What have you done this week to prep? PART II

[teddy12b]

Competed in the Mammoth Sniper Challenge. Put miles down and proud of how we performed. Lots of coulda, woulda, shoulda and reflecting on what to do differently if we were interested in doing it again or not. Picked up lots of tips and tricks on how to work together better as a team, how to shoot better, and how to move with gear over a different terrain than I would be at home. Also, have enough blisters to try out different types of treatment and see how they compare to each other. Met a few guys at the event that are local to my area so hopefully get to follow up with some like minded folks over a drink or two.

Next phase will be shifting to preparing for a few hikes coming up this year. I want to do the knobstone in the spring which will require water caching which is different and new for me.

 

[churchmouse]

Looking at making or buying rocket stove. Seems it would seriously simplify things.

 

[teddy12b]

Looking at making or buying rocket stove. Seems it would seriously simplify things.

Those fascinate me. I've always wanted to grab some tube steel and weld one up real quick. There are lots of homemade ones on ebay that if nothing else show different designs people have come up with over time. The efficiency of those is just amazing!

 

[Karl-just-Karl]

Thanks for the info! I didn't even know those existed or how easy they are to construct.

A rocket stove looks like an easy weekend project. I'm going to make one of those soon.

 

[churchmouse]

Thanks for the info! I didn't even know those existed or how easy they are to construct.

A rocket stove looks like an easy weekend project. I'm going to make one of those soon.

This would store in the truck easily. We heat with wood so splitting some down to size and storing would be easily done. This would supply a cook heat source and possibly personal heat in given situations.

 

[Karl-just-Karl]

I tried out the cotton balls and petroleum jelly. Good flame and burn duration. I couldn't get one going with a magnesium fire starter. I ended up having to light it with a lighter. Plain used dryer sheets start easily with a mag fire starter. Just sayin'. Combining all three seems like a good plan.

There was a fair amount of black smoke from the flame. I'm now wondering about using the cotton balls in a rocket stove. There seemed to be plenty of soot for re-combustion. I'll report back in if I get one built and try it.

I now have a pint jar full of petroleum jelly soaked cotton balls.

 

[churchmouse]

I tried out the cotton balls and petroleum jelly. Good flame and burn duration. I couldn't get one going with a magnesium fire starter. I ended up having to light it with a lighter. Plain used dryer sheets start easily with a mag fire starter. Just sayin'. Combining all three seems like a good plan.

There was a fair amount of black smoke from the flame. I'm now wondering about using the cotton balls in a rocket stove. There seemed to be plenty of soot for re-combustion. I'll report back in if I get one built and try it.

I now have a pint jar full of petroleum jelly soaked cotton balls.

The spouse has re-joined the cause and has began collecting lint again. I am not one to actually us a striker to start a fire. Being in the trades we have a few propane auto lite torch heads. Screw onto a 1lb bottle and push the button. "FLAME".I use this method to start the wood stove every morning in the winter. I keep an ample supply of 1lb bottles as they are very reasonably priced at Sams club. 1lb bottle lasts a good while in this duty.

Granted I need to become more adept at fire starting in the rough.

 

[churchmouse]

Started cycling out the older fuel yesterday. I mix it into the tanks on both trucks. Looked at what we have. Did some rough calculations and decided more would be good. Ordered 4 more 5 gallon jugs from Jegs and they will be here pretty quick. These are the poly jugs that race teams use. They are tough, seal up very well. Easily stored in the areas we have set out for this.

 

[Cameramonkey]

I tried out the cotton balls and petroleum jelly. Good flame and burn duration. I couldn't get one going with a magnesium fire starter. I ended up having to light it with a lighter. Plain used dryer sheets start easily with a mag fire starter. Just sayin'. Combining all three seems like a good plan.

There was a fair amount of black smoke from the flame. I'm now wondering about using the cotton balls in a rocket stove. There seemed to be plenty of soot for re-combustion. I'll report back in if I get one built and try it.

I now have a pint jar full of petroleum jelly soaked cotton balls.

It is a bit of a challenge if you use too much petroleum or dont pull the ball apart and get lots of fine fibers sticking up.

But its strength is its long burn that is waterproof. As you saw it burns a good long time. If you cant get your kindling going using this, you need to stop harvesting the wood from the bottom of the pond.

 

[teddy12b]

My go to for firestarting is always fatwood. I've been using that so long that it's probably keeping me from using other skills as much as I should and developing those. Last summer I bought some of this: https://www.uline.com/Product/Detai...celsior-25-lb-Undyed-Aspen?FromOrderHistory=Y It's sitting in a box in the garage and doubt I have to make an effort at creating a tinder bundle again for years to come. It was an easy way to get my daughter practicing with flint and steel on char cloth, and magnifying glass on char cloth etc. In hindsight, I bought way too much of this and I'm doing my kids a disservice if I don't show them the tinder bundle part of making a fire too.

 

[Leadeye]

The water quit Thursday so we tapped our prep supplies. Replenished those.

 

[Karl-just-Karl]

Because, "Pics or it didn't happen".

It wasn't a nice day outside Saturday so I built this:
View attachment 83276

Cost <$20 with everything from Lowes but the kitty litter inside the can (Walmart $1.29).

During my brief test run I could not get enough heat built up to initiate the recombustion state. I'll try again on a nicer day of course.
Lots of good drafting and I got flames shooting out of the top of it briefly. You can burn things in it and with a cookware suspension device on top it could serve for cooking, I guess.

From what I had read I was suspicious about the abilities of the paint-can rocket stove, so I cast this:


I made it from stuff I had laying around the garage. Large oatmeal container, bottle, PVC, mortar. It took less time to mix and make than the tin can. It will be several weeks before it is ready to fire up as I am slow-curing it and will wait for it to be thoroughly dry. For the principles of rocket-stovery and recombustion of flue gasses, I hope it works better than the paint can.

 

[woowoo2]

Retirement....
I worked a job for fifteen years, it made me eligible for Kentucky's retirement plan.
Now that I am 55, I decided to get it while the getting is good.

It's not enough to live on, but it does make the house payment.

 

[teddy12b]

Because, "Pics or it didn't happen".

It wasn't a nice day outside Saturday so I built this:
View attachment 83276

Cost <$20 with everything from Lowes but the kitty litter inside the can (Walmart $1.29).

During my brief test run I could not get enough heat built up to initiate the recombustion state. I'll try again on a nicer day of course.
Lots of good drafting and I got flames shooting out of the top of it briefly. You can burn things in it and with a cookware suspension device on top it could serve for cooking, I guess.

From what I had read I was suspicious about the abilities of the paint-can rocket stove, so I cast this:
View attachment 83278

I made it from stuff I had laying around the garage. Large oatmeal container, bottle, PVC, mortar. It took less time to mix and make than the tin can. It will be several weeks before it is ready to fire up as I am slow-curing it and will wait for it to be thoroughly dry. For the principles of rocket-stovery and recombustion of flue gasses, I hope it works better than the paint can.

You're doing better than me. I've known about these stoves for years and still haven't attempted making one or tried putting one together.

 

[churchmouse]

Put together a new BOB/GHB for the truck. Pretty nice deal. Kind of heavy but it is a self defense survival set up.

 

[teddy12b]

Last night seemed like a good time to review the vehicle emergency kit. I made sure the comms were fully charged, things that had been taken out over time were replaced and everything double/triple checked. A few tweaks were made, but overall very little changes.

 

[churchmouse]

Last night seemed like a good time to review the vehicle emergency kit. I made sure the comms were fully charged, things that had been taken out over time were replaced and everything double/triple checked. A few tweaks were made, but overall very little changes.

Comms….…

 

[dudley0]

Comms….…

I put one of my spare (old, outdated, unused) cell phones in my truck a while back. Can't call the fam with it, but will be able to call 911 if available and my main unit is DOA. Have a couple radio walkies but the distance isn't there and they are even more outdated then the old cell phone.

 

[teddy12b]

Comms….…

It was the last one I nearly forgot too.

 

[Usmccookie]

Now that I have a basement and a huge garage aka space, I have started looking I to what I can start getting together.

I started with water. As of now I have 4x 5 gal jugs of water. I will continue to add until I feel comfortable. Now, I am going to start stocking up on canned goods.