The Power of Steam – Part 1, by A.Y.

…through the flues, and out the stack, heating water as they move. The water ABSOLUTELY MUST stay above the top of the firebox, which is called the crown sheet. If it does, everything goes well and the engine operates like it should. If the water drops below the crown sheet and exposes the top of it to steam, the extreme heat from the fire will begin to melt the steel top of the crown sheet. When the steel finally gives way, all that hot water in the boiler (far hotter than boiling temperature) will instantly turn into steam when depressurized and blow the boiler up into the air and into little pieces, taking the crew with it. This is called a boiler explosion, and the most important thing to take away from this is once again: Do NOT EVER let the water drop below the top of the crown sheet….




Economics & Investing For Preppers

…research, they can be profitable to collect. I’d be remiss not to mention: As with any other collectible, the best way to buy them is at a time of the seller’s weakness. These time can include: a layoff, a divorce, a major medical expense, or of course in the liquidation of an estate collection.   Provisos: SurvivalBlog and its Editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for our detailed disclaimers.   News Tips: Please send your economics and investing news tips to JWR. (Either via e-mail of via our Contact form.) These are often especially relevant, because they come from folks who particularly watch individual markets. And due to their diligence and focus, we benefit from fresh “on target” investing news. We often get the scoop on economic and investing news that is probably ignored (or reported late) by mainstream American news outlets. Thanks!…




Guest Article: America Loses When The Trade War Becomes A Currency War, by Brandon Smith

…necessarily a declaration that India has a insatiable desire for more dollars. What it is a declaration of is the fact that the global economy is weakened by its dependency on the dollar as the primary international trade mechanism. When I see India complaining about the frailties in dollar liquidity caused by Fed balance sheet reductions, I don’t interpret that as them saying “go king dollar!” I interpret that as India coming to the realization that they are going to have to adopt other alternatives to the dollar, and they are going to have to do this quickly. Emerging markets and much of the world have been propped up for the better part of a decade through Federal Reserve stimulus measures, from direct bailouts to near zero interest rate loans to asset purchases to outright stock market manipulation. The dollar has become a drug easing the pain of economic downturn,…




Letter Re: Another Experience with Stockpiling Nickels

Dear Mr. Rawles, I thought I would drop you a note on my experiences in attempting to collect a significant volume of nickels. After seeing the Coinflation.com site and some of your articles and hearing about the changes being made by the US government in what materials are allowed to be used to make nickels, I decided to take your advice and start collecting. I decided to obtain $1,000 worth to start with, so I went to my local credit union and walked up to the teller and asked what their policy was on obtaining large volumes of coins. She said that they have to pay for shipping of coins and that they order coins twice per week. They also ship their bulk coins that they collect in the coin counter they provide for their members to a company that counts and rolls and sells the coins back. She described…




Anesthesia for Traumatic Times, by Scott N., EMT

…; Citadel Press; 1982. ISBN: 0806510455 A very good general reference. Good, simple chapter on anesthesia using the inhaled agents discussed in this article with excellent charts showing signs of anesthesia depth. Internet Resources: New York School of Regional Anesthesia. How to do regional blocks if you have local anesthetic agents in your kit. Thorough, with very good illustrations. Several Power Point lectures on various basic anesthesia procedures as well as presentations on wound care, orthopedics, and womens’ issues. All the volumes of Textbook of Military Medicine are available online; for download as [free] PDFs or as hardcover books for purchase. Lots of useful information for Survivalist Hospital on anesthesia and wound care, care of environmental injuries, NBC issues, etc. A very informative site that deals with psychoactive chemicals and herbs. It can be a good research tool for the survival anesthesiologist. Use the site for research, and be responsible….




Bugging Out: Some Realities, by Mr. Zipph

I recently relocated from a rural suburb in a purple state to a much smaller community in a very red state. I had long-term plans to make this move, but an unexpected career change enabled me to move sooner than expected. While my new home is not a compound deep in the woods, it does provide me with more security, more privacy, the ability to expand my gardening efforts, the option of raising some chickens and/or rabbits in the future, abundant wildlife, and a smaller community where people go to church and value their freedom. When making our relocation decision, my wife and I decided that we wanted a location that would be our final home. This was an extremely important decision, so we visited the general area on many occasions, getting to know the area, visiting many towns, and looking at a large number of properties and houses. This…




Three Letters Re: Advice on Generators?

…horses, pack frames, etc. In a true emergency, there are more re-supply points, as diesel can be found in the tanks of municipal vehicles, in storage tanks at the municipal garage, in private storage tanks at the bus depot and construction yards, etc. And again, in a pinch it can be man-portable by using smaller containers.Your thoughts? – RMV   Hi Jim and Family, I wondered if you had heard the actual hard facts on the proposed ban on properties housing more than 1,000 gallons of LP? From what I understand, this will be a very large feat to register, prove need, and obtain such a quantity. In my region, 1,000 gallons does not last very long drying corn. I understand that we in the agri-economy will still be able to obtain it. But, I guess we can add this to the ever expanding list of common items that are…




Shooting Drills for WTSHTF – Part 1, by T.Z.

…trigger squeeze, as even the slightest shallow breath or trigger jerk could knock the quarter off the barrel. Finally, move on to laser drills. You can do laser drills in a variety of ways. Military personnel have access to electronic shooting trainers, complete with special rifles and simulations. If you do not have access to these, you can buy a special SIRT bolt that goes into your rifle and emits a visible laser when you pull the trigger. This focuses on body position and sight picture, forcing the shooter to really focus on steady and consistent fundamental practice. Additionally, I recommend practicing reloading and malfunction drills before you go to the range. In violent encounters, you do not want to be fumbling to reload a new magazine or to clear a malfunction in your rifle. Practice before you are ever in that situation. Dry fire and simulate having to drop…




What is Survival?- Part 1, by MuddyKid

…cover as a cover crop, also has medicinal uses. There are always ways to work with things. Completely agree with starting small and expanding as successes and experience grows. If you aren’t learning something every year, its a good indication you aren’t doing it right..lol Mother Nature is fickle and always changing.. Thanks again for the article, looking forward to more. Kroneborge If you read the end of the paragraph he says the example is incorrect Kroneborge I would be very interested in a series of articles on peramculture Muddykid Is there anything particular you’re interested in? I am certainly not an expert, but I am design certified and practice permaculture on my property. I have also worked on several farms that practice permaculture. Here are some great videos about what permaculture can do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xcZS7arcgk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01N-kBSdiZI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sso4UWObxXg Keep in mind though, the more you are interested in producing, the more…




Insulin Dependent Diabetics When TSHTF, by AERC

…I, we need to think ahead.  Most Type II diabetics can control their disease with diet and exercise, but not all.  For those of us who need insulin and other medication, we need to plan.  I hope that this will help a person who has diabetes as well as their family prepare for a SHTF situation.  Do your research.  Decide what the best approach is for you and talk to your medical professional.  Find a doctor that is willing to work with you and help you prepare.  I have included some links at the bottom of this article that can help give some suggestions about the different types of insulin available.  Look at the links that are included in the article as well as those at the bottom.  Learn as much as you can about your condition and prepare, prepare, prepare.  Further Reading: http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/25/suppl_1/s112.full http://www.iddt.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/JDN15-1pg32-6.pdf http://www.iddtindia.org/whichinsulin.asp https://secure.pharmacytimes.com/lessons/200510-03.asp http://www.diabeticconnect.com/discussions/5892-pork-insulin-what-i-have-learned http://www.idf.org/about-insulin-0 http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/4/2/180…




Desert Water — Where is It?, by Knun

…water. The barrel cactus is one example. If you can cut open the cacti to get to the pulpy inside, you can obtain some water out of them. But the structure of this cactus makes this a difficult task and the small amount of fluid you obtain almost prohibitive. Besides the spines you will also have to cut through the wooden skeleton which surrounds the pulp. Unless you have an ax the work involved would far exceed the amount of water you obtain. A cousin of the barrel cactus is far more suited to fluid recovery. It is the hedgehog cactus. With a knife you can easily cut off the top of these small cacti. Holding the top stable with your finger or a stick cut the spines and skin off like peeling a cucumber. You can then slice off a chuck. Eat the soft pulp or squeeze out the…




Pat’s Product Review: Chiappa Rhino Revolver

Now, for something a little bit different. I believe, rightfully so, that most of us like eye candy, when it comes to firearms. If they have eye appeal, then that’s half the battle. And, a gun has to feel good in my hand, if it doesn’t, then I don’t have much use for. Additionally, a gun has to be a good shooter – if a gun doesn’t hit where I’m aiming, what good is it to me? A gun also has to be reliable – without a gun that 100% reliable, it won’t be in my stable or be carried. I received the new Chiappa “Rhino” .357 Magnum revolver for test and evaluation from the nice folks at MKS Supply a few months ago – I was a bit surprised when I got the sample, as I hadn’t requested it, or for that matter, even knew the gun existed. Of…




Low Budget Firearms Selection for a Novice, by S.G.

As a new ‘prepper’ on a budget, I would love to get the latest gadget gun in multiples, but have very limited disposable income to invest. Most of us are not independently wealthy or have a six figure salary to support our new found hobby. Emotionally, there is a gun collector inside all of us that likes the latest and greatest gadget to show off to our friends and that we know outperforms everything else on the planet. However, the rational brain must govern over the emotional appeals of these wonderful objects. Therefore, visualizing the likely uses for a firearm is a handy way to narrow your search before making a firearms purchase. While firearms are an important and necessary part of any prepper’s purchase list, other acquisitions also have priority. If your entire budget is spent on guns, you will have no money left over for such things as…




Solar Power Crash Course, by K.K.

…to show that it is possible. The most costly part of adding a freezer to your system is the unit itself. Don’t skimp on this! Most of the “Cooler Style” dc freezers are too inefficient to bother with. The only brand I can currently recommend is the Steca chest style freezer, model PF166 and PF240. The Steca uses an ultra-efficient, computer controlled Danfoss DC compressor with a well-insulated cabinet and all aluminum coils. I have seen two kinds of failures with these units. Lightning induced surges will cook the ECU on the compressor. This needs to be well protected with whatever type of surge suppression you can dig up (ferrite?). The electronic thermostat in the handle can short out from water getting in the handle. Don’t set things on top of the fridge to defrost. Sundanzer makes a slightly cheaper alternative, but they use steel for their condenser coils, and…




S&W M&P Shield .45 ACP, by Pat Cascio

…1911s that were 100% reliable over the years, and I regret selling or trading them. There’s just “something” about the sub-compact 1911s that makes them a little less reliable than their bigger brothers– the Commander and the Government models. I have a Kahr CW45 that has been 100% reliable right out of the box. No break-in period was needed, and I’ve fired more than 1,000 rounds through it over the years. So, it’s a great little gun for everyday carry, if you ask me. On the other hand, I have a Kahr CW9 9mm that required more than 200 rounds to break it in. So, I’m pleased when I can find a sub-compact .45 ACP handgun that is reliable out of the box and will feed any manner of bullet configuration, including standard velocity ammo as well as low-recoil, and even +P ammo, all in a small package that I…