil burned much faster than is typical for petroleum jelly. A dab of petroleum jelly will typically burn for two to three minutes. The mink oil will typically be consumed in about a minute. During that minute, the flame will typically be larger and hotter than would be the case for petroleum jelly. The mink oil also produces a subtle, vaguely unpleasant odor as it burns. The smell is not overpowering, but it is noticeable.

All in all, I prefer the more consistent, slower burn of petroleum jelly. Petroleum jelly is also typically available at a lower cost than mink oil. But if mink oil is all that you have available, it should do a good job.

Guitar Picks and Damp Tinder

I recently wrote an article about making waterproof tinder. It was published on SurvivalBlog on June 6, 2021. In a note on the article, JWR observed: “One sure way to get even a damp tinder packet going is by attaching a standard celluloid guitar pick. Celluloid burns hot and fast. If its edges are roughed up with a knife, then a guitar pick can be easily ignited with a ferro rod. The burning pick will in turn ignite your tinder packet. I’ve found that celluloid guitar picks are available inexpensively in bulk (by the hundred) on eBay.”

This intriguing comment demanded further investigation, so I went on eBay and found “100pcs Guitar Picks Acoustic Electric Plectrums Celluloid Assorted Colors” for $3.36 plus free shipping. I placed the order, and a couple of weeks later received a package of guitar picks in the mail. I selected one pick at random, and attempted to rough up an edge with a knife. The edge of the knife tended to slide harmlessly along the edge of the pick. Instead, I finally cut fuzz-stick-like peelings along the edge of the pick. I then folded it in half like a tent, and attempted to light it with a ferrocerrium rod. The thin ends of some of the peelings would show signs of ignition, and then self extinguish.

I next attempted to light the pick with a permanent metal match. The end of the pick would melt and char, but it would not ignite. I repeated the attempt with a plasma lighter. Finally, I repeated the attempt with a second pick. All of these attempts were without success. The picks appear to be made of some material other than celluloid, perhaps nylon.

 

 

With that in mind, I contacted the seller to request a refund, and received it later the same day.

A Norwegian saying goes, “A burned cat avoids the fire.” Having been burned once, I was hesitant to order from eBay again. I decided to talk to our senior pastor, who plays the guitar, about the best place to get cheap celluloid guitar picks.Continue reading“The Blind Squirrel Report, by The Novice”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we focus on Point Zero Energy portable solar power systems. (See the Idaho section.)

Idaho

One of my consulting clients recommended a backup/off-grid photovoltaic power system. Point Zero Energy in Weston, Idaho (a small town, near the southeast corner of the state) is currently working through a backlog of orders on their versatile Titan “all-in-one” compact solar power system. Because it is modular, it is ideal for use as a portable system that you can use at your home for backup power, at a remote cabin, and/or in an RV. The batteries quickly stack together, so there is no need for battery cabling. The Titan system has had some great reviews, and they compare very well versus their competitors. I plan to try one of them, with four battery modules, in my camping/bug-out trailer.

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12 Reasons People REGRET Moving To Idaho AND END UP LEAVING!

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10-year-old girl killed after rock crashes through windshield.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”