Keep Flashlights Running In All Situations – Part 2, by J. Smith

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

Battery Alternatives

When one acquires one or more of these flashlights, how do we keep them running if the batteries are not available at the local store or there is not power during a blackout to run a battery charger? Over time I have come to appreciate four types of batteries or cells to power my flashlights and buy them accordingly. AA lithium or rechargeable NIMH, CR123 primary cells, 18650 rechargeable lithium ion and cells or batteries that are built into the light and charge by USB or magnetically. These cells can meet all my needs quite well. Usually, I have alkaline batteries on hand as well, but one must be careful not to leave them in any light of value due to the possibility of the cells leaking. Do not let that stop you from having some. Rotate them as needed in cheaper lights and in my opinion, Energizer6 cells tend to not leak as often as Duracell.7 Lithium cells andCR123 have no such leaking problems and can be stored for 10 years or more retaining full power. These are sometimes called primary cells and are not rechargeable.

NIMH8 cells, NiCd9 and lithium Ion (Li-ion) cells like the 18650 are rechargeable and come in many sizes. I have found having a mix of all the above is a good strategy for being prepared should the lights go out long term.

One thing to be aware of is rechargeable cells will not last as long in a light and will need to be recharged when compared alkaline or primary cells. This is a small shortcoming and nothing when you consider that rechargeable batteries can be recharged 500 to 3,000 times depending on their chemistry.Continue reading“Keep Flashlights Running In All Situations – Part 2, by J. Smith”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

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

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“Wolverines!” As evidenced by the photo topping this column, the Ukrainians are still putting up a spirited resistance to the invading Russian army. But sadly, both troop numbers and time are not on their side. We can assume that the Russians will maintain their resolve, even when continuing to take huge troop and vehicle losses. Even with a torrent of armaments continuing to arrive from western nations, the Ukrainians are simply going to run out of combatant-age soldiers. We will know that territory concession talks are near when the Ukrainians start throwing in both very young and very old fighters to the front lines. Bottom line: A  nation of 145 million people invaded a nation of 41 million. So, unless there is some tremendous military technological superiority to the less populous side, then eventually The Big Kid On The Block wins. It may take another year, but I predict that Russia will get Ukraine to cede its eastern region and a fair-size chunk of their coastline. That is just the sad truth. – JWR

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Family Of Six Moves Into Toolshed To Escape Inflation Storm. (Thanks to H.L. for the link.)

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Andre alerted us to this news: Extremely large flares/multiple large flares expected from sunspot groups with large area.

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From SurvivalBlog reader “Bear Mama”, in Kentucky:

“Hi there! We’re all fine after the storms and flooding. We’re up very high. Just now had internet (and therefore phones) restored, and power is back tonight too! Please please pray and ask the SurvivalBlog readers to pray for all the families affected. So many have lost everything. They are still searching for the missing. Our neighbor’s coworker died trying to cross a bridge to get to his wife and infant son. Another neighbor’s grandson was on the Search & Rescue team that found the toddler, the youngest of four children who all died. Our mail carrier’s house was swept down the river and she lost everything. I can’t even type this without crying. All we can do is beg God for mercy. This event is beyond anything in living memory…”a thousand-plus year flood”, they say.

I am still praying all the time for Miss Eloise. I pray Psalm 121 over her, that she may LOOK UP to the mountains and know from whence her help comes, to restore and heal and calm her and from there, her relationships with family. God’s got her, I know He does!”

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Reader C.B. sent us an interesting news item. Cicada killer wasp: It’s big, but it’s not a ‘murder hornet’.

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Fred The Valmetmeister flagged this video link: At US/Mexico Border With Texas Sheriff.

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A quite practical video, also suggested by Fred: Can I Survive Alaskan Winter with No Sleeping Bag, No Tent & No Tarp?

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Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — August 2, 2022

August 2nd was the birthday of Peter O’Toole (1932–2013). When his name is mentioned, Lawrence of Arabia immediately comes to mind.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present the first entry for Round 102 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 low-cost 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 SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 FRN 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!

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. A LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 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.

Keep Flashlights Running In All Situations – Part 1, by J. Smith

“The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it…” (John 1:5)

A real light can get people’s attention. Not long ago, as we sat inside of our home one night, I heard a thud sound and excited commotion on the street. I peeked out of the window and saw a car with people milling about. I went out on my deck to see if I could offer my assistance, using one of my favorite lights – a Malkoff ‘Hound Dog’1. Without pointing it directly at anyone, (I use the spill or edge of the beam) and lit up the area with the Malkoff’s 1600 lumens of bright light. The commotion turned out to be two teenaged girls who, if their story was true stated that they swerved to avoid an unknown animal and hit a tree. There was only minor damage to their vehicle and no medical attention was needed. As I was headed back into the house, I heard one of the girls ask the other, “was that the police?” She assumed that someone with a light as powerful as the one I had must be a police officer. When you think about that, it is not surprising since most of the population relies on their phone’s flashlight app as a flashlight. I am sure that most of the readers of SurvivalBlog already know this but would agree with me, your smartphone is not a flashlight.

At another time, my wife and I were at an Italian restaurant having dinner when the power went out due to a lightning storm. The entire place went dark. There was no generator back up and so it was pretty dim. My wife and I, within seconds, each took out of our packs a light and proceeded to continue enjoying our dinner. The restaurant owner was impressed that I was able to use the clip on a small AAA light and attach it to the window curtain, so it shined down on our table.

Believe it or not, even first responders can be unprepared when it comes to flashlights. As an EMT, I have been on medical calls where there were a half dozen or more responders from medical, fire, and police departments and I was the only one with a flashlight; so, we could move the patient out of the home and through the dark and unfamiliar yards to the ambulance safely.Continue reading“Keep Flashlights Running In All Situations – Part 1, by J. Smith”

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 the Moose Fire, in east-central Idaho. (See the Idaho section.)

Idaho

Thunderstorms fuel Moose fire activity.

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New aerial technology helping crews battle Moose Fire.

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At Fox News: Idaho sheriff sends dire warning to ‘idiotic’ Biden officials: ‘We are on the cusp of complete collapse’ .

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Construction starts for Schweitzer’s new employee housing project in Ponderay.

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Idaho officials will allow remote bidding for state lands.

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

Preparedness Notes for Monday — August 1, 2022

On August 1, 1941 the first U.S. military Jeep rolled off the assembly line.

On August 1, 1958 the US 1st class postage was increased to 4 cents. (It had been 3 cents for 26 years.)

Today is the anniversary of the general uprising against the German occupation, in Warsaw, in 1944. Like the Warsaw Jewish Ghetto uprising in April of 1943, it was doomed to failure. The uprising was eventually crushed, with massive civilian casualties. There was no support provided by the Allies. The advancing Soviet Red Army–just a few miles to the east–merely waited and watched. It was in their best interest to stand by and witness the remnants of the Polish Army deplete themselves against the German Wehrmacht.

August 1st is celebrated as Swiss Independence Day, in recognition of the signing of the Federal Charter of 1291, which united Switzerland’s first three cantons. As of 2014, Switzerland has been free and independent for 723 years. Having a well-armed populace has assured that.

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You’ve probably already read this bad news: H.R. 1808 — the called “Assault Weapon” and magazine ban passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, with two back-stabbing RINO Republicans voting for the bill: Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, and Chris Jacobs of New York.

The final version of the House bill changed the magazine and belt limit to 15-rounds. (It had been 10 rounds.) Given that a standard M4/M16 magazine holds 30 rounds and M240 M249, or M2 .50 Browning belts hold 100 rounds each, this bill is grossly unconstitutoinal.

The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate, for conideration. I’m assuming that a “S.” bill number wil be assigned today. Please keep up the pressure on your state’s two U.S. Senators!  Urge them to add killer amendments and to fillibuster the bill, as long as necessary. Phone them and e-mail them often!

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Today we are posting a review written by our Field Gear Editor Emeritus, Pat Cascio.

But first, here are the results of our writing contest judging…

Writing Contest Prize Winners Announced – Round 101

We’ve completed the judging for Round 101 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prize winners are:

First Prize:

First prize goes to J.M., for Basic Electronic Repair – Part 1 and Part 2.  (Posted July 29-30, 2022.)  He will receive the following prizes:

  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:

Second prize goes to R.H. for Providing Pictorial Gear Manuals for Your Group. (Posted July 12, 2022.)  He will receive the following prizes:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime low-cost 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 SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 FRN 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!

Third Prize:

Third prize goes to Brandon F., for Expedient Reloading. (Posted July 28, 2022.) He will receive the following prizes:

  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. A LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

Honorable Mention Prizes:

The writers of each of the following 18 Honorable Mention prize-winning articles have been awarded a transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun:

More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 begins today and 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.

I am humbled by the support of so many SurvivalBlog readers sharing their knowledge, for all these years. – JWR

Ruger Security 9 Endurance Test, by Pat Cascio

Back in February 2018, I tested the then fairly-new polymer-frame Ruger Security 9  handgun. It was a stellar pistol, and very affordable, as well. I liked that gun so much that I added a second one to my modest collection. The first one resides in our bedroom, it is my “nightstand” gun – even though it isn’t stored in a nightstand. My second Security 9 has a trigger guard mounted laser on it, and that is the only difference between the two guns.

Look, we all know that, anything can be broken, under the right circumstance, and I stopped doing “to destruction” testing on just about everything I test. I’ve had more than a few firearms almost self-destruct without doing that type of testing. On the Ruger Security 9, I just wanted to put an obscene number of rounds through it, before it stopped working. Needless to say, no easy task, since we are still in the worst ammo drought in history. The nice folks at Black Hills Ammunition supplied me with a lot of the ammo used in this testing. I also purchased a lot of 9mm ammo out of my own funds, and quite a bit was donated to me – my local FFL often gets ammo in a gun trade – usually partially full boxes, and sometimes they get ammo in plastic bags – they’ve donated quite a bit of ammo to me over the years.

As stated, I wasn’t about to do an article or test to see if I could destroy the little Ruger Security 9, I just wanted to run a lot of ammo through the gun, without cleaning it or lubing it, after I first inspected the gun out of the box – at which time, I lubed it with Breakfree CLP and didn’t do any cleaning after that. I was going to terminate my testing, when the Security 9 had a gun-induced malfunction.Continue reading“Ruger Security 9 Endurance Test, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Stir-Fried Radish Pods

The following recipe for Stir-Fried Radish Pods is from Mrs. Alaska.  She lives at a remote homestead in Alaska. Since 2011, she has been blogging at: Alaska Bush Life, Off-Road, Off-Grid.

Radishes are among the easiest and fastest vegetables to grow and harvest. The aptly named dix-huit jours varietal can be harvested a mere 18 days after germination! However, if you are willing to wait longer – 6 – 8 weeks – you are rewarded with so much more to eat than one small root. The young leaves are edible raw, in salads, the older leaves (which get leathery) are a fine pot herb addition to cooked dishes, and best of all, each plant puts out scores of tasty, crunchy seed pods that are very easy to harvest, by “zipping” a dozen at a time off the branches and then plucking off each short stem.

An added plus is that the plants sport pretty sprays of white or pink flowers on long, whippy branches, so I plant many throughout my vegetable and flower gardens and harvest hundreds of pods. Our honeybees love the flowers.

Many American recipes for pickling can be found on the Internet. I favor other preparations. Raw, I eat radish pods as a snack, alone or with a dip, and throw them in green, egg, or tuna salads for the hollow, juicy crunch with a mild, radish flavor.

Quickly cooked, they are a colorful and flavorful addition to rice, noodle, or veggetable stir-fries.

I also blanch a gallon for winter use, but this does produce a texture more like a steamed bean.

Recipes for Asian and Mediterranean stir-fried radish pods

Coat a wide pan lightly with your oil of choice, such as sesame or coconut oil for Asian flavors, or olive oil for a Mediterranean style. Use peanut oil for its high smoke point if you want to char the pods for that nice texture/flavor.

Heat the oil quite hot. Add the aromatics (your choice of amount) such as garlic, green onions, hot peppers, curry, ginger (Asian styles) or oregano and garlic (Mediterranean). Stir constantly until the scents are released, less than a minute. Dump in the pods. If you add a huge amount, they will steam from their own internal liquid. If you add fewer, you will get a drier, crunchier product. Stir so that the pods become glossy with the oil and coated with the aromatics and become a brighter green. This takes a mere minute or two. Remove from heat. Pour and stir a bit of soy sauce for Asian style or lemon juice for a Mediterranean flavor. Serve immediately.

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Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven and slow cooker recipes, and any that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

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 some implications of rising interest rates. (See the Economy & Finance section and the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

A video interview: Fed Pause Will Be Crucial for Gold and Silver, Explained – Peter Boockvar.

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Stewart Thomson of Graceland Investment Management: Inflation: 18% And Sticky?

Economy & Finance:

The Federal Reserve’s interest rate announcement last Wednesday came as no surprise to Wall Street and to Forex traders, where they already had a 75 basis point jump in rates “baked into the cake.”  It appears that the Fed’s FOMC will keep raising rates until at least October, in an effort to put a damper on inflation. But that credit tightening may be a case of “too little, too late.”  Meanwhile, the Fed is still buying up billions in Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBSes), week after week. Thus, the policymakers seem schizophrenic, with simultaneous credit tightening and injections of liquidity.

Here, I must mention that I’m standing by my long-range projection that the Fed and U.S. Treasury will inflate their way out of the gargantuan Federal debt problem. In effect, currency inflation is a hidden form of taxation. The inflation rate may not go full Weimar/Zimbabwe, but the purchasing power of any saved Dollars will be sharply diminished. So… Hedge into tangibles. The time-proven fallbacks are gold, guns, and groceries. With the latter, I’m referring to long-shelf life storage foods.

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Trudeau fertilizer emissions plan sparks backlash from farmers and provinces. (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.)

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A new, brief video from Mike Maloney, going through some key charts on yield curve inversions: Decoding the Recession Double-Speak.

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At QTR: China Spied On The Fed & Detained, Threatened U.S. Economist For Policy Information.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The key to national greatness lies in sustaining and instilling our shared national identity. That means focusing on what we have in common: the heritage that we all share. At the center of this heritage is also a robust belief in free expression, free speech, and open debate. Only if we forget who we are, and how we got here, could we ever allow political censorship and blacklisting to take place in America. It’s not even thinkable. Shutting down free and open debate violates our core values and most enduring traditions. In America, we don’t insist on absolute conformity or enforce rigid orthodoxies and punitive speech codes. We just don’t do that. America is not a timid nation of tame souls who need to be sheltered and protected from those with whom we disagree. That’s not who we are. It will never be who we are.” – Donald J. Trump, Farewell Address to the Nation, (January 19, 2021)

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — July 31, 2022

July 31 is the birthday of free-market economist Milton Friedman. (He was born 1912, and died November 16, 2006.)

On July 31, 1958 the Anti-Chinese uprising began in Tibet.

July 31st, 1921, was the birthday of Army Air Corps veteran David Thatcher, one of the Doolittle Raiders. Thatcher was the tail gunner in the rear of the Mitchell B-25 medium bomber christened the Ruptured Duck, the seventh of 16 planes. Returning from the raid, the bomber crashed into the sea from low fuel and the crewmen survived, in no small part to Thatcher’s heroic efforts. The five airmen washed ashore and were given aid by Chinese fishermen who found them. Thatcher bound their wounds and being the only crewman able to walk, joined with armed guerrillas to carry the other crewmen to a hospital while evading Japanese troops. He was born in Bridger, Montana, and later lived in Missoula, Montana. He died in 2016, at age 94. Only one other Doolittle Raider outlived him: Dick Cole.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present the final entry for Round 101 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 low-cost 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 SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 FRN 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!

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. A LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 begins on Monday, 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.

Basic Electronic Repair – Part 3, by J.M.

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.)

Repairing a device whose batteries have leaked isn’t difficult – you just have to be careful and take your time. I once cleaned up and repaired a $300 laser level that was thrown away at a construction site because the batteries leaked, and it’s proven incredibly useful over the years.

Techniques for repairing other types of physical damage will obviously depend on the specific types of damage. Cracked or broken plastic cases or parts can be repaired with glue (I like to use JB Plastic Weld), hot melt glue, crazy glue, heat or friction welding – Make Magazine has a good article on repairing plastic. Storing liquid glue long-term as part of your preps can be an iffy proposition as it tends to dry out, but I’ve experimented with vacuum sealing an unopened tube of JB Weld Plasticweld in a mylar bag, and two years later when I opened it it worked fine. Another skill that I’ve found occasionally useful when replacing plastic parts in devices is aluminum sand casting – you can easily cast lots of different parts to replace broken ones, and it’s something you can continue to do even in a long-term grid-down scenario.

Replacing parts like broken switches, buttons and connectors is slightly more difficult and will depend a lot on what kinds of spares you have available. As I mentioned I’ve deconstructed hundreds of electronic devices over the years, so I have a decent supply of spare parts. If you do need to stock up on some parts I highly recommend Electronics Goldmine, which sells surplus electronics parts for really good prices. They occasionally sell bundles of assorted switches, connectors, etc. that have supplied me with many critical parts over the years.Continue reading“Basic Electronic Repair – Part 3, by J.M.”