Survivalist: Learning/Teaching Trades

Okay, I thought it was time to create an additional Survivalist Thread Nest, because I anticipate this one getting fairly large over time.

Calling anyone who can teach a trade, or can begin learning one.

It occurred to me in the shower that I possess few trade skills. My entire occupation and the majority of my skills deal with computers, and require one to be present. In the event the juice goes out, I've just lost my ability to do what I'm best at.

That needs to change.

In the event of Situation X, eventually the immediate threat to life will pass and it will be time to repair and rebuild, or to start from the ground up. Society will be desperate for the skills of those skilled in surgery, engineering, carpentry, metallurgy, smithing, and other skills that produce or repair a tangible object. Because our civilization is so advanced, we assume these skills are in abundance, but in fact, are desperately lacking.

I propose we start "Survivalist Trade: _____" threads as they come up, as teachers are found who would be willing to give us the basics of what tools are needed, what books are good to start with, what sorts of facts and figures are neccessary to do the job. Other experts can contribute to the same threads, those interested in learning can ask questions, share their experiences and so forth.

The format would pretty much be the same as the rest of the survivalist threads, except the thread names would be something like this

(eg. "Survivalist Trade: Carpentry" and tag the thread with "survivalist series trade")

We need threads for the following (in no particular order), and probably much much more:

Carpentry
Metallurgy (various)
Smithing (various)
Engineering (various)
First Aid/Lifesaving
Mining (various)
Agriculture (various)
Tailoring/Textiles (various)
Cooking/Butchering
Mechanics (various)
Masonry/Stonecutting (various)
Glass Making (various)
Horseriding/Care (various)
Vet/Doctor (various)


I myself have decided to persue carpentry as a trade skill. I start tomorrow, where a journeyman carpenter will start teaching me the basics.

[edit on 10/27/2006 by thelibra]

Good thread/forum idea T.L.
I'm studying architecture and sustainable living...should 'situation x' happen, communities will need shelters built and places to meet to rebuild society. I know exactly where you are coming from that so much of our current social infrastructure is dependant on electricty and the microchip, and that without it we we will be set back 100years+

Rather than stockpile guns and ammunition we should begin stockpiling textbooks and manuals, and making print-copies of any relevant info from the net while we still have the capacity...paper-based knowledge will be worth far more than it's weight when the lights go out and the t'internet is broken

Brillant idea. I'll will come up with some this weekend.

Originally posted by timski

Rather than stockpile guns and ammunition we should begin stockpiling textbooks and manuals, and making print-copies of any relevant info from the net while we still have the capacity...paper-based knowledge will be worth far more than it's weight when the lights go out

I agree with this statement except I would say IN ADDITION to guns and ammo, not 'rather than'.
I have 4 books in my large to-go pack.
One on carpentry, one on identifying plants and uses, one on shelters and one on natural medicines and first aid.

11Bravo, at a guess you're not in the UK? we cant own firearms/ammo without serious hoop-jumping and red-tape tangles at the very least. The closest thing I own to a weapon is a sharp mind...that, and my trusty Barnett Blackwidow slingshot.

If the worst should ever happen, then you'd stand a far greater chance of survival pulling together as a community than fending for yourself alone in open country. If you have access to books and manuals your collective can become stronger through knowledge, and projects such as shelter building and food gathering, defence and construction can be made far easier with many more hands to help

Timski- perhaps archery equipment is more up your alley. 11Bravo has a point- every community needs warriors in addition to smiths. Two points to remember:

1. What's to stop someone from walking over, kicking over your ferrier's shop and jacking your stuff?

2. There will only be one kind of large mammal readily available everywhere for consumption, and it only has two legs.

DE

Another good thread!
Whilst i agree and understand what timski has said (living in the uk myself) i also understand and totaly agree with Deusex and 11bravo.

Its ok to have all the trademen/women on "you side" or camp but whats to stop others who maybe more agressive coming and forcefully taking these people to their side (so to speak).

You MUST have some sort of protection for your family friends and people you are surrounding yourself with.
There must be complete and utter trust within your group.

If Sit X happens, then you MUST be prepared for EVERY eventuality, and that includes other people taking advantage of things you may have.

You will also need "natural leaders"
thats not to say the toughest man on the street!
By this i mean someone who can organise things, someone who will be able to perform tasks , give others specialised tasks, and so on without people thinking that "who put him/her in charge".

People would have to be given specific jobs/tasks, those in charge of housing/ giving out food etc.

Alkthough none of what i have suggested are trades, they are still points that would have to be organised should Sit X ever happen?

There is an excellent survival book "How to Survive Anything" or some such title, put out by the U.S. Army. If you go to Amazon and google "U.S. Army survival book" that should do it. It's a paperback, about 1 inch thick and has absolutely EVERYTHING you need to know. If you're stuck in the North pole with absolutely nothing, it will tell you how to find food, make shelter etc. It's a basic all purpose book for any and all emergencies.

I'm thinking, what if we organize within our communities? We could gather up interested parties such as ourselves and organize so that one person knows alot about gardening and canning, another person is expert at making clothes, a carpentry expert, etc. That way everyone has a specialty and can be working at it, acquiring necessary tools, etc. The Mormons have a good idea, they keep enough food for their families to last a month or so, plus enough for another family. We always have a surplus of food for emergencies and I've started learning about canning and learning more about gardening. My hussband is learning carpentry and we have a neighbor who is building his own steam engine.

OK, how about Survivalist: location So that we can have a network of friendly locations available throughout the nation. I live outside of Pittsburgh Pa. I would be happen to network with others in my area. I think what is happening is that a lot of us are overlapping on equipment and skills sets and it would make more sense to have some central locations where we can meet.

There are a few good books about “lost arts” in reference/how-to/diagrammed format.

The Foxfire book series as a whole has many chronicled, extremely detailed and useful topics with many variations on each such as: Animal care to hide tanning, metallurgy to building log cabins and lumber kilns, food preservation to trapping/hunting to herbal remedies etc etc…all of which is a historical record of frontier life and mountain survival…as well as containing many cultural aspects about an era passed.

I bought the Foxfire book series for a friend a few (or more) years back and ended-up eventually purchasing the series for myself. The information within the volumes is fascinating and the earlier books of the series are filled with survival information with a proven history.
(basic information Here)

The series continues to produce additions fairly often.

mg

I recommend getting an allotment. I have one and really enjoy growing my own food (and making my own cider).. You are learning all the time and there is nothing more rewarding than eating a plate of food you have grown from seed.

I am most interested in those firefox books. I never heard of them before today, thank you. As I have mentioned in another similar thread, I took to d/l tons of survival books and pamphlets. A simple search online, or a visit to a peer to peer exchange will yeild many areas of interest. Perhaps we could list some of the ones that encompass most general needs. Sort of a compilation of info that one could hunt down. I started with army field manuals and from there progressed to some survivalist pamphlets. Aside from the political views of the author/group, the basic info can be invaluable in times of need.

I think Hilary-155 has an excellent point.

Even though im not in the USA im in the UK , i agree with hilary-155 it would be very good ,if not essential, to have a meeting point where "survivalists" would agree to meet and share the knowledge out, and help each other out, that would be the start of a community. iresepective of race , colour, religion and all that crap!

You may have all the knowledge in the world..but lonleyness...is a killer!
Build up a network of "survivalists" now so when the "if" does happen we are already structured to some extent, because the one thing we can guarentee is the web wont be up and running for long?

Top point hilary155

Originally posted by hilary_155
OK, how about Survivalist: location So that we can have a network of friendly locations available throughout the nation. I live outside of Pittsburgh Pa. I would be happen to network with others in my area. I think what is happening is that a lot of us are overlapping on equipment and skills sets and it would make more sense to have some central locations where we can meet.

Thats a good idea, in theory. But most of the people here will not do it, because they will say that its not very secret if everyone knows about it, besides, if it was a catastrophe like Situation X, would you really risk you life to go to a designated spot to try to survive with people youve never even meet? I sure wouldnt.

You are most likely not going to seek out distant acquaintences if it hit the fan. Thinking family based is more realistic. I wonder if perhaps there were keywords one could use on sw radio that would help connect friends if something were to happen. Say, if I were out on the east coast and I transmitted with a call name 'ATS Shadow Watcher', maybe someone listening may recognise the ATS portion and respond in kind. I mean if I were scanning the airwaves and someone used the name Skeptic Overlord, I would respond out of curiosity. I may not be suggesting using ATS per se, but something along those lines. Interesting

First
i have never heard of the firefox books either, so i am obviously way behind, do i just d/load from firefox?

"The time is now":
I do understand your skeptisism to some degree, if Sit X happens the last thing you will be thinking about is meeting up with strangers.....but if the same strangers were the key to you survival, once you have your family and closest friends together i think it should be your next point of call.

"shadow watcher"
100% xlcnt idea mate!
A code word could and should be used incase of Sit X, that way we know the XXXx has hit the fan!

Originally posted by thelibra
I myself have decided to persue carpentry as a trade skill. I start tomorrow, where a journeyman carpenter will start teaching me the basics.

Glad you've decided to pick up the hammer! I STRONGLY recommend an Estwing 20 oz. to get going with (they can be ordered with leather handles). The best way to learn hammer skills is to salvage lumber, there is always plenty on the curbside around town.

Rhythm is everything with carpentry. tap tap bam bam Bam - tap tap bam bam Bam - tap tap bam bam Bam...

Another good thing to learn is to advance nails with one hand while your other keeps tapping. Practice with your left hand turning over roofing nails. Hold about 20 in your hand and one by one progress them to between the tips of your index and middle finger, head of nail to the palm side. Once one is in position... drop it and advance the next. Eventually instead of dropping you will nail it with the hammer and advance the next. tap tap bam bam Bam.

Never hold nails with your fingers down at board level... always hold just below the head of the nail. Fingers on the board = rock and hard place. Also never hold your nails thumb and index like a pencil... though it is the easy way, it places your fingers in good position to break.

Get ready to say goodbye to those baby soft keyboard hands too... look forward to splinters and blood.

If the man teaching you carpentry is pushing plywood, air nailers, and simpson strong ties... you're not learning a thing about survival.

I am also a wealth of hands on information on the subject of copper plumbing, electrical, masonry, home remedies, and agriculture. Just ask if you have questions.

Oh and the Foxfire books have nothing to do with mozilla firefox, check foxfire.org

I am,

Sri Oracle

edit for foxfire - firefox dyslexia





[edit on 14-12-2006 by Sri Oracle]

Originally posted by Sri Oracle
Oh and the Firefox books have nothing to do with mozilla firefox, check firefox.org

Just to be clear:

The series of books I mentioned is named Foxfire….not "firefox"… and I previously provided a link so one may search for other reviews/sources as applicable.

The series originated by chronicling and recording regional Appallation frontier living, crafts, construction etc. and the set has grown today to include many other ‘lost arts’ from the same period from many different regions throughout the US and Canada.


mg

www.kk.org...

Check this book out. This is definitely a dying art that will be desperately needed should civilization as we know it should collapse.

One thing i didn't notice in the list of skills that would be valuable was electrical and electronics. While yes the internet would most likley be down and computers might not be working and we may not have any electricty, these skills will still be very useful. After the initial survival of Situation X Survivors should be starting to come back together to rebuild their communities and help each other out. In this case all of the skills listed would be very useful but i think electronics will be a useful skill as well. Being able to gather information will be very valuable and anyone who can build or repair radios and transmitters as well as figure out how to supply them the juice will be needed.

Plus being able to communicate with the next town over or communities around you could prove valuable for security purposes, or trading of suppies. Or being able to recharge batteries for walkie talkies could make life and rebuilding easier. These are skillsets that we wouldnt want to just let die away.

Skills that could be of value, how to generate electricty building and repairing a generator and hooking it up to a wind mill or similiar natural energy collector.
Build and fix a radio both transmitter and receiver.
Morse code could come in handy.

Also mentioned in the thread was a common way to identify other survivalists after Situation X occured. We could designate a peticular radio frequency for find each other.