Articles | Page 66 of 264

12 Jan 2018

The More You Know the Less You Carry

I got my start with bushcraft as a child living on a state park. The man in the video above is Mors Kochanski who is a internationally known bushcrafter.

He popularized the idea of the more you know the less you carry. I am sharing this video to explain a very important concept for preppers.

My conversations with new preppers that talk about their bug out plans and how much ammo they plan on carrying. It is not uncommon for people to tell me that they keep a pistol, a backup pistol, a shotgun and an AR (or SKS or AK) and 200 rounds each in their car in case they have to get out of dodge.

Now that’s not terribly unrealistic in a car, but next they tell me that they plan on EMP and trying to hike home or to their bug out location 15 or twenty miles away.

I doubt those guys have every tried to walk a distance with 800 rounds, but I carry that much around on the range all the time to issue ammo – I don’t like carrying that 10 feet, much less 10 miles.

Let us be realistic in our plans, let’s think about all aspects of preparedness and not just stop at what we think is cool.

11 Jan 2018

Hatcher’s Notebook | Review

11 Jan 2018

How to Make a Cheap Frame Loom

Now that I have some homemade yarn I need to do something with it. I cannot knit. However, I have made a loom before, but it was small and not very useful.

Today’s post is a much larger DIY frame loom. I enjoy using a drop spindle. Spinning is something I do that relaxes me, but unlike the loom, it does require me to pay attention.

Making a loom does not have to be expensive. A few years ago I reviewed a PVC loom how to manual that I thought was brilliant, but I never quite got around to making one.

This is a simple loom that can be made for under $20 and is a great way to see if you enjoy textile arts.

I used a simple set of canvas stretcher bars that I made into a frame, then marked and drilled small holes one centimeter apart in a line at the top and the bottom of the frame.

Next I tied string from the bottom nail to its partner at the top of the frame.

I should have probably tied each pair of nails together individually, but I took the easy route and ran a single strand up over and down going back and forth over each nail head.

Once the loom was strung, I simply took me yard and wove it between my strings, alternating up and down.

The video is pretty simple, and I am probably doing everything wrong, but in the end, I had a pretty cool start to a wool “rug”.

11 Jan 2018

Balancing Security vs. Liberty

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Anyone that gives up essential liberty for momentary safety deserve neither.” It is amazing how this once commonplace sentiment has changed over the years. In today’s America it is almost considered required to exchange liberty for safety. It is important to realize that neither option is a right, nor can it be guaranteed. In most of Europe, violence is never considered morally justified. This thought leads to slavery. If there is nothing worth fighting for, then nothing is worth having. This trend of choosing security over liberty is becoming more accepted in this country than the founding fathers ever believed possible.

In America we have gun-free school zones. We also have school shootings. Jesse Ventura was forced to apologize when, after the Littleton Colorado School shooting, he commented that, “If someone in that school had a gun, they could have saved a lot of lives.” His statement was considered outrageous. It might be a distasteful subject, but the idea merits thought. In Israel guns in school are commonplace; they also have little if any violence in the education system.

An American citizen cannot sue the police for failing to protect them. They have no right to constant protection by the police. They also face prejudice, up to and including incarceration if they protect themselves. States of this country do not allow lawful citizens to carry firearms in pubic. Many businesses in right-to-carry states disallow firearm possession in their stores. Do any of these stores hire full time security whose sole job is to protect their patrons? Do criminals intent on mayhem follow these laws? If given a choice, would an armed criminal chose a location where firearms where allowed or disallowed?

Is the idea of violence so terrible that we as Americans should give up out Constitution in order for a measure of fleeting safety? How important is the Bill of Rights to you? Should we allow police unrestricted accesses into our personal lives for the sole purpose of protection? Should we allow the trend of the government to dictate who is dangerous to us, without question. This trend was seen in Nazi Germany, Communist Russia, China, and other countries where people lost the right to protect themselves. Have we as Americans lost the will to do what is needed? Do we have to delegate the distasteful to others? If you as a responsible person feel violence is evil, what is your justification to give over your power to someone else to use violence on your behalf?

Government is needed. Without it there would be chaos. However, government is not always right just because it exists. President Washington said, “Government is like fire; it is a wonderful servant but a fearful master.” Government should serve the people, but it has a tendency to have the people serve it. Before you blindly accept what is presented to you as your best interest, decide for yourself if it truly the case. Our country was founded by men who chose liberty over security. Should you do any less?

11 Jan 2018

How to Use a Drop Spindle

Learning how to use a drop spindle has been on my “list” for several years. Probably longer than my boy has been alive. However, textile arts don’t seem to be a good fit on a gun guys blog. I am more than just a gun guy. Besides, I like having socks with no holes and warm clothes. This makes learning how to make wool yarn and weave an interest of mine.

I find this is something I can do almost on autopilot. It gives me something to do while I explore that nothing box in my brain.

Now, the fiber art aficionados, will be quick to point out my technique is wrong. It is. You are supposed to drop the spindle not spin it in your hand. However, I finally got around to trying this during recovery from ear surgery. I am off balance and higher than I ought to be. Be aware, my wife was amazed I could talk. I do not do well with pain narcotics.

A Drop Spindle is an easy thing to make, its nothing more than a dowel stuck inside a weight. One end is rounded, and the other has a hook.

Using it is pretty simple also, here are the basic steps:

Take piece of roving and twist the end into yarn
Tie the yarn to the dowel under the weight and pull the twisted roving over the weight and hook it into the hook
give the spindle a twist to get the yarn twisting while pinching the roving tightly a few inches above the hook. This keeps the twist from running up the wool
Once the yarn is twisted tightly move up the roving a few inches to let the twist run up the roving
spin it again and repeat the steps until you have a foot or so of yarn
Unhook the yarn and wrap it on the spindle under the weight
Rehook and begin twisting
Once you have enough yarn it is important to wrap the yard into a skein (I wrap mine around a piece of wood) and soak it in warm water. by rubbing the yarn under water the fibers felt and the yarn becomes permanent.