Something better than Scavenger
DMen
1] It will be useful in all varieties of TEOTWAWKI. Not just disease
outbreak, invasion, or amok economy, etc...
2] I want to make a product that people will want, or need after the
collapse. No 'lute-making.'
3] Something that uses all-natural, or super-abundantly common man-made
materials that won't become a scavenge item, or junkpile after the collapse.
4] Preferably something that takes training\practice, so the new market
won't be swamped with whatever it is because everyone can make one. Weaving,
knitting, and pottery aren't going to do.
5] It should build and sell relatively quickly so I can start anytime and
get a steady income. (Steady relative to starving every other season. I'm
aware that 'lean times' will likely be an incredible understatement.)
6] Not everybody's going to have a pot of ammo to sit on, so it shouldn't be
too expensive to sell to most survivors. Nor too cheap, or I'd have to lug
around too many from place to place.
7] I'd prefer a product that manufacturing skill will readily gain me
entrance to an enclave if\when mine is raided and I need to find another.
I'm no lone-coyote-type, I want a support network around me.
8] I have no interest in whether or not it's useful\sellable now, I'm
looking for a survival option - not a career change.
There may be other vital criteria I haven't considered as well, and if so, I
would hope someone here might clue me in. After all, it's my ass on the
line when the time comes. (I'm fond of it - it's the only one I've got and
I'd hate to lose it.)
I'm not a gardening\gathering type (I work in a factory), so that's out, and
services such as cook, tinker, shaman, or hunter will be swamped with
desperate applicants, so they're out too. Which leaves me with manufacturing
barter goods.
The perfect thing for me is out there, but now that I've finally worked out
what I want to do, you guys are taking too long to tell me what it is.
<GRIN>
I'm curious to know what you have in store for me. The closest I've found
so far is soapmaking, but I've ruled it out as being too widely known and
used even now in the rurals, and too easy to learn, which would make the
market too competitive to make it worthwhile as a business for one man to
start up with, though it's still handy to know.
DMen
Gunner
>
>
>I'm curious to know what you have in store for me. The closest I've found
>so far is soapmaking, but I've ruled it out as being too widely known and
>used even now in the rurals, and too easy to learn, which would make the
>market too competitive to make it worthwhile as a business for one man to
>start up with, though it's still handy to know.
>
>
>
>
>DMen
Blacksmithing, animal husbandry, "handy man", paramedic, armorer
Hows that for a start?
Gunner
"This device is provided without warranty of any kind as to reliability,
accuracy, existence or otherwise or fitness for any particular purpose
and Bioalchemic Products specifically does not warrant, guarantee,
imply or make any representations as to its merchantability for any
particular purpose and furthermore shall have no liability for or
responsibility to you or any other person, entity or deity with respect
to any loss or damage whatsoever caused by this device or object or by
any attempts to destroy it by hammering it against a wall or dropping it
into a deep well or any other means whatsoever and moreover asserts
that you indicate your acceptance of this agreement or any other
agreement that may he substituted at any time by coming within
five miles of the product or observing it through large telescopes or
by any other means because you are such an easily cowed moron
who will happily accept arrogant and unilateral conditions on a piece
of highly priced garbage that you would not dream of accepting on a
bag of dog biscuits and is used solely at your own risk.'
DMen
won't really take off for at least a few years after, I figure, until the
stuff lying around wears out. That's a long time to wait for starting up if
I'm hungry. Otherwise it's just "handyman" stuff, and anybody and his dog
can do that, animal husbandry is common in the rurals, besides which, they
already have the livestock, and specialty items are unlikely to be
well-received. paramedic is service industry, but armorer did catch my
attention. It certainly fits the off-track uncommon skill neatly. Needed
item, manufacture, lots of materials lying around, not too long to make, and
fairly transportable, though not quietly. I'm a bit doubtful that a
home-made breastplate light enough to wear would stop your average bullet
though. Something I saw in an old Clint Eastwood movie. Once the bullets
ran out I'd be set, but until then... might be tough sailing. Unless you
know of an effective design using some corrigated sheetmetal and a patchwork
quilt, or some such...? Otherwise I'm still looking for something to make.
(I'm going to see if I can find out more about this armor idea... maybe
someone on the net's made something that works.)
DMen
"Gunner" <gunner...@lightspeed.net> wrote in message
news:o09ff0habc8qaup4f...@4ax.com...
Joe Bramblett, KD5NRH
news:o09ff0habc8qaup4f...@4ax.com:
> On Fri, 16 Jul 2004 07:41:35 GMT, "DMen" <dy...@shREMOVEaw.ca> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>>I'm curious to know what you have in store for me. The closest I've
>>found so far is soapmaking, but I've ruled it out as being too widely
>>known and used even now in the rurals, and too easy to learn, which
>>would make the market too competitive to make it worthwhile as a
>>business for one man to start up with, though it's still handy to
>>know.
>
> Blacksmithing, animal husbandry, "handy man", paramedic, armorer
Dog trainer, (ranchers and hunters will need them) carpenter, (somebody's
got to rebuild civilization) mechanic, (if people survive, plenty of
machines will too, and enough would likely be damaged/destroyed that fuel
reserves would last for a while) assassin, (take away law and order, and I
can think of a few people we can do without) engineer, (probably have to
specialize that one quite a bit unless you're looking at getting a degree)
chiropractor, (just think of all the back injuries when out-of-shape
society has to really work) pet psychotherapist (there are always going to
be lots of loonies who will pay for this sort of thing...until the
assassins run out of business, at least)
Nick Hull
"DMen" <dy...@shREMOVEaw.ca> wrote:
> I'm looking to learn a manufacturing skill for after the collapse.
>
Look for something that's illegal now. Pot, alcohol, silencers etc will
be in demand and few know how to make them.
--
Free men own guns, slaves don't
www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5357/
Joe Bramblett, KD5NRH
> Mostly not applicable by the criteria I've set for myself.
> Blacksmithing won't really take off for at least a few years after, I
> figure, until the stuff lying around wears out.
If diesel is too hard to come by, farmers won't be paying for their
laborers to drive tractors. Scythes and other hard-to-come-by hand tools
could get really popular really quick.
> Unless you know of an effective design using some corrigated
> sheetmetal and a patchwork quilt, or some such...?
Didn't you watch the A-Team? Corrugated tin can withstand full-auto fire
from an AK-47 indefinitely.
Myal
news:PELJc.36215$od7.15376@pd7tw3no:
sooth-sayer
someone who knows how to get others over Post Traumatic Shock .
medcine maker / herbalist / doctor / vet
simply knowing what bush food can be eat safely and turning a buck
feeding people
Doc Font
"DMen" <dy...@shREMOVEaw.ca> wrote:
> I'm looking to learn a manufacturing skill for after the collapse.
> > 2] I want to make a product that people will want, or need after the
> collapse. No 'lute-making.'
>
> 3] Something that uses all-natural, or super-abundantly common man-made
> materials that won't become a scavenge item, or junkpile after the collapse.
>
> 4] Preferably something that takes training\practice, so the new market
> won't be swamped with whatever it is because everyone can make one. Weaving,
> knitting, and pottery aren't going to do.
>
> 8] I have no interest in whether or not it's useful\sellable now, I'm
> looking for a survival option - not a career change.
> DMen
Study anthropology and you learn the #1 job in preindustrial areas is
moving water around. The same will be true after a crash. The drains
will be there but no water coming in. Consider building hand pumps or
pitcher pumps for kitchens along with well digging. A web search will
educate you that pioneers built wooden pumps for the farm so it doesn't
have to involve cast iron but that would be better if you have access to
fuel to run a back yard foundry.
Along with the pump are the buckets and barrels. Plastic buckets are
abundent now but those begin to split and crack in 2-4 years. Then it
will be back to making buckets and barrels of wood. Coopering involves a
few specialized tools so you won't be in competition with every
unemployed vagrant.
That might be a way to preplan your post TEOTWAWKI carreer. Along with
the skill, look at what occupations used specialized tools and those
tools could be packed in a foot locker for bug out contingencies. Axes
are common enough you wouldn't have to pack one. Splitting wedges are
less common. A few hand planes and tapered reamers and you are good to
go. Include a couple of round adzes for hollowing and you can build
wooden shovels. There would probably still be room for the specialized
tools for building buggy wheels. We don't have to drop into the stone
age and rebuild. My perspective is we could have a stable long term
technology at an 18th century level.
Note to future self; Occupation should involve all steps from turning
the raw material into a finished product. Don't think about turning
boards into products. Think about turning trees into products.
Know your history. Bee keeping might look like a good post crash
occupation. This involves making hives. Someone will need to build those
hives. But bees were around long before manufactured hives. They usually
built hives in hollow trees. If there is a shortage of hollow trees,
make you own. Take a chunk of tree trunk, split it, burn out the center
with a small fire made of kindling in the middle of the log while
leaving the top and bottom. Use a piece of rope to tie the two halves of
the split trunk back together. Chop out an entrance the right size for
the bee. Instead of weeks making lumber to build the hives, you did a
dozen split logs in a couple days. Point of this paragraph, don't get
caught up in the mindset of turning boards into things. Think about
turning trees into things.
Add the metal parts for a treadle lathe in the footlocker and build the
rest from available wood while laying low through the TEOTW break down
phase. The lathe lets you expand to windsor chairs (between 1to10 or
1to12 taper on the chair legs to keep them snug in the seat of the
chair) and spinning wheels. Drilling tapered holes is the biggie here.
You could be the only one around with the specialized tools to do it.
Spinning wheels and looms won't be in demand for years until the current
supply of clothing runs out. But it would be an occupation to consider
in the long term. I enjoy woodworking and have my shop set up. Much more
fun to work in the shade doing woodwork than being a peasant out hoeing
weeds in a field.
On my list of things to do that I haven't gotten around to yet, a
bicycle business would be a good after the crash occupation. Here the
trick is to see what goes on in 3rd world countries. Post crash business
#1 is converting car or truck tires into something that would work on a
bicycle. The cars will be sitting with no gasoline. Bikes are great but
the tires are a weak point. If you aren't going to stock a supply of
solid bike tires that can never go flat (they make them), then figure a
way to turn a truck tire into a ring of tread and attach it to the
bicycle rim.
The secondary business that goes along with bike tires is converting
bicycles into "mexican pickup trucks". A two wheeled cart on the front
connected to a bicycle from the forks back. It takes a few skills and
tools not everyone would have. It combines scrounging with a product
lots of people will need not just want. Remember to start dragging home
all those bicycles with flat tires that are just lying around after the
crash.
Leathermaking can use low tech tools but some specialized knowlege of
the process. Not everyone is going to know how to do it. If you know and
they don't, it lends itself to taking in a couple apprentices to do the
grunt work like scraping hair off the hides after soaking in the tannin
solution. Add an old singer cast iron straight stitch sewing machine and
you can sew leather. That puts you in the saddle bag and pouch making
business. Plastic has replaced leather in most situations today but
leather was the standard way of protecting things from rain while
traveling. Life expectancy of plastic is only a few years
Consider getting a Roper Whitney hand powered punch. Have a set of
specialized dies made in the shape of a broadhead arrow point. After the
crash there will be millions of cars around. Salvage the sheet metal and
use the punch to turn out arrow heads by the thousands. A beverly shear
would do the same thing but not nearly as fast. Lots faster and better
than flint arrowheads. Include a couple of fletching jigs and you could
have a complete arrow making business in a footlocker.
Consider investing in a couple horsepower steam engine and boiler. As
big as you can get but still be portable on a wagon. A hit and miss
engine would be almost as good but the steam engine can burn wood. Ebay
has a catagory for stationary engines under farm equipment. The link to
farm equipment is on the ebay motors page. The engine powers several
accesseries. Add a saw for cutting firewood and fuel for the boiler in
the winter. Add a pump for moving water in the summer. Strip an older,
small combine down to the threshing unit, hook it to your engine and
travel from farm to farm doing threshing for a share of the grain in the
fall just like it was done in the late 1800's.
Canoes and small boats were one of those historical careers that tended
to stay specialized. Enough jigs and forms involved with hull work that
it was more practical for one person to make many boats rather than for
each person to make one.
Not one of the things many consider but ice skates were a form of
transportation rather than the recreational use we see today. After it
got cold people couldn't work so traveling to visit a neighbor during
the winter was the social time of the year. There is a boredom factor
involved here that we've forgotten in the age of TV, telephones. car
travel and radio. Talking to someone other than the family will be a
need not an option. In the past the roads weren't plowed so skating was
often the easiest way to get some place. A skatemaker could make a
living.
I've said before that guns can last for generations but the ammo gets
used up. Consider an occupation converting modern firearms into cap and
ball or even flintlock weapons using home made black powder. I remember
a little gadget a few years back that used aluminum cans to make a
percussion cap. It punched out an aluminum disc then formed it. It used
caps from a cap gun to make the spark. Percusion caps are 18th century
tech so the materials can't be too complex. Use a lathe to make a
reloadable "shotgun shell" shell that uses a percussion nipple and cap
instead of a primer. A small scale home machine shop operation that you
could set up after a crash. Sort of like this;
http://www.adrax.com/watsons/roper.htm
Have you considered being a shingle maker or roofer? The asphalt
shingles on roofs have a life expectancy of around 12 years. Eventually
a lot of roofs are going to start leaking. Some will start leaking a lot
sooner than others. It's not something people can ignore. Options for
this occupation include scavenging shingles during the break down when
they are free for the taking. Not many people would consider having a
stockpile in reserve. Or scavenging aluminum sheets from warehouse type
buildings. Aluminum sheets will last much longer than asphalt shingles.
Or a career being a shingle maker from split cedar or other wood.
That is more than a half dozen ideas that mostly meet your criteria. Any
of them sound interesting?
Bernadette
Louis Boyd
Better to just get a large sailboat and become a smuggler. In a
TEOTWAWKI there will be lots of manufacturers desperate for trade. You
can get all that stuff from Taiwan, Singapore, or Mexico and you can't
make it here at a profit. It's very unlikely the government will
collapse to the point they stop taxation on domestic manufacturers or
import tariffs.
Ray Keller
"DMen" <dy...@shREMOVEaw.ca> wrote in message
news:PELJc.36215$od7.15376@pd7tw3no...
Richard A. Lewis
learn if it will inconvenience you, you refuse to do any real work,
but you want to get paid like a king anyway?
How about "idiot"? How about "landfill"? How about "fodder"? You're
pretty much qualified for all three.
ral
The Watcher
>"DMen" <dy...@shREMOVEaw.ca> wrote in
>news:PELJc.36215$od7.15376@pd7tw3no:
>
>> I'm looking to learn a manufacturing skill for after the collapse.
>>
>>
>>
>> 1] It will be useful in all varieties of TEOTWAWKI. Not just disease
>> outbreak, invasion, or amok economy, etc...
That's why I'd concentrate on the basics. Food production is near the top of the
list. I'm not sure if there's one thing that would fit all varities of collapse,
though. Different scenarios could call for different skills. Disease outbreak
could cause people to avoid contact with strangers, resulting in much less
trade. Other situations could leave the door open for more trade.
>>
>>
>>
>> 2] I want to make a product that people will want, or need after the
>> collapse. No 'lute-making.'
Entertainment could be important, but only after people take care of the
necessities and have some leisure time. Once people survive(those that do
survive) they may have a little time on their hands, and may be looking for
diversions.
>>
>>
>>
>> 3] Something that uses all-natural, or super-abundantly common
>> man-made materials that won't become a scavenge item, or junkpile
>> after the collapse.
>>
Even if something uses scavenged materials, if there is a lot of it available
raw materials won't be a problem. I doubt most survivors would be too picky
about using "scavenged" materials after the collapse.
BTW, scavenger isn't necessarily a bad thing. I wouldn't consider it too smart
to try to do without things just because you didn't want to(or couldn't) figure
out how to make it without scavenging it.
>>
>> 4] Preferably something that takes training\practice, so the new
>> market won't be swamped with whatever it is because everyone can make
>> one. Weaving, knitting, and pottery aren't going to do.
>>
>>
>>
>> 5] It should build and sell relatively quickly so I can start anytime
>> and get a steady income. (Steady relative to starving every other
>> season. I'm aware that 'lean times' will likely be an incredible
>> understatement.)
>>
>>
>>
>> 6] Not everybody's going to have a pot of ammo to sit on, so it
>> shouldn't be too expensive to sell to most survivors. Nor too cheap,
>> or I'd have to lug around too many from place to place.
In a limited economy like that, nobody is going to get rich anyway. Competition
will be fierce, and the better mousetrap will sell better.
>>
>>
>>
>> 7] I'd prefer a product that manufacturing skill will readily gain me
>> entrance to an enclave if\when mine is raided and I need to find
>> another. I'm no lone-coyote-type, I want a support network around me.
Build a better mousetrap. Find a niche.
Gunner
> armorer did catch my
>attention. It certainly fits the off-track uncommon skill neatly. Needed
>item, manufacture, lots of materials lying around, not too long to make, and
>fairly transportable, though not quietly. I'm a bit doubtful that a
>home-made breastplate light enough to wear would stop your average bullet
>though. Something I saw in an old Clint Eastwood movie. Once the bullets
>ran out I'd be set, but until then... might be tough sailing. Unless you
>know of an effective design using some corrigated sheetmetal and a patchwork
>quilt, or some such...? Otherwise I'm still looking for something to make.
>(I'm going to see if I can find out more about this armor idea... maybe
>someone on the net's made something that works.)
an armorer is one who makes and repairs weapons of all types, not just
medievel plate . A gun smith is an armorer for example
Gunner
wrote:
>Consider getting a Roper Whitney hand powered punch. Have a set of
>specialized dies made in the shape of a broadhead arrow point. After the
>crash there will be millions of cars around. Salvage the sheet metal and
>use the punch to turn out arrow heads by the thousands. A beverly shear
>would do the same thing but not nearly as fast. Lots faster and better
>than flint arrowheads. Include a couple of fletching jigs and you could
>have a complete arrow making business in a footlocker.
A side note..I have two Roper Whitney lever operated punches for
sale. A 4 ton deep throat #281, and a 10 ton #31.
Strider
>Mostly not applicable by the criteria I've set for myself. Blacksmithing
>won't really take off for at least a few years after, I figure, until the
>stuff lying around wears out. That's a long time to wait for starting up if
>I'm hungry. Otherwise it's just "handyman" stuff, and anybody and his dog
>can do that, animal husbandry is common in the rurals, besides which, they
>already have the livestock, and specialty items are unlikely to be
>well-received. paramedic is service industry, but armorer did catch my
>attention. It certainly fits the off-track uncommon skill neatly. Needed
>item, manufacture, lots of materials lying around, not too long to make, and
>fairly transportable, though not quietly. I'm a bit doubtful that a
>home-made breastplate light enough to wear would stop your average bullet
>though. Something I saw in an old Clint Eastwood movie. Once the bullets
>ran out I'd be set, but until then... might be tough sailing. Unless you
>know of an effective design using some corrigated sheetmetal and a patchwork
>quilt, or some such...? Otherwise I'm still looking for something to make.
>(I'm going to see if I can find out more about this armor idea... maybe
>someone on the net's made something that works.)
>
>DMen
Investigate plate armor, chain mail, and leather armor (esp al la
Mongols). NONE will do much to stop bullets, that's why they all
ceased in usage as gunpowder progressed. Light armor, such as leather
reinforced in critical areas with sheet metal, would serve against
edged weapons, as it always did. I suspect that one might come up a
use for the belts in radial tires as a lighter weight substitute for
plate steel.
I don't completely agree with your statement on blacksmithing. If the
power it out and the gas is gone, there will be an immediate and
pressing need for animal powered tools such as plows. These are rare
today and substitutes or conversions are not all that available
either. I think that the blacksmith would be one of the most needed
trades possible, surpassed only by a medic/herbalist.
Strider
insurgent0001
> 2] I want to make a product that people will want, or need after the
> collapse. No 'lute-making.'
food would be the only product guaranteed to be in high demand and low
supply during a collapse.
> I'm not a gardening\gathering type (I work in a factory), so that's out,
being 100% dependant on other people for food during shortages can make
you poor and starving. In the old days EVERYBODY grew at least some of
their own food. When times get tough, it's vastly easier expanding an
existing garden than starting one from scratch. If you have lots of
land, there are ways to grow lots of food without so much "gardening";
Some plants do pretty good without any help, although you may have to
share it with the wildlife, and if they eat too much then eat them,
keeping everything in perfect balance ;oD
Halcitron
>Newsgroups: misc.survivalism
>Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2004 10:21:59 GMT
>
>Mostly not applicable by the criteria I've set for myself. Blacksmithing
>won't really take off for at least a few years after, I figure, until the
>stuff lying around wears out. That's a long time to wait for starting up if
>I'm hungry. Otherwise it's just "handyman" stuff, and anybody and his dog
>can do that, animal husbandry is common in the rurals, besides which, they
>already have the livestock, and specialty items are unlikely to be
>well-received. paramedic is service industry, but armorer did catch my
>attention. It certainly fits the off-track uncommon skill neatly. Needed
>item, manufacture, lots of materials lying around, not too long to make, and
>fairly transportable, though not quietly. I'm a bit doubtful that a
>home-made breastplate light enough to wear would stop your average bullet
>though. Something I saw in an old Clint Eastwood movie. Once the bullets
>ran out I'd be set, but until then... might be tough sailing. Unless you
>know of an effective design using some corrigated sheetmetal and a patchwork
>quilt, or some such...? Otherwise I'm still looking for something to make.
>(I'm going to see if I can find out more about this armor idea... maybe
>someone on the net's made something that works.)
>
>DMen
Ceramic body armor plates
http://www.ceradyne.com/Products/Armor_Body.asp
http://science.howstuffworks.com/body-armor1.htm
caveat lector
Halcitron misc.survivalism alt.survival
"Failing to prepare.... Is preparing to fail."
NRA Member since 2002
The Law of the Land, is the weapon in your hand.
Smith & Wesson starts where the Bill of Rights stop.
Frank White
>
>On Fri, 16 Jul 2004 10:21:59 GMT, "DMen" <dy...@shREMOVEaw.ca> wrote:
>
>> armorer did catch my
>>attention. It certainly fits the off-track uncommon skill neatly. Needed
>>item, manufacture, lots of materials lying around, not too long to make, and
>>fairly transportable, though not quietly. I'm a bit doubtful that a
>>home-made breastplate light enough to wear would stop your average bullet
>>though. Something I saw in an old Clint Eastwood movie. Once the bullets
>>ran out I'd be set, but until then... might be tough sailing. Unless you
>>know of an effective design using some corrigated sheetmetal and a patchwork
>>quilt, or some such...? Otherwise I'm still looking for something to make.
>>(I'm going to see if I can find out more about this armor idea... maybe
>>someone on the net's made something that works.)
>
>an armorer is one who makes and repairs weapons of all types, not just
>medievel plate . A gun smith is an armorer for example
Combine gun smithing with a general knowledge of how to work
metal (and having the tools to do it, even without electricity)
and you'll probably be set. If people are dependant on their
guns and tools and equipment, then someone who can repair or
make new guns and tools and equipment will be in enormous demand.
And I wouldn't necessarily blow off weaving, knitting, or
pottery, either. Those skills aren't as easily as you might
think, and it will take a while for people to become proficient
in them after a collapse.
Knowing the wild edible plants and insects in your area, and
how to fix them, might not be a bad idea as well. People
probably won't be eating well in a major prolonged disruption,
and knowing such things as that a cup of tea made from pine
needles is full of vitamin C and will prevent scurvy, would
be useful.
FW
Louis Boyd
> Ceramic body armor plates
>
> http://www.ceradyne.com/Products/Armor_Body.asp
>
> http://science.howstuffworks.com/body-armor1.htm
I've always wondered how armor which covers 50% of the body's surface
protectes the other 50%. Have the armor companies hired Harry Potter?
Tim May
<bo...@apt0.sao.arizona.edu> wrote:
You know the theory as well as I do: center of mass, vital organs, blah
blah. A hit in the leg or arm or butt is not as life-threatening as
one in the chest, torso, spleen, liver, blah blah.
This applies to ballistic vests, which only provide the protection they
do over part of the torso, sometimes the neck, groin areas. Ceramic
plates narrrow the main protection zone a lot, but it's one of the
areas where a hit is usually fatal).
I have one of the ceramic plates for a vest I bought half a dozen years
ago. It adds a pound or so to the weight, and adds to the bulk (by
sticking out). Do I use it? No. But, then, I have no reason to wear the
vest either. If people start firing at me, or the risk of it happening
is sufficient, I'll wear the vest...and maybe the plate.
--Tim May
DMen
exceeded my expectations considerably, I see. Some of the jobs I can take
off the list right away, but I think it'll take a few weeks of looking
before I can make an informed decision on many of them, as they certainly
sound like better ideas than anything I've found (like the axle-something
thrower. (Sorry, I get finger-tied when I try to type it. My eyes unfocus
every time I try to read it. Excellent idea though.)
If I had to make a hasty, uninformed decision right now to choose a career
from all those ideas, I think I'd pick the cooper business. The only
problem I see with a 'specialty tools' job would be how to re-acquire them
if I have to re-bugout and leave them behind. But I'm hoping there would be
blacksmiths(thousands of ex-millwrights) around to make me a new set should
the need arise. That'll be the first one I'm looking into.
You've all been very helpful except for R.A.L. who has a bug up his butt for
some reason. Thanks a heap, I really appreciate the knowledge pool here.
Go ahead and keep coming up with ideas for the other lurkers or each other
if you wish, but my plate is now well and truly filled.
DMen
"Gunner" <gunner...@lightspeed.net> wrote in message
news:o09ff0habc8qaup4f...@4ax.com...
UKJason
>
I reccomend learning how to keep bees, very low maintenence and Honey
will be worth its weight in gold after the collapse, along with the
beeswax for candles.
Plus they have their own little self defence mechanisms if somone
tries to "steal" from you. ;-)
Just a thought.
Cheersm
Jason.
Gunner
>If I had to make a hasty, uninformed decision right now to choose a career
>from all those ideas, I think I'd pick the cooper business.
While barrel making is interesting...what makes you think that with
the billions of 5 gallon plastic buckets, tupperware, 55gallon drums
etc etc that are universally everywhere...being a cooper would be in
demand?
Gunner
That rifle hanging on the wall of the working-class flat or labourer's
cottage is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays
there.
- George Orwell
Frank White
>
>I was expecting maybe three or four replies when I posted this. You've
>exceeded my expectations considerably, I see. Some of the jobs I can take
>off the list right away, but I think it'll take a few weeks of looking
>before I can make an informed decision on many of them, as they certainly
>sound like better ideas than anything I've found (like the axle-something
>thrower. (Sorry, I get finger-tied when I try to type it. My eyes unfocus
>every time I try to read it. Excellent idea though.)
>
>If I had to make a hasty, uninformed decision right now to choose a career
>from all those ideas, I think I'd pick the cooper business. The only
>problem I see with a 'specialty tools' job would be how to re-acquire them
>if I have to re-bugout and leave them behind. But I'm hoping there would be
>blacksmiths(thousands of ex-millwrights) around to make me a new set should
>the need arise. That'll be the first one I'm looking into.
>
>You've all been very helpful except for R.A.L. who has a bug up his butt for
>some reason. Thanks a heap, I really appreciate the knowledge pool here.
>Go ahead and keep coming up with ideas for the other lurkers or each other
>if you wish, but my plate is now well and truly filled.
>
>DMen
Another possibility you might consider is chemist. The old
style defination, that covers ALL chemical reactions. This
includes knowing how to make soap and napalm. Mustard plasters
and mustard gas. Having the knowledge and equipment to make
both insulin from a sheep's pancreas, and thermite from rust
and aluminum dust (makign thermite grenades apparently isn't
hard. IGNITING them, though, takes a lot of heat. Magnesium
is apparently the preferred means. Trouble is, you can't just
go down to the corner store and pick up a ribbon of it,
especially post Apocalypse. But you CAN special order it and
other chemcials, now, and store them for potential use, later).
As a chemist you'd not only have all the work you'd want in
the days after TEOTWAWKI, you'd also be able to defend
yourself with your products ("you got a gun? Well, I've got
chlorine gas! Shoot and you'll be coughing your lungs out
in absolute agony until you die, which will take you longer
than you might believe possible!")
FW
DMen
including plastic containers before they get old, brittle, and useless. But
I wasn't so much thinking of that as I was thinking that it's seems like
such a rare, and useful skill. I've never met a cooper, and don't think
there are that many now. (Just because I haven't met one doesn't mean
there aren't thousands of 'em out there, say on the coast there might be a
bunch who still use it to store fish, and Jack Daniel's must get theirs from
somewhere.)
I haven't picked it yet , but it'll be the first one I look into. I'm
ignorant of many of the replies I've gotten. (I'm a product of city-life).
DMen
"Gunner" <gun...@lightspeed.net> wrote in message
news:duvhf0hp9414445hv...@4ax.com...
William
> I was expecting maybe three or four replies when I posted this. You've
> exceeded my expectations considerably, I see. Some of the jobs I can take
> off the list right away, but I think it'll take a few weeks of looking
> before I can make an informed decision on many of them, as they certainly
> sound like better ideas than anything I've found (like the axle-something
> thrower. (Sorry, I get finger-tied when I try to type it. My eyes unfocus
> every time I try to read it. Excellent idea though.)
>
> If I had to make a hasty, uninformed decision right now to choose a career
> from all those ideas, I think I'd pick the cooper business.
I like cooper also. Locate near oak forests. No. Locate near a
grape growing region. No. Locate near oak forests -and- grape
growing regions. Then you've got supply and demand. Perfect.
Gunner
>Apparently just about everything will be around for at least a few years,
>including plastic containers before they get old, brittle, and useless. But
>I wasn't so much thinking of that as I was thinking that it's seems like
>such a rare, and useful skill. I've never met a cooper, and don't think
>there are that many now. (Just because I haven't met one doesn't mean
>there aren't thousands of 'em out there, say on the coast there might be a
>bunch who still use it to store fish, and Jack Daniel's must get theirs from
>somewhere.)
>
>I haven't picked it yet , but it'll be the first one I look into. I'm
>ignorant of many of the replies I've gotten. (I'm a product of city-life).
>
>DMen
Indeed there are a few coopers. Though most such work is being done in
third world nations that dont have the manufacturing base for
injection moulders etc. It will be quite some time before all the
containers wear out..and you may well starve to death before your
skills as a cooper are needed. Or die of old age <G>
It might behoove you to find something with a bit more immediate need.
gunner
Richard A. Lewis
>You've all been very helpful except for R.A.L. who has a bug up his butt for
>some reason.
Bug? Nahhhh, I just refuse to waste any of my time thinking for a
moron which is what you proved to be.
All those great ideas folks give you and you settle on something as
ridiculous as a "cooper"? Do you not know how long plastics last?
Sheeeesh!
ral
Myal
news:1e4e3692.04071...@posting.google.com:
and probably a good few people already making barrels to learn from.....
Depending on how willing they are to give away their secerets to just
anyone who drifts in
DMen
into from that great list. Does anybody who's riding my ass remember the
words "hasty", and "uninformed?" As for your nicer reply, Gunner - thanks,
and there's no arguing with facts, so my search continues.
DMen
"Gunner" <gun...@lightspeed.net> wrote in message
news:f31jf0hfoj8ej1q1e...@4ax.com...
Gunner
>Yeah, I thought I was clear that that's just the first thing I'm looking
>into from that great list. Does anybody who's riding my ass remember the
>words "hasty", and "uninformed?" As for your nicer reply, Gunner - thanks,
>and there's no arguing with facts, so my search continues.
>
>DMen
Hell, I thought your question was a rather good one with significance
for all of us here. One thought though...try to find a "job" that not
only has a need after the shit hits the fan, but is needed Now.
This will allow you to make a second income, no matter how small,
(which you can sink into preps for example), to give you some name
recognition and a customer base, and allows you to perfect your skills
at it and get paid for doing so. Take coopering for example..
Redwood flower pots for deck gardners seem to sell at the gardening
places. Raised pots, etc etc. Ornamental barrels, barrel chairs and
stools, barrel furniture for the rustic yuppie
http://www.mastergardenproducts.com/barrelchair.htm
A big hint though...one of the hardest things for any human being to
find..is a job we not only like, but love. Most of us are still
searching when we die. A lot of us find hobbies we love. But if we had
to make a living at them..would likely become a pain in the ass.
I dont envy you your search. This is what Ive come up with for myself
http://home.lightspeed.net/~gunner/myshop
Every thing there can be used to make money or barter with...IN MY
AREA. Other places..maybe, maybe not.
Shrug
Gunner
pyotr filipivich
<gunner...@lightspeed.net> foisted Fri, 16 Jul 2004 09:48:23 GMT on
misc.survivalism , viz:
>On Fri, 16 Jul 2004 07:41:35 GMT, "DMen" <dy...@shREMOVEaw.ca> wrote:
>>I'm curious to know what you have in store for me. The closest I've found
>>so far is soapmaking, but I've ruled it out as being too widely known and
>>used even now in the rurals, and too easy to learn, which would make the
>>market too competitive to make it worthwhile as a business for one man to
>>start up with, though it's still handy to know.
>>
>>DMen
>
>Blacksmithing, animal husbandry, "handy man", paramedic, armorer
Tinker always seems to be worth something. E.g. Last week buddy puts
up a gate to keep the kids and dog in the back yard. I'm looking at it
yesterday, and decide it needs a "classier" latch pull than the bit of wire
I'd hung on it last week. Out comes the bit & brace, bore a hole in the
gate, scrounge around for suitable linkage (the wire was too stiff, the
chain to fat for the hole, ah - the little bit of braided cable. Didn't I
have one of these with a loop at one end?). Now for a pull. I know I have
a ring around somewhere, but here is a curtain rod end, an a eye. But the
eye has a wood screw, and the rod end has a tapped hole. But they seize up
nicely, and viola!. Now, if I want to get real fancy, I can solder the
wire so it doesn't untie, but I doubt it will go anywhere.
>Hows that for a start?
Sound good.
>
>Gunner
>
>
>"This device is provided without warranty of any kind as to reliability,
>accuracy, existence or otherwise or fitness for any particular purpose
>and Bioalchemic Products specifically does not warrant, guarantee,
>imply or make any representations as to its merchantability for any
>particular purpose and furthermore shall have no liability for or
>responsibility to you or any other person, entity or deity with respect
>to any loss or damage whatsoever caused by this device or object or by
>any attempts to destroy it by hammering it against a wall or dropping it
>into a deep well or any other means whatsoever and moreover asserts
>that you indicate your acceptance of this agreement or any other
>agreement that may he substituted at any time by coming within
>five miles of the product or observing it through large telescopes or
>by any other means because you are such an easily cowed moron
>who will happily accept arrogant and unilateral conditions on a piece
>of highly priced garbage that you would not dream of accepting on a
>bag of dog biscuits and is used solely at your own risk.'
--
pyotr filipivich
"Do not argue with the forces of nature, for you are small,
insignificant, and biodegradable."
Richard A. Lewis
>Hell, I thought your question was a rather good one with significance
>for all of us here.
Really, dude? I thought it was along the lines of just another
useless idiot walking into the office and asking "what should I major
in?" back in college.
For one thing, you can suggest all the mechanical work you want and
that you might be a master at....you have no idea if he's an idiot
with three fingers left over from his first shot at a bandsaw in
highschool shop class. How do you know he even cares to learn?
You can suggest something technical....medical or pharmacological etc.
How do you know the idiot can tell the diff between willow bark and
mandrake root? How do you know he has the ability to learn?
"What should I major in" and all other idiotic questions like it are
something you expect from thirteen year olds....not from adults.
There is literally no way in hell that anyone but his idiotness can
decide what he might like or have an aptitude for.
ral
DMen
make my choice for me, and asking about what choices are available. You're
misinterpreting my posts.
DMen
"Richard A. Lewis" <red...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:xmEKc.3451$f4....@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net...
Gunner
>Just let it die already. There's a difference between asking for someone to
>make my choice for me, and asking about what choices are available. You're
>misinterpreting my posts.
>
>DMen
Ral has been a bit testy for the last year or so. I suspect he has a
monumental case of 'roids and its coloring his outlook. Or his optic
nerve has shorted to his rectal nerve.....
Gunner
>
>"Richard A. Lewis" <red...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
>news:xmEKc.3451$f4....@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net...
>> Gunner <gun...@lightspeed.net> wrote:
>>
>> >Hell, I thought your question was a rather good one with significance
>> >for all of us here.
>>
>> Really, dude? I thought it was along the lines of just another
>> useless idiot walking into the office and asking "what should I major
>> in?" back in college.
>>
>> For one thing, you can suggest all the mechanical work you want and
>> that you might be a master at....you have no idea if he's an idiot
>> with three fingers left over from his first shot at a bandsaw in
>> highschool shop class. How do you know he even cares to learn?
>>
>> You can suggest something technical....medical or pharmacological etc.
>> How do you know the idiot can tell the diff between willow bark and
>> mandrake root? How do you know he has the ability to learn?
>>
>> "What should I major in" and all other idiotic questions like it are
>> something you expect from thirteen year olds....not from adults.
>> There is literally no way in hell that anyone but his idiotness can
>> decide what he might like or have an aptitude for.
>>
>> ral
>>
>
That rifle hanging on the wall of the working-class flat or labourer's
Richard A. Lewis
>Ral has been a bit testy for the last year or so. I suspect he has a
>monumental case of 'roids and its coloring his outlook. Or his optic
>nerve has shorted to his rectal nerve.....
ROFLMAO!!!!
Good one, bro! At least your sense of humor is still there.
ral
>Gunner
Richard A. Lewis
>Just let it die already. There's a difference between asking for someone to
>make my choice for me, and asking about what choices are available. You're
>misinterpreting my posts.
>DMen
Tell you what, DM. Why don't *you* tell us what you're interested in
or what you can do and then we can talk about how you can profit from
it?
ral