How to Make a Mason Jar Mini Hamburger Press

52 Unique Techniques for Stocking Food for Prepper
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I know some people in my life think I am crazy because they don’t get why I do the things I do, but I really have a master plan.  You see, while some of my little projects and experiments don’t always work out, or turn out to be inefficient – the process keeps my mind lubricated and trains it to see new solutions to problems.

The other day while looking for new things to try I came across a link to a technique of using mason jar lids as mini spring form tart pans (Yes I will share later), and my mind jumped to “that’s awesome, I would never have thought of that – I wonder if I could adapt this to something else…. HAMBURGER PRESS!) – As the comedic marriage counselor says men’s brains are waffles, women’s brains are spaghetti – my brain is a mess, so lets use our mason jar hamburger press

So anyway, I got out a wide mouth mason jar ring and two new lids.

I then balled up some hamburger, and tried to make patties.

I learned that by inserting the first lid outside up, placing the hamburger on it, and then topping with the other lid outside in, the process went better – by having the smooth outside touch the meat, it slid out much better.

While this made burger patties that are the size of sausage patties (….new idea…) it is very easy, and I think would be a great way to make sliders from dinner rolls.

Anyway, it was a quick thought I tried out my Mason Jar Hamburger Press and I liked it, hopefully it is useful to you.

How to Make a Tin Can Grill

 

Hoe to Make a Tin Can Grill
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Here is an idea for a tin can grill that I got from pinterest.  Basically, it is a small homemade grill made from a can, some foil, and a round charcoal grate.

I think this is optimized for a #10 can, but like most of my projects, once you have the concept you can feel free to experiment based upon your needs and materials at hand.

If you need a charcoal starter – I have one made from a second #10 can

Construction is simple:

  • Mark the top of the can into 10 equally wide segments.
  • Using tin snips cut along these marks until you have 10 strips that are 2/3 as long as the depth of the can (this leaves the bottom 1/3 in one piece to keep the round shape.
  • Bend these strips out so they radiate outwards. Do not press them all the way down, they should form a dish.
  • Place aluminum foil over the can, so that it forms a bowl supported by the 10 strips.
  • Insert charcoal into bowl, and light – take care not to use so much that the mound of fuel rises above the top of the bowl.
  • Place grate on grill, so that it is supported by the metal strips.
  • Grill food and enjoy.
How to Make a DIY Cold Pack

How to Make a DIY Cold Pack

DIY Cold Pack
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Ice packs are a very useful item to keep around.  Today’s article will show you how to make your DIY cold pack of your own using a foodsaver bag and some simple household ingredients.

If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, then you can use zippered freezer bags, but it will be more prone to leaking.

Making a DIY Cold Pack

Besides bags, you will need water, alcohol, and food coloring.

  • Mix 2 parts water by volume with one part alcohol (rubbing or drinking)
  • Add a couple drops of food coloring to the alcohol mix so you can tell its not water.
  • Add the colored liquid to your bag, and then close it.

The alcohol will keep the water from completely freezing, but It will actually be colder than ice.

This works great, and the coloring lets you know when you have a leak.

This works well, but I still like my store-bought ice pack.  I don’t use this DIY cold pack often, but knowing how to do it lets me make one whenever I need, which is quite useful.

As I said in the start of this article, if you don’t have to use a sealer bag, doubled zip locks work well also.  They just are a little more prone to leak.  However, I figure if you are using a cold pack, you are probably sitting still somewhere…

How to Make a Bottle Cap Fishing Lure

How to Make a Bottle Cap Fishing Lure

 

Camping: Bottle Cap Fishing Lure
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I saw this brilliant idea on YouTube and had to share it. A very smart guy figured out how to make a Bottle Cap Fishing Lure out of a discarded beer bottle caps.

He even made a business of recycling buckets of beer caps harvested from local bars until he was sued by beer manufacturers for use of their copy-written logos.

I would link to the website, but it is no longer used as the bottle cap lure guy – it looks like someone else bought it, which is a shame, as the Bottle Cap Fishing Lure is a really cool idea.

All you need is:

  • Beer/Soda bottle top
  • Split rings
  • BB’s or small split shot
  • Treble hook.
  • Tools are simple also:
  • Hammer and small nail/Drill and small bit
  • Pliers

Instructions:

  • Using your fingers, press the sides of the cap until it buckles
  • Before pushing the two ends together, place a couple BB’s or shot into the cavity, so that they can rattle.
  • Carefully drill or punch a hole at either end of the folded cap. It may help to slightly flatten the ends with your pliers.
  • Thread a split ring into each hole
  • Thread a Treble hook into one of the split rings
  • Go fishing…

I would love to post pictures of any catch you have gotten using this piece of DIY fishing tackle.

How to Make a Bottle Cap Candle

 

DIY: Bottle Cap Candle
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As a byproduct of keeping bees, I have a lot of wax, which lead me into candle making. Simple beeswax candles are very easy to make, last a long time, don’t smoke or leave soot, and make a very clear light. However, they can be large and take up too much space to put in small survival or bug out kits.

Today we will use scrap to make a very small Bottle Cap Candle that fits very well in minimalist kits as well as weighing next to nothing.

All you need to make this small candle is a bit of cotton or other natural fiber string, a metal bottle cap, and some wax.

Put your cap upside down on your working surface, and then place a drip of hot wax in the center of the cap.

Place one end of your string into the wax to set it in place, and then fill the cap up with wax.

Let cool, and put in your emergency kit with a lighter or other simple fire starter.

I don’t know how practical this project is, other than putting in a minimalist survival kit.  I do know that this project is fun to do with a kid.