Flex Seal Products, by Pat Cascio

Like many folks reading this, I’ve fallen victim to a lot of the “As Seen On TV” products – that look good and work great, but only in the commercials. Many of these products, are indeed a great idea. However, when they are actually manufactured, they fall far short of performing as they are shown on television. It is usually just poor execution of the manufacturing process. A huge number of these products are produced in China – and they are junk – plain and simple. Shop at any of the “Dollar” stores, and you’ll see what I’m talking about. This stuff is sold for a dollar, and in many cases, these products are not worth a buck. But some of the products sold in these stores do work well, and make great stocking stuffer Christmas gifts for kids.

I’m a homeowner. Well, to be more accurate, the mortgage company and I own my house. It is great – at times – having my own property, to do with as I please. However, there are a lot of times that being a homeowner just tries my patience and tests the limits of my skills. Luckily, one of my neighbors is a retired US Air Force guy, with a great set of skills and experience. He comes to my rescue and helps me complete my projects or even flat out does them for me. And, he won’t take a penny for his efforts. However, I manage to “pay” him with lots of shooting fun. I provide some of the latest firearms and ammo, and he takes that as pay. He helps me quite often, with my firearms articles – quite often he’s one of my volunteer shooters. He’s more than happy to do some shooting, instead of me paying him for his work. What a great guy!

There are still a lot of small projects that I attempt to handle myself, with my limited knowledge of how things work, and what it takes to make them work better, or get them back into working order. For many years, I saw the television commercials hawking Flex Seal Products and didn’t think too much of them – considering how many other products sold on television turned out to be junk, and just didn’t perform as advertised. As I said, many are great ideas, just poorly executed when it came to producing those products.Continue reading“Flex Seal Products, by Pat Cascio”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To share this, you can find it here:
https://www.kapwing.com/videos/62bf162c1de5ce008a45aa64

Meme Text:

Just Wait Until David Hogg Realizes That “…the Nation’s Historical tradition of firearm regulation…” Mentioned in the Bruen Supreme Court Decision
Only Includes Laws That Were In Effect in 1791

Read The Decision: NEW YORK STATE RIFLE & PISTOL ASSOCIATION, INC., ET AL. v. BRUEN, SUPERINTENDENT OF NEWYORK STATE POLICE, ET AL.

 

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:

But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom he had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.” – Jeremiah 34:15-16 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — July 2, 2022

On July 2nd, 1937 aviator Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to make the first round-the-world flight at the equator.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another 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 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 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.

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More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 101 ends on July 31st, 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.

 

 

Where Are Your Red Lines?, by Domesticated Ranger

Editor’s Introductory Note: The following article is graphic, and not for the squeamish. Some folks should probably skip reading it.

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It finally happened.

The fecal matter has well and truly impacted the rotating air oscillation device.

The Schumer Hit The Fan (SHTF) situation is well underway. Societal norms are out the window. People are struggling just to stay alive.

But your garden is thriving because, after all, you are prepared.

Not only is your garden growing and thriving, but you have put measures into place to help keep your garden safe.

You put up a fence made off hardware cloth to keep out the little critters that would otherwise eat your plants as soon as they start growing. The fence also keeps animals from trampling through your garden.

It also serves as something of a reminder to others that it is a protected space that they should not go into.

It helps that you put trail cameras up to help keep an eye on your garden. You decided to splurge and bought solar-powered cameras that send alerts to your monitor in the kitchen when they detect motion, so you are always able to know when something, or someONE, has tried to violate the sanctity of your garden.Continue reading“Where Are Your Red Lines?, by Domesticated Ranger”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in this column, in the Odds ‘n Sods Column, and in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

This past week, Lily and I took a hot springs, camping, hiking, and fishing trip in Central Idaho, crossing over a bit into Montana. We enjoyed some wonderful sunny weather.

We spent our first afternoon at Jerry Johnson Hot Springs, in the Lolo National Forest. This is just a one mile hike off of Idaho Highway 12. It is a very pleasant place to take a dip, where a hot spring emerges, at the side of creek. From there, we proceeded down through Hamilton, Montana, and back across into Idaho.

We traveled down Highway 93, which alternates passing through Idaho and Montana.

We turned off at the little town of North Fork at spent the night camping near Shoup, Idaho – a tiny little off-grid ghost town hamlet. This is along the banks of the Salmon River, upriver from the roadless designated Wilderness section of the river.  The Salmon River runs 425 miles and is the longest free-flowing river in the Lower 48 States.

The only folks going any farther in the Wilderness stretch are whitewater rafters and bush pilots. Floating the Main Fork of the river, you don’t hit any sign of civilization — or even have any connecting road — for more than 70 miles, until you reach Vinegar Creek –about 25 miles east of Riggins. So you can see why the river’s nickname is The River Of No Return.Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout [all] the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.” – Leviticus 25:10 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — July 1, 2022

July 1st is the anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, in 1863.

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We’ve completed our camping trip, so I’ve reactivated the shopping cart system, at Elk Creek Company. Thanks for your patience.

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Today’s feature is some advice that I have for folks without an FFL who might sell or trade guns from time to time, to improve their collections.

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Our nonfiction writing contest is in progress. Round 101 ends on July 31st, 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.

A Sign For Our Times: “Not Engaged In The Business”

Bottom Line, Up Front (BLUF): It is time to print a “Not Engaged In The Business” notice to post at your gun show table.

Joe Biden has signed a House and Senate-reconciled version of S. 2938, the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act”. This is the 80-page, ultra-fast-tracked, RINO “compromise” anti-gun rights legislation package. It passed with a 65 to 33 majority in the Senate, and the next day it sailed through the Democrat-dominated House of Representatives with a 234 to 193 majority, in just a few hours. The date of effectivity has not yet been announced.

One of the lesser-known provisions of this legislative monstrosity redefines the term “Engaged In The Business”, for sellers of firearms. To explain: In 33 of the 50 states, it is perfectly legal for private parties to make casual secondary private intrastate sales of modern guns without any paperwork or a “Mother May I?” phone call to the FBI. (Of course, consult your state and local laws before making any private party sales.)

At issue in S. 2938 is a redefinition of the term “engaged the business” in Section 921(a) of Title 18, United States Code. This could create many unwitting felons, if a private party intrastate gun sale turns a profit. Instead of more logically defining “engaged the business” as selling X number of guns per year, or making X Dollars of gross sales, or X Dollars of profit per year, this legislation trades one vague definition for another one that could ensnare many casual gun sellers.  Here is the key passage:

SEC. 12002. DEFINING ‘‘ENGAGED IN THE BUSINESS’’
Section 921(a) of title 18, United States Code, is amended—
(1) in paragraph (21)(C), by striking ‘‘with the principal objective of livelihood and profit’’ and inserting ‘‘to predominantly earn a profit’’…

And it includes this clarification:

“‘(22) The term ‘to predominantly earn a profit’ means that the intent underlying the sale or disposition of firearms is predominantly one of obtaining pecuniary gain, as opposed to other intents, such as improving or liquidating a personal firearms collection: Provided, That proof of profit shall not be required as to a person who engages in the regular and repetitive purchase and disposition of firearms for criminal purposes or terrorism…“

It is time to print signs

Therefore, I have a strong recommendation for anyone without an FFL who rents a gun show table in a private party sales-legal state and brings any post-1898 guns to sell or trade: You should print out and prominently post this notice in a bold 24-point or larger font on your table that reads:

Per Section 921(a) of Title 18, United States Code, I am a Private Party Gun Collector and Citizen of  _______ [State].  Any Intrastate Sales or Trades of post-1898 firearms from my Personal Collection to other Collectors who are also Adult Citizens of  _______ [State] are not with the intent of “predominantly earning a profit”, but rather to improve my personal firearms collection. Also, take note that I make no interstate sales or trades.

With that notice, as long as you don’t make repeated sales that could be deemed with the intent of making a profit rather than collection upgrading, or knowingly sell a gun to a minor or to other prohibited person (i.e. a terrorist, a felon, a drug user, or sale across state lines), then you should be fine.

I am confident that this new law will not survive a court test, especially given the higher standard of judicial scrutiny dictated by the Supreme Court’s recent Bruen decision. To wit: scrutinizing whether a law is: “comported with history and tradition. It will fail to pass constitutional muster under any of the standards of scrutiny that the highest court has “applied to enumerated constitutional rights”.  In effect, if there was not any law on the books or any case law that predated 1791 — the year that the 2nd Amendment was enacted — pertaining to what constituted being “engaged in the business” of firearms sales, then this new law will almost surely be voided. Oh, and stand by for lots of other state and federal gun laws to soon be voided, in light of Bruen.

But of course, I’m not an attorney, so please consult one who is licensed in your state. – JWR

June 2022 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran

What Did Gold Do in June?

Gold prices don’t usually see much activity during the summer months, but there were lots of things pushing and pulling prices in different directions in June. in June.

The largest moves happened in the middle of the month. June 13th was the Monday after a worse-than-expected CPI report, and it seemed like the world caught fire. The bottom fell out of the stock market, bond yields shot up and briefly inverted, and the dollar index jumped to over 105. Spot gold closed the day $53 lower.

Gold prices inched higher in the following days, but fell at the end of the month to end June $40 lower, just above $1,800 an ounce.Continue reading“June 2022 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“We are in hot haste to set the world right and to order all affairs; the Lord hath the leisure of conscious power and unerring wisdom, and it will be well for us to learn to wait.” – Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — June 30, 2022

June 30th is the anniversary of the tragic death of 19 hotshots in the Yarnell Hill Fire, in 2013.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another 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 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 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 101 ends on July 31st, 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.

 

 

Review: GripOX Gloves and WoodOX Sling, by Thomas Christianson

GripOX gloves are sturdy, comfortable gloves that are well designed for use in processing firewood. The WoodOX sling is an ingenious, ergonomically designed sling for carrying firewood.

The Backstory

I am pretty hard on gloves, usually wearing out several pair each year. My wife, “Kari” suggested that if I was going to review anything, I should review some gloves since I would be able to give them a true test of their durability.

With that in mind, I contacted LogOX to see if I could test a pair of their GripOX gloves. I had previously reviewed the LogOX Forester Package in an article that was published on Survivalblog on July 24, 2021. I was so impressed with the Hauler component of the package that I purchased a second Hauler at my own expense so that I could use two at the same time to carry a balanced load. My previous positive experience with LogOX made me eager to try another of their products.

When I contacted LogOX General Manager Austin Roberts to inquire about testing the gloves, he suggested testing their WoodOX Sling at the same time. I gratefully accepted this generous offer.

Mr. Roberts recommended that I preview some videos from a playlist that he provided. There were more than a dozen different videos on the playlist. I found out some interesting things from those videos:

  • I discovered that Mr. Robert’s father, John, designed both the LogOX hauler and the WoodOX sling. I was very impressed with his ingenuity.
  • I learned that the WoodOX sling received positive reviews from users as diverse as Mother Earth News, homesteaders, and a nine-year-old boy.
  • I found out that Mr. Roberts is originally from Vermont. For some reason, I had the impression that he was from the state of Washington.

Continue reading“Review: GripOX Gloves and WoodOX Sling, by Thomas Christianson”

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, a special look at the ongoing outmigration from America’s urban centers.

Urban Exodus Shows No Signs of Slowing Down

The Washington Examiner reports: Urban exodus that began during pandemic shows no signs of slowing down. Here is an excerpt:

“Taken together, the metropolitan area of New York, Newark, and Jersey City lost more than 385,000 people in 2021.

New York City’s population loss in 2021 was almost six times the size of its population loss in 2019, according to census data.

The availability of remote work, the persistence of pandemic-related restrictions, and the rise of crime and inflation have all contributed to a stream of people finding homes outside their cities even after the height of the pandemic in 2020.

“In many cases, there was a shift from larger, more populous counties to medium and smaller ones,” the Census Bureau noted about trends observed in 2021.

Washington, D.C., lost more people in 2021 than it had in the previous two decades, according to the D.C. Policy Center.”

The Work From Home Revolution

Pew Research: COVID-19 Pandemic Continues To Reshape Work in America.

Remote Work Is Here To Stay And Will Increase Into 2023

Published by Forbes, back in February: Remote Work Is Here To Stay And Will Increase Into 2023, Experts Say.  This article begins:

“While some companies continue to thumb their noses at The Great Resignation and insist that employees come back into the office, data scientists at Ladders insist that the writing is on the wall. Remote work is here to stay. According to their projections, 25% of all professional jobs in North America will be remote by the end of 2022, and remote opportunities will continue to increase through 2023. Researchers from Ladders have been carefully tracking remote work availability from North America’s largest 50,000 employers since the pandemic began. Remote opportunities leapt from under 4% of all high paying jobs before the pandemic to about 9% at the end of 2020, and to more than 15% today. “This change in working arrangements is impossible to overhype. As big as it is, it’s even bigger than people think,” said Ladders CEO Marc Cenedella…”

Where Are People Moving in 2022?

Recently published by a storage space trade publication: Where Are People Moving in 2022?

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Communism is a monopolistic system, economically and politically. The system suppresses individual initiative, and the 21st century is all about individualism and freedom. The development of technology supported these directions.” – Lech Walesa