How to Make a Charcoal Starter From a Can

 

52 Unique Techniques for Stocking Food for Prepper
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I used to just dump copious amounts of lighter fluid on my charcoal and keep spraying it on until everything caught fire.  Unfortunately, that was both dangerous and wasteful.

Since it is getting into grilling season I was looking at buying a chimney charcoal starter.  However, a charcoal starter is just a metal cylinder with a charcoal grate mounted inside. I figured I could easily make one out of a #10 can.

All I did was get out my can opener to open the bottom of the can, and then used a church key bottle opener to punch out a few air holes around the bottom of the can.

To use, I simply wadded up some paper and placed unlit charcoal into the top of the cylinder. When the newspaper is lit, it burns and lights the charcoal above. The “chimney effect” causes the charcoal to light from the bottom all the way up to the top.

If you want the paper to burn longer you can coat it in vegetable oil before you light it.
I did this on a whim, and was surprised how well it worked. I may rivet a handle on it in the future, but probably not, as a pair of vice grips works well enough.

Use Your Fridge as a Whiteboard

 

52 Unique Techniques for Stocking Food for Prepper
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I had to work this Fridge Inventory Tip video when the wife was asleep.  Not everyone can use this, and to be honest, I would only do this on my freezer (but since my freezer is covered with half completed projects, this was easier than cleaning up my workshop for a quick video.

Anyway, if you want an easy fridge inventory tip, a dry erase marker will work on many freezer finishes, and this may be a good way to keep track of what is in your freezer.

Just be sure you use a dry erase marker or your wife may cut you.

This fridge inventory tip can work for other refrigerator colors other than white, but be sure to test the finish in an area that you have a hard time seeing, as you don’t want to write a bunch of stuff on the fridge door and not be able to clean it off.

I have to be careful with this, you see I have a 4 year old that if he saw me writing on the fridge with dry erase markers he would think he could do it with sharpies.

FIY here is another tip, if your child writes on your fridge with permanent marker, you can write over his art with a dry erase and it will lift off the first marks…..

Improvised Knife Sharpening Tip

Improvised Knife Sharpening Tip
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Today I offer you an improvised knife sharpening tip. Improvised means it is not as good as a normal method of using a whetstone or other sharpener, but that it will work in a pinch.

If you take a ceramic coffee mug or bowl and flip it upside down you will notice a ring where there is no glaze.

It is possible to use this ring to sharpen your knife blade just as you would use a ceramic sharpening rod.

I have tried this, and it does leave residue on the ceramic ring, and it does sharpen the blade.

I would not use this for one of my high quality knives, but when out camping and I have to sharpen my knife “Right Now”, then this is a good idea to keep in the back of your mind.

The ability to break down a need into its component parts and see resources by potential function will allow you to always be able to improvise.  Since the unglazed bottom ring of the mug can slowly act as sandpaper to wear metal it works to sharpen a knife.

Again improvised solutions are rarely efficient, but they do work in a pinch.

Hopefully this can help you in the future.  If you have time, a purpose made knife sharpener does work much better.

Organization Tip: Mason Jar Salt Lid

Organization Tip: Mason Jar Salt Lid
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The Parmesan cheese lid article was so popular I figured I would show you a similar tip for wide mouth jars.  I present to you the mason jar salt lid tip.

The top of a 26 ounce salt container just happens to be the same size as a wide mouth mason jar.

The top and the bottom are formed, with the body being wound around them.

If you feel the container, you will feel a “lip”.  If you carefully cut the top along this lip – you can press it down over the top of a wide mouth mason jar and screw the ring over it.

This isn’t as easy as some of the other lid tips I have shared with you, but it is a good way to store opened salt.

As I said in the video, I only use this mason jar salt lid for containers I have already opened – but it does make it easier to store salt without it getting moist and hardening.

I used this the other day after a snow storm – I used some stored salt in these containers to try to remove some stubborn ice spots since I took all my shovels to the land.  I know that table salt is not the same as road salt, but the work similarly (just more expensively) – it worked though and I could get to work.

How to Make Homemade Diaper Rash Cream

 

Homemade Diaper Rash Cream
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Today’s post is more baby medicine. Not only is this Homemade Diaper Rash Cream a great ointment for diaper rash it can be also used as a full body cream as well as healing ointment.

All ingredients promote healing and healthy skin.

  • coconut oil – antiviral, antifungal, anti-yeast
  • olive oil – antibacterial, antioxidant
  • shea butter – anti-inflammatory, moisturizer
  • cocoa butter – antiseptic, moisturizer
  • beeswax – anti-inflammatory

Here is the procedure, and like the other ointments we have made it is not much more than melt and stir.

Ingredients

  • Coconut oil (all one ounce except the beeswax)
  • Olive oil
  • Shea butter
  • Cocoa butter
  • 1/2 ounce beeswax

Procedure

  • In double boiler, add all ingredients and heat until melted.
  • After all ingredients have melted take off heat and move to a container that is safe for mixing.
  • Mix well
  • Let the mixture cool.
  • Using a wisk, your stand mixer or handheld blender (not a regular blender), mix on high speed until completely cool and in “whip” form. (f your mixture is runny or not turning into solid form, add more beexwax or cocoa butter – both are solid at room temperature).

Use within one year of making this cream!
This cream is cloth diaper safe!

Our boy has not had any diaper rash problems, most of this is due to his mommy being fanatical about changing his diapers, but I like to think this cream also helps.