AR-15 Pistols

Looking into building an AR-15 pistol, but don't want to have to use a modified bolt carrier.  Phase 5 Tactical appears to have a pistol buffer tube (receiver extension) that works with a standard BCG, unlike the GSE setups.  However, it looks like 7.5" barrels require special considerations with the gas tube.  Their quad rail looks neat too.

Arfcom has an area specific to AR-15 pistols.  The section on ATF letters is interesting and useful.  Apparently the Franklin Armory pistol can have a vertical foregrip because its OAL is over 26", and thus falls into a gray area where it's not an AOW.  Supposedly an 11.5" barrel will result in that OAL.

Garden Stuff

This recipe for tomato jam has been languishing in my iPhone browser for months...saved here for posterity.

Plus the info for "Gordy the Gourd"....

Hybrid Gas Water Heater

The wife's been complaining about the limited hot water from our ancient (ca 1996) tank-type water heater.  In Japan, of course, they use tankless heaters, which is evinced by the major manufacturers being Japanese: Rinnai and Noritz.  Anyway, recently when talking with a builder-type dude, he mentioned hybrids as being the favored type now.  When I looked into it, most hybrids are electric, except for the Eternal GU120.  The size of the tank isn't clearly specified, but from one of the documents it's implied that it's 2 gallons.  $1400, with a $300 tax credit for 2013.

Turkey Cookin'

Fine Cooking has a few tips on how to cook a juicy turkey.  One of the tips is brining, which seems like something to try.  Lastly, there's a video on how to make gravy.  Mmm, turkey fat.  I'm reading up because I'll have to make this stuff in a couple days.

Container Guest House

I've thought about making an in-ground shed out of 20' shipping container.  A house would be neat, too.

Addendum: considerations for container projects.

Another Metals Shop

Gainesville Coins, found via an LPC Survival contest on FB.  Will have to check their prices relative to APMEX.

Bolt-Action AR-15 Upper

I thought it might be neat to have an AR-15 upper that is bolt-action, so I went looking.  Apparently there's not much in the way of real bolt-action uppers.  However, a forum post directed me to White Oak Armament's site, which has a modified upper with a modified BCG with bolt handle.  On one hand, leverage for extraction is likely limited.  Furthermore, odds are good that the action isn't sub-MOA.  Still, it's an interesting concept.

One could build something similar by using a switched gas block and a side-charging upper.

White Oak's sells an interesting adjustable stock that requires a side-charging upper.  I like the steel buffer tube, but it's got aluminum parts as well.

Garage Curtain

In the winter, the garage gets pretty cold, even though it's insulated.  I'd like to be able to work out there, but it bleeds heat too fast because of the north-facing door.  The thought occurred to me that if I could partition an area with an impermeable curtain, that it might be feasible to use part of the space.

Well, I did a quick search and found something that looks like what I was considering: curtain wall partitions.  It ain't cheap, but the more capable solution, a "climate curtain," is even more expensive!

Finex Cast Iron Skillet

Wired had a post regarding the Finex Cast Iron Skillet that's on Kickstarter.  The skillet looks pretty cool.  Incidentally, apparently Siemens VAI has an ironmaking process also called Finex, which is a registered trademark.  It's unclear if there's any relation...seems unlikely.

Heating with Tealights

M.V. posted a link on FB to a video describing how to use 4 tealights in a ceramic tray with a couple terra cotta pots to heat a room.  The cost works out to 30 cents a day, supposedly.

One of the comments on FB was also interesting:

Truckers in Alaska have used coffee cans with a roll of toilet paper inside that is drenched with rubbing alcohol. Burns clean puts off heat. Whatever works.

I'll have to give both these methods a try.  Also, the Knowledge Weights Nothing site looks quite intriguing.

Deodorant Recipe

Interesting read; being able to make one's own deodorant might be useful post-SHTF!

Solar Power

I've been looking into solar power for prepping purposes, since in the short-term, having comms, non-flammable lights, and such would be useful.  Longevity of such devices in an adverse environment is another matter.

The conclusion I drew after a bunch of reading is that I need a monocrystalline solar cell with one or two AGM 12V batteries and a bunch of AA/AAA Eneloop LSD batteries for buffer.  The monocrystalline solar cells last 10-20 years (some say up to 30) and have the best output.  The absorbed glass mat batteries are deep-cycle, don't leak, and are best to use with solar panels.  (Gel batteries might be better still.)  Lastly, the Eneloop low-self-discharge batteries, 2nd-gen and later, will retain 80% of their charge for 2 years, making frequent refreshes unnecessary.

I'd like to run a smart charger directly from the 12Vs, but that would require an adapter cable with a voltage regulator.  In that case, having an inverter that can provide AC could be useful; the size would depend on the 12Vs.

A gas/propane generator could also be used to recharge the 12Vs, so a charge controller capable of running off of AC would be useful as well.

Another interesting application for prepping would be to buy 12V thermoelectric modules and make a rig to generate electricity from heat sources, i.e. from a cooking stove's waste heat, to recharge 12V batteries.  That's a bit more involved, however.

In my quest for knowledge, I ran into a site where the cyclist describes his setup.  Certainly, Goal Zero makes the best portable solar panel, but it's spendy.  You can get a 100W (monocrystalline) panel for just a hair over twice as much as the 7W GZ panel; however, it won't be very mobile.  The Nomad 7 (v2) is just right for a go bag.