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。

Tomato / Tomahto

I'd often heard the tomato / tomahto thing, but didn't know where exactly it was from.  Apparently the song is from a 1937 film, Shall We Dance, and is titled, "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off".

Charity Evaluation

It's that time of year again, and many people are hashing out charitable donations prior to the end of the year.  To that end, so-called "charity watchdog" sites can be helpful in ascertaining where to spend one's philanthropic capital.

• Charity Watch - The former American Institute of Philanthropy's charity watchdog rates fewer charities, and is more apt to skewer someone's sacred cow.  They only have 550 or so charities rated, and require a $40/yr donation to see the actual analyses.  However, there does seem to be a difference in the quality of the ratings relative to CN and BBB.
• Charity Navigator - The claim is that they rate 5500+ charities, but are less stringent than Charity Watch and have suspended adding new charities to their list.
• Better Business Bureau - The BBB is even less strict on their criteria than Charity Navigator and require a fee (somewhere in the order of $15k) for "accreditation".
• GuideStar - Has the most comprehensive database of the review sites listed here, albeit limited coverage of each one.  Definitely a useful resource for organizations not listed by other watchdogs.  I read that over 640k charities are cataloged.
• Give Well - A minor review organization focused on international charities.  While they appear to be quite liberal, at least they have a page chronicling their past mistakes, which seems to be a good-faith effort in accountability.
• Charities Review Council - A Minnesota-based charity review site.

Another site, GiveSpot, has some interesting vectors as well.

What I really want is a list of gun-friendly and anti-gun charities so I can be sure to steer my money away from the latter and toward the former.  Amusingly, the NRA rates well on multiple sites, whereas the Brady Campaign and VPC don't rate so well.  And I wish organizations like 2AF were more transparent: while I am absolutely for the cause, one wants to make most effective use of one's resources.

Diamond Gusset Jeans

Recently I read that Levi's supports anti-gun organizations and has such a policy.  Ah well, 501s fit like shit if you have testicles (I've tried them on multiple times and they always crunch my kiwis).  I used to wear their carpenter jeans because the fit was better in the crotch and have extra pockets.  However, their quality control went to hell and I had a number of them wear out in the back pocket--and I put my wallet in my front pocket.  Now I rather like Vertx tactical pants, except they're owned by Berkshire Hathaway....

Anyway, one forum thread had a link to Diamond Gusset, which has a gusseted crotch and apparently isn't anti-gun.  Looks to be worth trying.  Motorcycle riders might appreciate their jeans with kevlar to prevent road rash.

A bit of editorializing: anti-gun people are one of three things: ignorant, stupid, or evil, and none of those characteristics are good.

"The Scot who shaped Japan"

The Japan Times had an article in the print edition last weekend about a Scotsman, Thomas Blake Glover, who had an inordinate influence on post-Meiji Japan.  The centennial anniversary of his death is today (2011.12.16).

Ammo Oracle

Looking for info on 5.56x45mm ammo?  The Arfcom Ammo Oracle is the source for debunking stupid myths and educating the typical "heard it from a buddy" disinformation-passing gunowner.  (This is mirrored as a single file on various sites [1].)

What's really horrid is the pricing on M193 ammo: it's significantly lower than what I'd consider cheap nowadays: 18 cents per round circa 2002 versus 28 cents and change in 2011 (for new production).  If only my 401(k) had done that well.

SHTF School

Via RNS I came across this interesting site describing the realities of a real SHTF scenario.  Allegedly (well, unless you know the guy in person, he could be some bored teen making it up) the guy's from the Balkans and survived the meltdown there in the '90s.  Might be worth perusing for ideas; it'd be nice if someone trustworthy could confirm the validity of Selco's story.  Like Reagan said, "Trust, but verify."

Anyway, the post of interest was regarding gold/silver when SHTF.  His point was that nobody'd take such things because people were scrambling for food and needed useful items, not inert metals.  Further, having such items would make you a target.  He makes the interesting suggestion of buying cheap gold jewelry for wampum, and when making trades play it off as being that you're down to bartering the family jewels, i.e. there ain't any more left where that comes from.

I'd counter that if you have a core of self-sufficient people with a diverse skill-set, who don't really need food/water, the money is a way of keeping the non-essentials on an even basis.  It's hard to predict, so it may be wise to hedge one's bets.

misc.survivalism

There's a misc.survivalism newsgroup that lives on post-Usenet.  USA Emergency Supply appears to have cribbed some of their info on food storage from the FAQ.

HK Builds 2

Looks like HKParts is selling a flat bending jig for HK-pattern rifles.  It'd be pretty neat to put an HK91 clone together, but I'd have to learn how to TIG/MIG weld first.  A hydraulic press is necessary for affixing the trunnion to the barrel, and for some jigs, forming the flat.  So one needs either a well-equipped shop, a friend with said shop, or a build party in the vicinity.

I also came across a pictorial guide to bending a flat and building a CETME.  Way cool.

The jig shown in a link on my earlier build post was cooler than either of the above, though.

Sugatsune

While browsing the Rockler site to see what they have, I noticed a section "Sugatsune special order".  Japanese name, special order: must be good stuff, right?  Apparently it is indeed made in Japan.  The prices are higher than stuff made in China, but one pays for quality.

Shooting Glasses

Thus far I've come across three types of shooting glasses that accommodate prescription (Rx) inserts.

1. Radians StrikeForce and StrikeForce II (8600 & 8650), which use the RX-85 inserts
2. Revision Bullet Ant, Desert Locust, and Sawfly, which use the Rx carrier
3. ESS Profile NVG and Advancer V-12, which have an available Rx carrier

Radians is the cheap solution, but the Rx insert sits such that the top of the insert is slightly above the outer lenses, which is pretty uncool.  Revision or ESS are much more expensive, but appear to be much more rugged.

Charisma Man

Charisma Man is an amusing, if not chauvinistic, comic about a Canadian dork who goes to Japan and manages to get girls—except when his arch-nemesis Western Woman shows up and ruins the effect of his "special charisma".

Some people have commented that the perception of Japanese woman going ga-ga for Caucasian men is racist.  However, I've seen it in action enough that I consider it a fair assessment.  I've found it completely annoying when a girl is hanging off the arm of a total dweeb, way out of her league, who wouldn't be able to get a girl back home, which is probably what drove the authors to write the comic.

I would make the point, too, that some Caucasian women, particularly American women, have gotten too big for their britches, e.g. excessively liberated, and they could use a dose of reality.  Perhaps if enough eligible bachelors find mates elsewhere, Western Woman will have a change of tune.

Japanese women's discretion has improved in recent years due to the popularity of American TV shows in Japan; at least they have a cultural frame of reference, however exaggerated.

Full-Auto Battery-Launching Airgun

This is bad-ass.  This would be a cool project, except I'm more interested in launching smaller, more practical projectiles!

NSNs

I've seen NSNs on listings of military surplus (both used and new-old stock) for a while, and determined that only the items that actually had a NSN shown were the genuine article and not repro.  There's a site ArmyProperty.com that has a lookup of NSNs to goods, which is pretty handy.

As far as gas/water cans go, olive-drab.com has some detail on how they went from metal to plastic.

The "War" on "Terror"

Excellent.

There is no War on Terror. If there was, the whole nation would be told to take up arms. Everybody would be armed, even on aircraft. Inexpensive AK47s would be stored in every closet, much like arms are stored in homes all over Switzerland because the Swiss government has nothing to fear from its populace. There is only a war against our freedom in the name of a created threat that doesn't exist. We have been duped into surrendering our liberty in the false name of security by a government that sends us out into the "War On Terror" unarmed because we cannot be trusted with guns. The most basic of all rights is the right of self defense against criminal attacks. A great equalizer between the weak and the strong, guns in the hands of women could reduce assaults upon them by stronger male attackers by 80%. How can it be said that women have equal rights if they cannot carry, yet Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush all hide behind guns for their protection because they're much more important than our wives, sisters and daughters? Again, the only 'war' is on our freedoms.  (Jack Duggan, "The Bear That's There")

CCW AAR & Lessons Learned

One gunblog had a link to an after-action report on Arfcom of a shootout between a concealed-carry type and a bad guy.  There are two lessons to be learned from this: 1) Carry a weapon without a grip safety, as you might not be able to operate it with your hand(s) shot, and 2) Either carry a weapon without a manual safety, or leave it off, since the bad guy might hear you switching off the lever.  #1 kind of disqualifies 1911s and XDs from being a good CCW gun.  Maybe they're ok for competition, but there are features that compromise their usefulness.

Build Your Own First Aid Kit

Yet another prepper site, BePrepared.com.  The build your own first aid kit page is a neat idea; too bad they're low on interesting items like NPA/OPA and coagulant.

Mall Ninjas

Apparently the term came from forum posts on GlockTalk and later HK91 from a seriously delusional individual.  They're archived on LonelyMachines, as they should be because they're truly legend.