Escape

For some reason, I thought Jimmy Buffet sang this song, but it's a guy I've never heard of, Rupert Holmes.

Don't Carpe Diem

A week or so ago, E.L. posted a link on Facebook to this article by a "mommy blogger" about how people always tell her to enjoy every moment of dealing with her young kids rather than agonizing over every little thing that goes wrong.  Raising kids is a pain in the ass, there's no way around that.  Some people have the right temperament for it, though, to let go and not let it bug them.  Yeah, I'm not one of those people.  But at least I'm not the mom...that'd suck!

Yet another wrinkle

The whole Berkey thing has a long, sordid history with many different associations.  Originally there appears to have been Jones, Watts, and Doulton making pottery in 1815 and eventually granular carbon filters.  Watts bowed out, leaving Doulton & Co. in 1853.  It looks like Doulton predominantly used carbon.  The next step forward appears to be the Chamberland filter (also known as the Pasteur type) in 1884, which used a porcelain tube as the filter medium, but required water under pressure.  In 1891, the Berkefeld filter was developed in Germany, which established the current form of the gravity filter: an upper chamber contains raw water, which passes through a ceramic filter into the lower chamber.  The Berkefeld filter is an extension of the Chamberland filter in that it uses gravity to generate the water pressure.  The unique elements are the use of diatomaceous earth (Kieselguhr in German) as the filter media and the use of an upper and lower chamber structure.  The Berkefeld Filter Co. was separate from Doulton & Co.  In 1972, Doulton was acquired by Pearson & Son Ltd., which purchased Fairey Holdings in 1980.  In 1985 the company became Fairey Industrial Ceramics Ltd. (FICL), and acquired the rights to the Berkefeld and Sterasyl trademarks.  (It's unclear where the name "Sterasyl" came from, since Berkefeld was already using diatomaceous earth.)  FICL separated from Pearson group in 1986 and went public in 1988 as Fairey Group PLC.  Rolls Royce bought FICL from Fairey Group in 2003, spinning off the filtration division and others, which ostensibly retained the FICL name.

That much can be gleaned from Doulton USA's history of Doulton with a smattering of Wikipedia details.  However, there have been a number of companies affiliated with Doulton/Berkey, and their relationship isn't always clear.

• Royal Doulton is what remains of the original parent company after the 1972 buyout by Pearson Group.  Along the way they were bought by Waterford Wedgwood, which went into receivership in 2009.
• Fairey Industrial Ceramics Ltd. owns the trademarks Doulton, used independently of Royal Doulton, and British Berkefeld, though not "Berkey".  They still manufacture the Doulton "candle" filter elements, Sterasyl, etc., and license some trademarks to New Millennium Concepts Ltd. in North America.
• New Millennium Concepts Ltd. owns the trademark to the Berkey name and expanded the lineup of gravity filter systems to several sizes.  (According to one site, the stainless steel systems are manufactured in India.)  They also produce the Black Berkey filter elements, which have an unknown pedigree.  The claims made by NMCL exceed the claims of FICL with regard to capability of the Super Sterasyl filters.  For example, only the Super Sterasyl ATC media is rated for lead removal, but NMCL claims that the Black Berkey elements are comparable.  NMCL has been the British Berkefeld master distributor in North America since 1998.
• Doulton USA sells the Doulton candles, but worth noting is that they aren't related to FICL or Royal Doulton either!  The bottom of their website notes that Doulton USA is a unit of Eco Systems International LLC, which also sells AquaCera filters.
• Ceramic Filters Company Inc. manufactures AquaCera filters, which are often sold as lower-cost substitutes for Doulton filters.  According to their website, they were the agent, importer, and distributor for Doulton and British Berkefeld in 1989.  Apparently NMCL won the master distributor rights, but apparently CFC still sells the Doulton systems.

That's a long, sordid history with lots of players.  It's not surprising that people get confused about what is what in the world of Berkefeld.

For anyone reading this, after my personal experience with NMCL, my suggestion would be to make your own filter unit out of two food-grade buckets and use the Doulton elements.  While I have yet to get any to test, those have the most history behind them.  We know relatively little about the Black Berkey elements, and while they do improve water taste, they have an alarming rate of failure (3 of 4 elements that I have failed), for which NMCL didn't issue a recall, and there are shady business practices with regard to claims of laboratory testing (source).  Should comparable performance be required, get the Super Sterasyl ATC candles, which supposedly handle lead and organics.  St. Paul Mercantile has an excellent FAQ on the Doulton filters, including a link on how to build one's own bucket filter.

I think that for my SHTF water filter, I may have to go with a Sawyer.  And I may get a Katadyn Pocket just for good measure.

Edit [2012.02.03]: Except that I've read that some viruses get down to 0.004 micron, so the Sawyer may not be sufficient....  Also, the "candle" terminology comes from the French "bougie", used in other medical contexts.  Lastly, gravityfilter.com is pretty cheap.

Leptospirosis & Water Purifiers

So I continued reading up on water filters.  Apparently there's a nasty bacteria, Leptospirosis, that is 0.1 micron in size, which is smaller than the absolute pore size of most water filters.  Doulton's ceramic filters are 0.9 micron, and Katadyn Pocket is 0.2 micron.  Only one filter I found is purifier-grade, which is the Sawyer Point Zero Two, claiming a 0.02 micron pore width.  I'm currently searching for more information on purifiers.

Apparently Leptospirosis can be killed by several methods, including boiling, UV sterilization, or the addition of iodine or chlorine (in concentrations as for a swimming pool).  Of course a bacteriologically uncertain water source should be treated.

Also, on REI's website is an interesting article on water treatment for international travel. They don't mention the Sawyer, but they do refer to several limited-life filters that I had looked at previously.  My take on it is that suspect water should be pre-treated chemically then run through a filter.  Water from a reasonable source (no virii or bacteria < 1 micron) ought to be ok with a filter and not a purifier.  Still, the Sawyer Point Zero Two would be nice to have.

Food-Grade Silicone Adhesive

Due to problems with certain water filter elements, one may wish to stock food-grade silicone adhesive to re-seal the plastic base to the filter block.  I'm dubious about the VOC content of some of the products, but then again, it's not like the manufacturers of water filters mention the adhesive used in their product.

• DAP Household/Aquarium Adhesive Sealant
• Dow Corning 786 Silicone Sealant

The MSDS, section 8, lists acetic acid as a byproduct upon contact with water.  However, this apparently is a main component of vinegar, so perhaps it isn't a big deal.

Milsurp

Other than Bradley's Military Surplus and Coleman's Military Surplus, there's Military Logistics Manufacturing, Charley's Surplus, and Uncle Sam's Retail Outlet.

Water Filters

I'd written before about the Berkey filters and subsequent problems.  After a bit more reading, I found out that the Super Stearasyl filters that New Millennium Concepts sells are actually not made by them.  The manufacturer is Doulton in the UK, which is a different entity.  Further, Katadyn also makes a gravity-based filter, although the housing is plastic.  I read on an Amazon review that it's possible to use the Katadyn filters in a Berkey housing, although one has to purchase a parts kit from Katadyn since the filters don't actually come with the washer and nut.

Incidentally, the same reviewer on Amazon posted a scathing review of the Berkey filters that echoed my initial concerns.  I don't regret having tried the Berkey filters, but NMC hasn't done themselves any favors with their handling of their defective filter elements.  So I'm certainly looking at switching to the Super Stearasyl filters, or perhaps the Katadyn ones.  I may also need one of the Katadyn Pocket filters as a backup.

Edit [2012.01.19]: NMC is BBB Accredited, apparently, with only 4 claims made and resolved.  Their actual address according to the BBB site is: 1023 S Main St Suite 204, Grapevine TX 76051.
Edit [2012.01.20]: FICL (Fairey Industrial Ceramics Ltd), owner of the Doulton and British Berkefeld trademarks, has a separate website.  They also note that they don't own the Berkey brand, but do manufacture the Super Sterasyl filters.

SHTF Hygiene

For my research on hygiene without modern conveniences, of course I have to check SurvivalBlog as one of my sources.  One interesting link is for washable feminine napkins by Naturally Cozy; should things break down, women still need the essentials.  Of course a TP alternative would be necessary after the paper kind run out, so perhaps cloth TP would also be a necessity.

Amusingly, there're also several "female urination device" products that women can use to urinate standing up.  One is "Go Girl" (reusable), sold on Amazon, and another is "P-Mate" (disposable, non-flushable, 5 per pack).  Innovation at work!

AR-15 Workprints

I've run across a PDF file containing dimensions for an AR-15 lower receiver before, but then lost the link.  Recently I ran across a page containing CAD files for an AR-15 lower and DIAS (drop-in auto sear).  The former is cool, but machining a lower would be difficult and time-consuming, and machining a DIAS is felony-level illegal due to the Hughes Amendment to the 1986 FOPA.

There's also CNC Gunsmithing, that shows a bit how to do the machining with CNC, and has a few prints available.

Magpul has dimensions for an M4 receiver extension online.

Working Brass

So now I've got it in my head that I want to buy metalworking tools so that I can manufacture dies to form brass cartridge cases from raw 260 alloy.  Well...cost-wise, it's not so great.

Check it out.  A .45 ACP case is about 83-85 grains.  At 7000 gr/lb, that's 0.012 lb.  For a 0.125" thick, 12 in x 12 in sheet, one calculator indicates 5.544 lbs.  Assuming around 86% utilization of the sheet for forming the cups, at $80 per sheet, that's around 20 cents a cup.  And that's without amortization of tooling costs, or the cost of annealing and pickling, or operator time!  Since one can get new manufacture, reloadable .45 ACP for about 30 cents a round, this isn't exactly cost-effective.

One would almost have to smelt and extrude one's own raw brass from scrap to make it worthwhile.  Then the impurities and maintaining the alloy composition would come into play.  TANSTAAFL, eh.

Along the lines of smelting, I found a site, Backyard Metalworking, that talks about casting and such using limited tooling.

L. Neil Smith

Apparently sci-fi author L. Neil Smith is a libertarian.  Gotta wonder if anyone has a list of libertarian sci-fi authors.  (Robert Heinlein, ....)  I've heard of the Probability Broach before but never had occasion to read it.  His essay "Why Did it Have to be ... Guns?" is an excellent summary of the view of using the "gun issue" as a political filter.

We need more visible and vocal pro-gun public figures.  Eric Raymond, author of The Cathedral and the Bazaar, editor of the Jargon File, and open software icon, is a self-professed "gun nut".  At least we (hoplophiles) are in good company.

The Making of Barrels

Since I was gawking at Sherline mini-lathes, I had to wonder how to do the rifling.  (Well, the mini-lathe might be able to turn down a handgun barrel....)  Apparently it's pretty tricky, as one might expect.

One good overview is by a guy at Border Barrels, a manufacturer in the UK, where he details cut rifling, button rifling, and hammer rifling.  (The first version I came across was an archived version online.)  Apparently cut rifling is superior.  I thought hammer rifling would be best, because the mandrel can be made to precise tolerances, but apparently the work stress due to hammering is a problem.

Krieger Barrels' website also has a bit on barrel-making, as well as an interesting article on cleaning and breaking in.

Actually, a mill would be more useful to me than a lathe, and probably learning how to weld sheet metal would be even more useful to me than being able to mill.  It'd be interesting to be able to finish 80% AR-15 receivers, though....

Capitalist Pigs

A link from Mr. Vanderboegh points to Nazi silver bullion.  Not because we like Nazis (they were evil socialists!), but because it's a reminder where socialist collectivism leads.  The Zimbabwe 100 trillion dollar note is also of interest.

There are apparently sites that sell Nazi silver, such as "luckylukeonline".  I'd imagine that there are a few preppers into that stuff....

Machining/Welding Information

Your tax dollars at work!  While searching for machining textbooks, I found a page with a few links to public-domain works by the U.S. military:

• US Army Fundamentals of Machine Tools
• US Army Welding Theory and Application
• US Navy Machinery Repairman Handbook

The comments have additional links as well.

I also came across a reference site called "Virtual Machine Shop" that has some useful information and diagrams.

How to Save an Unproductive Day in 25 Minutes

Another interesting article from the WSJ.  The bullet points:

1. Carve out a time-oasis. (20 minutes) If possible, move something off your schedule for the remainder of the day, protecting just 20 minutes to focus – uninterrupted – on that meaningful project. More time is better if you can manage it, but 20 minutes can still make a difference.
If you have to, leave a non-essential meeting 20 minutes early, or stay at the office 20 minutes later. (You would use tactics like this if you had an urgent business call, right? Well, getting to your most important work is an urgent business issue.) Turn off your email and phone. Find an unoccupied conference room or cubicle where no one can find you.
2. Note your progress for the day. (Two minutes) Use a work diary to keep track of the progress you made that day.
It's natural to focus on what you didn't get done and what tasks remain; but, to get the boost of happiness and engagement, you should spend a minute taking stock of what you did accomplish. Even if you simply outlined next steps on that creative project, make note. And, if you weren't able to carve out that 20-minute time-oasis, then make note of any achievement you had during the day, however small. It may not have been work you planned, and it may have been solving someone else's problem, but – if you got anywhere on anything useful, that really is meaningful progress, so write it down.
Allow yourself to savor the sense of accomplishment, and recognize that you made a difference.
3. Set up for progress tomorrow. (Three minutes) Use a trick that Ernest Hemingway and other writers have relied on: Leave off in the middle. When you have to stop work for the day on your most important project, end in mid-paragraph, mid-sentence, mid-routine, whatever – as long as you have a pretty good sense of how you will finish that paragraph. That way, you'll be able to just slide back into the task the next day – even if all you get tomorrow is your 20-minute oasis.

園子温

この前テレビジャパンを見ていたら園子温という監督をインタビューやっていた。かなり変わっている人物だけど、おもしろそうな映画のシーンがあったので名前をメモっておく。