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21 Aug 2013

How to Test Soil Test For Clay Content

This post came from several places; Christina Ott and I talked about this on the podcast and I read about it in the Hand Sculpted House.

I think Cob construction has some great benefits to preppers and homesteaders, but before you decide that cob is the material you will build with you really ought to test your soil to see if it is appropriate for your land.

Cob should be a mixture of sand, clay, and fiber – It is my understanding that the best mix is 30-50% clay. Sand gives it form and the fiber gives it tensile strength, but it is the clay sticks it all together. This post shows an easy soil test for cob.

Cob Building Clay Test

First scrape away the top organic layer.
Next take a cup or two of soil from various potential house sites and from various depths. (Soil samples can vary a lot even a few feet from each other.)
Take out any stones or pebbles.
Put each sample in a quart jar, you should have about 1/3 of the jar full of broken up soil.
Label each jar
Next fill the jar 2/3 full with water and either some salt or a couple drops of dish soap.
Shake well. Very well – make your arms tired, switch off with someone, and then switch back and tire yourself out again.
Then let it settle. If your soil has sand, silt and clay in it, you’ll get three distinct layers.
The sand is the heaviest and will sink to the bottom as you watch.
The silt will settle next, and the clay will stay suspended in the water for a couple days then settle on top of the silt.

Finally, the best soil with have little silt and a lot of clay. As you can always add sand to get the proper consistency.

18 Aug 2013

PRN Episode #31 Steven Wright

In today’s show we interview Steven Wright of 4 Walls International, Steven has earned B.S. in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Evolution and Ecology from the University of California Riverside (2006) and is co-founder and executive director of 4 Walls International, a California based non-profit that uses abandoned tires and other trash to build sustainable housing in Tijuana Mexico.

The mission of 4 Walls is to to address and solve current and future environmental challenges while improving overall quality of human life.

Their program unites the community in the common goal of building dependable shelters that promote agricultural production and sustainability, we will encourage recovery of finite natural systems and promote education for a more environmentally conscious future.

With self-reliance as a goal, they have a lot in common with preppers – I have long said that our community can learn a lot from appropriate technology advocates, missionaries, and Non-governmental organizations working in third worlds.

If they can build sustainable communities in areas lacking resources and infrastructure, there is no reason why we cannot do the same here in America.

http://www.4wallsintl.org/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFalupSVczc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqUwhvx0TF8(Great Construction Pictures, but the audio is in Spanish)

The show is scheduled for Monday at 10pm central time at this link.

If you cannot listen on Monday, you can always download the podcast for listening at your own leisure.

15 Aug 2013

Interesting Gun

This is a very interesting gun that was in my grandfather’s estate – This gun has some history in my family – My dad used it for a while when he was a deputy. But in addition to family history, this gun has a interesting history.

It’s a Llama frame with a colt government slide.

Basically in the early 1930’s Llama made some guns based on the 1911 and 1911A1 – many were chambered in .38 super with what they called a “tolerant chamber” so that they could fire both 9mm and 38 super. In this gun, being in a “heirloom” and not being mine – I did not fire it with 9mm largo.

I did shoot it with the .38 supers – which is a rimless case based upon the old .38 acp – it looks like long 9mm case, (which is some aspects it kind of is).
What is neat with the old Llama’s because they used 1911 blueprints, many .45 caliber 1911 parts fit with no problems.

Somewhere my Grandpa acquired some government model .45 magazines, and a complete 1911 GI issue upper. The slide fits right on the Llama frame and allows a very quick conversion between the .38 and the .45.

This old gun is not to be confused with the newer model Llama’s – I know many gun guys that think the newer Llamas are the single black mark on the 1911 tradition.

Many will not own one no matter what the price – additionally the holes in the new Llama frames are oversized, and many of the parts are not interchangeable – so if you have a Llama minimax or other guns don’t try this at home.

14 Aug 2013

How to Make an Emergency Duct Tape Keychain Roll

This common Duct Tape Keychain tip is well known among backpackers. If wrap some duct tape around a water bottle or lighter you will always have a couple feet readily available for quick repairs.

I Went One Step Farther

In the video below I show some wrapped around a small disposable lighter, but taking the concept one step farther I took an old ink pin that was no longer serviceable and cut the ends off with a pipe cutter.

This left me a hollow tube as long as the roll of tape was wide.

I then wrapped about 4 feet of tape around the tube – in essence creating a mini-roll of black duct tape.

I then untied my monkey fist from my key-chain and threaded the tube along the length of paracord.

When I retied it, I now have a captive roll of tape that is always with me.

It takes no extra space, and adds very little weight.

I like it, and I hope it is useful to you. Until I went back to work at the prison and had to significantly alter my EDC for the correction environment I carried this ring daily for years. Having the tape on your person leads you to have need for it more than you would think.

13 Aug 2013

How to Make a Keychain Ferrocerium Rod Using Torch Flint

I want to take a couple minutes to show you a redundant fire starting method that is cheap, tiny, and easy. We are going to make a DIY Keychain Ferrocerium Rod using welder striking tips.

If you are a welder, plumber, or anyone who uses torches, you are no doubt familiar with friction sparkers. They are used to light propane or acetylene torches.

What makes the sparkers work are small ferrocerium rods that are held in a small threaded brass fitting. These rods are replaceable. Normally when you buy a sparker you get 5 or 6 of them in the package.

I went to Wal-Mart and bought a new torch sparker for about $5.00. Next, I then put one of the replacement tips in my drill press and drilled it out with a small drill bit.

The fitting was brass. Drilling it out was not hard at all.

I then threaded it on my keychain.

It weights fractions of an ounce – only a couple of grains (4,000 grains to a pound) and is tiny enough not to get in the way.
But now I have a waterproof, EMP proof, never run out of gas way to get a spark under almost any condition.

Plus, it sure beats a fire drill….