In today’s Shepherd School episode, David interviews Scott Hunt (a.k.a. Engineer775) Founder of Practical Preppers. Scott is one of my favorite You-Tubers, but he is much more than that. He has a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, and over a decade of experience in cattle operations as well as well as all manner of infrastructure creation geared toward sustainable living and disaster preparedness.
In this episode Scott Hunt and I talk about water. Specifically, why the traditional 1 gallon per person per day is nowhere near enough, how to get water, why skills are every bit as important as stuff, his new practical prepper pharmacy interest, and, something that was a great treat for me – he talks about gasification, something that I have a real interest in.
The survival still I am reviewing today is a lightweight, portable water purification still that can purify almost any water source from any heat source.
That makes it flexible. Which is a vital, but often overlooked feature of survival products.
As soon as I saw this still I knew I had to have one, so far this has been the ONLY piece of survival equipment I purchased without needing to do any research. Understood the science behind the product, and the second I was introduced to the product I knew it was a keeper.
As a matter of fact, my first question was, how many do I need to buy to become a dealer? The only other question I asked concerned the makeup of the drip tube (the only non stainless steel part in the product). By the way, the tube is medical grade silicon so it won’t degrade or release dangerous chemicals if it is accidentally exposed to solvents.
I am a true believer in this product, and as time passes I will show videos where we distill various contaminates, and using a variety of heat sources so you can see the versatility.
The Survival Still is a non-electric appliance that uses the science of distillation to purify water by boiling the water and collecting the pure steam leaving any contaminates behind.
Because of the process, distillation allows you to have consistently pure water from virtually any water source, without the use of filters. There are no moving parts, no filters to clog or replace, and no complicated steps to remember.
The survival still lets you purify water from your swimming pool, a stream or even the ocean, for as long as is needed. When the disaster (or camping trip) is over, simply wash out the bottom pot and pack away.
Extremely effective against all types of contaminants.
Kills and removes bacteria, viruses and parasites.
Is a permanent solution for purifying sea water.
Does not need filters, maintenance, infrastructure or a supply chain.
Distillation is recommended by FEMA and the Red Cross!
The power of distillation
As we said earlier, the Survival Still uses the process of distillation. This process scaled down from nature’s process to purify water.
Nature purifies water through the three-step process of
Evaporation
Condensation
Precipitation.
When water evaporates it cannot hold onto the particulates such as dirt, debris, or heavy metals so these contaminants stay behind while the vapor is pure.
The pure vapor then rises and condenses into clouds. The clouds move inland and release the water as rain. Rain is very pure water and is the source of all fresh water on the planet.
In the same way, distillation produces high-purity water without the need for filters.
How it works
The Survival Still is designed to be used with standard cooking pots that you already have.
To use the Survival Still simply fill a standard soup pot with about a gallon of water and put it on a heat source such as a propane grill, stove top, or campfire.
Bringing the water to a boil kills any bacteria and parasites.
Contaminants are left in the lower pot, while the pure steam rises and is captured by the Survival Still.
The Survival Still rests on top of the bottom pot.
A second pot of water sits on top of the Survival Still, for the purpose of cooling the steam back into liquid water.
Droplets of pure distilled water then drip down and they flow into a storage container.
Once again, the Survival Still® is a wonderful addition to your preparedness plan, it is rugged enough, effective enough, simple enough, and effective enough to be one of your primary water purification methods, and unlike filters there is nothing to replace or clog.
As an added benefit, the action of condensing the pure steam heats the water in the top pot so that as you purify your drinking water on your campfire you are heating water for hygiene needs – so you are getting multiple benefits from the same device.
How does the Survival Still® compare to filters?
Survival Still®
All Filters
Meets Red Cross Recommendations
Yes
No
Converts Ocean Water into Drinkable Water
Yes
No
Fail Safe Protection (air gap that separates contaminated water from purified water)
I first saw this on YouTube, from a user called fubarprotocol and I had to try make a DIY Handgun rack myself.
Basically this project is a strip of hardwood with ¼ metal rods inserted in it and covered with heat shrink tube so that you can hand your pistols up by their bore.
I think this works really great, and makes it easy to get to my guns. Fubar bolted his in his safe, but I have mine in my workroom. I don’t store my guns on the rack, but keep them there when cleaning them after a range visit, or organizing my equipment for a class.
Strip of hardwood, I used a 1 x 2 strip of hardwood from the hobby section at Lowes.
¼ rod
¼ heat shrink tubing
¼ plastic end protectors (I found them in the metal drawers in the Lowes hardware section where you get odd shaped nuts and connectors.
Procedure
I marked and countersunk mounting holes one inch from the ends, and at the center
Starting 2 inches from the end I marked holes for the rod every 4 inches (you may want to space more or less depending on the size of your guns.
Drill the holes, I drilled them slightly smaller than the ¼ rod.
I countersunk the rod holes on the back of the board so that I could epoxy them in so they would not work loose.
Next cut the rods into 6 inch lengths and round one end with a grinder.
Pound the rods into the board, keeping everything flush and straight.
Fix the rods with epoxy.
Sand, paint, or stain board as you desire
Cut strips of heat shrink to fit rods.
Insert, trim, and heat the shrink tube so that they fit tightly on the rod.
Superglue rod tips to the metal rod.
Hang
I use this on a regular basis, and I find this was a very useful project. Maybe a smaller set up with a single rod may allow me to hand a firearm in a useful location. But that is up to your imagination.
As with all parenting tips, take this as it is presented – something I learned that I think is useful – that I am sharing.
I have a friend that is trained in toxicology, that is also an awesome home brewer and creator of all manner of Charcuterie. I will freely admit, that if I got this idea from Joe Snuffie on some anonymous internet page I would probably not try it, however I trust my source and he does it with his own baby.
So my friend and I were talking about kids and the conversation turned to how his child had started “hiding” baby bottles around the house, and how nasty an old bottle of milk could get. I could just see the rising expense of baby bottles, as my wife would never let me reuse a bottle that once held moldy rotted milk.
My friend sympathized and shared a Clean Baby Bottles tip he uses, which is to put a small kefir grain in with the formula.
Basically all he is doing is inoculating the milk to control the bacteria in it. The baby drinks all he wants before the milk turns to kefir (which takes 30 days or so), and if the half drunk bottle disappears behind the couch the good bacteria in the kefir overpowers the nasty bacteria that makes the milk turn black and nasty.
Kefir is a pro-biotic, which is something a baby needs anyway, so the small amount in the milk could be argued as beneficial to baby, even though I posit that the small amount is relatively neutral.
Now, as a disclaimer – this isn’t for infants – this is for toddlers who are old enough to tolerate honey because of a more established bacterial culture in their intestines. Also before you trust your baby’s health to some crazy internet guy – run this past their pediatrician. I am not a doctor, I just think this is a neat idea that I plan on trying when the boy gets a little older.
I was looking for a cheap way to try out weaving but the majority of looms are outrageous in price. This caused me to start looking for DIY plans which led me to find this really cool book on building DIY PVC Weaving Loom.
I contacted to author and he was kind enough to write the following post for me. I am not receiving anything for posting this, I just believe this is a great idea. When I get some time I plan on doing a full review of his book and actually making the loom.
I hope this is useful for you, and see the usefulness of a loom costing under $200 versus the $500 to multiple thousands for a pretty loom.
Now for the article from David Holly of PVCLoom.com.
Why modern folks should look into weaving
Thinking of weaving as a way to “remember the past”, sounds to me like a great way to irritate High School history students. But thankfully, there are a lot of important reasons to keep this craft alive.
For example, the iPhone in your pocket owes its existence to weaving. Joseph Marie Jacquard invented the Jacquard Loom in the early 1800s. It used punched cards to control the patterns and designs in the woven fabric. These punched cards, and how they were used by Jacquard, formed the foundation for virtually all modern computers.
The Wikipedia page on Jacquard states, “Jacquard’s invention had a deep influence on Charles Babbage. In that respect, he is viewed by some authors as a precursor of modern computing science.” Pretty cool!
But other than the historic aspects of Looms and Weaving, us modern folk can enjoy weaving as a craft like any other. The types of cloth and design patterns possible with available modern Looms is endless. Plus it gives us an appreciation for modern weaving technology.
Before the invention of the Power Looms that sparked the Industrial Revolution, all cloth was woven or knitted by hand. That meant every piece of clothing, socks, underwear, curtains, bedspreads, sheets, towels, rugs, etc., etc., were all handmade items. Even Jacquard’s invention, which let weavers accomplish in a day what normally took a week, still required nine hand spinners to keep a single loom in operation on a daily basis. In the mid-1800s Jacquard-woven coverlets (bedspreads) were so valuable that men often bought them as engagement gifts for their Fiancés. (As a comparison, a Jacquard coverlet might cost $600. But back then, you could also purchase 10 acres of farm land for $600.)
We touch and use fabrics every day of our lives. Knowing how they are made, and learning how to make them ourselves, can be valuable information in troubling times. I’m not what you would call a “survivalist”, but I do know that knowing how to weave would be a valuable skill if (heaven forbid) society ever collapsed.
Is it easy to weave?
Yes and no. I find the process of weaving to be easy. Open a shed, push the shuttle through, close the shed, and beat the weft into place. Weaving is the fastest method of creating fabric; much faster than knitting or crocheting. You can probably weave an inch of fabric or more in the time it takes to knit just one row of the same width.
What is not so easy about weaving is setting up the loom. This is also called warping the loom. You must measure out the warp threads, and tie them to the loom on the back roller. To do this, a warping board is often used, which is a square frame with pegs.
Once you measure out the warp threads on the warping board, you must remove the warp and move it to the loom. To summarize the next steps, you first tie the warp to the back beam. Next, you thread the warp ends through the heddles in the harness frames. Then you insert the warp ends through the reed. And finally, you tie the warp ends to the front beam.
Many weavers attach long warps to their loom to reduce the number of times they have to warp the loom. But this has a downside. You must weave all of the projects before you can take them off the loom.
As I said above, understanding the workings of weaving gives one a deep appreciation for modern textile mills.
But this warping process can easily be mastered. Some weavers even say they enjoy the process. One thing is for sure – the warping process is very important because it forms the foundation for your fabric. If the warp is uneven, then the finished fabric will not be even.
Does it cost a lot?
It can! And this is one of the primary reasons I created the PVC Loom. Years ago I decided that I wanted to weave. But when I looked at the price of even the smallest table loom I was shocked. Today, a new table loom with a 22” weaving width will cost anywhere from $300 to over $900 depending on the accessories and manufacturer. At the other end of the price spectrum are the large floor looms for weaving wider width fabrics and rugs. These looms can cost anywhere from $1,200 to over $6,000 new. Even loom accessories are outrageously priced. A “kit” to add 4 extra harnesses to one popular floor loom cost over $900 alone. All that money for something a little more refined than logs and sticks! I always thought that there was something not quite right about this pricing structure, and I finally figured it out.
Long ago, exactly when I’m not sure, loom manufacturers transformed the handloom into a piece of fine furniture. (My theory is that this happened shortly after the time when hand weaving ceased to be a vocation and emerged as a craft.) While there is nothing functionality wrong with furniture quality looms, they have created a true paradigm resulting in very high prices. Most all handlooms today are made of hardwood and are constructed like fine furniture. Fine hardwood furniture requires a lot of time. People with the skills of a cabinetmaker are needed to dimension, join, shape, sand, stain, and finish the wood. The looms produced are very usable and most are quite beautiful. Unfortunately, for us, they are also quite expensive. There is absolutely nothing wrong with such looms. It is not my intent to bash any of the loom manufacturers out there, especially since they have helped to keep the craft of weaving alive all these years. People working within a true paradigm, such as this, never even think of questioning the paradigm itself. Just as no one would expect a bird to think of questioning the air in which it flies. I just happen to come from outside this paradigm, so I started asking questions.
I think that many people would love to start weaving but can’t afford a loom plus all of the required accessories. So, I determined that the real question is, “DO I HAVE TO BUY A PIECE OF FURNITURE IF I WANT TO WEAVE?”
I think that the loom is a tool, not something to be put on display. Pride of ownership can be nice, but in my opinion, it is out of place in a craft such as weaving. After all, the focus of any craft is not the tools, but the work produced using the tools.
For me personally, the high cost and fancy hardwoods had yet another drawback. I considered purchasing one popular rug loom a few years ago. It is made from mahogany and maple and costs over $5,000 brand new. It’s a beautiful, fully functional weaving machine. But, I think I would actually worry too much about dents and scratches to use it properly. Maybe it’s just me, but I hate getting scratches and dents in a beautiful piece of wood, whether it happens to be part of a dining room table, or a baby grand-sized floor loom. I’d probably end up just polishing it once a week and showing it off to friends and relatives. I think that looms should be used, not admired.
How hard (or easy) it is too make? And how much does it cost?
I work as a programmer in the pharmaceutical industry. And a big part of my job is documenting my software. I used my documentation skills to write the PVC Loom book. There are over 100 photos showing each operation, plus detailed instructions laid out one step at a time. I also provide more than one way to accomplish certain parts of the loom. For example, there are instructions for hanging the harness frames using Texolv Cord (from Sweden created specifically for hand weavers), or using ordinary nylon rope from the hardware store. And there are two ways to finish the slider bars to hold them in place. You can use Velcro tabs, or you can cut notches to “hook” the bars in place while weaving.
Many people have told me they like the way the book is written. It is easy to understand, the instructions are very clear, and I use a big of humor now and then. I had the book proof read by a hand weaver, and she and her Son built a PVC Loom using my pre-publication draft copy. They found several mistakes and omissions that I fixed before it went to print. I have a special “thank you” for them in the beginning of the book.
All the parts for a PVC Loom, including reed and heddles, will probably cost you around $200; much less if you plan to scrounge around at garage and yard sales, or browse equipment on eBay.
Weaving on the PVC Loom
I use a folding table I found at Staples that is four feet long. I stand when I weave and use my tummy against the front of the loom as I pull the slider bars forward. Compared with other table-style looms, I think the PVC Loom is much quicker. The action is very smooth and light, and that makes for quicker weaving.
I have a very expensive wooden table loom I purchased about 14 years ago. It has a 22” weaving width and has 8 shafts. It cost $550 back then. Today, the same loom costs over $900! And when I compared the action on the professionally made table loom to my hardware-store PVC Loom, I was amazed! The wooden table loom has many eye screws that force the harness frame ropes through some tight turns. These ropes make their way up to a slanted action board that has wooden levers. When you pull a lever down, it pulls one of the harness frames up. Due to the tight turns, the action is very stiff, which makes the weaving process a lot slower.
In contrast, the PVC Loom has a flat action board. And there is a slider bar directly over each harness frame. The ropes only bend 90 degrees and pull in a straight line. This makes for a very fast action with very low drag because the ropes don’t have to make any tight turns. I didn’t really worry about the looks of the final PVC Loom – I was more interested in function over form.
Some examples of things you can make on the PVC Loom
The PVC Weaving Loom is a “Jack Loom”. Jack Looms are lightweight looms that are intended for smaller textiles and accessories like scarves and shawls. They are perfect for kitchen towels, table runners, napkins, place mats, and even washcloths. A lot of weavers like to make scarves and kitchen towels as Christmas gifts. You can even weave fabric for men’s ties.
Even though these may seem like every day ordinary items, the possibilities for color and pattern variations are very exciting. Probably the best thing a weaver can do is to turn an ordinary object, like a kitchen towel, into an appealing work of art that becomes part of a kitchen’s décor.
If you look at patterns and color combinations on websites like Pinterest.com, you can get a great idea of what is possible with this little loom.
What you can’t make on the PVC Loom are big, heavy weavings like rugs and bath towels. And that’s really beyond the scope of a Jack Loom. All of the principles of weaving can be learned, including the warping process. So, making and using a PVC Loom can provide valuable weaving experience that you can use on any other loom.
The quality of the cloth produced on the PVC Weaving Loom will improve as you gain experience weaving. In most cases (like with me, for example), a weaver will have great success with the majority of the weaving in the middle of the cloth. But the more difficult parts to master are the edges. This is called the “selvedge” in weaving terminology. Getting the weft threads (the threads that go left to right through the warp threads) even, and with the proper tension, is the skill all weavers need to master. But uneven selvedges are nothing to be ashamed of, and they improve as you gain experience. These are, after all, handmade items.
Where to get the PVC Loom book
The website, http://www.PVCLoom.com, has a link to the book’s page on lulu.com. Lulu is the publisher, and they have an ingenious Print-On-Demand system that only prints a copy when you place your order. Books arrive in about 4 to 5 days on average. I used Lulu.com because they were able to print using a spiral-bound cover. This lets the book lay flat for easy reference when you are building your PVC Loom.
I was looking for a cheap way to try out weaving but the majority of looms are outrageous in price. This caused me to start looking for DIY plans which led me to find this really cool book on building DIY PVC Weaving Loom.