Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil world)

Blacksmith

Last weekend I bought a old Screw Jack. When I got it home I found it was frozen shut with rust and would not turn no matter how much force I applied. I tried penetrating oil, but to no avail. Then I fired up my coal forge and after getting the jack red hot allowed it to cool. When cool the jack opened with no trouble.

Now not everyone has a forge, but a bonfire would have had the same effect. The rust is somehow modified by heat and frozen parts can be removed.

"Every man is a smith who forges his own happiness"

Shannymara · Master Joined: Oct 04, 2004 Posts: 5103 Location: Oklahoma

Thanks, Blacksmith, that's a great tip.
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"Every junkie's like a setting sun..." - Neil Young

Laurasia · Intermediate Crude Joined: Jul 10, 2004 Posts: 533

Today I almost finished making a straw-bale-type cooker. I used an old insulated cooler and filled it with Styrofoam into which I had carved the shape of my camping cooking pot. I got the idea from a link posted by someone on these forums but can't remember who it was. The link was to an Oz website, where the fellow used billycans for his cooker. Couldn't find any of them at Wally World!

The next step is to USE the cooker!

H'm...

L.

Ludi

Yay, a haybox cooker! Smile

I want to make one to go with my solar cooker. The idea is I would precook the food in the solar cooker during the day, then put it in the haybox to finish cooking and stay warm until dinner.
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"...powerdown so soft and fluffy you'll think you're living in a pillow..." - jboogy

Doly · Expert Joined: Dec 03, 2004 Posts: 4031

Laurasia · Intermediate Crude Joined: Jul 10, 2004 Posts: 533

Ludi: cooking like that would be a great powerdown strategy! I have decided that my cooler will be put into a cardboard box because I don't think the sides are insulated well enough for it to work standing alone, so now I'll be looking for a large box (Hubby knows better than to throw anything away without checking with me first!)

Regards,

L.

bshirt · Heavy Crude Joined: Dec 23, 2006 Posts: 444

topcat

Finally got our tomatoes, cukes, and zukes in the ground last week. And of course, it was one of the hottest days so far this year. At least we got rain the next day.

nella · Tar Sands Joined: May 11, 2007 Posts: 57

I'm starting out slow.
I have a clothsline now in my backyard instead of using the dryer.
I ordered my rainwater catchment system.
And I bought a couple of used warm wool bankets to add to the beds this winter ( hope to keep thermostat set to around 66 degrees instead of 68 ). I might get a couple more.
Ordered a sun shade for 1 window that lets in entirely too much sun/heat in the summer.
My emergency bag is complete.
Looking into fireplace inserts. if I have any money left over, maybe a solar hot water heater. It might have to wait till more funds are available.

Ludi

WisJim

One of the advantages of the Sun Oven solar cooking is that it will withstand some rain--but the cardboard, glass, and aluminum foil cookers that we have built worked just as well as a Sun Oven for actually cooking. Well, I guess another advantage of the Sun Oven is that the cooking compartment is moisture resistant and fairly tight, so that even when food is being cooked a bit long, it isn't being dried out as fast as in conventional cooking.

In past years, there has been an excellent workshop at the Wisconsin Energy Fair about solar cooking, hay boxes, etc., but I think that the fellow who has been presenting it is moving far away.

delpasored

I made my garden larger, ordered blackberry plants, bought my chickens and rabbits for eggs and meat, ordered several books from amazon.com.

I also have gotten other family members involved in planting gardens and raising animals- without mentioning peak oil.

My sister is raising some rabbits in her backyard- she studied to be a vet tech and can butcher and skin an animal (yes, btw there is more than one way to skin a cat!) My grandbaby's other grandmother and I plan to share vegetables and at her mother's old home we'll be planting fruit trees.

It's been a busy week!

Cynicism is obedience

CeeCee

I ordered and received some packets of heirloom seeds (the old fashioned kind, not tampered with genetically or bred to be infertile) and also got a book on gardening, month by month, with what to plant and what to do. Nice step-by-step stuff. I've made a committment to myself and to my family to only plant heirloom seeds in our garden from now on, and to share the seeds with others who are interested too.

I am especially interested in the corn, as corn is a great provider of carbohydrate and can be made into bread.

I'm also running 'knowledge swaps' for our rural community on the theme of sustainable living. This is my third year of doing this and they are slowly getting bigger each time and getting more publicity in the region. (For more info see www.peakoilaware.org)
Our winter knowledge-swap will be held in a few weeks.

Ceecee (Liz)

Laurasia · Intermediate Crude Joined: Jul 10, 2004 Posts: 533

Hello CeeCee: Nice to hear from you again! Nice thread you started here!

Regards,

L.

CeeCee

Hi Laurasia!
Thank you for that! Smile

I'm just popping in... It's so nice to see how this thread has grown.... everything in this world starts small, eh...
the whole peakoil.com website has grown into such a valuable (or should I say, invaluable) resource. Brilliant.

Okay, bye for now

Ceecee