tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60260247598168605412024-03-12T22:25:53.457-04:00Millwater PublishingThe Dictionary of Farrier Terms and Technical Language...
The Encyclopedic Dictionary of Farriery...
And other projects.Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.comBlogger125125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6026024759816860541.post-53986629157388301932022-10-06T21:44:00.001-04:002022-10-07T15:16:12.102-04:00Hardcover now on AMAZON!<p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_dnPiiM4SW2k2ql4kA0ksYKuMOHW2AihJ3R7C6QEsvuI2hww3j5cNuxKIllgltplAc2Zi731q79ARMs3i_cUFr6PRIN0dudW3AeDC0OEbga6xavi2INlnBAwqcofzDmvkwqtg1b5cpTUm-m_qQ-81iTBcc6fcYXdlX8dUydXVACAwQmE1BZbdy8VnA/s1491/newcov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1491" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_dnPiiM4SW2k2ql4kA0ksYKuMOHW2AihJ3R7C6QEsvuI2hww3j5cNuxKIllgltplAc2Zi731q79ARMs3i_cUFr6PRIN0dudW3AeDC0OEbga6xavi2INlnBAwqcofzDmvkwqtg1b5cpTUm-m_qQ-81iTBcc6fcYXdlX8dUydXVACAwQmE1BZbdy8VnA/s320/newcov.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>HARDCOVER now on <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BFTY45YS" target="_blank">AMAZON</a></i>!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> On my desk now is my new proof copy of the <b><i>MILLWATER'S FARRIERY</i></b>
hardcover version. Nothing new about having the book in hardcover,
except now it is available <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BFTY45YS" target="_blank">directly through Amazon</a> rather than a
more obscure and less trusted vendor... And the price is
considerably lower. Don't get confused by Amazon listing 2022 as
publication date. This is the same content as the original
<b><i>MILLWATER'S FARRIERY</i></b> paperback and hardcover. This version is just
new to them.<br />
<br />
The print and binding quality appear to be as good or better than
the Lulu version. Amazon says it usually ships within ten days now.<br />
<br />
I might have added the Amazon casewrap months ago, but health
issues essentially launched me from (ahem) Middle-Aged to the
far-end of Geriatric late last year, leaving me too tired and addled
to get much accomplished. Quacks may be getting a handle on it
now... Or maybe the cussed orneriness at my core is finally burning
through the fog.<br />
<br />
In any event, the next Millwater Publishing project is well
underway. I should have more on that soon.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">- - -</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">- 30 -</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6026024759816860541.post-74729613084320012262021-08-04T01:23:00.000-04:002021-08-04T01:23:35.518-04:00ACERUGS Synthetic Saddle Review. Some years back I realized that my primary saddle, a
top-of-the-line heavy ranch work model I'd been using and abusing
since the days of big collars and bell-bottoms, needed to be
replaced. Much as I loved the old thing, it was not only showing
its years, but no longer fit my old carcass. <i>(Middle-age and
medical conditions can turn Bo Duke into Uncle Jesse!) </i> Plus,
I'd gone from riding normal-sized quarter horses to mega-beasts
half-again bigger, so the saddle didn't really fit them either.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ety4KpSkW5Q/YQog2pgyg6I/AAAAAAAAApg/q2cUaStHAb0fmzih5iEnYUyVPwDBxsrtgCLcBGAsYHQ/s563/menow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="481" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ety4KpSkW5Q/YQog2pgyg6I/AAAAAAAAApg/q2cUaStHAb0fmzih5iEnYUyVPwDBxsrtgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/menow.JPG" width="273" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
I'd long thought about building my own saddle. And, since
nothing on the market seemed close to meeting my needs, and I didn't
want to mortgage the farm to pay for a needlessly fancy custom job,
I went ahead and did it.<br />
<br />
What I built was not only big enough to accommodate my usual
physique, but a good bit extra in case <i>(Providence forbid)</i> I
get bloated-up by another episode. Cantle spacers functioning like
a truck's sliding seat. It also has extra-long bars halfway between
full QH and draft, specifically sculpted for best load distribution
over the backs of horses in the 17hh, 1600# neighborhood. Oh... I
also wanted the tree sturdy enough for <i><b>Gwangi roping</b></i>,
and impervious to Dixie humidity. So it got steel internal
reinforcements, carbon fiber external, and full fiberglass covering.<br />
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NB8qiwKftZg/YQohQVHyNII/AAAAAAAAApo/H6r23Jsz5zYUw1xlVRdFgTfLhVdi9PnkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1440/gwangi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NB8qiwKftZg/YQohQVHyNII/AAAAAAAAApo/H6r23Jsz5zYUw1xlVRdFgTfLhVdi9PnkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/gwangi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
It came out homely as a mud fence, but it fits my big horses and
me nigh perfect. Still ,it has a few drawbacks...<br />
<br />
First, it's <b>quite</b> <b>heavy</b>. Around 70#. I can usually sling that
up onto my 17-2hh colt okay, and he doesn't notice a few extra
stone... But, if I get a bit busted-up or sickly, there's not
anyone else around who can do it for me. And some horses don't have
that much spare carrying capacity.<br />
<br />
Second, I do sometimes get to ride normal-sized horses, and the
<i>Frankensaddle </i>doesn't fit them so well.<br />
<br />
Third, while my saddle's tree is watertight, the leather it's
dressed and rigged with is not. Particularly troublesome, since the
hills of North Carolina are trying to identify as some kind of rain
forest lately.<br />
<br />
So I decided to get a <i>secondary</i> saddle. Something light,
that would fit quarter horses better (while still being usable on
the bigger critters), weatherproof, and cheap to semi-disposable. <br />
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pSD2TSPG6W4/YQoiKtMXNnI/AAAAAAAAApw/Pm5QjqnIIiYiBl0K9tndtdFxGgwZeEy3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s612/pink.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="612" height="291" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pSD2TSPG6W4/YQoiKtMXNnI/AAAAAAAAApw/Pm5QjqnIIiYiBl0K9tndtdFxGgwZeEy3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/pink.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
I looked around a bit and wound-up ordering an <b>Acerugs
synthetic western saddle</b> through <b>Amazon</b>. These come
in a plethora of colors and variations. I resisted the urge to get
one in hot pink zebra stripes with rhinestone pinwheels and went
with the <b>18" Black Endurance model</b>. This version forgoes
most of the bling accents in favor of sturdier double-screwed
lanyard rings in useful places. It came with a matching saddle pad,
bridle, reins, and breast collar.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I6v0o1bHkro/YQoiiYt8YCI/AAAAAAAAAp4/IoZG8nVlBCMWZljEeCGZ8Hs-j0D_gSJOACLcBGAsYHQ/s584/newsaddle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="584" data-original-width="455" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I6v0o1bHkro/YQoiiYt8YCI/AAAAAAAAAp4/IoZG8nVlBCMWZljEeCGZ8Hs-j0D_gSJOACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/newsaddle.JPG" width="249" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<b>All for around $300.</b> My 1970s utilitarian ranch saddle
retailed for nearly <b>four grand in 2021 dollars</b>. So
expectations aren't <i>too </i>high going-in.<br />
<br />
Out of the box we noticed that, for a saddle made of not-leather,
it was surprisingly easy on the eyes. The pommel, horn, and top of
the cantle are covered with a leather-like vinyl. The various
panels are covered in <i><b>Cordura</b></i>, which is apparently a
kind of nylon with a denim-like surface texture. The seat is
synthetic suede and well-padded, and did legit measure 18". It has
conventional D-rings, front and back, with nylon rigging. Black
synthetic sheepskin underneath. Blevins buckles on the nylon
stirrup 'leathers', which are stock-saddle style, meaning that the
fenders are not load-bearing. (This is a <i>good</i> thing). The
stirrups themselves are Cordura covered and lightly padded. About
5" inside width measurement at the tread, which is typical for
regular size western saddles. <b>Very light saddle overall.</b>
Around 20#.<br />
<br />
The saddle pad is a 30" long, cut-back with black synthetic
fleece on the horse's side, slick material on top with leather-like
wear pads in the usual places. Some Amazon reviews complain of
receiving pony-size bridles, but the one they sent us appears to be
normal QH size. Wide, neoprene-lined, decorated brow-band type.
The split reins are plain 7' nylon with Conway buckles. The breast
collar is neoprene-lined Y type with small star concha decorations
matching the bridle brow band, and has a quick-attach snap for
connecting to the cinch. <br />
<br />
The saddle came with nylon off billet, 'latigo' strap, and flank
billets... Oddly missing is a flank cinch. (Not a packing error.
It is <i>not </i>included.)<br />
<br />
Since the new saddle is built on quarter horse bars, I chose <i>ol'
Troubs</i>, our 15-1hh, 1200# quarter horse, for the first test.
I used the included pad and breast collar.<br />
<br />
The saddle seemed to fit him pretty well, with ample wither
clearance. When I tightened the cinch, the rear of the saddle
raised up off his back a bit, suggesting that the front D-rings may
be placed a little farther forward than ideal. Not a big problem
though.<br />
<br />
The stirrup 'leathers' were set all the way out from the factory,
and were a bit too long for me that way. So they are long enough
for tall riders. The stirrups themselves were a problem though.
This wasn't a surprise to me, being a sasquatch and all... But I
thought I'd be able to at least get my narrowest riding boots in far
enough to do for a few laps around the yard on a well-broke horse.
I hadn't figured on the lightness of these stirrups. Having almost
no mass meant that they just 'bounced' away when a boot touched
them. Had to lean down and <i>put</i> them onto (and off of) my
boot toes.<br />
<br />
The saddle was generally comfortable. The shallow slope created
by the padding from mid-seat up to the top of the cantle did,
however, act as a ramp, gradually sliding me forward into the
pommel. This was partially due to limited ability to push myself
back through the stirrups. It seems like something that will fade
with break-in, as the memory foam crushes down, leaving a more
upright cantle.<br />
<br />
Several Amazon reviews complained of the "slick" saddle pad
causing the saddle to shift while riding. They were correct. Not
only the slickness, but the puffy nature of the new pad resulting in
the cinch being effectively looser than intended, made the saddle
prone to sliding around on the horse. The pad might be better
broken-in under a saddle that already has been.<br />
<br />
For the next test ride, I used our 16-2hh, 1450# quargian. The
included breast collar did have enough adjustment to fit her. I
replaced the Acerugs stirrups with <b>Royal King black oversized</b>
westerns, and used a trusty old saddle pad.<br />
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y4xqXvKZNQ0/YQojKLrs2nI/AAAAAAAAAqA/gLMB2-Penz8Jpu_rKXLKg-PBYmhPIrYwQCLcBGAsYHQ/s486/stirrups.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="486" height="228" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y4xqXvKZNQ0/YQojKLrs2nI/AAAAAAAAAqA/gLMB2-Penz8Jpu_rKXLKg-PBYmhPIrYwQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/stirrups.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
Still had a slight problem footing the stirrups due to the 'leathers'
holding them parallel to the horse's sides. This is common in new
saddles. It remains to be seen if the synthetics will
<i> 'train'</i> like leather does with a broomstick holding the
stirrups twisted-out in storage. They did seem to 'fight' me less
as the ride progressed. If necessary, it's easy enough to add
gadgets that turn the stirrups 90 degrees or let them swivel.<br />
<br />
Even with the broken-in pad, the saddle wanted to shift
side-to-side at first, especially on the low-withered mare. But,
after it slid back a two or three inches, that stopped. It seems
that this saddle likes to be set a little farther back than my
others in order to rest firmly in the <i>'pocket'</i> of the
horse's back. Once there, it fit pretty well, and didn't try to
slide-back further. (The breast collar didn't get overly tight.)<br />
<br />
It sits rather nicely, and I think it'll get even better with a
bit of breaking-in. I wouldn't suggest using it for heavy ranch
work like roping or ponying recalcitrant fillies, as I doubt the
lightweight tree would hold-together. But, for this price-point, it's a heck of
a deal for moderate riding purposes. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">- - -</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6026024759816860541.post-74157961702774900022019-09-18T00:22:00.000-04:002019-09-18T00:22:37.923-04:00New Book Underway: Low-Nonsense Doomsteading.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kcou7kPnExM/WKE8MZM7bVI/AAAAAAAAALE/VWVu90cmjQcgdtp1F90YzCpqEwqBxmXKgCLcB/s1600/ilm-70s-poll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kcou7kPnExM/WKE8MZM7bVI/AAAAAAAAALE/VWVu90cmjQcgdtp1F90YzCpqEwqBxmXKgCLcB/s320/ilm-70s-poll.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Doomsteading.</i> An admittedly sensationalized term for
taking what country folk have always done (making ready for lapses
in infrastructure) up a few notches. Building a rural homestead
that can endure extended, even permanent loss of utilities,
services, and regular supply sources. That sort of thing.<br />
<br />
We've been quietly doing this for quite a while. Thought of
doing a book on the subject a year or two back, but it seemed like
it might have been be too late. Appeared to be time to focus on
actually hunkering down for the collapse ourselves...<br />
<br />
Then, somewhat to my amazement, Western Civilization managed to
dodge the kill shot in November, hopefully buying us a little more
time to prepare.<br />
<br />
So the composition of <i><b>Low-Nonsense Doomsteading</b></i> is
underway. I'll rotate rough draft pages through this blog as the
work proceeds...<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">CLICK ON LINKS BELOW TO VIEW DRAFT PAGES.</span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/02/lnd-disclaimer.html" target="_blank">DISCLAIMER!</a></span></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/02/lnd-on-doomsteading.html" target="_blank">Introduction...</a></span></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/02/lnd-nonsense.html" target="_blank">Nonsense.</a></span></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/02/lnd-on-doomsteading_13.html" target="_blank">On Doomsteading.</a></span></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/02/lnd-location.html" target="_blank">Location.</a></span></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/02/lnd-layout.html" target="_blank">Layout.</a></span></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/02/lnd-house.html" target="_blank">House.</a></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/02/lnd-barn.html" target="_blank">Barn.</a></span></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/03/lnd-fences.html" target="_blank">Fences.</a></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/05/lnd-outhouse.html">Outhouse.</a></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/07/lnd-water.html" target="_blank">Water.</a></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/04/lnd-backup-generator.html" target="_blank">Backup Generator.</a></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2018/11/lnd-heating.html" target="_blank">Heating.</a></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://millwater.blogspot.com/2018/12/lnd-communication.html" target="_blank">Communication.</a></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2019/09/communications-internet-of-last-resort.html" target="_blank">Internet of Last Resort.</a></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/05/lnd-security.html" target="_blank">Security.</a></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2019/02/lnd-on-guns.html" target="_blank">On Guns...</a></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/03/lnd-arcane-firearm-nomenclature.html" target="_blank">Arcane Firearm Nomenclature.</a></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/03/lnd-nonsense-guns.html" target="_blank">Nonsense Guns.</a></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/04/lnd-chickens.html" target="_blank">Chickens.</a></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/06/lnd-horses-part-i.html" target="_blank">Horses. (Part I.)</a></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/08/lnd-dairy-part-i.html" target="_blank">Dairy. (Part I.)</a></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/02/lnd-glossary.html" target="_blank">Glossary.</a></span></i></b><br />
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Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6026024759816860541.post-61980421413953501062019-09-18T00:18:00.003-04:002019-09-18T00:18:54.625-04:00Communications: Internet of Last Resort.<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />
<b><i>TEOTWAWKI Doomstead</i></b><b> </b>is in the hills on the far end of a rural
county, more than a mile (rough and rocky access 'road' with a creek
to ford) back into the woods. Forget about cable, fiber, or even
passable cell signal out here. We do have a line from the old phone
company, and have been able to get the ragged edge of a DSL
connection. But, since <i>Windstream </i>bought out the local co-op,
maintenance hasn't been a thing. I can only patch the brittle,
aging copper wires and corroding junction boxes together for just so
long myself. And we were paying way too much for under 5Mbps at
best, when it worked at all.<br />
<br />
So we finally decided to try the only alternative there is for
us. <b>Satellite Internet</b>. Despite the horrific reputation it has
online...<br />
<br />
<br />
<span><b>
The Deceptions!</b></span><br />
<br />
One of the complaints I often read about Satellite is that the
companies (all both of them) lie to get people to buy... There's
some truth to this. But I have to wonder if the complainers are
"new" or something. In my day, we were educated young by comic book
ads for <i>X-Ray Specs</i> and <i>Sea Monkeys</i>. Advertisers have been known to
stretch the truth just a bit! The pretty lady in the Satellite
commercial has like 30 seconds to get you interested. She's gonna
keep it simple and positive, but not entirely honest!<br />
<br />
<b> "FAST SPEEDS"</b>... Well, I suppose they're fast relative to
dial-up or a <b>bad</b> DSL. But not really anything to brag-on in the
world of cable, fiber, 4G, etc. Folks just a few miles closer into
town are supposed to be able to get DSL with twice <i>Hughesnet
Satellite's</i> advertised speed.<br />
<br />
<b>"UNLIMITED DATA"</b>... <i>Hughesnet </i>is fibbing pretty bad with this
one. They don't cut you off or charge you extra if you overshoot
your monthly data cap, but they do throttle your access speed down
to under 3Mbps for the rest of the month. <i>ViaSat </i>is a little harder
to pin-down. But they will also throttle your service for a while
if their algorithm determines you are using too much data too
quickly. <br />
<br />
<b>"STREAM VIDEO"</b>... Some. But you're gonna need the super-premium
package to stream HD <i>NetFlix, Hulu,</i> or whatever for binge-watching.
Even then, you'll be astonished how quickly you burn through your
data.<br />
<br />
<b>"ALL THE THINGS YOU LOVE ON THE INTERNET"</b>... Unless you love real-time gaming, sensitive content (to the degree that you need a
VPN), or using your home WiFi as a hotspot for your cellphones.
Latency (the delay created by the time it takes your signal to make
the side-trip to a satellite 25,000 miles away) makes these things
difficult to impossible.<br />
<br />
<b>"AFFORDABLE PRICE"</b>... Well, compared to paying to have enough
infrastructure privately installed to reach good Internet hard wire,
it's affordable. But it's more money for less value than any other
broadband on the market, subscription-wise. (Especially if you
remember to include the equipment rental!)<br />
<br />
<br />
Funny thing is, five to ten minutes reading the <i>Hughesnet </i>website
would have consumers forewarned of all this. They give a pretty
good estimate of how much you can do with a gigabyte of data. They
admit that latency ruins gaming, screws-up VPNs, and makes
cellphone-through-WiFi a mess. You just have to scroll down the
page a bit. Go to the FAQs.<br />
<br />
Instead, people chat with a rep on the phone... Forgetting that
these are SALESPEOPLE. They are paid to get you to order the
service, not to talk you out of it! Most of them don't even use
Satellite themselves. They probably aren't <b>intentionally </b>lying when
they tell you that you can do games, HD video binging, etc. They're
just guessing that you can, because they figure that's just regular
Internet stuff!<br />
<br />
I read the site. Knew about the confessed shortcomings. Ordered
it anyway. 'Cause I'm getting too damned old, and have too much
else to do, to be spending days Tarzanning around in the trees
re-stringing broken telecom lines!<br />
<br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<span><b>
Installation.</b></span><br />
<br />
Because Satellite Internet requires transmitting as well as
receiving, you're not legally allowed to self-install like you can
with Satellite TV. But there's no way that the Satellite Internet
companies, with only a little over a million subscribers apiece,
spread-out over the hemisphere, can maintain a fleet of trucks and
crews to do installation and service. So they have to rely on
independent contractors. (Some of whom then rely on
sub-contractors!) <br />
<br />
So the folks who show up to mount your dish and set-up your
router are a mixed bag. Lots of horror stories about obnoxious
installers who left a mess and / or did a lousy installation. (Even
though <i>HughesNet </i>and <i>ViaSat </i>both have detailed installation
standards and requirements, with photo verification and
post-surveys.)<br />
<br />
The lad they sent 'round to do our set-up was polite, knew his
job, and got it done well and efficiently. He was driving an old,
somewhat battered pickup truck, which is really for the best
considering the kinds of places that need <i>HughesNet Residential</i>. I
would've felt bad if he'd had to drive a shiny, new vehicle through
the rough brush and rocky, rutted path that we call a driveway.<br />
<br />
I suspect a lot of the complaints about Satellite Internet have
to do with poor installation. It's difficult to hold on a target at
25,000 miles! The dish may get a good signal through trees in the
Winter, then lose it when they fill with leaves in the Spring. A
dish mounted to a shaky structure isn't going to have consistent
reception. Even a fairly solid wooden structure may swell and
shrink with the weather and throw your alignment off.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span><b>
Performance.</b></span><br />
<br />
Only six weeks in at this writing, so just getting a feel for
this Buck Rogers tech...<br />
<br />
<b>Speed</b>... I've been checking regularly, and I usually get the
advertised 25Mbps or better from <i>HughesNet </i>with proper, long-format
tests. The more common quick tests indicate how erratic the speed
is though. Ranging from 2 to 50Mbps from one moment to the next.
Latency / ping is so high that some tests can't even measure it
correctly.<br />
<br />
<b>Reliability</b>... Severe storms have taken us offline a couple of
times so far. (Naturally the weather goes to Hell in a handbasket
the week after I get the dish.) Both times, the system came back
online when the weather started to let-up. Other than that, the
connection has been constant.<br />
<br />
<b>Ease of use</b>... At the user end, it's your basic broadband
router. Four Ethernet ports and WiFi. You can access the modem's
internal software through your browser to see current satellite
signal strength, remaining plan data, etc.<br />
<br />
<b>Basic Internet Functions</b>... Email, web browsing, research,
message boards, social media, private messages, online shopping,
etc. All these pretty much work normally.<br />
<br />
<b>Video streaming</b>... I don't know about <i>NetFlix, Hulu</i>, or the rest
of the subscription services. (We get <i>Gunsmoke</i> and <i>Svengoogie </i>via
an old-fashioned antenna. Who needs anything else?) Other Internet
videos work, but can be a bit tricky.<br />
Video servers usually check your connection speed, use an
algorithm to decide what resolution to send you, at which data rate,
with what amount of buffer. At the same time it's doing this, the
video page is sending you advertisements, annotations, suggested
videos (with thumbnails and maybe previews), and the comments
section. With the satellite latency and erratic transfer speed
making this a bad case of cyber-hiccups, the server often gets
confused and sticks you in the super-slow lane with repeated
buffering.<br />
An ad blocker helps. I pause the video immediately, then
switch off annotations, manually set the resolution to SD
(480), scroll down a bit to load the comments, let the suggested
videos thumbnails load... By this point the video should have a bit
of buffer loaded, and should play well when I resume it.<br />
Maybe.<br />
<br />
<b>Uploading</b>... No problems so-far. Much faster than the DSL was
on its best day.<br />
<br />
<b>Downloading</b>... No matter how fast your connection speed, you can
only download as fast as the servers will feed you the file.
Downloading from a monolithic host has been very fast. Downloading
from any sort of torrent/P2P type server tends to be horribly slow.
I suspect this is due to the satellite latency slowing down the
ever-switching connections involved, bottlenecking the flow. Still
looking for a workaround.<br />
<br />
<b>VoIP</b>... Saying "goodbye" to <i>Windstream </i>also meant losing our
land-line phone. With no cell service back here, we would have to
rely on phone via Internet. Due to the connection switching latency,
this has known issues with Satellite. Both Satellite providers have
their own VoIP services that are supposed to be optimized for the
purpose. But we're trying the third party VoIP we already had,
which costs well under half as much. <br />
Aside from the inevitable lag, it works well with outgoing
calls. But it doesn't ring-through for incoming. Those go to
voicemail/email. Need to check with <i>VoIPly </i>to see if they have
a fix on their end.<br />
<br />
<b>Data</b>... I was in for a surprise when we started. I knew we were
being frugal, but the needle on our 'fuel gauge' not only didn't go
down quickly, it seemed to be going back up now and then!<br />
Turns out this wasn't a delusion. Although they don't
promise/advertise it, HughesNet seems to give new users a 20 day
breaking-in period during which data consumption doesn't count. Now
that this is over, I see that the plan data is being consumed at a
rate that will probably have us run out of data before the end of
the month this time around. Then we'll see how much of a handicap
the throttled speed is, and whether the throttle is lifted during
the bonus hours.<br />
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
-30-</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/02/new-book-underway-low-nonsense.html" target="_blank">Back to<span style="font-size: large;"> LOW-NONSENSE DOOMSTEADING </span>index.</a></div>
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Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6026024759816860541.post-54540871342751112772019-02-01T23:36:00.000-05:002019-02-01T23:36:21.278-05:00LND: On Guns...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
When it comes to guns, the LATOC, prepper, and survivalist folks
run quite the gamut. From hippies who think the oncoming
discontinuity will finally give Mankind the chance to discard evil
weaponry and live together in harmony (good luck with that), to
Rambo wannabes who are obsessed with having enough military-style
firepower to hold-off the Zombie Masses, all the way back around to
Apocalypse Absolutists who argue that pointed sticks and fists are
the way to go because guns will become useless when the ammo
dries-up...<br />
<br />
In practical terms, guns are useful, sometimes essential tools
for the doomsteader. Calling 911 is already an iffy proposition out
in the country, and will become more so as the collapse continues.
We're even less likely to be able to rely on Animal Control to deal
with feral dogs, coyotes, and other menaces to the livestock.
Hunting has usually been a way to augment rural diets. And farm
animals sometimes need to be dispatched. (If you think <i><b>Old Yeller</b></i>
was sad, imagine if Travis had to use a fence post instead of a
rifle!)<br />
<br />
Even if it were a good idea, you can't un-invent technology.
Guns are going to be around whether you're a fan of shootin' irons
or not. So you'd best familiarize yourself with them.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<span><b>
Gun Tech...</b></span><br />
</div>
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<br />
Guns are really pretty simple technology. If it were somehow
possible for the Authorities to eliminate enough of the hundreds of
millions of guns that are already out there in America to create a
shortage, making more would be no great difficulty. Never mind the
new 3D printable firearms. Anyone with a little skill and access to
a typical garage can whip-up zip-guns and slam-fire shotguns
easily. A hobbyist with a decent backyard machine shop can produce
fully-functional, modern firearms. In fact, it is far easier to
fabricate a modern submachine gun than a common revolver. So
attempts to disarm the public could actually result in weapons
upgrades.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<span><b>
<br />
Training Hype...</b></span><br />
</div>
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<br />
<i> "Get training!"</i> the parrots love to squawk when you talk about
guns. And it certainly is important that anyone handling firearms
know how to do so safely and with a reasonable degree of skill. But
the obsession with formal, standardized instruction and
certification plays into the hands of hoplophobes. Modern guns are
designed to be simple and easy to carry and use safely. Stick to a
few rules <i>(covered in another chapter)</i> and you won't shoot anyone
you don't mean to. A modest amount of practice, and you'll be able
to competently shoot someone or something when you need to. It just
isn't rocket science.<br />
<br />
There are also a lot of folks out there selling tactical / combat
/ advanced defense shooting courses. If it looks like something
you'd enjoy, go for it. But don't take it too seriously. More than
a few of the wannabe gunfighting experts are working to prove
Barnum's theory about suckers being born every minute. Even those
with legit combat or police cred have training and experience in
something that has rather little bearing on anything we're likely to
face defending our doomsteads.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<span><b>
Guns Do Not Imbue Superpowers...</b></span><br />
</div>
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<div align="center">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Biggest gun doesn't automatically win!</span></i></div>
<br />
After a much-publicized incident where one jihadi reportedly
gunned-down dozens of people in a nightclub, some noted that one
patron with a handgun might have cut short the rampage and saved
many lives. I was struck by how many people thought this was
ridiculous because there's no way someone with a pistol could stop a
maniac wielding an "assault weapon".<br />
<br />
Picking up a gun... Even a scary, black, modern-looking rifle,
does not make a person invulnerable to a humble .38 Special bullet
from a cheap revolver. Or a tire-iron to the the back of the head
for that matter. Remember that a gun isn't a magical trump card,
whether it's in your hands or someone else's.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<span><b>
Gun Jocks, Range Snobs...</b></span><br />
</div>
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<br />
Guns are like a lot of other things in that you can go cheap and
get junk, spend a bit more and get decent quality, or spend a king's
ransom to get something just a little bit better. Most people find
the price-to-quality balance that suits them, and the brand / design
type they find most appealing, and are comfortable with their
choice. They also respect that others have their own priorities and
will choose differently.<br />
<br />
Then there are jackasses who hang around firing ranges and
Internet forums and seem to think that anyone who buys less than the
<i> S</i><i>uper-Elite Deluxe Custom Special Platinum</i> model firearm is pathetic
trailer trash. Sometimes it's a Fudd who believes his engraved and
inlaid over-under fowling piece is morally superior to your economy
model pump shotgun. Other times it's a wannabe Operator who
belittles any rifle not chambered in the latest super-cartridge and
fitted with optics that cost more than a nice used car. Frequently
it's someone with an irrational fixation on their favorite brand.
(Looking at you, Glocktards.)<br />
<br />
Also acting as the rain on everyone else's parade are the
know-it-all types who have to rag on anyone who doesn't (yet) shoot
quite as well as they do. Or uses a different grip or stance, even
if they DO shoot better!<br />
<br />
Basically, try to ignore these jerks. If you need to shoot a
deer to feed your family, an old thutty-thutty with factory irons
will get it done just fine. If you have to stop a punk who just
kicked-in your front door, it's not going to matter if you can shoot
100% in the ten-ring, or if you teacup your grip. And the bullet
holes will be the same whether you use a <i>Kimber</i> or a <i>Hi-Point</i>. If
today turns out to be the day you have to defend yourself, a <i>Taurus</i>
revolver in the hand is worth much more than a <i>Colt Python</i> you're
saving-up for.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<span><b>
Safety Sally...</b></span><br />
</div>
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<br />
You can't emphasize safety too much, right? ...WRONG! Harping
on something incessantly doesn't get your point across. It gets you
tuned-out and ignored. And, after a point, it becomes lame "virtue
signalling". <br />
<br />
Yes, it is essential to employ safe gun handling habits and
procedures. But check out Internet videos and you'll see it taken
to weird levels. Some gun reviewers verify their guns are unloaded
so many times I think they are going to wear the things out with all
that compulsive slide-racking. What? Do you think it magically
reloaded in the two seconds since you last checked it? <br />
<br />
Then come the comments. <i>"You swept somebody/something!"</i> <i>"Can't
you see that traffic downrange?!"</i> <i>"You don't have a good enough
backstop!"</i><br />
<br />
Of course everyone muzzle-sweeps themselves and other people
sometimes. It is impossible not to. That traffic downrange is
miles beyond the range of the shotguns we're shooting. (You can't
judge distance on a video screen.) We know what is beyond that
treeline or hill rise you think we're counting on as a backstop. <br />
<br />
So chill-out. You can practice and encourage safe firearms
handling without being an obnoxious nag.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<span><b>
Shot Placement Is Everything...</b></span><br />
</div>
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<div align="center">
<span><b><br /></b></span></div>
<br />
When discussions turn to choice of caliber, someone is bound to
spout the old chestnut about shot placement. And it is true that a
hit with a BB gun will do more damage than a miss with a 12 gauge
slug. But, given the same shot placement, caliber can make a huge
difference. When you're a split second from dying if you don't
shoot the other guy first, you will not be a perfect marksman, no
matter how much time you've put in on the range. Caliber can be the
difference between a bullet that slows down in clothes and surface
flesh before stopping against a rib, and a bullet that crashes
through that rib and the vital organs beyond.<br />
<br />
Yes, the humble .22 rimfire has an impressive record of
lethality. But having a maniac die of internal bleeding or
peritonitis hours or days after you shoot him won't do you much
good. You need something that is going to end the threat
immediately.<br />
<br />
Choose the most potent caliber you can shoot well and reasonably
carry.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6026024759816860541.post-59073535269682735262018-12-05T00:47:00.000-05:002018-12-05T00:47:20.006-05:00LND: Communication.<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Science Fiction of yesterday sure overestimated us in most
regards. Here we are, well into the 21st Century. No condos on the
Moon. No robot butlers. No practical jet-packs. <br />
<br />
But SciFi seriously underestimated the development of computer
and communication technology. Almost everyone these days is walking
around with a device in their pocket that can outperform Mr. Spock's
communicator and tricorder combined. We've got broadband Internet,
WiFi, cellular networks, hundreds of television channels via cable
or satellite, etc. People can communicate instantaneously with
voice, text, images, and video to and from nearly everywhere.<br />
<br />
This incredible, multi-layered grid of communications technology
doesn't just happen though. Like most of the Cornucopian world, it
requires a constant flow of resources and perpetual skilled
maintenance. It is almost inevitable that these requirements will
eventually fail to be met, and modern communications will collapse.<br />
<br />
Those of us who remember living with telephone party lines and
three channels of snowy over-the-air analog standard definition TV
may not be quite as devastated at losing hundred megabit per second
digital communication as the Millennials will be. But we'll all
need some alternatives as the Information Age breaks down.<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div align="center">
<span><i><b><br /></b></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div align="center">
<i style="font-size: large; text-align: left;"><b>HAM Radio.</b></i></div>
<br />
Amateur Radio covers a lot of ground. It is relatively
high-powered, long-range, two-way radio using many signal formats
and bands, including shortwave, which can 'skip' very long
distances. Entry-level equipment starts at a few hundred dollars,
but you can quickly get into thousands as an enthusiast. <br />
<br />
In most countries, including the US, HAM Radio is regulated by
law, and a license is required to broadcast. The fact that Little
Tin God bureaucrats think they own the electromagnetic spectrum, and
that usually proud, nonconformist Preppers are oddly supportive of
this notion has long baffled me.<br />
<br />
HAM is one of those things that people get into mainly because
they enjoy it as a hobby, then use prepping as a justification. In
practical terms, it is obsolete in today's era of layered global
communications. Ordinary events, like storms or earthquakes, may
disable modern communications for a brief time on a local or
regional basis. But it would take a continental or global
catastrophe to cause the final breakdown of modern communication
networks. When this happens, long-distance communications will
become all but irrelevant anyway. (A post-apocalyptic world is a
localized world!)<br />
<br />
There may be a period in the later stages of collapse, as current
networks fail, but before we're all fully hunkered into place, when
HAM Radio will prove invaluable. But I expect that, by the time the
Internet and telecom services go bye-bye, sending out long-range
messages may not be the wisest of things for a doomsteader to be up
to.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<div align="center">
<i style="font-size: large; text-align: left;"><b>CB Radio.</b></i></div>
<br />
Citizen's Band Radio in America is a two-way, shortwave, usually
AM, analog voice communication system. Stock CB radios are
low-powered (four watts) and short-range (around ten miles). They
come in automotive mount, home base station, and handheld form, and
can still be purchased new for under $100.<br />
<br />
CB was enormously popular for a time in the 1970s. So much so,
that, even when the number of channels was increased from
twenty-three to forty in the later in the decade, you still had
trouble getting a word in edgewise on any of them. It didn't help
that the AM analog signals were subject to static, fading, and
bleed-over. Plus, the potential for shortwave skip meant that users
might be competing for a channel with signals coming-in from far
outside normal range. It was a glorious mess, but the only means
the Average Joe had for mobile communication.<br />
<br />
Today, CB is effectively obsolete. We've got cellphones for
mobile communication. Internet forums for the semi-anonymous
socializing that CB once provided. Truckers still use CB, and,
without the zillions of voices trying to use it all at the same
time, it is easier to hail and talk with people these days than it
was in the disco era.<br />
<br />
CB originally required a license, but at the peak of the craze,
the FCC gave up on any serious regulation and enforcement.
Enthusiasts routinely (and technically illegally) boost their CB
radio transmitting power dramatically, using CB as a sort of redneck
HAM Radio capable of interstate communication. You can receive
these souped-up signals with a stock radio, but you won't have the
broadcasting power to reply.<br />
<br />
Providence only knows how many million CB radios are laying
around in attics, basements, and garages across America. They are
pretty easy to set-up and use. As communications infrastructure
crumbles, I'd be surprised if a great many of them weren't
fished-out and put back into use. Handy for maintaining contact
with your neighbors, and perhaps making first contact with strangers
from a safe distance.<br />
<br />
1970s era kids' walkie-talkies usually operated on CB channel
14. Their pathetic broadcast power makes them nearly useless for
practical two-way communication. (You can holler farther than they
can transmit.) But they can <i>receive </i>strong signals at long
range. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<div align="center">
<span><i><b> GMRS/FRS Radio.</b></i><br />
</span></div>
<br />
The General Mobile Radio Service is a whole 'nother kettle of
fish with pro-grade handhelds, vehicular mobiles, base stations,
repeater networks, etc. Licenses are required to use it in the US,
and many regulations apply.<br />
<br />
But we're not interested in all that here. <b>(SEE DISCLAIMER
AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS BOOK.)</b> Inexpensive bubble-pack GMRS
walkie-talkies have long been available in America, and hardly
anyone bothers with licensing. There are new regulations on the
manufacture and sale of these, but millions are already out there.<br />
<br />
GMRS operates with frequency modulation (FM) on UHF bandwidth.
This tends to provide clearer voice communications with less static
interference than old CB, with no need for long antennas. The
drawback is that GMRS signals don't bounce and skip like CB, so
radio-opaque obstacles like hills and buildings can block
transmission more easily. Modern electronics allow pocket-sized,
short antenna GMRS walkie-talkies to exceed the transmission power
of stock CB radios, giving them five to ten miles of range. (Never
mind the advertised ranges. Those are only going to happen with
zero obstructions.)<br />
<br />
The Family Radio Service is basically GMRS Junior. It requires
no license, but has fewer channels, and operates at lower wattage
and range. The modern equivalent of the Channel 14 CB
walkie-talkies from the '70s. Primarily used by kids.<br />
<br />
The popular bubble-pack radios were usually GMRS/FRS hybrids.
This gave them twenty-two channels. 1-7 were shared by GMRS and
FRS. 8-14 were FRS only. 15-22 were GMRS only. Because 8-14 were
strictly FRS, it was illegal to transmit at over half a watt on them
(regardless of GMRS license), and most radios automatically switch
to low power on those channels. So using 8-14 could be handy if you
don't want anyone picking up your signals beyond about one mile...
Channels 1-7 and 15-22 would broadcast at the full five watts unless
you intentionally set them to low power.<br />
<br />
At this writing, GMRS/FRS hybrids are still available new, but
rule changes are supposed to end sales in late 2019. After that,
new FRS radios will be allowed to transmit at up to two watts on
channels 1-7 and 15-22. 8-14 remain limited to half-watt. <br />
<br />
GMRS gets eight new channels. Supposed to be used for high-power
repeaters. Not much change in the radios, except they'll probably
be explicitly labeled for licensed use only. (And no one will
care.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<div align="center">
<i style="font-size: large; text-align: left;"><b>Antenna Television.</b></i></div>
<br />
Those of us with a touch of gray remember the days before cable
and/or satellite TV was considered the norm. When most people got
their TV programming through a simple antenna.<br />
<br />
Some folks don't seem to realize that over-the-air antenna
television broadcasting never ceased in America. In fact, it got
substantially better, with taller transmission towers, and more
independent channels, which later formed the foundation for new
networks. Then came the digital transition, which added an array of
digital subchannel programming to the mix.<br />
<br />
All you need to get free programming over-the-air is a TV
manufactured since roughly 2005 (or an older TV with a digital
converter set-top box) and an antenna. Contrary to advertising
hype, it doesn't have to be a special "HD" or digital antenna. The
modern ATSC digital signals are broadcast on the same UHF / VHF
radio bandwidth that American television has always used. Plain old
rabbit ears with UHF loop, or a rooftop antenna like Granny used,
will work fine. <br />
<br />
We use a home made antenna mounted on a mast. We're out in the
boonies, but on a hilltop, and get forty to fifty channels in decent
weather. <br />
<br />
We haven't had to pay for TV in over a decade. Frees up money
for beans, bullets, bandages, etc.<br />
<br />
Since our signals come directly from the various stations'
transmission towers, rather than from a central up-link like a
satellite provider, antenna TV is a bit more bomb-proof.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<div align="center">
<i style="font-size: large; text-align: left;"><b>AM/FM/Shortwave/NOAA
Radio.</b></i></div>
<br />
Listen-only radio became a revolutionary thing about a century
ago, and it's still highly useful today. The Clear Station
blowtorch AM stations that blast news, weather, and more across
large swaths of the American continent (especially at night) will
probably be the last vestiges of modern communication technology to
go silent, and they require the simplest of equipment to tune-in.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<div align="center">
<i style="text-align: left;"><b>Crank Radios: </b></i></div>
<br />
There are a ton of off-grid "emergency" radios on the market now,
powered by crank handles and solar panels. Most of them use a hand
crank to turn a dynamo that charges a battery which powers the
radio. Problem is that the rechargeable battery is the weakest link
in this set-up, and may go bad from either frequent use, or extended
storage!<br />
<br />
There have been clockwork radios in which the crank winds a
spring which turns the dynamo to power the radio directly with no
battery involved. The BayGen Freeplay was to best-known of these,
and their spring-driven radios are still available on eBay. But the
company has gone to the cheaper, battery-powered design with their
new models. So shop carefully.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<div align="center">
<i style="text-align: left;"><b>Crystal Radios:</b></i></div>
<br />
There is a way to get AM radio without any power source at all.
The simplest form of radio receiver there is still works, and can be
assembled from widely available components. In fact, people have
put them together without any proper electronic parts at all.
(Known as "foxhole radios".)<br />
<br />
Crystal radios do require a fairly strong signal, a large
antenna, and a ground, making them immobile while in use. They also
produce only low-volume audio, best listened to with an earbud. <br />
<br />
If you really want to have the ultimate in primitive wireless
two-way wireless communications, you can learn Morse Code and pair
your crystal radios with equally simple to fabricate spark-gap
transmitters.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<div align="center">
<i style="font-size: large; text-align: left;"><b>Wired Telephony.</b></i></div>
<br />
A simple way to maintain communication between people in fixed
positions not too many miles apart is to run a simple telephone
line. (Or re-purpose existing land lines that have become
defunct.) Telephone communications are reliable, resistant to
interference, require relatively little power, are difficult to
intercept, and even more difficult to intercept without being
detected.<br />
<br />
The military has been using self-powered Field Telephones since
the late 19th Century, and used military models are widely available
at a reasonable price online. Ordinary land line phones can be
modified (mostly involves adding a battery) pretty easily. <br />
<br />
<br />
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<div align="center">
<i style="font-size: large; text-align: left;"><b>Improvisation.</b></i></div>
<br />
Coping with collapse and disasters can take a bit of
jury-rigging.<br />
<br />
Hurricane Hugo caught us without a decent battery radio, so I dug
out an old car stereo, speakers, rigged a wire antenna, mounted the
whole thing to a plastic milk crate, and powered it with lantern
batteries wired in series.<br />
<br />
With just a little understanding of basic electrical circuitry,
it should be possible to cobble together functional, if primitive,
communication networks from materials and parts available.<br />
<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">
Note: Include schematics of crystal radio, spark gap transmitter,
simple phone. PD HAM materials.</span><br />
<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
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Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6026024759816860541.post-85353134760143480042018-11-20T22:34:00.000-05:002018-11-20T22:34:10.270-05:00LND: Heating.<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>Not </b>freezing to death ranks pretty high on the <i>"to
do"</i> list when it comes to survival. It's also pretty
beneficial to be able to have water pipes and liquid stores that
don't burst when Old Man Winter asserts himself. Of course, this is
a greater problem for the poor souls not fortunate enough to live in
Dixie, but even here in the Uwharrie hills, we're not fully immune
to the Snow Miser's wrath.<br />
<br />
Here on the doomstead, we have several ways to keep the chill out
of the house...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div align="center">
<span><b>Passive Solar.</b></span><br />
</div>
<br />
Sounds fancy, but it's really old school for the most part. The
house is surrounded with deciduous trees (primarily big fruit trees
for dual purpose) which provide shade in the Summer, but shed off
and let the Sun warm the place up in the Winter. May make it look
like the Addams Family or Munsters live here by Hallowe'en, but on a
bright day it'll be comfortable inside even when it's a deep freeze
outside. Decent insulation, storm windows, and heavy curtains to
hold the warmth in gives us a good head start on the cold nights.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<div align="center">
<b style="font-size: large;">Wood Stove.</b></div>
<br />
Unfortunately, ol' Sol can be a stranger in the Winter, and the
nights do get long. So we need another way to heat up the cabin.
And it's hard to beat good old fire for the job. If your place was
built with a fireplace, you're ahead of the game. But, if not,
there's still a practical alternative.<br />
<br />
A wood stove is basically a cast iron box that allows you to
build a fire indoors without burning the house down or choking on
smoke. (Hopefully!)<br />
<br />
There are modern wood stoves which are airtight, super-efficient,
thermostat-regulated, with built-in blowers, soapstone segments to
enhance heat radiation, water coils, etc. If you are in a position
to buy one of these and have it professionally installed, <b>by all
means do so</b>. But, if you can't budget five figures right now, 18th
Century tech can still get the job done a lot cheaper.<br />
<br /><i><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/02/lnd-disclaimer.html" target="_blank"> SEE THE DISCLAIMER AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS BOOK!</a></i>
<br /><br />
I was recently a little surprised to learn that you can still buy
a plain old cast iron wood stove brand new from major retailers
today. I figured the lawyers and regulators would have put a stop
to that by now. Must be an oversight on their part. As of this
writing, these cost a few hundred dollars.<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
We bought ours for $30 at the antique junkyard. A rusty mess,
but all the pieces were there and intact. Cleaned it up with an
electric wire brush, put it together, built a fire in it out in the
barnyard to heat it up enough to paint-on and smoke-off linseed oil
to re-season the surface. <br />
<br />
Ours is a simple two burner stove with no oven section. There
are bigger cook stoves with multiple burners, ovens, and greater
heating capacity. There are also smaller single burner (and no
burner) caboose or parlor stoves designed to take the chill off one
room. What you'll need depends on the space you need to heat and
the kind of Winters your area experiences.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b> Stove Installation:</b><br />
<br />
Where you'll put your stove depends on which room you want the
warmest, the kind of use you expect to put it to, and where it is
most practical to fit it and its pipe.<br />
<br />
Old type wood stoves can get very hot, and radiate that intense
heat upward and to all sides. So you're going to need plenty of
space between the stove and anything flammable, including most
walls. Like a few feet. Even then, you might need to set up some
reflective heat shields. You'll want to monitor the situation
closely during your first several fires to make sure that you aren't
getting things around the stove too hot.<br />
<br />
Since heat rises, and stoves are normally on raised feet, the
floor under the stove isn't likely to be cooked. Many old cabins
and country stores have had stoves burning on hardwood floors for
decades without problems. But it's safer to put thick tile (that
can withstand the stove weight), brick/concrete pavers, or a
fireproof pad down before putting in the stove. This floor
protection should extend well out from the stove on the sides with
doors, because sparks and embers will sometimes sneak out when you
open the box to tend the fire. (I really hope I don't have to tell
anyone not to install a wood stove over carpet, which has no place
in a doomstead or farm house to begin with. See the "House"
chapter.)<br />
<br />
Then there's the exhaust... There must be a big pipe from the
stove to a point well above the peak of your house to consistently
draw the smoke out. You can do this by having the pipe run straight
up through the roof, which provides the most effective draw, but
allows more heat to escape with the exhaust, and requires a hole in
the roof which almost always winds up leaking.<br />
<br />
The more common way in cabin style installation is to have an
elbow pipe above the stove, a horizontal pipe out through a wall,
then a T connector to a vertical smokestack pipe outside the house.
The downward-facing branch of the T pipe is capped, but can be
opened for provide cleaning access. The two bends will slightly
reduce draw, but the horizontal pipe will radiate heat into the
house that would have been wasted with a straight-up pipe.<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
All the stove pipes will get dangerously hot in use, and cannot
be positioned close to anything flammable. Passing the stove pipe
through a combustible wall or roof will require a kit that insulates
the building from the hot pipe. The vertical smokestack outside the
house must be well away from the outer wall and eaves. <br />
<br />
If there isn't an exhaust damper built into the stove, you can
easily install one in the pipe where you can reach it. This will
give you a bit more control over your burn rate.<br />
<br />
You'll need some sort of cap to keep the rain out of your
smokestack. A simple shanty-cap works fine, but line the openings
with offset layers of chicken wire or something to keep birds from
crawling down the pipe. Those little idiots can never find their
way back up, and you will seriously get a pipe full of feathered
mummies over the Summer.<br />
<br />
We put the wood stove in our bedroom, where we can keep an eye on
it. (This does mean the bedroom door has to be kept open when a
fire is going.) There was a convenient, big window in the wall. I
removed the glass and replaced it with a double layer of corrugated
steel, which is impervious to the stovepipe heat. There is a second
big window in the room, so we could afford to lose the use of one.
Running the pipe through the steel that replaced the window saved me
from cutting a hole through the wall proper and made the stove
installation fully reversible.<br />
<br />
The vertical smokestack outside the house is primarily supported
by a thick steel pole driven into the ground. This also serves to
independently ground the smokestack if it is hit by lightning. Guy
wires and long stainless steel brackets help support the stack
against wind.<br />
<br />
We've used our wood stove for primary home heating for many
years. The original galvanized pipes failed catastrophically due to
rust after the first few. We switched to black stovepipe, but
they also started to rust through after a couple years. We then
upgraded to heavier stainless steel pipes. These are harder to
find, don't look very rustic, and are much more expensive. But
they've lasted twice as long as the previous pipes, and are going
strong.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b> Fire Extinguishers: </b><br />
<br />
Every doomstead should have multiple fire extinguishers
strategically placed through all the buildings. This definitely
includes placing a big one in the room with the wood stove. A
smaller, disposable aerosol can extinguisher for minor mishaps, and
a simple spray bottle of water to douse the odd spark are also
handy. <br />
<br />
Dousing the fire in the box, especially with a chemical
extinguisher, will make a godawful mess and fill the house with
smoke. Don't ever do it unless you <b>absolutely </b>have to. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Fuel:</b><br />
<br />
One advantage of old-fashioned, simple wood stoves is that they
can burn just about anything flammable in a pinch. But, to avoid
toxic fumes and troublesome leftovers in the fire box, you'd best
stick with wood.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Of course, the availability of wood is a factor you should
consider before installing a wood stove. Our doomstead has enough
wooded acreage to allow us to cut all the firewood we need from
deadfall. If you have to truck-in wood from elsewhere and store it,
a wood stove may benefit you less.<br />
<br />
Well dried, small sticks and splits start easily then burn fast
and hot. So does conifer wood, though it will create more creosote
residue in your pipe. Green (less cured) wood and bigger pieces
burn cooler and slower. Adjusting the kind of wood or mix of woods
you use is a good way to regulate the heat of your stove and
duration of your fire, especially with an old school stove that
allows only limited regulation via venting and the damper. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b> Operation:</b><br />
<br />
Being a tall guy, it's easier for me to lift the top plate off
the stove so I can build the fire from above when starting with a
cold box. Of course, not all stoves have a lift-off top.<br />
<br />
As with a camp fire, you begin with easy to light, fast burning
materials at the bottom. Paper and cardboard are good. Crumpled,
individual sheets. Air has to be able to get in-between them.
Intact magazines, stacks of junk mail, etc., won't burn well. Then
twigs, sticks, arranged in crosses for breathing. Smaller splits
midway up the stack. Bigger pieces on top. You need to make sure
you can get a match to the paper at the bottom through a front or
side door. It might be wise to avoid putting heavier wood in until
later, as there's a possibility your light materials will burn away
before the logs get going, and they will be left on the bottom,
forcing you to pull them out to start over.<br />
<br />
You really shouldn't need an accelerant, but I have been known to
add a little used cooking oil. Just make sure it doesn't run out
the stove onto the floor. Don't even think about gasoline. Not
only are you likely to wind up in a hospital burn ward, but it won't
even work! (Burns away too quickly, before the wood can even
warm-up!)<br />
<br />
With the top plate (and all burner plates) in-place, I open the
exhaust damper and the stove intake ports all the way. Then I light
the paper at the bottom through the front door. (A butane BBQ
lighter is handy for this.) Then I let the blaze grow until I'm
confident that wood, rather than just starter material, is burning.<br />
<br />
My old stove is usually able to pull enough air in through its
various seams for a good heating fire, so I close the intake ports.
For a low-intensity, fuel-efficient fire, I close the exhaust damper
until smoke starts to escape from the seams, then open it back up a
bit.<br />
<br />
Once you've got a nice fire with a bed of glowing coals at the
base, you just add splits or logs as needed. It's best to just let
the fire burn itself out when you no longer need it, so cease
fueling accordingly. You really shouldn't leave an old style wood
stove unsupervised with much of a fire going in it.<br />
<br />
Wood stoves seem to pull all the moisture out of the air. Even
to the point of discomfort. So we usually keep an old tea kettle
full of water on top of the stove to act as a humidifier.<br />
<br />
Traditional stoves seem to work best with an inch or two of wood
ash in bottom. But it will build-up more than that pretty quickly.
Let the stove burn itself out and go completely cold before cleaning
out the ashes. It's a pretty simple matter. Use a steel fireplace
shovel and a steel bucket, just in case there are a few hot coals
hiding in the mix. Get the bucket of ashes outside the house and
away from anything flammable. Ash is a good insulator, and can keep
an ember or two alive in the pile for days.<br />
<br />
Once cool, hardwood ash is alkaline and can be used much like
slaked lime to counter acid in stall floors, latrine pits, and
gardening soil. It is also used to make traditional lye soap.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<b style="font-size: large;">Kerosene Heater.</b></div>
<br />
This one is easy. Modern indoor kerosene heaters are reasonably
priced, widely available, easy to use, and quite effective. No
installation. Portable. The kerosene heater is
our first back-up to the wood stove. (The electric central heat
furnace is the back-up's back-up.)<br />
<br />
Kerosene is a handy fuel in general. It keeps a bit better than
gasoline, especially if you use a stabilizer. We use it to fuel our
old tractor, as diesel fuel seems to break-down rather quickly these
days. (Biodiesel mixed-in?) And old-style kerosene lamps can
provide a lot of light for hours on very little fuel. So keeping a
few jerrycans of kerosene around is no problem. It gets used.<br />
<br />
You'll want a few spare wicks. They don't need to be replaced
very often. And a simple siphon pump to fill the heater's tank.
These are cheap, and prevent you dumping fuel all over everything
trying to pour it directly from the can.<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Follow the directions that come with the heater. Keep it away
from flammables. Turn it off before refueling. Don't feed it diesel
fuel or vegetable oil... (These might work, but could imbalance the
burn and release carbon monoxide.)<br />
<br />
Ours has been working well for over twenty years. Comes in handy
when we just want to take the chill off one room, or when we get
caught with an insufficient supply of dry wood when Winter suddenly
decides to assert itself.<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/02/new-book-underway-low-nonsense.html" style="background-color: #141414; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Back to <b><i><span style="font-size: medium;">LOW-NONSENSE DOOMSTEADING</span></i></b> Index.</a></div>
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Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6026024759816860541.post-3946161451580675632017-12-17T14:29:00.001-05:002017-12-17T14:29:37.937-05:00MERRY CHRISTMAS!<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RuPimLfnlBI/Wja_HKYd8UI/AAAAAAAAAbs/eFAG6WrgXxoIbqPDvgZI8iCXo_bSy_VRwCLcBGAs/s1600/christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="808" height="141" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RuPimLfnlBI/Wja_HKYd8UI/AAAAAAAAAbs/eFAG6WrgXxoIbqPDvgZI8iCXo_bSy_VRwCLcBGAs/s320/christmas.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hard to believe we're already into the final week before Christmas... Time flies when you're gettin' old!</div>
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In America, we have a near logjam of holidays from late November through early January. It used to be understood that <b>"Happy Holidays"</b> and <b>"Season's Greetings"</b> were shorthand for <i>"Happy Thanksgiving, Feast of Nicholas, Hanukkah, Christmas Eve/Day, Boxing Day/Feast of Stephen, New year's Eve/Day, and Epiphany!"</i></div>
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Now when you say <b>"Happy Holidays"</b> and <b>"Season's Greetings",</b> many people think you're doing it to avoid saying <b>"Christmas"</b>. Sad state of affairs the PC police have brought upon us, 'tis.</div>
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So <b><i>MERRY CHRISTMAS</i></b> to all, and a prosperous New Year to come!</div>
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Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6026024759816860541.post-25908413054190629132017-11-24T00:22:00.000-05:002017-11-24T00:22:15.422-05:00Millwater's FARRIERY: Black Friday / Cyber Monday and Beyond...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EgEq67DO5zw/WheUdvM0RAI/AAAAAAAAAa0/UPbQKwFJKskYwHwCBlzbPlNgO2dB1Fr8wCLcBGAs/s1600/Happy-Holidays.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1000" height="128" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EgEq67DO5zw/WheUdvM0RAI/AAAAAAAAAa0/UPbQKwFJKskYwHwCBlzbPlNgO2dB1Fr8wCLcBGAs/s320/Happy-Holidays.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Well, now that we're all turkey'd up and the Christmas season is officially upon us, just a reminder that <b><i>Millwater's FARRIERY: The Illustrated Dictionary of Horseshoeing and Hoofcare</i></b> is available from Amazon and other book sellers in <a href="https://www.createspace.com/3708308" target="_blank">paperback</a>, <a href="http://www.lulu.com/product/hardcover/millwaters-farriery-the-illustrated-dictionary-of-horseshoeing-and-hoofcare/18165564" target="_blank">hardcover</a>, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B016ZDVYN2" target="_blank">Kindle</a> forms!</div>
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More information about the book available on the <a href="http://www.millwaterpublishing.com/" target="_blank"><b>Millwater Publishing</b> website.</a></div>
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Follow our <a href="http://twitter.com/Millwater" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/MillwaterPublishing/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> feeds throughout the season for specials and discount codes. Also check out <a href="http://www.ebay.com/sch/shoerdave/m.html" target="_blank">eBay</a>, where we usually have promotional copies available at discount prices.</div>
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Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6026024759816860541.post-59726514668602413772017-11-22T00:47:00.000-05:002017-12-14T23:42:47.533-05:00Happy Thanksgiving!<br />
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Hard to believe the holiday season is already upon us again!</div>
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Folks following Millwater Publishing know that I've been busy with the <a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/02/new-book-underway-low-nonsense.html" target="_blank">ongoing project</a>. At least until events at <b><i><a href="http://www.facebook.com/prophetsthumbfarm/" target="_blank">Prophet's Thumb</a></i></b> started demanding so much time and attention. (Rough start to an already late dairy season.) Thankful to have got through that rough patch... And to have made it to the slow-down phase of the season where I'm not spending all night, every night, in the dairy kitchen!</div>
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Also thankful to have a barn full of healthy Quargian (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Quarter_Horse" target="_blank">AQHA</a>/<a href="http://www.belgiancorp.com/" target="_blank">BDHCA</a>) youngsters coming up. Just hope I've still got it in me to make proper mounts of the industrial strength beasties. Especially the colt. A yearling now, and already a 16+ hand locomotive.</div>
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Sadly, for a {ahem} middle-aged Sasquatch like me riding Jurassic Park refugees like these critters, the saddle that fit 1970s me and working quarter horses perfectly won't quite get it done. So I've been distracted with another long-overdue project...</div>
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<i>"He sold his saddle"</i> is cowboy speak for something akin to <i>"He sold his soul."</i><br />
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Wonder what it means when he builds a new saddle from scratch...<br />
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Anyway... Here's hoping you all find yourselves with plenty to be thankful for this turkey-day, and may it be the start of a joyous holiday season!<br />
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Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6026024759816860541.post-76942103411809901092017-08-15T23:56:00.000-04:002017-08-15T23:56:21.908-04:00LND: Dairy. (Part I.)<br />
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<i><b>“The cow is the foster mother of the human
race.<br />
From the time of the ancient Hindoo to this time have the
thoughts of men turned<br />
to this kindly and beneficent creature as one of the chief
sustaining forces of the human race”</b></i><br />
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– W.D. Hoard<br />
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<br />
One essential feature of the classic, self-sufficient homestead
that may go unnoticed in the background is the milk cow. But ol'
Bossy is always there, and she is a huge asset. <br />
<br />
Grass is one of the easiest and most efficient ways to convert
solar energy into nutrition... But human guts can't digest the
stuff very well. A cow can. And she'll convert it into milk, a
near-perfect food source for most living things! (Don't buy into
that <i>'humans can't digest cow milk'</i> hooey. That processed
whitewater from the supermarket doesn't come with the essential
enzymes for proper digestion like raw milk does!)<br />
<br />
The dairy cow is a fount of sustenance for the whole farm. Milk,
cream, butter, and cheese for her masters. Clabber for the
chickens. Whey for the pigs or tomatoes... And let's not forget
the by-product in the form of hundreds of pounds of beef.<br />
<br />
The downside is that even a one cow dairy program is a huge
commitment and a lot of work. She's called a <i>"family cow"</i>
because you really need a family to divide the chores, as well as to
consume all the milk. One person handling the whole dairy operation
is overwhelming, especially when the cow is fresh.<br />
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<span><b> Getting (or Raising) a Cow...</b><b><br />
</b></span></div>
<br />
Theoretically, any cow of reproductive age can be milked. But
countless generations of selective breeding have produced dairy cows
so different from beef breeds that they could pass for separate
species. In addition to higher milk production, dairy cows are
selected for quieter, more manageable dispositions.<br />
<br />
Everybody gets too clever by half these days with fancy breeds.
You really need look no farther than the traditional family cows,
like the Jersey and Guernsey. The most commonly seen commercial
dairy cow in America these days is the Holstein. An old joke claims
that the government wouldn't allow dairymen to water-down their
milk, so they bred Holstein cows to do it for them. (Holsteins are
bigger than other dairy breeds, and produce more gallons of milk,
but with a lower concentration of milkfat and protein.)<br />
<br />
'Miniature' cows have become trendy, but keep in-mind the
inbreeding that was used to scale cattle down. If a Jersey cow is
too intimidating, you might want to consider goats. (More on those
later.)<br />
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You may be able to find a dairy cull for a good price.
Commercial dairy operations dispose of cows when they no longer meet
a set output relative to upkeep standard. Many of these cows are
fairly young, and could produce more than enough for doomstead needs
for years to come. But industrial scale milk production is hard
animals, and does not impart the kind of human-oriented social
imprinting that is desirable for a family cow. Look well about
these for chronic mastitis, poor disposition.<br />
<br />
If buying a 'new' cow, a good argument can be made for starting
with a heifer already confirmed well along in her first pregnancy.
That way you know she's fertile, and you don't have to wait too long
to start getting a return on your investment. But these can run you
a pretty penny.<br />
<br />
We started with an early weaned Jersey/Guernsey heifer calf
because we wanted to make sure our cow had a good upbringing and was
completely imprinted on us. We were acquainted with some folks
through <i><b>LATOC </b></i>who had a small homestead dairy operation further up
in the mountains, and knew they'd handled their calves extensively
from birth. <br />
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Starting with a calf means you're going to have to invest a lot
of time and effort and upkeep into the critter before you get the
first cup of milk in return. But a family cow really needs to be
part of the family, completely comfortable and trusting of her
people. This isn't <b>just</b> for sentimental reasons.
Commercial dairies have lots of concrete and steel facilities, with
sorting chutes, head gates, tilt tables. They can use injections to
get cows to let-down. And they only expect two or three milking
seasons from a cow before she becomes <i>Big Macs</i>... You
probably won't have anything like that. So you'll need a cow who <b>wants</b>
to cooperate with you. Will let you catch her out of the pasture
and lead her in. Tie her to a post and milk her without
restraints. Will let down with just a little warm-up and sweet
talk. Even stand for artificial insemination procedures without
trouble.<br />
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<br />
Basically, we raised our little Maudie as if she were a foal.
Grooming, bathing, leading, tying, hoof handling. She also learned
to tether, which is something horses should not do... Cows are
naturally better at being tied with long (like 50') sturdy ropes to
solid anchors like fence post bases. Their leather hides are less
likely to get rope burned, and they tend not to panic when they get
tangled. Tethering is a very handy way to let your cow consume
grass in areas not fenced for grazing.<br />
<br />
One decision you may have to make when raising your own milk cow
is whether to let her keep her horns. Most dairy breeds do have the
genetics for horn growth, although some lines and crosses may be
polled (hornless). Horns can easily be eliminated early in a cows
life, prior to the horn buds attach to the skull. Before around
eight weeks of age, they can be cut, burned, or chemically
eliminated (with a mild acid somewhat like the <i>Compound W</i>
used for warts in humans). The paste is nearly painless. Other
methods hurt a bit, and should be done with some sort of topical
numbing agent and possible sedation. Get a vet or experienced
cattleman to help you the first time.<br />
<br />
Letting the cow keep her horns gives her some defense against
coyotes, dogs, and other threats. They also give you a convenient
handle to take hold of her head. The intimidation factor of just
having horns may discourage city folk from messing with your
milker... Heck, half of them seem to think only bulls have horns!<br />
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No decent family milk cow would ever think of goring her own
people, but accidents do happen. And mischievous cows will
definitely use their horns as tools to disassemble fences, stalls,
and other things. So it's a judgement call. We let Maudie keep her
horns. But she's the only one.<br />
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<span><b>Accommodations...</b><b><br />
</b></span></div>
<br />
When we brought Maudie home, we gave her a stall in the horse
stables. This worked just fine while she was a little heifer. But,
as she got bigger, then had to share with her calf, it became a real
mess. Cow manure is near-liquid, and a pregnant or lactating cow
will make barrels of urine. Cows are deceptively heavy, with
relatively small, cloven hooves that will grind filth into a pit
gravel floor. And <b>bovines have ZERO sense of hygiene!</b> They
will turn a stall floor into belly-deep septic muck over time,
despite your efforts to clean it regularly.<br />
<br />
Her current accommodations are an anchored-down steel tube corral
panel enclosure on a reinforced concrete floor with heavy rubber
mats and (of all things) an old boat secured keel-up to provide a
partial roof. (Remember, we're in Dixie, where a cow only needs a
roof for shade and sometimes freezing rain.) This is situated in
her primary turnout paddock so that, when she has a new calf, she
can go out to graze while he's safe inside. She can come back and
feed him through the panel when she sees fit. (They figure that out
pretty quick.)<br /><br />
We also started out milking Maudie in her stall. This was a BAD
IDEA that got worse as the stall grew ever more foul. Then I built
a Milking Parlor... Just an 8' x 12' extension on the barn with a
gravel floor, rubber mats where the cow stands, a feeder, a low
table for equipment, lights, a fan, and power outlets. This little,
dedicated workspace made milking so much faster and easier that I
can't believe we ever did it any other way.<br />
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<span><b> THE MILKING SEASON...</b><br />
</span></div>
<br />
To make milk, a cow has to first produce a calf...<br />
<br />
Heifers usually come into heat for the first time sometime
between six and nine months of age. Then they cycle about every
three weeks unless they are pregnant... This is going to test your
patience a bit, as you shouldn't have a heifer bred until she's past
fifteen months old. So you'll have to put up with several rounds of
her relentless bellowing, crazy eyes, and jumping on everyone and
everything. The saving grace is that cows are usually in full heat
less than two days.<br />
<br />
When she's fifteen months or so, you can get your cow bred either
the old fashioned way, putting her out with a bull, or employ the
more modern approach of artificial insemination (AI). The former
may be handy if you have a good neighbor with an appropriate bull
he'll share. Keeping your own bull to freshen just one or two
milkers is beyond impractical.<br />
<br />
AI means coordinating with your vet or a reproduction tech, who
will show-up with a tank of frozen bull semen, packaged in one dose
straws. A dose will be selected, carefully thawed, and inserted
into the heifer's uterus. Well-handled cows in full heat are
usually pretty tolerant of the whole process, requiring little
restraint and no sedation. But the person going shoulder-deep into
the cow gets to make that call!<br />
<br />
Bulls inclined to produce small-headed, low-birthweight calves
are desirable for a heifer's first pregnancy for easy delivery.
Angus bulls are a popular choice, as their calves are easily born
and grow rapidly into good beef producers. <br />
<br />
Breeding to a dairy bull gives you a chance for a relatively
valuable full-dairy heifer. But, if you get a full-dairy bull calf,
he'll produce less beef than an Angus cross. You can use sexed
semen to assure a heifer calf, but availability can be a problem,
cost is higher, and potency tends to be far lower than whole semen.<br />
<br />
Bovine gestation is usually around 283 days, a bit over 9
months. Dairy cows tend to go a little shorter. Cattle are pretty
low-maintenance in pregnancy. Just keep her well-fed (more on that
later), with access to clean water, and the usual shade, shelter. <br />
<br />
Calving is normally a pretty quick affair. Most cattle come into
this world with no assistance. If you happen to be present when the
calf comes, you can reduce some of the stress on cow and calf once
the front feet and nose show. (They should be oriented hooves-down,
as though the calf was jumping out and intends to land on his
feet... They may also be covered in the birth sack.) Take a firm
hold on the legs, just above the feet, wait for the cow to push, and
pull out and slightly downward. Don't yank.<br />
<br />
If the calf appears in an incorrect orientation, or birth takes
more than 45 minutes after the water breaks, get a vet or
experienced cattleman's help ASAP. Don't panic. Cows are pretty
tough.<br />
<br />
A newly born calf usually appears lifeless. Make sure its mouth
and nose are clear, rub on the critter a minute, and it should soon
awaken... Then you have a decision to implement...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<span><b> Point of Divergence.....</b><b><br />
</b></span></div>
<br />
You've now got a cow with (hopefully) full udders and a newborn
calf. You can let Mamma keep her calf, or you can split them up
ASAP.<br />
<br />
Commercial dairies usually do the latter. Some homesteaders do
as well. Taking the calf to another stall or hutch to be
bottle-fed. The primary advantage to this is preventing the cow
from becoming calf-bound. Although a dairy cow will produce far
more milk than her calf needs, some will instinctively hold-up milk
for the calf, shorting her people. She may even dry-off when the
calf is weaned, ending the milking season months ahead of schedule.
This maddening problem may be avoided if the cow never bonds with
her offspring, but learns to rely on the milker for udder relief.<br />
<br />
Family milk cows are often allowed to keep their calves. This
has the advantage of saving the humans a lot of work. Instead of
having to milk the fresh cow three or four times a day, and bottle
feeding part of the milk to the calf, we just let the calf
self-serve, and milk the cow twice a day. The dairyman typically
gets a little less milk this way, but there's still usually more
than enough for a family.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0seZDEtVLvM/WZPBVrMAz7I/AAAAAAAAAY0/Duax43F01OQSrjiQuC2y5ZGMvfhWKLK4gCLcBGAs/s1600/beau01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1037" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0seZDEtVLvM/WZPBVrMAz7I/AAAAAAAAAY0/Duax43F01OQSrjiQuC2y5ZGMvfhWKLK4gCLcBGAs/s320/beau01.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>TO BE CONTINUED.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>MUCH MORE DAIRY CHAPTER TO COME!</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/02/new-book-underway-low-nonsense.html" target="_blank">Back to <i>LOW-NONSENSE DOOMSTEADING</i> index.</a></span></b></div>
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Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6026024759816860541.post-76054148346247490262017-07-11T00:38:00.000-04:002017-07-11T00:38:19.752-04:00LND: Water.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-paAvwTAVjZQ/WWRTnq7B_3I/AAAAAAAAAXo/VTh2o0B80S8JIRCIOCxH4St8MGGetNlXACLcBGAs/s1600/Tap-Water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="403" height="252" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-paAvwTAVjZQ/WWRTnq7B_3I/AAAAAAAAAXo/VTh2o0B80S8JIRCIOCxH4St8MGGetNlXACLcBGAs/s320/Tap-Water.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Water is just below air at the top of the list of things you need
in order to postpone dying. Virtually unlimited, uninfected
supplies of fresh water are one of the unsung heroes that enabled
the big lifespan increase in the Western World through the 20th
Century. So maintaining the flow is a high priority.<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div align="center">
<b> The Typical Farm Well Pump...</b><b><br />
</b></div>
<br />
The best source of clean water is a well drilled into a reliable
aquifer. The most common set-up for getting the water from the
bottom of the well to your spigots is a grid-powered, automatic,
submerged pump with pressure tank. If you acquire rural property
with an established home site, this is what will probably already be
there. If you buy raw land, this may be the simplest thing to have
installed.<br />
<br />
The well casing is essentially a big (usually around 6" diameter)
pipe that goes straight down to into the ground to below the water
level. Near the bottom of the casing, deep under water, is the
actual pump. A cylindrical thing connected to what is essentially a
heavy-duty hose and some wires which run back up the casing to the
surface. The upper end of the hose connects to pipe which, in-turn,
connects to a 20 to 50 gallon tank and then out to the homestead
plumbing. The wires from the pump run to a pressure switch at the
tank, which then connects to the household panel electricity.<br />
<br />
When the pressure in the tank is below a set minimum (usually 30
to 40psi), the switch will send electricity to the pump, which will
force water up the hose pipe into the bottom of the tank,
compressing the air in the tank into a smaller space at the top.
When the pressure reaches a set maximum (usually 50 to 60psi), the
switch will stop power to the pump. The compressed air in the top
of the tank acts as a spring, maintaining fairly constant water
pressure for the plumbing without the pump needing to switch on
every time water is used.<br />
<br />
Wells under 100' may use surface pumps to pull water up, but
deeper wells, and the higher flow rate needed for farms, makes the
submersible pump more common in most rural areas. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div align="center">
<b> Alternative Power For Standard Well Pump...</b><b><br />
</b></div>
<br />
If you've set-up a backup generator for your doomstead (as
detailed in another chapter), you're already ahead of the game. The
well pump should be powered along with everything else when your
generator is going. But you may not want to run the generator
24/7. So be sure to flush your toilets, fill your water jugs,
top-up the livestock troughs, and so-forth while the generator is
going. <br />
<br />
A freestanding solar power station is a more long-term (not to
mention quieter) solution for running the well pump. (You may want
to read through the <i>Generator </i>chapter for some info on
basic electrical stuff.)<br />
<br />
Contrary to what you may have seen on <b><i>Captain Planet</i></b>,
photo-voltaic solar panels are kinda' wimpy. The standard circuit
feeding my well pump can provide 3,600 watts. It would take thirty
big solar panels to collect that much power. At high noon. On a
clear day. So you can't just run a typical well pump system
directly from solar panels.<br />
<br />
Fortunately, a pump doesn't draw full power constantly. In fact,
most of the time, it doesn't use any. When it cycles on, it pulls a
big surge of electricity for a second or two, then settles down to
more moderate wattage until the pressure maxes out and it cycles off
again. While solar panels collect only a relative trickle of
energy, they do it for hours on-end on clear days. That can add-up
to enough to supply the big gulps of power needed for the pump, if
you have some way to store the accumulated energy.<br />
<br />
We have two 12 volt, 10 amp solar panels connected to four big
marine 12v batteries. (These are better for extended
charging/output cycles than automotive starting batteries, and
better for the high-amp starting load from a well pump than pure
deep cycle batteries.) There's a 35 amp-rated charge controller
between the panels and batteries, which keeps the batteries from
being overcharged by effectively disconnecting the panels when the
battery voltage gets above 15v, reconnecting them when it drops
below 13v. During the day, the solar panels act as a trickle
charger to top-up the batteries for when the pump needs power, day
or night.<br />
<br />
Problem is, the solar panels and batteries produce low voltage,
Direct Current. The well pump runs on 240v Alternating Current. To
rectify this, we use an inverter. A device which inputs low
voltage, high amp, DC electricity and outputs high voltage, low amp,
AC electricity. Once connected to the inverter, the pressure switch
controlled well pump works exactly the same as when it's on grid
power.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Naturally, the solar panels have to be out in the open. Usually
oriented to face directly towards the sun at midday in the Spring
and Autumn. It may be worthwhile to mount them in a way that allows
you to adjust them (more upright in Winter, at a shallower angle in
Summer) to catch maximum sunlight.<br />
<br />
The batteries and charge controller need to be under cover. The
inverter is the most vulnerable component, and needs more protection
from the elements. It is also capable of producing sparks which
could ignite gas vented from the batteries. So the inverter needs
to be enclosed separately from them. We have the batteries under an
old camper shell, with the inverter in a large wooden box also under
the shell. A canister of silica gel beads are kept in the box like
a gun safe, to reduce moisture condensation on/in the inverter. <br />
<br />
Remember that low-voltage, DC electricity doesn't carry well over
distance. Keep your components reasonably close together, and wires
short. Use the heaviest wire practical for connecting the panels to
the charge controller, and controller to the batteries. Use the
thickest automotive battery cables and clamps to connect the
batteries to one-another and the inverter. Our inverter takes 12vDC
input, so the entire DC side of the system is wired in parallel.<br />
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
We use a modified sine wave 12vDC to 240vAC inverter which is
considerably more affordable than pure sine wave inverters in the
5000 watt range, and works just as well for our purpose. Oddly
enough, it has weird sockets designed to accept a lot of different
electrical plugs, including standard American 120vAC extension
cords. This could actually be a hazard if someone plugged a 120vAC
device into these 240vAC-only sockets. But, since the inverter is
out by the well house, that's not likely to happen, and the use of a
common plug came in handy for us.<br />
<br />
After switching off the pump circuit at the main panel (of
course), I reworked the well house junction box so that, instead of
connecting the underground electrical conduit from the house to the
pressure switch, the line from the house connects to a short 'pony
tail' ending in a heavy-duty standard type extension cord socket.
The line from the pressure switch connects to a section of heavy
extension cord long enough to reach the inverter in its box, and
ends in a standard plug. This enables me to switch pump power from
grid to solar simply by unplugging from one and plugging into the
other. There is no 'suicide cable' risk, as the pronged plug is
never live when out of a socket, and no chance of backfeeding as the
well can only be plugged into one power source at any given time.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<b> Operating Notes:</b><b><br />
</b></div>
<br />
Always power-up the inverter first, then connect a load. In
fact, I've found that it's best to leave the inverter on at all
times, even when your using grid power, as powering up from cold
seems to really tax the electronics.<br />
<br />
Try to do your heavy water use in the middle of the day, so that
the batteries will be charged up by the morning sun after the
night's drain, and so that the afternoon sunlight can charge the
batteries up before the coming night.<br />
<br />
You may need to open up your power system to fresh air in the
heat of Summer. The inverter will shut down if overheated.
Remember to put the lid on your silica canister when the inverter
box is open.<br />
<br />
Still on my <i>To Do List</i> (yes, after two decades on the doomstead,
I still have a long one!) is the addition of a small wind turbine to
top-up the batteries during the dark seasons. It should be possible
to simply wire it in like another solar panel, although another
charge controller may be needed.<br />
<br />
During the aforementioned extended periods of gloomy weather, I
have run a trickle charger to keep the batteries up on occasion. In
a few pinches, I've used jumped cables from an automobile to charge
the battery array. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<b> Off-Grid From the Start...</b><b><br />
</b></div>
<br />
If you're starting from scratch, or determined to be fully
self-sufficient, you may want to skip the whole grid AC and pressure
tank set-up altogether.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vy6oVqVdBoI/WWRU1pY9UYI/AAAAAAAAAX4/PtAYXDbrXVAFE6NC8NB7mjC0Dnwb0gawACLcBGAs/s1600/pitcherpump.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="550" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vy6oVqVdBoI/WWRU1pY9UYI/AAAAAAAAAX4/PtAYXDbrXVAFE6NC8NB7mjC0Dnwb0gawACLcBGAs/s320/pitcherpump.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
You can't get much more Old School than a hand pumped well.
(Well, you could lower a bucket on a rope, I suppose.) No
electricity involved. Back down in the Lowcountry, a lot of Old
Timers (including my grandfather) insisted on having a pitcher pump
backup for their well.<br />
<br />
Of course, hand-pumping water for just household use can be a big
chore. If you need more fore livestock, irrigation, etc., a hand
pump isn't going to be sufficient.<br />
<br />
But it's not quite rocket science to build a windmill and have it
mechanically drive the pump for you. You'll see this sort of thing
filling stock tanks on big cattle farms across the country. <br />
<br />
If you set up a windmill-driven pump, and have it push water into
a water tower, you can not only have plenty of water even when the
wind is calm, but also have gravity-provided water pressure to your
plumbing. (You'll need to make sure the bottom of your water tower
is a few feet higher above the ground than your highest shower
head!)<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
A limitation on hand and mechanically-driven wind pumps is that
they can't pull up water from very deep wells. Nothing really beats
a submersible, electric pump for that. But, using the same water
tower approach as a windmill, you can forego the battery array and
inverter to have solar panels and/or wind turbines power the well
pump directly.<br />
<br />
The problem is that low voltage, DC pumps drive water up the pipe
slowly and at low pressure. So they won't work with a typical
pressure tank. But they can tickle-fill a water tower whenever the
sun shines or wind blows... If you have enough panels and/or
turbines. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<b> Artesian wells...</b><b><br />
</b></div>
<br />
Some underground water sources are naturally pressurized to the
point that you don't need a pump at all. Just drill a pipe into the
aquifer and the water gushes up. But you're very lucky if that
happens, because it requires rather specific geological conditions
which are not that widespread.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<b> Other sources...</b><b><br />
</b></div>
<br />
Deep wells are your safest, most reliable source of potable
water. Surface water, such as creeks, ponds, springs, collected
rain, and condensation are subject to <i>many </i>sources of
pollution. As infrastructure declines, the likelihood of surface
water sources being contaminated will get even worse. <br />
<br />
Filtration, boiling, distillation, UV, and chemical purification
of surface water may be useful means to get through rough spots.
But, unless you are part of a group that can do this on a fairly
large scale, it won't be enough to maintain a comfortable standard
of living long-term.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<b> Tips...</b><b><br />
</b></div>
<br />
In the <i>Doomstead Layout </i>chapter, I mentioned that you
want the well house near the middle of your barnyard to minimize
hose drag. Even so, you're probably looking at 100' or more hose to
reach all the stalls and paddocks. Don't cheap-out and try to use
ordinary, vinyl-shell garden hose. Not only will it fail often (I
mean every few weeks), but it also doesn't patch well due to its
layered construction. Get the heavy, solid rubber hose. It's more
than worth it.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
For the 'way down yonder' troughs and garden sprinklers, it may
be a good idea to just leave a section of hose running back from
them to within range of your regular hose, so you can just connect
to run water out there without having to drag the full length every
time.<br />
<br />
Rather than a spray head or other restrictive valve on the hose
(which slows down bucket filling), I prefer about a 6' section
salvaged from an old hose with replacement fittings on both ends.
Having this on the end of the main hose allows me to crimp the water
off a few feet from the outlet as I thread the hose through a stall
wall or paddock fence to water the stock, or to allow easy
connection to one of the aforementioned extension lines. The
frequent crimping will wear the hose, but just the easily
replaceable 6' piece. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Weird thing about the solid rubber hose is that it will conduct
high voltage electricity. So you (or your critters) can get zapped
running it over an electric fence. Wrapping about 18" with electric
tape just where you need to lay it across the fence will fix this.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<b> Inverters...</b><br />
</div>
<br />
Solar panels can last decades. Batteries can go several years,
and can be rejuvenated if replacements aren't available. Charge
controllers seem fairly tough, and you can get by without them in a
pinch if you figure out how to balance panels/turbines, batteries,
and power usage. Inverters are the weak link in standard well pump
to alt energy conversion.<br />
<br />
Modern, electronic inverters are simple to use, provide very
stable output, and are very efficient. But moisture, heat,
overloads, and various other things can mess them up. And they
aren't easily reparable. So it's worth investing in a backup or
three for the long term. <br />
<br />
It's also probably a good idea to look into old-fashioned
mechanical inverters, dynamotors, and the like. These are basically
some form of DC motor driving an AC generator or alternating
switching system into a transformer coil. Nowhere near as efficient
or self-monitoring as modern electronic inverters, but they can give
you AC from DC sources, and can be repaired or even built from
scratch by a handyman.<br />
<br />
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<br />Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6026024759816860541.post-10979508137688348402017-06-12T00:13:00.000-04:002017-06-12T00:13:23.797-04:00LND: Horses. (Part I)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
This may seem strange, coming from the LATOC's Old Horseman, but
horses may <b>not</b> figure into many preppers' plans.<br />
<br />
Our grandfathers switched from horses and mules to trucks and
tractors for good reason. Horses require considerable knowledge and
skill not only to work well, but just to keep sound and healthy.
Unlike <i>infernal</i> combustion machines, which can be put into
the garage and ignored, equines have to be fed and cared for
three-hundred and sixty-five days per year, whether you're using
them or not. They need pastures and paddocks with well-maintained
fences. Properly constructed stables. Hay, feed, hoofcare. Etc.,
etc., etc...<br />
<br />
Fuel, replacement parts, and other things needed to keep tractors
and automobiles going may someday become inaccessible, making horses
the best solution for rural transportation and farm traction again.
But, if all you really need is a light motorcycle for errands, and a
rototiller for the kitchen garden, you might be able to scrounge up
a few gallons of gasoline and motor oil to keep them going for years
to come, even in the face of shortages or rationing.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, if you need to transport people and cargo
beyond what you can move with a cycle, or your doomstead operations
require substantial pulling power, equines might make sense. Riding
horses are excellent for long-range reconnaissance, being quieter
than motorcycles, better off-road than wheeled vehicles, and having
a built-in GPS system. (Horses are great at finding their way back
to the feed trough, no matter how lost their riders get.)<br />
<br />
Whether you have a pressing, practical need for them or not, the
<i> opportunity</i> to keep horses may be considered one of the
benefits of doomsteading. If you're living out in the boonies
anyway, may as well take full advantage and experience the joys of
horsemanship, if you are so-inclined.<br />
<br />
If you are one of the few 'steads in a 'neighborhood' with solid
workhorses and equipment, you could find yourself in a position to
provide valuable services to your community should the petroleum-fed
equipment be silenced. Hobbies sometime become lucrative
occupations.<br />
<br />
Horses do require a substantial investment in treasure and/ or
personal effort. The more equestrian knowledge and skill you have,
the less coin you'll need to spend. Many books have been written on
husbandry, training, horsemanship, and farriery. <i>(Some by
myself.)</i> So I'll try to keep it to an overview here...<br />
<br />
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<span><b> Speaking the language...</b></span><br />
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<br />
An intact male, adult (usually over four years old) horse is a <i><b>stallion</b></i>.
A juvenile male is a <i><b>colt</b></i>. Stallions are sometimes
called <i><b>studs</b></i>, especially if they are used for
breeding. Some folks, especially our cousins across the Big Pond,
call a breeding farm or program a stud (shortened from stud farm or
stud book).<br />
<br />
A castrated male horse is a <i><b>gelding</b></i>. Most colts
are gelded, as geldings are generally the preferred gender for
riding and work horses.<br />
<br />
An adult female (usually over four years old) horse is a <i><b>mare</b></i>.
A juvenile female is a <i><b>filly</b></i>. Mares are very rarely
spayed, as the surgery is far more expensive and risky than gelding
colts or spaying smaller animals.<br />
<br />
Very young horses of both genders are <i><b>foals</b></i>.
Pregnant mares are said to be <i><b>in foal</b></i>. The birth
process is called <i><b>foaling</b></i>.<br />
<br />
Horse height is usually measured in <i><b>hands </b></i>(four
inch units) followed by remaining inches. "15-3" means the horse is
fifteen hands and three inches (63" total). This measurement is
made at the <i><b> withers</b></i>, the bony protrusion where the
top of the neck meets the horse's back. <br />
<br />
A <i><b>pony </b></i>is a small horse. Usually less than 14-2
hands, though breed and show organization standards vary. A pony
under 9-2 hands may be called a <i><b>miniature </b></i>horse.
Ponies and miniature horses are the same species as full-size
horses.<br />
<br />
The <i><b>donkey</b></i>, also known as an <i><b>ass </b></i>or
<i><b>burro </b></i>(especially smaller specimens), is a separate
species in the same genus as the horse. Donkeys tend to be smaller,
slower, less athletic, smarter, surer of foot, more fuel-efficient,
and tougher than horses. The go-to beasts of burden in the Third
World, they can be prone to some maladies due to easy living here in
Cornucopia. (Like founder from overeating.) <br />
<br />
A male donkey is a <i><b>jack</b></i>. A female is a <i><b>jenny</b></i>.
Large donkeys are called "<i><b>mammoth jacks</b></i>" (over 14-2)
and "<i><b>mammoth jennies</b></i>" (over 14 hands). The largest
are up to 17 hands.<br />
<br />
A <i><b>mule </b></i>is the result of a mare being bred to a
jack. Being a hybrid of two distinct species, they are <i>almost </i>always
born sterile. A male is a <i><b>john</b></i>, and is normally
gelded, since he has no reproductive potential, and all the
behavioral challenges of a stallion if left intact. A female is a <i><b>molly</b></i>.
In extremely rare cases, mollies have been fertile, but it's a
literal one-in-a-million fluke.<br />
<br />
A <i><b>hinny </b></i>is the result of a jenny being bred to a
stallion. Generally smaller and less strong than mules, and harder
to successfully produce due to the genetic technicalities of having
the female parent with the lower chromosome count, hinnies are
somewhat rare.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<span><b> Horse types....</b><br />
</span></div>
<br />
There are countless breeds and types of horses on the market
today, each with their ardent fans. Since the focus of this book is
doomsteading, I'll be omitting horses bred for show, novelty gaits,
and racing. We're looking for animals who can get enough useful
work done to justify their upkeep around a self-supporting farm. <br />
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<b><i>Quarter Horse.</i></b><br />
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<br />
The <i><b>American Quarter Horse </b></i>got its name for being
bred for the equestrian version of drag racing; quarter-mile races
from a standing start. Their explosive acceleration and agility
made the breed dominant in cutting, reining, rodeo, gymkhana, and
similar competitions. Handsome in form, calmly alert in
disposition, muscular but compact in size, the Quarter Horse became
the default ranch horse... But the primary breed registry, the <i>American
Quarter Horse Association </i>has a long history of tossing the
breed standard out the window in favor of generating revenue for the
organization, so there are horses of such broadly ranging types with
<i>AQHA </i>papers now that registration is virtually meaningless.
There is little wonder that, in recent years, <i><b>"quarter horse"
</b></i>has come to denote any generic riding horse between pony
and draft size, including <i>paints </i>and <i>appaloosas</i>. <br />
<br />
Quarter horses are your basic American riding stock. It's easy
to find tack, equipment, and everything else to fit them. Most are
pretty durable and easy keepers. And they can do a very wide
assortment of things well in terms of riding styles and activities.<br />
<br />
Quarter horses can be trained to harness, and many do quite
well. But sudden acceleration and turn-on-a-dime agility are
definitely not desirable between cart shafts or in a plow row, and
the 'rear wheel drive' conformation of the quarter horse is not
ideal for pulling.<br />
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<b><i>Morgan.</i></b><br />
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<br />
The old-school <i><b>Morgan </b></i>is like the <i>quarter
horse's </i>even more blue-collar cousin. Not quite as athletic,
but strong, compact, rugged, and utilitarian. Unfortunately, <i>Saddlebreds
</i>(among the <b> least </b>practically useful horses for real
work) have been a corrupting influence on the Morgan breed in recent
decades, making the classic type Morgan harder to find.<br />
<br />
Traditional Morgans are the quintessential, jack-of-all-trades
farmstead horses. Being a little heavier on the forehand, they
generally fall just shy of quarter horses for riding applications,
but tend to be superior for harness work. Their compact size makes
them easier to manage and fit with tack than draft horses.<br />
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<b><i>Drafts.</i></b></div>
<br />
<i><b>Draft horses </b></i>are the giants of the horse world.
Commonly a foot taller and a half-ton heavier than the typical <i>quarter
horse</i>. And they're even stronger than they look. Because the
draft breeds were developed with matching hitch teams in-mind, they
tend to be very uniform in appearance. (American <i>Belgians </i>are
usually red with blonde manes, blaze faces. <i>Percherons </i>are
usually either black or grey with stars and minimal white leg
markings. <i>Clydesdales </i>and <i>Shires</i> usually have dark
body coats with lots of white on the faces and limbs, long 'feather'
hair on the legs.) <br />
<br />
Draft horses are bred to pull heavy stuff. If one gigantic
superhorse isn't enough to move something, they like to work in
teams. Draft horses are usually calm, even stoic. (But don't buy
into the 'Gentle Giant' thing <b>too </b>much. They can spook like
any horse. Some know their own strength and get pushy.) Most are
fairly fuel efficient, needing no more feed than quarter horses, and
only a bit more hay. When it comes to pulling deep plows through
tough ground, big combines, or freight wagons, draft horses rule.<br />
<br />
Draft horses can be ridden, and doing so has become quite popular
lately. But, honestly, they aren't very good for it. They're slow,
lumbering, and lack endurance. Their height makes them difficult to
mount. Their size can be problematic all-around. The horse world
is geared for quarter horses. Harness and tack for full-size draft
horses often has to be special ordered. They may not fit into horse
trailers for transport. They require double-doses of dewormers.
Draft shoeing is widely considered a specialty, and farriers
competent to do it properly may be expensive and hard to find .<br />
<br />
In the Deep South, the <b>square-cube law</b>, which dictates
that bigger horses have less skin surface per pound of body weight,
hits draft horses hard. <i>(Darn you, Galileo!)</i> They have
considerable trouble coping with the heat and humidity of the Dixie
Summer. In my own experience, top-quality bred drafters have had a
distinct inability to bounce-back from infections the gigantic Petri
dish that is the southern environment can throw at them. Perhaps
due to inbreeding. They don't seem to get sick more often than
other horses, but they tend to die (despite massive veterinary
intervention) when a quarter horse would have recovered.<br />
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<b><i>Haflinger.</i></b></div>
<br />
Once upon a time, some <i>Belgian draft horses </i>got so dirty
that their people washed them with REALLY hot water, and they shrank
somethin' fierce! <br />
<br />
Okay. The <i><b>Haflinger </b></i>is an old and storied
European breed. But they do look rather like one-third scale
Belgians. Usually large <i> pony </i>to small <i>quarter horse </i>height,
around fourteen hands.<br />
<br />
With their modest size, strong build, and tractable nature,
Haflingers could fill a farmstead role similar to the classic <i>Morgan</i>.
They are about the least intimidating mounts for inexperienced
riders due to their modest stature, sunny look, and friendly
disposition. <br />
<br />
While they are strong enough to carry men, their size does make
them more suitable for kids and ladies when it comes to working
under saddle. <br />
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<b><i>Standardbred.</i></b></div>
<br />
The <i><b>Standardbred </b></i>was developed for harness track
racing at the trot or pace. Those that retire from or don't make it
to racing careers are often picked-up by the Amish and other folks
looking for good light driving horses. They are similar in height
to <i>quarter horses</i>, but a bit lankier. Bred for function,
they do tend to be a bit plain in form and coloring. But that may
be considered a plus from a doomsteading point of view. They are
generally less high-strung than their <i>Thoroughbred </i>cousins.<br />
<br />
When it comes to driving the buggy or buckboard into town, the
Standardbred will get you there faster and easier than any other.
They are bred to trot or pace long distances, and most get basic
driving training at an early age. They are the size of an ordinary
riding horse, and many serve well under saddle as well.<br />
<br />
Standardbreds are a bit light for heavy pulling and farm work.
(Cultivators, hay rakes, and the like should not be a problem for
them.) Under saddle, it may take some work to perfect a smooth
transition to the canter, as Standardbreds are trained never to
canter on the track. Some Standardbreds are bred and trained to
pace rather than trot. This is fine for driving, but the pace is
not a desirable gait under saddle. Most can be trained out of it.<br />
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<b><i>Draft Cross.</i></b></div>
<br />
<i><b>"Draft cross"</b></i> covers an awful lot of territory
these days. The ups and downs of the <i>Premarin </i>market have
flooded America with assorted draft and part-draft mares and their
offspring. Essentially, big mares whose previous greatest value was
the ability to make copious amounts of urine, and the results of
them being bred to whatever stud was handy. Not exactly a recipe
for consistent quality.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, some breeders have crossed carefully selected
light and <i>draft </i>horses to achieve an intermediate type,
physically similar to European <i>Warmbloods</i>. Our own program
bred full-sized, fancy hitch type, pedigreed <i>Belgian </i>and <i>Percheron
</i>mares to extremely sound and athletic <i>American Quarter Horse
</i>stallions. <br />
<br />
The better draft cross horses are bigger and stronger than <i>
quarter horses</i>, but have better speed, grace, endurance, and
hot climate resiliency than full drafters. The have the mass for
fairly heavy pulling and farm work, but don't need to stop and blow
too often when pulling the buggy down the road, even at a near <i>Standardbred
</i>rate. They fit well under a big man's saddle, yet you don't
quite need a ladder to get onto them.<br />
<br />
While some 'rescue' part-draft horses are surprisingly good
specimens, many more are about what you'd expect from such programs,
or from breeding Premarin cast-off mares to Billy-Bob's backyard
spotted rackin' hoss stud. Big, intimidating horses originating
from situations where training isn't a priority, 'rescued' by
well-meaning but not horse-wise people, can be a menace. <br />
<br />
Most draft cross horses can use large or warmblood sized tack and
trailers, and can be serviced by general practice farriers. But
some of the larger ones may require draft specialty equipment and
services.<br />
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<b><i>Mules.</i></b></div>
<br />
<i><b>Mules</b></i> come in all sizes, from <i>miniature </i>to
<i>draft</i>. Their application is generally the same as the
corresponding type of horse. But they tend to be stronger for their
size, surer of foot, more durable, and able to stay in good
condition on less feed and hay.<br />
<br />
Since mules don't reproduce themselves, quality specimens of
working size can be hard to find and sometimes expensive. Mules
also tend to be noticeably more intelligent than the average horse,
which may not always be a good thing. Pretty much all equines can
physically overpower their human masters. We don't need them
outsmarting us as well! <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div align="center">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div align="center">
<b><i>Pony.</i></b></div>
<br />
Most <i><b>ponies </b></i>today are the outgrown and forgotten
playthings of children, who are lucky to find a place as pasture
mascot or back yard pseudo-dog somewhere. But that doesn't mean
they can't be useful on a doomstead.<br />
<br />
Ponies tend to be proportionately stronger than horses, as well
as tougher and more fuel-efficient. Their small size makes them
suitable mounts for children, less overwhelming for inexperienced
handlers, and more maneuverable when working in tight spaces, like
short crop rows. Harness and carts are widely available in pony
size, and the little guys can pull a considerable load. Ponies seem
to have an extended life expectancy, though this is hard to pin-down
since many have been hanging-around in the background so long that
nobody remembers exactly how old they are. Reasonably healthy,
young ponies are often very inexpensive, though training is usually
required.<br />
<br />
Ponies have a reputation for bad attitude, though this may be due
to being handled by ornery children, then abandoned and neglected.
Short legs don't make for speed or grace. Size does matter, so they
are limited when it comes to how much they can carry or pull. They
can be 'easy keepers' to a fault, becoming obese on just grass in
some cases. Founder is a very common problem with ponies.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
------------------------------------ End Part One
-------------------------------------</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Looks like this will be a long chapter. So I'll put up the rough draft in parts.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- - -</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/02/new-book-underway-low-nonsense.html" target="_blank">Back to <b><i><span style="font-size: large;">LOW-NONSENSE DOOMSTEADING</span></i></b> Index.</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6026024759816860541.post-57696108471529223802017-05-18T00:20:00.000-04:002017-05-18T00:20:56.387-04:00LND: Outhouse.<br />
<br />
The medical / pharmaceutical industry always tries to take the
credit, but the real boons to human life expectancy in modern times
are taken-for-granted things like indoor plumbing! Like
refrigeration, it's the sort of thing we'd do well to hang onto as
long as we can.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OYHd_YMRmLg/WR0frajOSSI/AAAAAAAAAWI/pgONtQNvMAcpGAR77ySuhvxV0XNUGyvKACLcB/s1600/commode_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OYHd_YMRmLg/WR0frajOSSI/AAAAAAAAAWI/pgONtQNvMAcpGAR77ySuhvxV0XNUGyvKACLcB/s320/commode_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Vaccines and wonderdrugs get the credit,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>But here's your REAL hero!</i></div>
<br />
If you have conventional toilets and septic system, you're in
business so long as you have water. (If you're building your
doomstead from scratch, spring for a couple levels above what
required for your house size in terms of septic tank and drain field
size. Doing so may avoid the need for pumping or professional
maintenance for you lifetime!) Even if you don't have running
water, you can flush with a bucket. Pour a couple gallons into the
main bowl, and it'll trigger a flush. Or you can fill the rear
tank and flush with the lever. Lugging buckets of water in is a
healthier and more elegant solution than lugging festering chamber
pots out.<br />
<br />
But, if water is too dear in your situation to be used for waste
disposal, or you're one of the 'composting toilet' / 'humanure'
obsessed hippies, the good old outhouse is the next best thing to
indoor plumbing.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
If <i><b>Family Guy</b></i> is any indication, most of America has forgotten
how a traditional outhouse works. (Hint: They aren't like modern
<i> Porta-Johns</i>. Tipping one over will not get 'it' everywhere, or even
into your raccoon wounds.)<br />
<br />
Basically, an outhouse is a movable shed with a wooden floor and
a bench with a hole in it. A deep hole is dug into the ground away
from the house, shallow well, etc., and the removed dirt is
preserved in a pile nearby. The shed is then moved over the hole so
that what is dropped through the hole in the bench falls into the
hole in the ground below. When the hole gets close to full, a new
hole is dug, the shed is moved to it, and the dirt from the pile is
used to fill and mound-over the old hole. After a year or
so, the hole can be re-dug and used again, with the now thoroughly
composted / decomposed black soil usable for plant fertilizer. <br />
<br />
The floor and bench should be tightly constructed so that fumes
from the pit don't fill the shed. A lid over the bench hole helps
with this as well. (Modern toilet seats can be used if you're
highfalutin.) <br />
<br />
In addition to toilet paper (or a reasonable alternative),
outhouses are generally stocked with a bucket of wood ash or slaked
lime and a cup or ladle to dust over the pit contents after each use
to reduce acidity, odor, and insect activity.<br />
<br />
Traditional outhouses usually had a base of heavy wood runners to
withstand dragging, and an iron ring for attaching the mule's
singletree to pull it.<br />
<br />
Somewhere along the line, a crescent moon shape cut through high
on the door became the most familiar way to admit the modicum of
light needed to do one's business... Some say this was originally
an ancient symbol for the ladies, with men's outhouses having a sun
or star shaped cut-out instead. Others say it's a 20th Century
contrivance, probably invented by a cartoonist who'd never seen a
real outhouse. Be that as it may, the moon cut-out is the norm now.<br />
<br />
There is some potential for methane build-up in an outhouse that
might be considered before using an ignition source like a candle or
lantern in one. But just opening the door to get in would probably
air out the shed sufficiently to prevent serious problems. Modern LED lights
should be even safer.<br />
<br />
A stovepipe drawing vent can be added to prevent fumes from
building-up under the floor. The opening at the top of the pipe
needs to be lined with fine mesh wire (like chicken wire overlapped to
make the holes half-sized) to keep birds out of the pipe. The feathered
morons love to go down stove pipes, and never figure out how to get
back up.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Come to think of it, there's no reason you couldn't use PVC pipe here instead of steel stove pipe. Either should work.<br />
<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/02/new-book-underway-low-nonsense.html" target="_blank">Back to LOW-NONSENSE DOOMSTEADING index.</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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- - -</div>
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<br />
<br />Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6026024759816860541.post-85549161467949080182017-05-01T23:19:00.000-04:002017-05-01T23:19:20.166-04:00LND: Security.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-il9Ql4654xI/WQf4QamC1PI/AAAAAAAAAVM/_jIKuGKfm3YMPNtHD8JBWcZOyzyyxF5WgCLcB/s1600/castle-walls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-il9Ql4654xI/WQf4QamC1PI/AAAAAAAAAVM/_jIKuGKfm3YMPNtHD8JBWcZOyzyyxF5WgCLcB/s320/castle-walls.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
There's no point in building up a well-stocked, self-sufficient
doomstead if the unprepared can just waltz in and take everything
from you. So security and defense are essential considerations.<br />
<br />
Guns and other weapons are always a popular topic among preppers,
and I'll be getting to those shortly. But, if you find yourself
going through a lot of ammo resisting constant siege, your prospects
for long-term success are pretty miserable. <b>Old Horseman's
First Rule of Gunfighting:</b> <b>Stay the heck out of gunfights!</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div align="center">
<i><span><b> Be out of the way and out
of sight.</b></span></i><br />
</div>
<br />
Perhaps the most important aspects of doomstead security were
touched upon in the <i>Location</i> and <i>Layout</i> sections.
Many doomers have the notion that people from the city will pour out
into the countryside in the event of a discontinuity. Like a plague
of locusts, the unprepared will sweep across the land, looting the
farms, picking the woods clean of game...<br />
<br />
Historically, <i>that is not what happens</i>. Urbanites don't
disperse, they gather. Most just wail about how <i>SOMEBODY</i>
needs to make it all better for them. The worst of the lot will
loot their own neighborhoods. They do not embark on multi-day hikes
into the boonies, then spend hours pushing through the woods in the
hopes of finding resources. Not even if their city is <i>literally
</i>in flames or under water.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6y3tDS-LUCI/WQf4nNukF4I/AAAAAAAAAVQ/aTid6WIP6U42rwoFK9z_Kj49V-0M-CTcQCLcB/s1600/new-orleans-superdome-katrina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6y3tDS-LUCI/WQf4nNukF4I/AAAAAAAAAVQ/aTid6WIP6U42rwoFK9z_Kj49V-0M-CTcQCLcB/s320/new-orleans-superdome-katrina.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
What city people really do when SHTF.</div>
<br />
So putting your doomstead a good distance out from the big city,
laid-out so that it's not visible from a major thoroughfare, is your
first line of defense.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<i><span><b>Activate SEP Field.</b></span></i><br />
</div>
<br />
One strategy survivalists like to talk about is being a <i>Gray
Man</i>. Someone utterly unnoticeable whom nobody would bother to
mess with... The same concept applies to a doomstead. The
appearance of the place should say <i>"Nothing worth stealing
here!"</i> with an undertone of <i>"You got a real purty mouth"</i>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
This actually seems to contradict the basic idea of prepping,
which is to have a relatively high standard of living despite <i>TEOTWAWKI</i>.
But looking like <i>Poor White Trash</i> doesn't mean you really
have to live that way. A storage shed or smokehouse built to look
like an old outhouse creates the impression that you don't have
functional indoor plumbing, even if you do. Dilapidated vehicles
rusting in the barnyard can provide storage space, spare parts,
scrap steel for the smithy, all while creating the impression that
looters are going to come away with nothing but rat bites and
tetanus.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<span><i><b>Silence is Golden.</b></i></span><br />
</div>
<br />
<i>"Loose lips sink ships"</i>, the old idiom goes. The last
thing you need is a lot of people knowing where they can go to
mooch, beg, burgle, rob, or 'confiscate' your limited doomsteading
resources when things get rough out there. So don't advertise,
brag, or show-off too much.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, you don't have to treat your preps like
nuclear launch codes. It's not like someone who saw your FaceBook
post in a doomer group is likely to come halfway around the world to
grab your Spam stockpile when SHTF. For all he knows, you were
lying to begin with! Most people, especially the criminally
inclined, wouldn't have the competence or know-how to make use of
doomsteading stuff anyway. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Latest doomstead investment was four tons of concrete for Maudie's night corral.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Good luck stealing that.</div>
<br />
Don't aggressively evangelize or recruit preppers. Let
networking with other prepared folks happen organically in its own
time. Everyone has access to the same information you do. It's not
up to you to carry people whose idea of planning for trouble is to
show up on your doorstep when they could have made their own
preparations. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<i><b><span>Perimeter Defenses.</span></b></i><br />
</div>
<br />
If you have to defend your doomstead, it's generally best to do
it at as great a range as possible. So long as <i>civil authority</i>
is a thing, hardcore perimeter defenses like landmines and punji
traps can get you into a lot of trouble... Even in a <i>WROL</i>
situation, maiming someone for simple, possibly unintentional,
trespassing isn't going to go over well with the victim's people.
But less brutal approaches like maintaining thick brush with plenty
of briars and difficult to navigate access roads can discourage
strangers from taking an interest in your place without making it
obvious that you have anything worthy of defending.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<span><i><b>Alligators In the Moat.</b></i></span><br />
</div>
<br />
Animals have long been valued for their ability to detect (and
perhaps deal with) intruders. Most obvious are dogs. But
guineafowl and peafowl are also known as great natural alarm
systems. Horses will usually detect anything out of the ordinary
well beyond their fence line, and a horseman who knows the herd can
deduce what they sense by how each of the individual horses
respond. Even the wild animals serve as perimeter alarms, as it's
nearly impossible to push through the brush without causing
<i> SOMETHING </i>to be noisily startled.<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Getting chomped by the mongrel hounds is relatively low on the
trespasser's list of concerns on a rural doomstead. Cross into the
wrong paddock and one could be set upon by an ornery bull,
territorial stallion, defensive mamma cow or mare, or worse.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<span><i><b>Cue 007 Theme.</b></i></span><br />
</div>
<br />
Whilst technology holds out, it can be used for additional
perimeter security. Discrete, wireless video cameras allow you to
watch and record what's going on at remote parts of the doomstead.
You can even use camera drones to fly in for another look.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
If you're technically inclined, you might even consider more...
<b>assertive</b>... remote security systems.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<span><i><b>Community.</b></i></span><br />
</div>
<br />
I've always been a bit dubious of the hippie ideas of
post-collapse communes, but that doesn't mean we expect everyone to
be isolated in their own bunkers. Mostly self-sufficient doomstead
folks will still form ties with their neighbors for their mutual
benefit, and that includes security. This means everything from an
informal neighborhood watch, so that problems can be identified and
guarded against, to forming a posse or ad hoc militia to cope with
more serious threats in WROL situations.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
When things get <b>real</b>, you don't need Hollywood action hero wannabes.</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<span><i><b>Reconnaissance.</b></i></span><br />
</div>
<br />
Hunkering down too hard for too long can leave one oblivious to
encroaching threats until it's too late to react. It may be wise to
quietly venture out, both to touch base with neighbors, and maintain
awareness of what's going on beyond the boundaries of the
doomstead. Such patrolling can be hazardous. If one encounters
unfriendly elements, superior mobility, back-up, and force may be
essential. Approach strangers with caution to the point of
paranoia.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<span><i><b>Stay Connected.</b></i></span><br />
</div>
<br />
<i>Communications </i>are covered elsewhere in this book, and
are essential to coordinated security.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<span><i><b>Worth the Hernia.</b></i></span><br />
</div>
<br />
The last line of defense. Big gun safes are roomy, relatively
affordable, and can store much more than just guns. I prefer the
old fashioned mechanical locks over modern electronic types because
the latter don't have a centuries-long track record.<br />
<br />
Buying gun safes can be a tricky endeavor. Sometimes an
expensive, prestige-branded safe and a generic brand are identical
(from the same factory!) except for the label and price. "Premium
safes" are often glorified <i>lockers </i>that can be defeated
with a crowbar, while mid-range safes from other manufacturers are
dramatically stronger.<br />
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Real safes are made of plate, not thicker-<i>LOOKING</i> hollow
sheet metal. So even modest-sized examples are obnoxiously heavy.
Our office safe is 5' x 26" x 20", and weighs around a quarter ton
empty. The doors should fit well enough that a heavy tool can't get
in to pry at the seams, and the design should be recessed into the
jam in such a way that even a thin screwdriver blade can't be
inserted more than a fraction of an inch. External hinges are not a
liability, because the hinge side of the door should lock-up
independently of them. <br />
<br />
The safe should be bolted to the floor from the inside, both for
safety (with the heavy door open, it may be possible to accidentally
pull a safe over!) and security (so bad guys can't wrap a chain
around it and drag it off with a truck or something).<br />
<br />
Hiding or disguising a safe adds that much more security.<br />
<br />
Because the safes are fire-resistant and humidity-moderated (with
cans of silica gel beads), I keep my stockpile of reloading
supplies, including 'gunpowder' in them. It wasn't until I saw a
video of someone demonstrating how he could break into a gun safe
with a cutting wheel power tool that I realized anyone doing such a
thing would send a shower of sparks into the confined space in the
powder-laden safe, creating a massive forced chamber explosion.
Since, in order to get to our safes in the first place, the thief
would have to kill our dogs, we think it's <i>totally </i>worth
blowing up the house to make sure they get an express ticket to
Hell.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>There is no such thing as <i>impenetrable </i>security.</b> But
thieves and assailants don't have unlimited time, energy, or
resources. Your doomstead just has to <i>seem </i>like more trouble than they
<i> think </i>it's worth.<br />
<br />
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Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6026024759816860541.post-72741570378235461862017-04-20T00:06:00.000-04:002017-04-20T20:46:10.314-04:00LND: Chickens.<div style="text-align: center;">
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Several of the farms I lived and work on over the years had
chickens... And I never really liked having them around. They're
noisy, get guano all over everything, and have a knack for raising a
ruckus just when I'm trying to calm down a nervous colt. They get
underfoot, and are far too easily killed. A handy snack for yotes,
dogs, bobcats, foxes, 'coons, and even some other birds!<br />
<br />
But I do like eggs. And, once I discovered the concept of the <i>chicken
tractor</i>, they became a welcome addition to the doomstead.<br />
<br />
In fact, chickens are a no-brainer for anyone interested in
self-sufficiency. They don't require acreage, expensive facilities,
or much investment at all. Nor do you need a lot of skill or
know-how. They eat darned near anything, and pop-out eggs. And,
unlike the cattle and horses we have on the place, they hardly ever
bruise us up or break our bones!</div>
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<i>Hardly </i>ever, that is!</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b> Getting Started With Laying Hens.</b><br />
<br />
Just go down to your local farm supply store in the early Spring
and pick up a half dozen hatchlings. All hens. You don't need a
rooster at this point. Fortunately, they should already be
gender-sorted, because it's difficult to tell them apart as chicks.
There are all sorts of fancy breeds, but I just like hardy birds
that make big, brown eggs like <i>Cinnamon Queens</i>, <i>Rhode
Island Reds</i>, <i>Orpingtons</i> and the like. They cost maybe
a few FRNs apiece. <br />
<br />
You'll need a makeshift brooder for the first few weeks. We use
a big, plastic tub in the store room with a grate over the top to
keep the little fuzzballs from hopping out. An inch or so of pine
shavings for bedding. A heated back pad between the tub and the
floor on one end, so the birds can get away from it if they feel too
warm. (Make sure your heat source doesn't get more than just
warm... Don't want to melt the tub or damage the floor!) You'll
need a shallow, but heavy (like ceramic) bowl for a feeder, and a
water dispenser. The mason jar type works well here.<br />
<br />
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<br />
You can feed the chicks fine-ground grits, cornmeal, and other
seeds and grains in the post-Cornucopian future. But, while it's
still available, you can enjoy the advantage of packaged, medicated
chick-starter. Pretty much let them have all they'll clean-up. But
don't dump too much at once, or they may get it filthy before it's
eaten. Keep clean water available to them at all times.<br />
<br />
The brooder tub will need to be dumped-out and the shavings
replaced every day or two. It's handy to have two tubs, so you can
just swap the birds over to the fresh one.<br />
<br />
Take the little ones outside when the weather is nice and you can
babysit them a while. Hatchlings may be small enough to get through
the chicken wire, or careless enough to get hooked by an ambitious
cat reaching-in. <br />
<br />
As they get bigger and stronger, the tub gets too crowded, and
the Spring weather stabilizes, you'll leave the chicks out longer,
until they're living out in the coop or tractor full-time.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<b>The Chicken Tractor.</b><br />
<br />
A lot of people like to let their chickens run loose. It allows
the birds to forage for food, clean up grain spills that might
attract mice, and even kill mice and some snakes directly. But, for
the reasons I mentioned earlier, we prefer to keep the fowl confined
a bit. So ours live in chicken tractors.<br />
<br />
A chicken tractor is a mobile coop. You can buy fancy pre-made
versions. I've seen a few pretty neat ones made from old trampoline
frames. Ours were built with simple 2x4" frames and chicken wire.<br />
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<br />
The first one I went overboard with. A-frame design tall enough
for a man to stand upright inside, and a big nesting box with room
for each of our original half-dozen hens to have her own nest...
This made things heavy and hard to move for no good reason. Turns
out that a waist-high coop that can be accessed through the top is
fine, and birds raised together from chicks tend to sleep almost on
top of one-another and take turns laying in the same nest.<br />
<br />
The second tractor I built as a temporary home for the second
batch of chicks we bought as the first started to age-out. This
time I made it waist-high with a peel-back wire top. Also gave them
a much smaller, lighter nesting box.<br />
<br />
The third one I built when we realized the old and new hens
weren't going to integrate well. It's a larger (but not taller)
version of the second, but with corrugated roofing tin for a lid.
This gives the birds shade, rain/snow protection in addition to
their little nesting box, but still allows easy access and
relocation.<br />
<br />
All three tractors are still in use. Turns out to be easier to
have a few little ones than one huge coop. And it seems like none
of the batches like newbies joining their flocks.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b> Maintenance.</b><br />
<br />
Chickens are pretty easy. Get a waterer and keep it full and
clean. (They do like to fill the water tray with crud as they
scratch around.) Throw in some horse grain, dry pet kibble, calf
manna, table scraps. Especially bread, grits, oatmeal, and meat.
They're omnivorous. Move the tractor to fresh grass/ground whenever
the current spot gets bare. (It'll grow back really fast due to the
guano and surface scratching.) <br />
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<br />
Add some crushed oyster shell or other calcium supplements. They
use a good bit of the stuff making egg shells.<br />
<br />
If you have dairy production, chickens do well on milk. Ours
prefer it after it's been allowed to clabber a bit.<br />
<br />
If they don't eat something you give them right away, don't
retrieve it too fast. They may like it better a little rotten. And
they may enjoy eating the flies or ants attracted in the mean time.<br />
<br />
Chickens like red pepper and hot tasting foods in general. And
it's good for them.<br />
<br />
You may want to dump in a pile of COLD wood ashes from the stove
now and then. Chickens like to dust bathe in them, and it gets rid
of surface parasites.<br />
<br />
It's best to keep the tractors close to the house, especially at
night, where predators are less bold about trying to get them.
Chicken wire will keep your cluckers in, but it's not sturdy enough
to keep some critters out! So you may need something stronger if
that's a problem.<br />
<br />
They'll need shade in hot weather. I set up a couple of large
computer fans (quiet and need little electricity) and a small solar
panel for them. In the worst heat, I put large chunks of ice into
their waterers.<br />
<br />
So long as they can get out of the rain, have a wind break,
plenty of food, and some bedding, adult chickens can tolerate
sub-freezing weather pretty well. If you live where the winters are
sub-zero brutal, you'll need a better hen house.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Eggs.</b><br />
<br />
The really <i>awesome </i>thing about chickens is that they
just make eggs. You don't need a rooster. They don't have to be
bred or anything. They just reach maturity and start laying eggs.
(Unfertilized eggs that cannot be hatched.) They start out with
undersized, but still perfectly good eggs. Then make 'em bigger as
they get older.<br />
<br />
Check frequently for eggs, and retrieve them immediately.
Chickens can develop a bad habit of breaking and eating them! Try
to make sure the nesting area is shaded, so the eggs aren't so
visually attractive in the bright light. We also added ceramic
decoy eggs to help dissuade the birds from the idea that eggs are
edible. They look real enough that I had to put little Sharpie X
marks on the ends of them to keep from accidentally collecting them
myself.<br />
<br />
Egg production may slow down or stop in the Winter, when the
chickens go through their normal molting cycle, or when a hen has
passed her prime. Don't be too quick to make gumbo out of them.
Even old hens who seemed to have retired will sometimes resume
laying after a rest.<br />
<br />
Avoid washing eggs unless you really need to. They'll keep quite
a while at pantry temperature with their natural bloom intact.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Eggbound Hen.</b><br />
<br />
Once in a while, a hen might get an egg stuck inside her. This
will kill her in around two days if not rectified. You can usually
tell that she's going to the nest repeatedly, but not producing an
egg on her usual schedule, and generally acting sick or distressed.<br />
<br />
Setting her in a warm bath with Epsom salt, gently massaging her
abdomen, and lubing her egg vent with Vaseline, then keeping her
warm, comfortable, and undisturbed with plenty of water, maybe
electrolytes, will usually allow her to pass the blocked egg. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Flock Management.</b><b><br />
</b><b> </b><br />
Seems to me that some people get carried away with chickens,
bringing home dozens of chicks at the time. Remember that when they
hit their prime, each of those Marshmallow Peeps is going to be
giving you an egg almost every day. Great if you can trade 'em or
use them to fatten hogs. But overkill if you're just producing for
household use.<br />
<br />
Chickens have the shortest natural lifespan of farm animals.
They usually have only a few prime laying years, then slow down as
they age. Fewer eggs per week. Longer off-season breaks. They
have been known to live more than a decade. But most don't.
Pragmatic farmers often slaughter hens after one or two seasons. We
find that older birds still produce enough to justify their upkeep,
which isn't much after-all. And, though I know it's anthropomorphic
nonsense, I'm not enthusiastic about wringing the neck of a critter
that has willingly provided me with a whole lot of breakfasts. <br />
<br />
Still, age and attrition require that replacement hens be on the
rise every year or two. We have one tractor with the semi-retired
survivors of our eldest batch, a second with young hens in their
laying prime, and a third with pullets coming up. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Chick Production.</b><br />
<br />
Since chicks are cheap, and so easily available, it's really not
worth the effort to produce your own. Even as the Cornucopian Era
breaks down, there will probably be farmers in your area with whom
you can trade for a few chicks now and then.<br />
<br />
But, if you're determined to be as self-sufficient as possible,
you can hatch your own replacement birds.<br />
<br />
First, you'll need roosters. One for every five to ten hens
should be <b>more </b>than sufficient. Keep in mind that cross-bred
chickens like <i>Cinnamon Queens</i> don't breed to type, so the
offspring may bear little resemblance to the parents.<br />
<br />
Fertile chicken eggs stay pretty much dormant until subjected to
continuous warmth, which triggers embryonic development. Then it
takes around three weeks for them to hatch.<br />
<br />
Some old-style homestead farms are essentially chicken anarchies,
with hens nesting hither and yonder. Most eggs get
collected. But there are usually a few broody hens who want to
build up a clutch (like a dozen eggs) and set them 'til they hatch.
<br />
<br />
Many modern laying hens tend to have weaker brooding instincts,
so reproduction is more successful if fertilized eggs are collected
and placed in incubators. Small, electric incubators are reasonably
affordable for home use... There are even kerosene fueled models
out there for off-grid.<br />
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<br />
Incubators maintain constant warmth and humidity. They may also
turn the eggs, which has to be done frequently by hand if the
machine doesn't handle it. <br />
<br />
If everything goes well, you can look for 50-75% hatch rate on
fertilized eggs from your own hens. About half of the chicks will
probably be roosters. One of the advantages to most homestead
chicken breeds is that they are dual purpose for eggs and meat...
Which is good, since nobody needs a bunch of ornery roosters. As
soon as they start to be a nuisance, you channel Colonel Sanders and
deal with 'em.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/02/new-book-underway-low-nonsense.html" target="_blank">LOW-NONSENSE DOOMSTEADING</a></i></b></span></div>
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<a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/02/new-book-underway-low-nonsense.html" target="_blank">Index. </a></div>
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Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6026024759816860541.post-50327469979681477512017-04-07T22:52:00.000-04:002017-04-07T22:52:46.942-04:00LND: Backup Generator.<br />
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<br />
Some preppers dismiss the idea of generators. After <i> SHTF</i>,
fuel will run out, right? A generator will be useless.<br />
<br />
But I think there is a high probability that modern civilization
and Cornucopian infrastructure will stutter and grind to a halt over
the course of years rather than stopping all at once. During this
time, the power grid will become unreliable, and fuel supplies may
become erratic. Being able to stockpile fuel when it's available
and generate one's own electricity during outages could smooth-out
the bumpy road of the collapse, at least for a while.<br />
<br />
(Of course we're big into non-electrical alternatives where
they're practical, and solar/wind electrical generation for things
electricity does best. Covered elsewhere in this book.)<br />
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<br />
The best approach to getting a generator is to buy a proper
back-up system and have it professionally installed. The things
appear to be pretty awesome. They look like an extra heat pump
behind the house. Start automatically during power failures. Shut
down when the grid is back up. Even do maintenance runs and
diagnostics by themselves. Owner just checks the oil a couple times
a year.<br />
<br />
Complete with a dedicated transfer panel, these generators are
safe and code-compliant.<br />
<br />
But they are rather expensive. Complex installation means that
you may be dependent on the professionals if service is required in
the future, and who knows if they will be available then?<br />
<br />
The deal-breaker for us was that these systems run on propane or
natural gas. And not just a barbecue bottle. Since we don't have
gas service here, setting it up <i>just</i> for the back-up
generator was an excessive hassle and expense.<br />
(In retrospect, a gas home might be a pretty good way to go for a
doomstead. A big tank full could keep the appliances going quite a
while, and only a small back-up generator system would be needed to
go with it.)<br />
<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
A popular approach to back-up electrical power is the
gasoline-powered 'portable' generator. These are widely available,
reasonably affordable, and fairly simple to operate. Of course,
you have to wheel 'em out, start 'em manually, and plug things in
yourself. And they are obnoxiously loud. But still: POWER during
an extended blackout <i>rocks</i>!<br />
<br />
<br />
The 'proper' way to use a portable generator is to set it up
outside the house (the gasoline engine exhaust can kill people with
carbon monoxide in an enclosed area), then run extension cords from
it directly to the appliances or devices you want to power. This <i>reduces</i>
the possibility of electrocution, fire, and damage to electronics
and household wiring.<br />
<br />
But there are considerable safety hazards in doing it the 'right'
way. You're going to have to leave a door or window partially open
to admit the extension cords, possibly letting out heat, letting in
bugs, fumes, or <i>worse</i>. There's also the possibility of the
extension cords being damaged by accidental closing in the door or
window, creating a shock and fire risk. <br />
<br />
Having extension cords running across the floor in a poorly-lit
house is a tripping hazard. The most important things you may need
to power could be loaded refrigerators and freezers, which often
have stuff stacked on top, and are recessed into the counters and
cabinets with their short power cords behind them. Trying to drag
the blasted things out so as to plug them into the extension cord
can easily result in injury from strain, having the icebox tip over
onto a person, or gashing a hand or arm fishing around behind for
the plug.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Making matters worse, long extension cords don't play well with
120v heavy-load appliances. You may find your generator breakers
tripping every time the fridge cycles on. And other things you may
need to run, especially your well pump, may be 240v and/or
hard-wired, so you can't just plug them into an extension cord.<br />
<br />
Wouldn't it be easier just to connect the generator to the
household electrical system?<br />
<br />
<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Please review the disclaimer at the start of the book.</span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">We're
heading into sketchy territory now.</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Quick Primer On Household Electricity.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b>Voltage:</b> There are two general voltage standards for US
household electricity. <i>120v </i>is used for lighting and
common wall sockets to supply power for most devices and light
appliances. <i>240v </i>is used for heavier demand appliances
like stoves, electric furnaces, water heaters, clothes dryers, and
deep well pumps.<br />
<br />
<b>Amperage:</b> The load on an electrical circuit (or maximum safe
potential load) is measured in amps. Increasing amperage tends to
heat-up electrical components, especially wires. So higher amp
rated cables have to be thicker and heavier to avoid melting or
burning under a full load.<br />
<br />
<b>Wattage:</b> Watts are a measure of the actual power being
applied in a circuit (or potential maximum power). It's basically
volts multiplied by amps. So a 60w bulb puts a 0.5 amp load on a
120v circuit. A 1200w hair dryer puts a 10 amp load on a 120v
circuit.<br />
<br />
<b>Starting Loads:</b> Electrical devices and appliances usually
require a spike of power to get them started, then settle to their
regular operating load. Starting loads vary between devices.
Incandescent bulbs have a fairly low and brief starting load.
Fluorescent lights take considerably more. Pretty much anything
with an electric motor (fan, pump) will take a big, long gulp of
electricity to get going. Household electrical services are
typically wired to handle far more power than normal consumers would
usually need just to accommodate simultaneous starting loads that
might occasionally occur.<br />
<br />
<b>Breakers:</b> These are switches which automatically turn off
(trip) when the amperage on a circuit exceeds the rated limit. They
are usually integrated into the household service panels and the
generator as well. Breakers are there to prevent dangerous
overloads. <b>Do not circumvent them.</b><br />
<br />
<b>The Four Wires:</b> US standard 120/240v wiring use four wires.
<b>Hot #1</b> (usually black), <b>Hot #2</b> (usually red), <b>Neutral</b>
(white), and <b>Ground</b> (usually green or bare).<br />
<br />
The <b>Hots </b>are opposite 'ends' of your 240v circuit.
Connect red and black an appliance to feed it 240v.<br />
<br />
<b>Neutral </b>taps from the center of that same circuit,
putting it 120v from each of the Hots. Connect black and white (or
red and white) to a device to feed it 120v.<br />
<br />
<b>Ground </b>is just what it says on the tin. The green or
bare wire is ultimately connected to a rod driven into the earth to
provide a harmless escape path for stray current in the system. The
Neutral wire is usually cross-connected with the Ground at the
household main service panel as well as at your generator. This
means that, when a Neutral connection is needed, and there isn't one
available, you can <i>usually </i>get away with connecting to the
Ground wiring instead.<br />
<br /><br /><b><br /></b><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Connecting a Gasoline Generator to the Household Service.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
This will require a mid-sized (5000w) or larger generator with a
12/240v socket to be worthwhile.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b> The Suicide Cable.</b><br />
<br />
If you have a 240v receptacle that is easily accessible from
outside the house (back porch or garage clothes dryer, workshop
welder, RV shore power... Make sure it's a 240v, <i>not </i>just
a 30 amp 120v!), back-feeding generator power into the house through
a Suicide Cable may be a practical solution. But remember that
these things deserve their name. Screw up the<i> Order Of
Operations</i> and you can earn a <i>Darwin Award</i> real quick.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
A Suicide Cable is a generator extension cord that has plugs at <i>both</i>
ends. Nobody manufactures these, so you have to make one for
yourself. Start with a heavy-duty extension cord that fits the
120/240v outlet on your generator. (Most take a 30 amp, 4-blade
twist-lock. Bigger generators may also have a 50 amp, 4-prong
push-in. May as well go with the more powerful one if you have
it.) Get a replacement plug for whatever appliance would normally
use the 240v household receptacle. Take the socket end off your
generator cable and replace it with the appliance plug.<br />
<br />
If your appliance plug has 4-prongs, you're in luck. Just be
sure to get each of the four wires in your generator cord connected
to the correct prong. If the wires aren't color-coded, you may have
to use a voltmeter or test light to verify. <br />
<br />
If your appliance plug has only three prongs, double-check to
make certain we're dealing with a 240v outlet and not a heavy 120v.
For three prong 240v plugs, omit the dedicated Ground wire.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Backfeeding Procedure.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(Order is <i>more </i>than important!)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
- Position your generator within cord reach of the 240v household
outlet. The generator must be out in the open air, <i>not </i>inside
the house! Take care that there's nothing that could be
melted/ignited near the exhaust pipe. Get it leveled, grounded,
fueled, and ready to start. Nothing should be plugged into any of
its outlets at this point.<br />
<br />
- Walk through the house and make sure all the accessible lights
and devices are switched off to reduce the combined starting load
when you power the house up. It may be a good idea to unplug
televisions, computers, and other sensitive electronics altogether.<br />
<br />
- Start your generator so that it can begin to warm-up.<br />
<br />
- Go to your primary electrical service panel... The breaker
box, usually outside the house, right under the meter. <b>SWITCH
OFF THE MAIN POWER BREAKER</b>. (This is usually a big breaker
switch at the top. Something on the order of 100 to over 200 amps
in most modern houses). This effectively disconnects your house
from the electrical grid, which is important for a couple reasons:
<br />
<br />
It prevents your generator from backfeeding out onto the power
lines. Safety Sallys scream this will kill utility workers, but the
odds of that happening are between slim and none. What <i>should </i>happen
is the monstrous overload of trying to power the whole grid with a
portable generator will instantly trip the household breaker
associated with the appliance outlet, the generator's breaker, or
both.<br />
<br />
The biggest reason to make <i>absolutely sure </i>the main
breaker is off is that, if it's left on, and the grid comes back to
life while you're handling the Suicide Cable, you could suffer a <b>horrible,
agonizing, gruesome death</b>. If one end of the cable is plugged
into a live socket while the other is free, the exposed prongs
become like an electric cattle prod, but with <b>very lethal
current</b>!<br />
<br />
- Plug the appropriate end of the Suicide Cable into the
(inactive) household 240v receptacle.<br />
<br />
- Plug the other end of the Suicide Cable into your generator.<br />
<br />
- You should now have normal, but <i>limited </i>power
throughout your house. Everything should run, but don't try to run
everything at once! Or anything you don't really need, for that
matter.<br />
<br />
- To go back to grid power, <b>unplug the generator end of the
Suicide Cable </b><b>FIRST</b>, <i>then </i>the household
receptacle end. After both ends are unplugged, shut off the
generator and throw the main breaker on the household service panel
back on.<br />
<br />
<br />
The advantages to a Suicide Cable approach are that it's
relatively cheap, simple, and portable. And, when not in use, you
can coil the cable and stow it. So you don't have to worry about a
meter reader or anyone else spotting the code violation and getting
you cited.<br />
<br />
The disadvantages include the use of an appliance outlet circuit,
which could be the weakest link in your power feed. No matter how
powerful your generator is, if you're backfeeding through a 240v,
20amp circuit, you're going to be limited to 4800 watts, maximum...
Oh, and there's the whole <i>"make one error and have most of your
body cremated so quickly that the remainder is alive long enough
to 'enjoy' the experience"</i> thing. <br />
<br />
<b>Note:</b> 120v Suicide Cables are sometimes attempted. They
aren't worth the risk or effort. Even if they work right, they'll
only power <i>some </i>of the 120v outlets in your house (the ones
using the same Hot leg as the backfed socket), won't power any of
the 240v essentials, and will feed only 1800 watts max. <br />
<br />
<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<b><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Our Way.</span></b></div>
</b>
<br />
We played catch-as-catch-can with typical, mid-sized generators
and inverters for backup electricity for quite a few years. Then
the bovine aspect of our doomstead got up to speed, and we found
ourselves with multiple freezers full of valuable beef and dairy.
We needed a more practical solution.<br />
<br />
First we considered a proper, automatic back-up generator
system. But we don't have LP or NG here, and the inaccessibility of
the doomstead made professional installation of the generator and
regular delivery of fuel an impossibility.<br />
<br />
So we bought the biggest gasoline generator we could. In
addition to having enough output to power everything we might want
to run, the big generators tend to have other useful features.
Electric, push-button start. 12v DC output that can be used to
charge batteries for incidental power needs. A 50amp 120/240v
socket, which can be used to channel up to 12,000 watts to the
household service, rather than the 7,200 max that the mid-sized
generators could provide through their 30amp 120/240v sockets. And
a toggle switch breaker on the 50amp socket, which allows it to be
shut-off for safer plugging and unplugging.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
One common problem with portable generators for backup is that
they almost inevitably wind up pushed into the far corner of the
garage, buried under and behind a long ton of assorted junk. Not
only is it a pain to dig them out when they're needed, but you're
unlikely to do it very often for maintenance... So I laid down a
heavy, rubber stall mat near the corner of the house, away from
windows, and where it can be easily reached by the cables from the
house, barn, milking parlor, and smithy. Then I built an
intentionally rough-looking corrugated box shed to cover the
generator in its permanent location. (Better it look like a
doghouse for a redneck's really huge Rottweiler than the home of
thousands of dollars worth of equipment for <i>OpSec</i>.) Not having to
to drag the thing out and connect the ground wire every time makes
starting the generator much faster and easier, both when it's
needed, and for regular maintenance.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
To connect the generator to the house, I got a heavy-duty 50amp
extension cable with a plug that fits the generator's big outlet,
removed the socket end from the cord, and wired it into the house's
primary service panel though its own 50amp breaker, labeled <i><b>"Aux
In"</b></i>. (No weak link from backfeeding through a 20 or
30amp dryer outlet.) I also installed an <i>interlock device</i>...
A simple, sliding plate on the breaker panel that prevents the
generator cable's incoming breaker and the grid main power breaker
from being switched on at the same time. This prevents anyone from
accidentally energizing the generator cable from the house's end and
creating a Suicide Cable hazard.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
When the grid goes down, I just raise the cover and start the
generator with nothing plugged into it and the 50amp toggle breaker
switched off. Then I go to the house's primary service panel and
switch off the 200amp main breaker from the grid, <i>then </i>switch
on the <i>Aux In</i> breaker. The interlock keeps me from doing
this in the wrong order. Next I remove the safety cap from the
50amp cable and plug it into the generator. Switching on the 50amp
circuit powers up the house. The barn, milking parlor, and smithy
can be plugged into the generator's other outlets so that they don't
count against the wattage available to the main panel. (This
generator has plenty of capacity left-over to run them.)<br />
<br />
To switch back to grid, I switch off the 50amp circuit on the
generator, remove and re-cap the big plug, go back to the house's
primary panel to switch the <i>Aux In </i>breaker off, and the
main grid breaker back on. Again, the interlock keeps me from
screwing up the order. An effective interlock device is fairly easy
to fabricate, and definitely worth the effort.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b> Bonus Round: Generator Fuel & Maintenance.</b><br />
<br />
Generators need to be run, preferably under some electrical load,
on a monthly basis. This is one of the big problems with your
typical portable generator as a backup. The danged thing is a
hassle to get to and set up, so you put it off. Next thing you
know, there's a major blackout, and your generator hasn't been run
in years, and won't start or run right... This is why I set up ours
in a permanent place. During the last week of each month, I fire it
up, plug in just the barn (including the big barnyard lights) and
milking parlor, and let it run for an hour while I do other chores.
No big deal.<br />
<br />
When shutting down after a maintenance run, or whenever I don't
plan to restart the generator anytime soon, I shut off the fuel
valve and wait for the engine to starve out, <i>then </i>turn the
run/off switch off. This gets the gasoline out of the fuel lines,
pump, and carburetor, where it might thicken to clogging varnish
over time.<br />
<br />
Check the oil every few runs. Just in case. Air filter, etc.
See your manual.<br />
<br />
The reason the dedicated, pro-installed backup systems run on
LP/NG is that gasoline is a bit of a pain for this application. It
has a limited storage life, so you can't stockpile a lot of it.
Ethanol, which is common in American gasoline, shortens storage life
even farther, and is murder on generators to boot. So get
ethanol-free gas (it's around, but you may have to search), and
treat it with a gasoline stabilizer for maximum storage life. <br />
<br />
Regular maintenance runs should allow you to top-up the generator
tank frequently enough (probably every third month) to keep the fuel
therein from getting stale. Be sure to use newly purchased and
stabilized ethanol-free gas for this, not the stuff that's already
aged a few months in your jerrycans. If you feel like you're not
going through gasoline fast enough to keep it fresh, siphon some out
and use it in your automobile, clearing room for fresh fuel in the
generator tank. When SHTF, you don't want stale gas in the
generator.<br />
<br />
A bunch of jerrycans (stored safely in a shed away from the house
and barn) may be the simplest way to keep a stockpile of stabilized,
ethanol-free gasoline for the generator. Number or position your
cans, keep using the oldest stuff up in your chainsaw, mowers,
vehicles, and other gasoline engines before it gets stale, replace
with new gas, keep the rotation going.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Notes:</b> There is a lot of variation in the way houses are
wired. Our house has a main service panel outside, under the
meter. This has the 200amp main breaker, and the 240v breakers for
my well pump and heat pump. (And now my <i>Aux In </i>breaker.)
This panel has a shared bus bar for Neutral and Ground. <br />
<br />
There is a subpanel inside the house that is home to breakers for
all the household circuits. This panel also has a 200amp main
switch at the top... But switching it off will <i>not </i>kill
the current in the outside panel or anything wired directly to it!<br />
<br />
Some houses will have only one panel. Locate your meter and work
from there to find the real main switch for your grid power. <br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/02/new-book-underway-low-nonsense.html" target="_blank">Back to the <i>LOW-NONSENSE DOOMSTEADING</i> index.</a></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6026024759816860541.post-28093123481380268252017-03-21T21:03:00.002-04:002017-03-21T21:03:20.255-04:00LND: Nonsense Guns.<br />
<br />
And now we break for just a <i>wee bit</i> o' nonsense...<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
There are very real reasons for a doomsteader to own guns, and a
number of firearms that are of practical utility.<br />
<br />
There are also a lot of guns on the market which are essentially
range toys and conversation pieces. And that's okay! Nothing wrong
with buying a gun just because it's awesome looking and fun to
shoot. <b>'MERICA!</b><br />
<br />
But many of preppers confuse the playthings with essential tools,
which can be a problem if the latter are neglected in favor of the
former.<br />
<br />
Keep in-mind that <i>"impractical"</i> is not the same thing as
<i> "useless"</i>. You can certainly shoot game or a bad guy with a
novelty gun. But there are better, usually cheaper weapons that put
you at less of a handicap. <br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
<b>The Mare's Laig.</b><br />
<br />
The poster child for Hollywood contrived guns, from the heyday of
TV westerns, when producers made their protagonists stand-out by
giving them distinctive weapons. Bounty hunter Josh Randall of <i><b>Wanted
Dead or Alive</b></i> carried a big-loop Winchester lever-action
rifle that had been cut down at both the barrel and stock so that it
could be used as a sidearm. <br />
<br />
In reality, this is a pointless gun. The handgun-level <i>44-40
Winchester</i> cartridge, fired out of shortened barrel, would
have been slightly inferior to the typical <i>.45 Colt </i>revolver
in power, and no better in accuracy. The Winchester uses a tubular
magazine, which gets cut down along with the barrel. This leaves
the Mare's Laig with the same capacity as a six-shooter. All in an
excessively heavy gun with an obnoxious overall length that takes
two hands to use, with a higher probability of malfunction and
slower rate of fire than what all the other horse-opera guys were
shooting!<br />
<br />
To be fair, <i><b>Wanted Dead or Alive</b></i> didn't even try
to pretend this was a particularly good weapon. In the first
episode, Josh Randall found himself at a noticeable disadvantage
trying to work the lever from a prone position, then managed to hit
a physically unimposing adversary (none other than the future Little
Joe!) with a round that didn't take him off his horse or prevent his
escape.<br />
<br />
Yet, due to it's badass appearance and association with Steve
McQueen, who played Josh, and whose picture was in 1960s and 70s
dictionaries next to the word <i>"cool"</i>, people still love the
Mare's Laig.<br />
<br />
Getting one used to be a problem, since cutting down a rifle
makes it subject to registration and taxation under the federal <b>
National Firearms Act</b>, which most people don't want to mess
with. But it finally occurred to someone that a Mare's Laig
manufactured as such from the start (rather than being modified from
a rifle) would technically be just a handgun, not restricted by the
NFA. New manufacture Mare's Laig (<i>Ranch Hand, Mare's Leg</i>)
pistols are widely available at this writing.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
<b>AK/AR "Pistols".</b><br />
<br />
So, if we can get away with selling a cut-down 19th Century
lever-action rifle as a handgun, why not do the same with modern,
semi-auto rifles?<br />
<br />
Building the <i>AR-15</i> and <i>AK-47</i> with short barrels
and no shoulder stocks has become a popular way to get around the
NFA. Of course, you loose considerable of power and accuracy with
the short barrel. These weapons are bulky and poorly balanced if
you actually try to shoot them like pistols, and awkward to hold and
sight rifle-style without a stock. A more conventional pistol in <i>9mm
+P</i> with a 33 round extended magazine would be handier, and
would have the advantage of being a normal, holster-friendly sidearm
when you switch back to a 17 round mag.<br />
<br />
Now there are new, adjustable 'wrist braces' (wink-wink) on the
market that make these AK/AR shorties a little more shootable. But,
if you need something that fires rifle rounds, a 16" barrel is
already pretty handy. Seems like the main purpose of these guns is
to say "up yours" to the <b>bATFe</b>...<br />
<br />
Which is pretty good justification, come to think of it.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<b>Pistol Grip Shotguns.</b><br />
<br />
Shotguns had stocks long before 1934, when the Feds started
regulating this sort of thing. And for good reasons... The stock
helps you manage recoil, acts as a spacer to put your eyes in
alignment with the sights, and gives you a more stable hold on the
gun for accurate shooting. <br />
<br />
Replacing the stock with a pistol grip throws all that away in
exchange for making the shotgun compact enough for... What? Hiding
under your coat on the way to a mob hit? <br />
<br />
<i>"A great truck gun!"</i> I've heard some say about stockless
shotguns (as well as Mare's Laigs and AK/AR pistols). But what does
that mean? If it's a gun you carry in your truck, why would it need
to be truncated? Trucks have lots of room, and don't get tired from
carrying a full-weight shotgun. If it means you're gonna shoot it
from inside the truck, an awkward, two-hand weapon is a poor choice.<br />
<br />
<i>"Home defense!"</i> Really? Shotguns are indeed the obvious
go-to for home defense, but how does lack of a stock help you there?<br />
<br />
There's this notion that shotguns produce a wall of devastation,
so you don't really need to aim them. But shot patterns are
actually pretty small at defensive range, even with a short barrel.
It is quite possible to miss, especially when you are just pointing,
rather than properly aiming.<br />
<br />
Mossberg has figured out how to exploit loopholes in the law in
order to produce a 14" barrel shotgun (er- <i>"firearm"</i>) with a
pistol grip that avoids NFA regulation. I'm half-tempted to get one
myself, just because it looks badass and I like the rule-bending
aspect. But, if there's real shotgun work to be done, I'd leave the
novelty gun alone and grab my full stock <i>12 gauge</i>!<br />
<br />
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<br />
<b>Gimmick Shotguns.</b><br />
<br />
I remember watching the old <i><b>Looney Tunes</b></i> and
thinking that Elmer Fudd had a heck of a shotgun, as it appeared to
be a double-barreled, pump-action, semiautomatic, with a huge
magazine capacity!<br />
<br />
Well, modern manufacturers aren't content to leave Elmer's gun in
the realm of cartoons. They're selling dual-tube magazine shotguns
for umpteen round capacity, pump-action double barrels (rack once,
shoot twice), <i>Assault Rifle</i> derived semiautomatics that can
be fed from a big drum with dozens of rounds, and more.<br />
<br />
Tacti-cool as these scatterguns are, they are complex in design
and function, which reduces reliability. And they are expensive.
As in, you could buy multiple <i>Mossberg 500</i> or <i>Remington
870</i> tried-and-true shotguns for what one of these things
costs, and have change enough left over for a steamer trunk of
shells.<br />
<br />
A long sequence of blasting away nonstop with a shotgun is a <i>'Going
Out In A Blaze Of Glory'</i> climax scene in a zombie apocalypse
movie. The half dozen rounds in a conventional shotgun is probably
sufficient to convince more realistic threats to find an easier
target, at the very least.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<b>.410 Revolvers.</b><br />
<br />
These are on the bubble of practicality. The <i>Taurus Judge</i>
was initially promoted as an automobile defense gun. And the
concept has some merit. A load of birdshot to the face would
no-doubt be substantially more effective against a carjacker,
over-the-line 'protester', or road-raging nut than pepper spray.
All with substantially less risk of serious collateral damage than
flinging bullets around. Plus, the Judge (and the <i>S&W
Governor</i> it inspired) can have the first chamber(s) loaded
with<i> .410 shotshells</i>, and the remainder loaded with <i>.45
Colt</i> or <i>.45 ACP</i>, just in case the threat at hand is a
psycho, crackhead, or Moro Tribesman who won't back-off after being
hit with pellets.<br />
<br />
What keeps these revolvers from qualifying as practical is the
fact that you can get revolvers to do essentially the same thing at
half the weight and price. Shotshells can be purchased (or
hand-loaded) for revolvers in several popular calibers. These
rounds may not have the payload of <i>.410</i> shells, but we're
not shooting quail at 30 yards with them. At the short ranges at
which you'd use a birdshot revolver, the snake-shot should be an
effective deterrent against ordinary thugs. <br />
<br />
Pulling .410 Revolvers even deeper into the novelty category are
the many <i>.410</i> gimmick shotshells that have been introduced
for them. Slug and buck, disks and BBs, etc. Kind of misses the
original point. If you're going to fire projectiles more
substantial than birdshot, why not just use good old BULLETS?<br />
<br />
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<br />
<b> </b><b>Super-Magnum Handguns.</b><br />
<br />
In the 1971 film <i><b>Dirty Harry</b></i>, Clint Eastwood
pointed a <i>.44 Magnum</i> revolver at Albert Popwell and told him
that it was the most powerful handgun in the world, and capable of
blowing his head clean off. While not entirely correct, this moment
of Hollywood badassery started an unending quest among gun nuts to
own the most wrist-breakingly, eardrum-burstingly overpowered gun
they could get their hands on.<br />
<br />
The <i>.44 Magnum</i> is on the uppermost tier of powerful
practical sidearm cartridges. Much more, and you'll need a revolver
so large and heavy to make full use of it that you'd may as well
carry a long gun. Even <i>.44 Magnum</i> class cartridges are
mostly wasted on muzzle flash in popular compact revolvers, and
provide only a modest firepower advantage over sub-magnum rounds
like the <i>.44 Special</i>.<br />
<br />
Still, practicality doesn't figure into this sort of thing. So
we've got a whole slew of cartridges that make the <i>.44 Magnum</i>
look like a mouse-gun. But they're far better suited to something
like an updated <i>Winchester 1886</i> rifle than any handgun. <br />
<br />
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<br />
<b>.50 BMG 'Sniper' Rifles.</b><br />
<br />
In the wake of <i>World War I</i>, John Moses Browning decided
to radically scale-up the standard US infantry rifle cartridge for
use in his new heavy machine gun, creating the <i>.50 Browning
Machine Gun</i> round. It wasn't long before someone realized
lighter rifles could be built around this powerhouse cartridge.
These have gained considerable popularity since the 1980s.<br />
<br />
A <i>.50 BMG</i> is the most powerful rifle you can legally own
without registering it under the NFA as a <i>"destructive device"</i>.
It has an effective range of well over a mile, and can punch through
medium armor and considerable hard cover. <br />
<br />
They also cost ten to twenty times as much as a practical
precision shooting rifles, weigh four times as much, and use ammo
that costs five times as much, and require special equipment if you
want to roll your own.<br />
<br />
In skilled hands, an 'ordinary' bolt-action with decent glass in
common calibers like <i>30-06</i> and <i>.308</i> can reliably
take out targets at over a quarter of a mile. There are few
realistic scenarios in doomstead defense that would require more
than that from a 'sniper' rifle.<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6026024759816860541.post-83872528953246227302017-03-13T23:20:00.000-04:002017-03-13T23:20:33.785-04:00LND: Arcane Firearm Nomenclature.<br />
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Essential to the safe use of firearms is knowing exactly what
you're doing when it comes to what ammo goes into which guns. With
about a zillion different cartridges out there, it is very possible
to chamber and touch-off a round that was not designed to be fired
in that particular weapon. Depending on the combination, the result
could be anywhere from poor performance to a zero-delay hand
grenade.<br />
<br />
You'd think it'd be simple. Make sure the head stamp on your
ammo matches the markings on your gun and you're good, right? But
no. Due to the long and complex development history of firearms,
it's kind of a mess.</div>
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<b>Caliber.</b><br />
<br />
Even the term <i>"caliber"</i> is a bit murky. It usually means
diameter in inch measurement with implied decimal, as in <i>"forty
caliber"</i> meaning <i>".40 inch"</i>. Sometimes it means a
specific cartridge. For an assortment of reasons, it is almost
always used <i>nominally</i> when referencing loaded ammunition.
Most .45 cartridges use slightly larger than .45" diameter
bullets, while most .44 cartridges actually use bullets just under
.43", and .38 cartridges use bullets less than .36".<br />
<br />
Sometimes an extended caliber is a way to distinguish a
cartridge, like the <i>.307 Winchester</i>, which uses a
.308" bullet like most other nominal .30 caliber rifles.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b> Grains.</b><br />
<br />
A <i>"grain"</i> is tiny unit of weight (1/7000 pound)
traditionally used to measure both gunpowder and bullets. It does <i>not</i>
refer to a particle of powder.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Caliber - Grains.</b><br />
<br />
One common way to identify cartridges in the 19th Century was by
nominal caliber and powder charge in grains. The <i>44-40</i> was
a .44 bullet loaded over forty grains of gunpowder. <br />
<br />
This naming convention worked well when cartridges were loaded
with black powder. But the rise of smokeless propellants at the end
of the century meant that there would be far too great a difference
between the various powder choices to give a simple load weight.
Only a few of the very earliest smokeless cartridges (like the <i>30-40</i>
and <i>30-30</i>) used this style of designation.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Caliber - Year.</b><br />
<br />
When it became clear that powder charge wouldn't work for
smokeless cartridge designation in the early 20th Century, the
number after the hyphen was switched to the last two digits of the
introduction year. This convention didn't last long, but did yield
the still-popular <i>30-06 </i>cartridge. (Thirty caliber of
1906.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Metric.</b><br />
<br />
Since firearms are marketed internationally, metric designations,
given in millimeters, are common. Sometimes just the diameter, but
more specifically diameter and case length, as in <i>9 x 19mm. <br />
</i><br />
<br />
<b>Diameter, then Words and/or Initials.</b><br />
<br />
There are lots of cartridges with the same diameter bullets, and
more than a few with the same length case as well. So a
straightforward way to identify them is with a name based on the
company that developed the round, some practical description of the
ammo, or the nation of origin. Occasionally, a wholly contrived
name will be applied. These descriptors are often abbreviated,
since there's just so much room on a head stamp.<br />
<br />
In addition to every imaginable company and country name,
cartridges are commonly identified as <i>short, long, special,
magnum, auto, super, belted, rimmed, rifle, pistol,</i> etc.
Examples include the<i> .38 Long Colt</i> and <i>.30 Remington.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Brundlefly Naming.</b><br />
<br />
As if things weren't already confusing enough, some cartridges,
especially those based developed from older rounds, mix and match
naming conventions. For instance, the <i>6.5-06 A-Square</i> is a
(nominal) 6.5mm bullet in a necked-down <i>30-06</i> case developed
by the A-Square company.<br />
<br />
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<b>Gauge (aka Bore).</b><br />
<br />
Shotguns and the shells they fire are usually designated by <i>gauge</i>,
which is determined how many bore-fitting round balls can be made
from a pound of pure lead. The bigger the shotgun, the fewer balls can
be made, and the lower the gauge number. <br />
<br />
The <i>12 Gauge</i> is the most popular modern shotgun size.
The smaller <i>20 Gauge</i> is also fairly common for youths,
ladies, and anyone else who might be recoil-sensitive. <i>10, 16,</i>
and <i>28 Gauge</i> shotguns are still around, but no longer
common. Most shotgun shells are nominally 2 3/4" in length. Many
guns are chambered to accept 3", and some newer
models will take 3 1/2". Shorter shells, including 2 1/2" and 1
3/4" mini-shells can safely be fired from the longer chambers, but
may not cycle reliably in pumps or auto-loaders.<br />
<br />
Of course, somebody had to go and muddy-up the world of shotguns
with the <i>.410</i>, which is not technically a gauge, but an inch
caliber. I guess <i>"68 Gauge"</i> just didn't sound right. This
is the smallest shotgun commonly available, and has often been a
beginner's gun for children. Standard <i>.410</i> shells are 2
1/2" long, but 3" shells have recently been introduced for revolver
use, of all things.<br />
<br />
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<b>Shot.</b><br />
<br />
The pellets used in shotgun shells are identified by two number
scales, <i>buckshot </i>and <i>birdshot</i>, both of which are
counter-intuitively numbered highest for smallest. Buckshot shells
are usually marked with the number of pellets, while birdshot shells
are marked with the total weight of shot. The smallest shot (#10 -
#12 on the birdshot scale) is called <i>ratshot</i>, suitable for
close-range use on small pests, like rodents and snakes. <br />
<br />
Birdshot shells are often marked <i>"target"</i>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b> Multiple Identity Confusion.</b><br />
<br />
Politics, language, common usage, and parallel development often
result in the same cartridge getting alternate designations.<br />
<br />
Companies like to put their names on cartridges, like the <i>.30
Winchester Center Fire.</i> Other companies don't like stamping
their rival's name on ammo or rifles, so they label it something
like <i>30-30</i>. Eventually it becomes known as <i>30-30 Win.</i><br />
<br />
Other companies were also reluctant to stamp their rival's name
on the <i>.380 Automatic Colt Pistol</i> cartridge, preferring to
call it <i> .380 Auto.</i> But that was just the start, since it
was also known by it's metric designation as <i>9x17mm</i>...
Having less case length than most of the other 9mm cartridges rising
at the time, it was also called the <i>9mm Short</i>... And, being
used around the world, that became <i>9mm Kurz/Corto/Court</i>...
<br />
<br />
Which is all the more confusing since, in America, we usually
think "9mm" means the <i>9x19mm</i>. Which itself is also known as
the <i>9mm Parabellum/NATO/Luger</i>. You might reasonably expect
this round to also be known as the "9mm Long/Largo". But that
designation was used by the <i>Browning 9x20mm Long</i>... And the
<i>9x23mm Largo/Bergmann–Bayard/Bayard Long</i>... Which must never
be confused with the <i>9x23mm Winchester</i>...<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>Exceptions to the Rule.</b><br />
<br />
Despite the dumbfounding confusion of cartridge designations, you
must never, EVER use a cartridge for which your gun isn't
specifically chambered... Except that sometimes it's perfectly okay
to do so.<br />
<br />
This is frequently the case with revolvers chambered for
straight-walled, rimmed, lengthened versions of earlier cartridges.
A <i>.357 Magnum</i> can fire <i>.38 Special</i> ammo. <i>.44
Special</i> works in a <i>.44 Magnum</i>. <i>.45 Colt</i> works
in a <i>.454 Casull</i>. <i>.22 Short</i> works in a <i>.22 Long
Rifle</i> revolver... But, just to mess with us, <i>.22LR</i>
shouldn't be fired from a <i>.22 Magnum</i> cylinder, since the
latter cartridge is derived not from the <i>.22 Short/Long/Long
Rifle</i>, but the nearly forgotten, larger case diameter, <i>.22
Winchester Rim Fire</i>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Coping With The Madness.</b><br />
<br />
The saving grace in this swirling jumble of nomenclature is that
you only have to know the details for the guns you shoot. Can you
fire a <i>.357 SIG</i> in a <i>.357 Magnum</i> handgun? It doesn't really
matter if you own only a <i>.45 ACP</i>!<br />
<br />
Though it might be wise to learn a bit about the more common
cartridges, even if they aren't used by any of the weapons in
currently in your collection. You never know what you might
come-across in the future, when you might not have access to the
Internet for technical data.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Possible Appendices...<br />
<i><b>Overview of Common Cartridges.</b></i><br />
<i><b>Don't Try This At Home: Firing the wrong cartridge. What
happens?</b></i><i><b><br />
</b></i><br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/02/new-book-underway-low-nonsense.html" target="_blank">Back to <i>LOW-NONSENSE DOOMSTEADING</i> Index.</a></span></b></div>
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Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6026024759816860541.post-30468094860548112362017-03-08T15:02:00.000-05:002017-03-08T15:02:30.877-05:00LND: Fences..<br />
<br />
<br />
Of course, you don't want to keep the livestock in the barn all
(or even most) of the time. So you're going to need fences.<br />
<br />
Most farm animals are capable of jumping, crashing down, climbing
over, burrowing under, or crawling through any fence that would be
economically feasible to wrap-around a large area. So fences
actually work by creating a kind of psychological boundary. Some
combination of visual and tactile aspects has to convince the
critter that it's not worth it to get to the other side of the
barrier.<br />
<br />
I'm going to skip right over board, split rail, vinyl, and other
expensive / cosmetically appealing fences for our purposes. Kinda'
defeats the purpose of a doomstead to have it look like a well-off
show farm worth looting!<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Barbed wire is a relatively cheap, old school, and effective
means to contain stock. It is physically fairly strong, and has
sharp projections every few inches that will stab or cut anything
that comes into contact with it. This usually discourages beasts
from pushing into or leaning across it. It tends to be long lasting
and requires little maintenance. <br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Fence tensioning tool.</span></b></div>
<br />
Barbed wire needs to be stretched quite tight with a tensioning
tool, so reinforced corner posts are required, and sometimes pull-to
braced posts if there is a long distance between corners, or
non-straight fence line. The rest of the posts can be lighter,
since they serve mostly to counter sagging and maintain spacing
between the strands. Usually four to six strands of barbed wire is
used. With tougher-skinned animals, posts have to be placed closer
together keep the critters from spreading the strands apart to crawl
through.<br />
<br />
Strands of barbed wire are often used to augment other fence that
might otherwise be pushed-down or crawled-under. <br />
<br />
<b>Barbed wire should not be used for horses</b>. They are too
thin-skinned, and prone to get panicked and tangled in the stuff,
resulting in horrific injury. Yeah, I know that <i>(Insert Name
Here)</i> used barbed wire horse fences for years and nothing bad
happened. People get away with foolishness all the time... Until
they don't.<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Field fencing, aka hog wire, is a mesh of steel wires knotted to
create a pattern of rectangles. (There is a similar form using
welding rather than knots, which is generally unsuitable for
livestock.) It must be stretched tight between reinforced corner
and brace posts, and held upright by lighter posts, much like barbed
wire.<br />
<br />
Field fencing wire is probably the physically strongest practical
material for livestock enclosure, especially in terms of being able
to withstand a straight-on collision with a large animal. But is
not painful to touch or lean-across. So it can be crushed down, or
rooted up, trod upon, and thus rendered ineffective. Supplemental
barbed and/or hot wire is often used to prevent this.<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Hot wire is usually relatively lightweight, smooth wire (although
barbed wire is sometimes used) attached to the fence posts with
plastic insulators. A fence charger sends a very high voltage, low
amperage pulse of electricity out through the fence about once per
second. The return path for the current is through the earth to the
charger's grounding rod(s), so anyone completing the circuit by
touching the fence and ground (even if indirectly) when the pulse
goes through will get an unpleasant, but harmless shock. Solar
powered charges are available for your off-grid needs.<br />
<br />
The light weight and tension needed for hot wire makes it easy to
install and mend, allows greater distance between posts, and does
not require braced corner posts.<br />
<br />
When in good repair, under most conditions, hot wire is quite
effective. But it is higher maintenance than barbed and field
fencing wires, because green, wet foliage or a single downed strand
will short-out the fence and greatly reduce shocking power. Drought
conditions can reduce the topsoil conductivity, also weakening the
zap. Fortunately, once they've learned not to touch the hot fences,
most animals won't challenge it during transient current failures.
But they will figure it out after a while, so keep it checked and
maintained! (Most chargers have some sort of gauge that will alert
you to ground-outs.)<br />
<br />
Lightning can travel through electric fences and damage your
charger. Simple lightning arresters are available and can be
installed on the fences to prevent this. <br />
<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
The biggest drawbacks to hot wire are that it tends to by
physically fragile and nearly invisible, so animals often crash
right through it. This is why it was often used in conjunction with
tougher and/or more visible fences like board, split rail, and field
fencing. But the development of electrified poly tape and rope has
solved these drawbacks.<br />
<br />
Multiple conductive wire threads are woven into a polymer web
tape or cord, which is then installed much the same way as hot
wire. The polymer portion adds thickness, bright color, and
physical resiliency that wire alone lacks. It is nearly as easy to
put up and repair. UV-resistant tape with stainless threads has
proven to have a respectable service life.<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Wood fence posts, soaked black with creosote, were the go-to back
home in the Lowcountry. I think those are considered too toxic for
use anymore, but wood posts treated other ways are still commonly
used.<br />
<br />
I understand that driving wood posts into the ground is a common
practice in some places. We always dug post holes and set/packed
them in. I imagine attempting to drive a wooden post into the
ground up here in the hills would reduce the thing to splinters.<br />
<br />
Wood posts have the advantages of accepting nails and staples for
fence attachment and being relatively safe for livestock. On the
down side, they are subject to rot and breakage.<br />
<br />
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<br /></div>
<br />
T-posts are made of steel to be driven into even very hard ground
with a purpose-specific form of hammer. (A heavy steel tube, closed
and weighted at one end, with handles welded onto the sides. This
is slipped over the top of the post and repeatedly slammed-down.)<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
T-posts are generally much faster and easier to put-up. Unless
you're dealing with a salt water environment, they'll long outlast
wood posts. Even when hit with a truck, they will usually just bend
over rather than break. (They can be unbent.) Barbed and field
wire are attached with simple wire clips. Various types of snap-on
hot fence insulators for t-posts are widely available.<br />
<br />
Because of their somewhat jagged, absolutely unforgiving tops,
t-posts do pose a hazard to animals who might try to jump or climb
over them. Horses are particularly prone to severe cuts and even
lethal impalement due to their thin hides, height, and inclination
to jump obstacles. <b>T-post caps should always be used in horse
fences.</b> Post-top insulators do double-duty, making the posts safer
and providing an attachment point of hot fencing.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Brace posts are used where great strength and rigidity are
required. The corners of high-tension wire fences. At gates. At
intervals or at bends in long stretched of wire fences. An
extremely strong post, like a utility pole, railroad tie, large bore
steel pipe, or reinforced concrete culvert can simple be sunk deep
and set in concrete to do the job. A more traditional approach is
to sink strong, wood posts about 8' apart, with another post placed
horizontally between them near the top, and a diagonal cable
twist-tightened to lock them together.<br />
<br />
Where heavy wooden posts are employed, the tops can be cut off at
a shallow angle and/or coated with tar, paint, aluminum flashing to
reduce water soaking into the end grain of the wood and speeding
rot.<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Before building our doomstead, we had the opportunity to try
electrified poly tape fencing (a new product at the time) on the old
farm, and decided it was the fastest and most economical approach
for our needs here.<br />
<br />
We selected half-inch, white tape with stainless threads. Half
inch is wide enough for good visibility, but narrow enough to fit
through insulators designed for wire. The ones designed
specifically for tape had proven too flimsy. The narrow tape is
also less subject to fluttering in the wind. We make splices with
aluminum wire wrapped and pliers-crushed flat to try and contact all
the metal threads in the tape. Aluminum is easier to work with, and
doesn't rust-burn the tape like steel wire eventually does.<br />
<br />
The light weight of the tape allowed us to set t-posts at 20'
intervals. Domed insulator caps on the top of each, with a regular
insulator snapped-on about a foot above the ground. Since the tape
needs only hand-pulled tension, no brace posts were required. Four
strands of tape were run. One at the top, one at the bottom, and
two diagonally, forming an X between each pair of posts. This
arrangement allowed four strands to be run with only two insulators
per post, and the crossing created more intersections of tape,
helping to keep the voltage distributed to all strands.<br />
<br />
Because the thin, stainless threads seemed to be poor
long-distance conductors, we added an aluminum carrier wire along
with the bottom strand. Every 100' - 150', we added a vertical
'jump wire' which connects the carrier wire to all tape strands.<br />
<br />
Spring-loaded, insulated handles make it possible to open gates
on live, hot fences without getting shocked. It's best to install
the gates so that the juice comes in from the wire loop the gate
handle hooks into, so the gate goes dead the moment it's opened.
That way you don't have to worry about getting accidentally zapped,
and you can toss the handle down onto the ground without
shorting-out the fence.<br />
<br />
Folding the end of the gate tape and splicing it back to itself
creates a loop that can slipped onto to an insulator (not otherwise
attached to the hot fence) for an easily removable gate, handy for
allowing animals to move freely between paddocks.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
To keep voltage going across the gate opening regardless of
whether the gate is closed (which may be necessary to keep sections
of the fence alive), an underground connector cable can be buried.
This needs to be very high voltage insulated wire, not household
extension cord wire, which is only insulated against a couple
hundred volts. Fortunately, the proper stuff is fairly cheap and
available from livestock product suppliers. Be sure to bury it
deep, as livestock going through the gate will wear a path.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
When we started this doomstead, we had only mature, sane horses
who had already become accustomed to hot fences. So the four-strand
X pattern was sufficient. Foals and calves are more likely to try
to slip through the spaces between the strands, so we later
reinforced with additional horizontal strands.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Adapting for an ornery bull was not quite so easy. We pulled the
tape fence down from one paddock, then added new t-posts between the
existing ones, giving us 10' spacing. Since this was only a one
acre enclosure, with relatively short corner-to-corner runs, we made
brace posts by driving extra t-posts in a few feet down the line
from the corner posts, then bending the new posts to be affixed to
the corner post as diagonal supports. (We did this with lots of
heavy wire. But it turns out that there are couplers made for
exactly this sort of thing.)<br />
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We pulled heavy gauge field fencing to replace the tape, kept the
insulator caps and ran an electric wire to discourage reaching over
the fence. Extended insulators a foot or so above ground level are
used to suspend electrified barbed wire several inches inside the
fence line to keep the bull from rooting under the field wire.<br />
<br />
Bulls are more trouble than they're worth, but that's a story for
another chapter!<br />
<br />
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<b><a href="http://millwater.blogspot.com/2017/02/new-book-underway-low-nonsense.html" target="_blank">BACK TO <i>LOW-NONSENSE DOOMSTEADING</i> INDEX.</a></b></div>
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Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6026024759816860541.post-54155109360078573382017-02-27T15:20:00.000-05:002017-02-27T15:20:27.793-05:00LND: The Barn..<br />
<br />
<br />
People tend to overdo it with their barns. After all, the barn
is kind of the centerpiece of any sort of working farm or ranch. If
your operation involves interaction with the public, like a boarding
stables or training facility, it makes sense to have an impressive
structure...<br />
<br />
For strictly practical purposes, it's a bit of overkill. People
think that their critters are as uncomfortable in chilly weather as
we are. But, unless you live way up north where the temperature
slips well below zero and the wind chills even worse, most farm
animals can tolerate the cold pretty well. (Except for sick,
geriatric, or newborn specimens.)<br />
<br />
In this part of Dixie, the more common problem is that Winter
isn't cold <i>enough</i>. 25F and snowing wouldn't bother any of
the livestock. 35F and raining is <i>murder</i>... And Summer
heat is inevitably brutal. So all animals really need is a roof to
keep off the freezing rain or provide some shade. The walls need
not be solid, as free-flowing air is usually tolerable in Winter and
absolutely essential in Summer. The best design may be little more
than a row of covered corrals.<br />
<br />
<br />
First thing to decide is where to put your barn. (See the Layout
section.) It needs to be on high, solid ground. Animals will turn
anything else into a muddy mess that'll suck your boots off. You
also need to keep possible future expansion in-mind when selecting a
site.<br />
<br />
The <i>proper</i> first step to construction is to get a
bulldozer and render your building area perfectly level... What
you'll more <i>likely</i> do is find the flattest area available,
then do the best you can to scrape down bumps and fill in holes with
such tools and equipment as you have on hand.<br />
<br />
If you have a perfectly flat foundation, you'll want to build
professional style, keeping everything as close to true level as you
can. This will look neat and tidy.<br />
<br />
If you try building true level over an irregular foundation, you
may find that you wind-up with low ceilings and head-bumping
doorways in some places. It may be better to follow the lay of the
land, making each vertical post the correct height relative to the
floor. This could create a slight roller-coaster effect to your
barn roof, but your head clearance will be more consistent. And
looking a little shabby may not be a <i>bad</i> thing. (See
Security section.)<br />
<br />
A simple row of stalls is usually a good starter barn. It can be
built quickly and economically, then easily upgraded and expanded as
the need arises. 12' x 12' stalls are big enough for all but the
largest of draft horses, and can be subdivided for smaller animals.
8'6" height at the front and 7' at the back provides adequate head
room and draining pitch. You don't want to go too high, or rain
will blow under even in mild storms. Doors always need to be at the
front (high end) of the stall both for head clearance and to avoid
the knee-deep muck from animals walking through the runoff-softened
ground behind the barn.<br />
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Side view of stall row.</div>
<br />
It takes five posts to build your first stall, then three more
for each additional stall in the row. I've seen utility poles and
railroad ties used to good effect. 4" x 4" lumber will do. I used
treated 4" x 6" here. Depending on the post length available and
nature of the ground you're building upon, it might be a good idea
to set the posts in concrete... But I'd suggest waiting until you
get some, maybe all, of your horizontal boards into place before
doing so. Very difficult to re-position a post after the concrete
sets-up!<br />
<br />
While sinking your posts, you will be determining the width of
your stall doors. I went with 6'. Narrow barn doors can get you
into a wreck with bigger critters.<br />
<br />
Your walls are basically just stout plank fences. I suggest 12'
x 2" x 6" boards. (Rough cut is sturdier, if you can get it.)
Spaced a board-width apart. Five planks will give you 5' in wall
height, which is usually sufficient. If not, you can always add
more planks to add height later. You can also fill-in the gaps
between the planks with more boards should you need a solid wall for
some reason.<br />
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Two stalls. Front view.</div>
<br />
An extra plank of 12' x 2" x 6" board at the top of the posts,
inside on the front, outside on the rear, will serve as the beams to
support the roof. Six 16' x 2" x 4" boards will be placed on-edge,
equally spaced across the beams to act as rafters for each stall.
(One rafter flush with the each end of the beam, the others on 28.4"
centers starting from the center of the end rafter.) I like to
secure these with simple, steel hurricane tie straps fastened with
wood screws, as it's easier to avoid knocking the rafters off their
marks that way, and toe-nailing always seems a little sketchy to
me. Have the front of the rafters overhang the beam by exactly two
feet. Irregular overhang will mess with you when putting up the
battens.<br />
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Hurricane tie.</div>
<br />
You may note that, where stalls meet, you wind-up with two
rafters side-by-side. This will make it easier to nail the ends of
the battens. It also keeps the roof framing modular, making the
addition of future stalls to the row simpler.<br />
<br />
Six 12' x 1" x 4" boards nailed flat-down across the rafters,
equally spaced, will suffice for battens. (One flush with the front
ends of the the rafters, another flush with the back, the rest on
37.6" centers.)<br />
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Posts & beams, then rafters, then battens.</div>
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<br />
Now comes the "tin"... Actually galvanized steel panels. I
prefer corrugated (continuous ripple pattern) over 5V (flat with a
ridge in the middle and two at each edge) because of its
versatility. More options for nail placement and overlap.<br />
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Corrugated</div>
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5v</div>
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<br />
<br />
The wide-spaced rafters and battens don't make for a structure
you should be walking around on. But they do make it possible to
work from an A-frame ladder, popping up through the framework to
nail the tin to the battens.<br />
<br />
Start at a corner of the barn and put a panel into place on the
low end of the roof. (Remember, lower panels must go on first, so
that the panels uphill won't drain UNDER them!) Position it so that
the tin overhangs the frame evenly by a few of inches at the edges
of the barn. <br />
<br />
Nailing roofing tin is a little challenging. You have to figure
out where the batten is. (X-ray vision would be a boon!) And you
have to drive the nail into the metal at the peak of a ripple, not
down in the valley. Water is going to be flowing down there when it
rains. You need your nails punching through on the 'high ground'
where they won't make leaks. You may want to hold the nail in-place
with pliers, because you kinda' have to hit hard to get the point
through the tin. Roofing nails for this application usually have
rubber or lead washers to act as gaskets. You want to drive the
nail just until there is solid pressure on the washer, <i>NOT</i>
far enough to crush the tin flat into the batten.<br />
<br />
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The next panel goes just above the first one, with at least a few
inches of overlap. (The more the better.) Depending on the length
of your corrugated panels, it may take either two or three to get to
the front of the barn. Once they're secure, start over from the low
end, overlapping the first panels by a ripple or two. If you find
yourself with a partial panel-width of frame to cover as you
approach the finish of the job, you can increase the overlap to 'use
up' the extra.<br />
<br />
If you somehow got a bit out of square anywhere along the line,
and the tin doesn't want to go on perfectly straight, don't sweat it
too much. Just try to keep your sawtooth effect consistent.
Pretend you did it on purpose!<br />
<br />
What I have detailed here is the economical roofing I've seen
serving well on countless barns in the South and Mid-Atlantic, and
what has worked on our barn for twenty years and counting. You can,
of course, upgrade if you feel your circumstances warrant it.
Heavier lumber, more rafters and battens closer-together. Plywood
rather than battens. Shingles instead of corrugated. So long as
it's you doing all that ladder work and not me!<br />
<br />
Back on the ground, be sure to hing your stall doors so that they
can swing 180 degrees and latch open, flat against the wall.
Running (or being slammed) into an open door edgewise is hard on
your bones.<br />
<br />
Ideally, stall floors should be reinforced concrete with heavy
rubber mats. But that can get expensive, so most folks go with the
natural ground with any holes that develop packed with pit gravel.
This usually works acceptably well for horses, goats, etc. if you do
regular upkeep and the weather isn't godawful. Cows, however, will
turn any unpaved stall or corral into a septic swamp. They're
<i>gifted</i> that way.<br />
<br />
<br />
One great thing about barns is that you don't have to go too big
at the start. With foresight, you can begin with a modest structure
and expand it later. The obvious way to do so with a simple barn is
to add more stalls onto either end.<br />
<br />
Another way to expand is to build a second mirror-image stall row
parallel to the first, creating an aisle between them. You can take
this up a notch by extending the roofs of the stall rows until they
meet at a peak over the aisle, giving you a nice, covered area that
comes in handy for all sorts of things and eliminated rain blowing
into the fronts of the stalls.<br />
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<br />
Lofts are a common addition to barns. Traditionally used for hay
storage.<br />
<br />
Lofts <i>are</i> good for reducing hay loss to weather, rot, and
rodents. But I've become rather uncomfortable with storing tons of
highly flammable material in the same building with valuable
animals, tack, tools, and equipment. I think it's better to store
the hay away from the main barn. But a loft can be useful for other
things, including living quarters.<br />
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<br />
The loft-over-aisle design became popular in the 20th century,
with the transition to baled hay. It's relatively easy to construct
and, I think, aesthetically pleasing. But it does tend to leave you
with a relatively low ceiling over the aisle, and does not easily
lend itself to discreet access from a floor-level tack room as the
other loft styles do. <br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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The lofts-over-stalls design gives you a very high roof over the
aisle, and can provide trap-door access directly into the stalls
below. Particularly handy if one of those stalls has been remade
into a feed or tack room.<br />
<br />
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<br />
The loft-over-all design created the maximum loft space. This
was very popular in the old days when hay was stored loose. If your
place already has an old barn of this style, use a bit of caution
with the loft floor... It may not have been built to withstand
concentrated loads like a full loft of baled hay.<br />
<br />
<br />
A few closing notes on the subject of the barn...<br />
<br />
If you install electric lighting, make sure that it is impervious
to the animals or out of their reach. It's really safer to have
portable lights that you can take out with you rather than permanent
fixtures in the stalls. I like to have all the power come through
one heavy extension cord to an external outlet on the house so that
I can completely disconnect the barn when unattended, and easily
plug into an alternate source when the need arises.<br />
<br />
Many farm animals are easily capable of breaking down stalls.
Strategically placed hotwire is trashy-looking, but usually
discourages barn wrecking. <br />
<br />
Some barns use steel tube corral panels instead of board walls.
We're experimenting with this as well. So far, our draft-cross
fillies are beating the panels up pretty good. Something tougher
may be in order.<br />
<br />
Install good latches and hinges. Then back them up with safety
chains. Some animals can channel Houdini!<br />
<br />
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Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6026024759816860541.post-79459782467363674722017-02-15T22:56:00.000-05:002017-02-15T22:56:31.578-05:00LND: Glossary..<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>BAU:</b> <i>B</i>usiness <i>A</i>s <i>U</i>sual. The perception that things are normal and
there is no imminent crisis. People are going to work every day.
Utilities are running. <b>FRNs </b>still spend. Still stuff on the
shelves at Mega Lo Mart. Beer supply unimpeded.<br />
<br />
<b>BOB:</b> <i>B</i>ug-<i>O</i>ut <i>B</i>ag. A handy container packed with emergency supplies
and tools kept ready in case one needs to evacuate with little
warning.<br />
<br />
<b>BOV:</b> <i>B</i>ug <i>O</i>ut <i>V</i>ehicle / <i>V</i>essel. A conveyance kept loaded with
emergency supplies, tools, and fuel for immediate evacuation. BOV
strategy may be based on getting away from a trouble zone rapidly
despite traffic, long distance, and blocked highways (motorcycle,
4x4) or the vehicle itself serving as a shelter (RV, houseboat).<br />
<br />
<b>Cornucopia:</b> The modern petro-industrial world in which unlimited
supply is considered the norm. Scarcity is perceived as only a
temporary result of sudden increase of demand or market
manipulation. Named for the equally mythical Horn of Plenty.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<b>cornucopian:</b> One who dwells in the firm belief that the
cornucopian era will last forever. Anything having to do with<b>
Cornucopia</b>.<br />
<br />
<b>doomer:</b> One who recognizes that <b>Cornucopia </b>cannot long endure.
This does not necessarily mean they see the extinction of humanity
or life on Earth as a fast-approaching inevitability.<br />
<br />
<b>doomstead:</b> A rural farmstead equipped to remain viable even as
cornucopian infrastructure fails.<br />
<br />
<b>doomster:</b> A doom-hipster who cheers for the demise of <b>Cornucopia</b>,
especially capitalism, usually while remaining fully dependent upon
<i> cornucopian </i>resources and using a corporation-logo electronic device
to post criticism of practical doomsteaders on forums via a network
created by the Military-Industrial Complex.<br />
<br />
<b>fedghetto:</b> An urban center. Especially one that is highly
dependent on support from the central government. Not officially a
prison. But their dependence leaves inhabitants no choice but to tolerate
considerable loss of liberty in the name of order and security.<br />
<br />
<b>FRN:</b> <i> F</i>ederal Reserve <i>N</i>ote. The debt-based financial instruments
rather deceptively called "dollars" and used, by fiat, as United
States legal tender. <br />
<br />
<b>green:</b> An object or practice which is supposed to be beneficial (or
at least less harmful) to the environment. In Big Picture terms,
many things touted as green are not. Solar panels seem green
because they produce electricity without burning fuel or producing
exhaust, but the amount of consumption and pollution involved in
constructing and installing the panels may be greater than what the
utility company would have done to provide the same amount of power for
many years. Tuning-up and driving an old compact car may be far
greener than manufacturing a new hybrid.<br />
<br />
<b>JIT:</b> <i>J</i>ust <i>I</i>n <i>T</i>ime. A now-popular approach to the import,
manufacture, and distribution of goods. Things go from their source
to the retailer just in time to replace what has been sold. This
minimizes the expense of warehousing and maintaining large
inventory, but leaves little buffer should there be disruptions in
the supply chain. This is particularly troubling when it comes to
essentials such as food and fuel, which modern Americans often keep
in very little household supply.<br />
<br />
<b>LATOC:</b> <i>L</i>ife <i>A</i>fter <i>T</i>he <i>O</i>il <i>C</i>rash. A website and very popular online
community dealing with the effects of the decline in easily
available, inexpensive, light crude on <b>Cornucopia</b>, and strategies to
cope with same. After a half decade, the forum wound-up overrun
with <b>doomsters </b>and various strains of nonsense, so the owner of the
site decided to abruptly pull the plug and move on to other things
in 2010. Members of the old community still remain active on
various forums and groups dealing with the ongoing collapse and
<b> prepping </b>today.<br />
<br />
<b>moonbat: </b>A person who spouts Leftist dogma without regard to reason or
reality. <br />
<br />
<b>MRE: </b><i>M</i>eal, <i>R</i>eady to <i>E</i>at. Prepackaged military field rations
designed for durable, lightweight, long-term storage without
refrigeration, and consumption with little or no preparation.
Similar products are also produced for civilian markets.<br />
<br />
<b>MZB:</b> <i>M</i>utant <i>Z</i>ombie <i>B</i>ikers. Tongue-in-cheek term for groups of
people who may pose a threat after <b>SHTF</b>.<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />
<b>prepper:</b> One who actively acquires the knowledge, tools,
supplies, and resources they think will aid them in the event of future
emergencies and lapses in infrastructure. Not always a <b>doomer</b>.<br />
<br />
<b>SHTF:</b> <i>The semi-solid waste initiates violent contact with the proverbial high-speed rotary device.</i> A catastrophic event that substantially disrupts <b>BAU</b>. It is a quirk of many <b>doomers </b>to expect such an event to provide a clear delineation between Cornucopia and <b>TEOTWAWKI</b>, despite the historical tendency of civilizations to undergo less abrupt collapses. <br />
<br />
<b>survivalist:</b> Someone who is both <b>doomer </b>and <b>prepper</b>. Term tends to imply a more hardcore, militant attitude.<br />
<br />
<b>TEOTWAWKI:</b> <i>T</i>he <i>E</i>nd <i>O</i>f <i>T</i>he <i>W</i>orld <i>A</i>s <i>W</i>e <i>K</i>now <i>I</i>t.
Note the "as we know it" qualifier. The term does not necessarily
refer to the end of the world on the whole, just a discontinuity between
the world we know now (<b>Cornucopia</b>) and what comes afterward.<br />
<br />
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<br />Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6026024759816860541.post-29295570419388991672017-02-13T21:50:00.001-05:002017-02-13T21:50:16.990-05:00LND: The House.<div>
<br />
<br />
There are many things I will miss when the Cornucopian
paradigm collapses. Little Tin God bureaucrats will not be among them.
Even out in the boonies, there is no shortage of professional
busybodies who insist that every single thing you have, build, raise, or
do needs to be licensed, inspected, regulated, permitted, and
monitored.<br />
<br />
Usually, these pests can be ignored. They can't
deny permission if you never ask for it. So long as your activities
don't harm your neighbors, nobody cares about permits out in the
country...<br />
<br />
Unless you're building a house. Then they've got
it set-up to where a whole bunch of inspections, permits, etc. are all
interdependent on one-another, and you'll have State, County, and/or
Municipal code-enforcers crawling over your property like fleas on a
hound.<br />
<br />
When we started this place, we thought grid electrical
and telecom service were still worth the effort, even though that meant
we were going to have to do the house all legal-like. The fastest
approach was to set-up a site and bring in a manufactured home. That
way, we could play-along with the code requirements until the power was
on, then put up a gate up by the road and do our thing without constant
statist meddling.<br />
<br />
If we had it to do over again, the gate
would have gone up first, we'd have built from the ground-up, off-grid
from the start, bureaucrats be damned. <br />
<br />
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<br />
<b>The Doomstead House.</b></div>
<br />
<b>Bigger is better!</b>
Tiny little micro-cabins are a trendy concept among Doomers. Seems
like they would be efficient and 'green'. But trust me, you don't want
to live in a phone booth long-term. You don't have to heat and cool
the whole of a large house. Close off 'extra' rooms for walk-in pantry,
general storage and stockpiling. You <i>will</i> need more space than you think.<br />
<br />
If you have to start with something small due to preexisting structure
or budget constraints, plan on future expansion. I remember my
great-great aunt's farmhouse, and the way it was obviously built in
segments as the need arose over the decades. A lot of old homesteads
were that way.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Floor plans are just a suggestion.</b>
We chose a place with what was supposed to be a big Living Room. But
you won't find a home entertainment center, couch, or Barcalounger in
our Office/Workshop we have instead.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Wall-to-wall carpeting has no place on a doomstead!</b>
Or any farm. Or... Well... Anyplace, really. Thanks to our old
friend Gravity, everything ultimately winds-up spilled, dropped,
dripped, leaked, bled, and tracked onto the floor. Including flea eggs,
which can lead to a really stubborn infestation if there's someplace
for them to take 'hold. What imbecile thought this would be a good
place to glue-down an absorbent material? Sure, you can vacuum and even
steam clean carpets. But on a farm with animals, mud (term used
euphemistically), grease, etc. getting everywhere, all the time, you'll
never stay ahead of it.<br />
<br />
Hardwood (real or faux), tile, or
other flooring that can be swept, mopped, and disinfected are the way to
go. If you can't stand walking on a hard floor, get some slippers or
flip-flops. If that's not good enough, use area rugs. At least you can
take 'em out for beating and airing.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>You need ALL the windows.</b>
Air conditioning is awesome, but gobbles up a lot of expensive
electricity. Especially if you're trying to run it off-grid. Lots of
big windows can make houses tolerable even in the Dixie Summer.<br />
<br />
Preferably windows with inner and storm window glass, with blinds and
heavy curtains. And good screens! Some builders like to omit screens,
especially on the front windows, because it looks a little 'cleaner'
from the street that way, and a lot of people never open windows in the
age of Climate Control. With the ability to strategically open windows
to get air flow-through, close blinds to reflect heating sunlight, close
windows and curtains to hold-in heat, you'll have a lot of ways to
efficiently maintain comfort inside. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>High ceilings are cool.</b>
Literally. Having greater air volume in the house will keep it from
being so stifling in the hot seasons. Also allows for a ceiling fan to
keep air circulating. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>The kitchen is a big deal!</b> Generations that have grown up <i>'popping something in the microwave'</i>,
replenishing prepackaged supermarket food supplies on a weekly basis,
swinging-by McDonald's or ordering pizza for half their meals may not
remember, but the kitchen used to be the heart of the household. And it
regains that status on the doomstead.<br />
<br />
You'll not only be
cooking meals from scratch, but also processing raw ingredients. You
may need meat grinder and grain mill. If you are buying a modern-design
home, you'll need to add a big working table in the middle, as the puny
amount of counter-top preparation space considered adequate these days
absolutely is not. Dairy processing alone will take up a huge amount of
real estate.<br />
<br />
You'll want a big refrigerator and a chest
freezer... Probably more than one of the latter. It's good to have the
know-how and equipment to do old school food preservation, like
jerking/drying, pickling, canning, salt-curing, and smoking. But the
deep freeze really beats them all. Modern refrigeration is one of the
oft-overlooked reasons for the increase in lifespan for the average
American over the past century. It is one bit of Cornucopian technology
that is worth holding onto as along as possible.<br />
<br />
Speaking of
tech, don't discount Space Age appliances like the microwave and
induction cooktops. They are handy, and often the more energy-efficient
way to get stuff hottened-up!<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Fire suppression becomes far more important on a doomstead.</b>
In the Cornucopian world, we're told to get out of a burning home,
call 911, and remember that things can be replaced, especially since you
probably have insurance. But that won't be the case after a serious
collapse. Invest in multiple fire extinguishers and place them
strategically through the house. Then get some of the little,
disposable aerosol can extinguishers for good measure.</div>
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Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6026024759816860541.post-66195014371516258022017-02-13T21:45:00.002-05:002017-02-13T21:45:42.334-05:00LND: Layout.<div>
<br />
I've lived on about a dozen farms, and worked on hundreds of
others. This experience has taught me that overall layout is one of
the most important, yet overlooked features of a working farm or ranch.<br />
<br />
People tend to go with what they know. Given fifty acres, folks who
didn't grow up on farms will tend to stick a typical half-acre, suburban
home right on the road frontage, then fling a fence around the rest of
the property. After that, it's usually catch-as-catch-can. Stick a
barn out there somewhere. Paddock here. Corral over there. Round pen
off yonder.<br />
<br />
And it's a mess. Always inefficient, often
dangerous. Having to drive through pastures on the way in and out from
the house. (Risking livestock escape every time you go through the
gate.) Having to go through multiple occupied enclosures to retrieve an
animal from another. Thigh-deep muck around the barn from critters
hanging around there. Inability to do a head-count because half your
'pasture' is forest. Trucks getting stuck, or stuff getting run-over
because there was no decent place to turn-around. Lack of security and
privacy.<br />
<br />
Being an Old Horseman, my layout preferences are a
bit on the equestrian side. Shown here not as a template, but to
demonstrate how a bit of forethought pays-off.</div>
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<br />
Notice that the working part of the doomstead is well back off the
road, surrounded by woods, out of sight and mind as far as passers-by
and even neighbors are concerned. (If you can see anything but trees or
an old gate on a beat-up rocky road, you're already trespassing.)
Trees around the perimeter of the enclosures provide shade for our
animals without making it hard to locate them. <br />
<br />
The five
adjacent paddocks can be used as five one acre paddocks, one five acre
paddock, or any configuration in-between. The gates separating them are
easily removable so they don't create any hazard to the stock when left
open. None of the gates are in the corners, where the 'pressure' from
animals is often greatest and gates are more likely to be forced. <br />
<br />
The main pasture opens into a smaller holding paddock. It's much
easier to lure or drive hard to catch animals into the holding paddock
than it is to get control of them in a huge enclosure. (This is the one
place where there's a corner gate, so that such animals can be
'funneled' into the holding paddock.) The holding paddock can also act
sort of like an airlock, so that you can get animals, vehicles into and
out of the main pasture without the critters therein escaping into the
barnyard.<br />
<br />
The barnyard itself is the primary 'airlock'. All
the enclosures have gates directly into the barnyard. You never have to
go through one paddock to get to another. Animals pushing through a
gate are still contained in the barnyard. (Still amazes me how common
it is for places to be set-up so that one unlatched gate or slipped
halter lets animals make a break straight out to the highway!) Yet the
barnyard is normally free of loose livestock, so that the area around
the buildings doesn't stay churned-up by hooves, the solar panels don't
get wrecked, etc.<br />
<br />
There's room to turn-around trucks and
tractors in the barnyard, as well as at the 'front' gate. Every
enclosure has a 20' wide gate for vehicle access. Just because you
don't see why you'd want to get a big truck in there right now doesn't
mean the need won't arise in the future.<br />
<br />
The well house is in
the middle of the barnyard, so that you can reach the barn and most
troughs with the minimum amount of hose drag. (More on that in the
Water section.)<br />
<br />
Any layout will need to allow for later
adaptation. For instance, our holding paddock was reinforced for
double-duty as the the nursery paddock for mares with new foals.
Paddock #5 was re-fenced as the dedicated bull pen. <br />
<br />
Of
course, you may not be starting out with raw land. (And having some of
the fencing and building already there can be a nice head start.) But
try to think ahead as you add to the place, so that each modification
will contribute to a functional overall layout as you go.<br />
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Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6026024759816860541.post-20058487104502205972017-02-13T21:39:00.000-05:002017-02-13T21:39:26.655-05:00LND: Location.<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div>
<br />
What you really need for a good doomstead is several thousand acres in
southern Eden with a discreet air strip for your private jet and a
sheltered harbor for your yacht. But, if you find yourself a bit closer
to the <i>'cardboard box under the highway overpass'</i> end of the economic spectrum, you might have to compromise just a little.<br />
<br />
There are several things to consider when looking for a doomstead location.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>-Availability.</b><br />
<br />
If you're lucky enough to have some rural property available to you,
perhaps Grandpa's dilapidated old farm or the like, go for it! Even if
it's not the ideal location, it may be better than letting years slip
past you while you wait for a better chance.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>-Familiarity.</b><br />
<br />
Doomsteading can be challenging enough without making yourself a
friendless stranger in an alien climate. The frozen North is no place
for a cracker. A Yankee might find it just a little unsettling to live
where the old log by the creek may try to take a bite out of you, and
the mosquitoes have been known to carry off cattle for a snack later.</div>
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<div>
<br />
There's usually some advantage to staying where family and old friends
are nearby. Especially if they are like-minded. Isolation is an
occupational hazard for doomsteaders.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>-Urban Proximity.</b><br />
<br />
You might think that the farther away from towns and cities, the
better. But cities have their resources. We don't know how long some
semblance of BAU will hold-together. While it does, it's handy to have
goods, services, and utilities nearby. Also might be important to the
whole <i>'making a living'</i> thing.<br />
<br />
Obviously you don't want
to doomstead in the shadow of a major metropolis where the urban unrest
can quickly spill out onto you, or you could be engulfed by suburban
development. So it's a judgement call.<br />
<br />
Our place is over an
hour drive from a good-sized city, in an unincorporated farming area
roughly equidistant from a few small towns. Subtract automobiles from
the scene, and that city may as well be on the other side of the
continent, and the towns are a day-trip by horse and buggy. Seems like a
good balance.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>-Natural Resources.</b><br />
<br />
Not
all land is created equal. There's probably a way to successfully
doomstead on forty acres of desert sand, but I'd sure hate to have to
figure it out myself. Already standing forested land can provide you
with firewood and game straight-away. A good aquifer is a must, and
surface water is a big plus. Lowland sections are often great pasture
soil, but you'll want plenty of high ground for the house and barn.
Creek, pond, or lake access for fishing may be great. But you have to
be careful these days due to development pollution and industrial
agriculture run-off contaminating the water and the creatures therein.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>-Privacy.</b><br />
<br />
I knew an old horsetrader down on the islands who built his place on a
corner lot and lover to brag about how much road frontage he had. Never
seemed like a benefit to me, although I suppose maybe it's good for
property value.<br />
<br />
Our main lot was one of three cut from an
older holding. When the division was done, we were glad to wind-up with
all of 60' of road frontage. The minimum amount to avoid difficulty
with the county when it comes to home permits and such. The last thing
we wanted was for our place to be visible from the road.<br />
<br />
Of
course, we're not doing anything wrong in doomsteading. But we don't
want to advertise our activities or entice thieves, looters, or
trespassers. Nor do we want to be an open book for Little Tin Gods who
want to demand permits, fees, and inspections for every little thing we
build, critter we keep, or action we take.</div>
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Dave Millwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211274853489225311noreply@blogger.com0