PPrepper knowledge! Alternative power and solutions

[Wheel Horse 3D 3,795]

Those used to be railroad spikes.

[DennisThornton 4,769]

1 minute ago, posifour11 said:

Give me your questions and I'll ask grandma. I talk to her on the phone every Sunday. (Can't talk to her during the Winston cup race though.  🤣 My dad got her hooked a couple decades ago)  she tells me about all of it. The good and bad. 

Wonderful offer but I'd overwhealm her!  I'd love to relive my entire childhood on my grandparents farm!  But perhaps tell her there's someone that would love to know what she knows.  

[posifour11 723]

2 minutes ago, DennisThornton said:

I think it's great that we can share some personal moments with some wonderful childhood experiences but you know we have to build a freeze drier and some sort of after the BIG EMP power source!

(I just threw that in there to keep the thread legit!  I think every page has to have a connection to the thread subject.  This took off so quickly that we might have missed Page 2.)

Any blacksmith knowledge here among us?

I was a couple classes away from an associate of science in alternative energy from Crowder College. If you look them up, you'd be impressed by them if they were even a four year college. We did a lot of major things. I can look for the books. They were written by my professor. He got mad that they cost so much and bought them all and gave them out. 

[Wheel Horse 3D 3,795]

I understand @Mickwhitt is a bladesmith he might have some forging info to share!

[Wheel Horse 3D 3,795]

2 minutes ago, DennisThornton said:

Wonderful offer but I'd overwhealm her!  I'd love to relive my entire childhood on my grandparents farm!  But perhaps tell her there's someone that would love to know what she knows.  

Yeah any details of life way back when and especially how they kept life comfy!

[DennisThornton 4,769]

4 minutes ago, Wheel Horse 3D said:

A little..by no means a master but have moved a little metal

I'm impressed!  And not 3D printed! 

I have a forge, anvil, swage block and lots of tools.  Hope to setup a smithy before I'm done here.

[Wheel Horse 3D 3,795]

Nice! These were done with an old squirrel fan from somethin, some old stove pipe, a bit of kitty litter, and a hammer and channel locks! Lol

[Wheel Horse 3D 3,795]

Used a bit of railrad track as the anvil. I actually have a good forge vise(one with the leg that gies to the floor) and improved a few things by making my own tongs and whatnot. At some point I now have the block and chimney tiles to set up a nice forge, just need a good anvil, but $$$$$$$$

[DennisThornton 4,769]

1 minute ago, Wheel Horse 3D said:

Yeah any details of life way back when and especially how they kept life comfy!

I was young and perhaps shielded from any concerns but I never sensed any from my grandparents.  Always plenty of food, warmth and shelter.  Never really felt like I needed anything, no tension like I felt when I went back to my parents.  Mom and Dad always had more but there was always more stress, something I never saw or felt at my grandparents.  We worked hard but so what?  Ate lots of wonderful food and wanted for nothing that I remember/

[Wheel Horse 3D 3,795]

1 minute ago, DennisThornton said:

I was young and perhaps shielded from any concerns but I never sensed any from my grandparents.  Always plenty of food, warmth and shelter.  Never really felt like I needed anything, no tension like I felt when I went back to my parents.  Mom and Dad always had more but there was always more stress, something I never saw or felt at my grandparents.  We worked hard but so what?  Ate lots of wonderful food and wanted for nothing that I remember/

Yeah i think we get so durn spoiled that we want sooooo much to think life is ok. What do ya really need other tham a few fried potatoes, some hot tea(coffee when ya can or chickory when ya cant) and good company?

[DennisThornton 4,769]

2 minutes ago, Wheel Horse 3D said:

Used a bit of railrad track as the anvil. I actually have a good forge vise(one with the leg that gies to the floor) and improved a few things by making my own tongs and whatnot. At some point I now have the block and chimney tiles to set up a nice forge, just need a good anvil, but $$$$$$$$

Gads have anvil prices gone up!  I bought one cheap decades ago but it was rough.  Dad gave me his recently so now I have a good one.  I have a hand drill press and a couple leg vices too.  All of the cry out for a proper home.  Oh!  I've got a couple track anvils too!  Nothing wrong with them for beating on, just no hardy, pritchel holes or nice tampered horn...

[Wheel Horse 3D 3,795]

Yeah and when ya need to upset when making somethin like tongs etc that little step comes in handy!

[DennisThornton 4,769]

2 minutes ago, Wheel Horse 3D said:

Yeah i think we get so durn spoiled that we want sooooo much to think life is ok. What do ya really need other tham a few fried potatoes, some hot tea(coffee when ya can or chickory when ya cant) and good company?

Funny!  Reminds me a common saying, my own!  I'm made of fried tators, soup beans, corn bread!  We ate more but much of what I eat today didn't exist in MY childhood.

[posifour11 723]

17 minutes ago, Wheel Horse 3D said:

Yeah any details of life way back when and especially how they kept life comfy!

She was never comfortable, honestly. 🤣 Roof leaking water on her mattress so she had to move it. Always cutting firewood. One brother was kicked by his horse because he was abusive to it. (The brother would be called a psychopath now) Never enough food, trying to farm in the hilly part of the Ozarks. Always picking up rocks. Her dad raised corn, mostly. (Y'all know where corn went in that time besides animal feed) he raised hogs and sheep. Tobacco was grown for trade. They traced their feet on newspaper to order shoes, usually a couple sizes too big to make it through the the winter. Mostly barefoot in the summer. 

 

Edit- that brother died. He was buried and life went on. I can go look, but I think he was 12 or so. Named after great grandpa, so I think he took it hard. 

Edited May 12, 2021 by posifour11

[Wheel Horse 3D 3,795]

I never was one for beans, but grandmas fried taters...oh man!

[DennisThornton 4,769]

2 minutes ago, Wheel Horse 3D said:

Yeah and when ya need to upset when making somethin like tongs etc that little step comes in handy!

Yeah, really need those "other things" for most hot work.  And I feel bad that I'm not putting them to good use.  I sort of thought my 3 sons would have had more interests, but alas...

[Wheel Horse 3D 3,795]

1 minute ago, posifour11 said:

She was never comfortable, honestly. 🤣 Roof leaking water on her mattress so she had to move it. Always cutting firewood. One brother was kicked by his horse because he was abusive to it. (The brother would be called a psychopath now) Never enough food, trying to farm in the hilly part of the Ozarks. Always picking up rocks. Her dad raised corn, mostly. (Y'all know where corn went in that time besides animal feed) he raised hogs and sheep. Tobacco was grown for trade. They traced their feet on newspaper to order shoes, usually a couple sizes too big to make it through the the winter. Mostly barefoot in the summer. 

That all sounds spot on, rural Ozarks woulda been much like here...one great granddad, disappeared and turned up in Chicago during prohibition(the revenuers had caught up to him here) im sure to ply his skill!

[DennisThornton 4,769]

Just now, Wheel Horse 3D said:

I never was one for beans, but grandmas fried taters...oh man!

Funny thing is that I'm a pretty good cook and I help train my youngest who is an executive chef that serves up to 300 at events.  My "fried taters" don't hold a candle to my grandparents or parents!  What the heck?

[Wheel Horse 3D 3,795]

Its about the lard! It has to gather that flavor from each batch and be reused!

[posifour11 723]

19 minutes ago, Wheel Horse 3D said:

Nice! These were done with an old squirrel fan from somethin, some old stove pipe, a bit of kitty litter, and a hammer and channel locks! Lol

I have always wanted to! I even bought some firebricks. I just need to get back to my old self! Thank you!

[DennisThornton 4,769]

5 minutes ago, posifour11 said:

She was never comfortable, honestly. 🤣 Roof leaking water on her mattress so she had to move it. Always cutting firewood. One brother was kicked by his horse because he was abusive to it. (The brother would be called a psychopath now) Never enough food, trying to farm in the hilly part of the Ozarks. Always picking up rocks. Her dad raised corn, mostly. (Y'all know where corn went in that time besides animal feed) he raised hogs and sheep. Tobacco was grown for trade. They traced their feet on newspaper to order shoes, usually a couple sizes too big to make it through the the winter. Mostly barefoot in the summer. 

I'm sure that my memories of the "good ole days" differ from some of those that actually lived it fulltime.  I was mostly a grandchild visiting, but I did spend most of school year there and ALL of my summers until I could drive and get a job at home.  Frugality was foremost but I honestly have no memories of my needs or anyone elses.  May have wanted more but no needs went unfulfilled for me.  But my grandparents were a bit better off than many in that area.

[Wheel Horse 3D 3,795]

That lard has to have been used and mixed with the bacon grease and onions, and fried the eggs for breakfast, and brownwd the sausage for the sausage gravy!

[posifour11 723]

8 minutes ago, Wheel Horse 3D said:

I never was one for beans, but grandmas fried taters...oh man!

Back when some of my grandpa's were still alive, I asked what their favorite meal was back. The only one alive at the next one was uncle Murphy. I made beans and dumplings for him. He said it was better than his mom's. As a 20 something guy, I loved that compliment. Even if it was a lie, I still feel good. 

[DennisThornton 4,769]

6 minutes ago, Wheel Horse 3D said:

Its about the lard! It has to gather that flavor from each batch and be reused!

No doubt!  My grandparent cooked with lard all the time!  Some that I helped render!  Mine are not...  I'm going to cheat on my diet and feed my memories very soon!

[Wheel Horse 3D 3,795]

10 minutes ago, posifour11 said:

I have always wanted to! I even bought some firebricks. I just need to get back to my old self! Thank you!

Any questions when ya git round tuit just ask...i did my little setup for basically nothin but the cost of a little plain clay litter. Not much but ill het ya movin metal and practicin fishin out the clinkers and channeling the heat and lookin for the color where the metal moves best etc.

Edited May 12, 2021 by Wheel Horse 3D