My list of survival items and skills

I have a thread running about how your guns and food preps will not save you.
I notice that almost all of the survivalists are preparing to live in preindustrial society conditions. i want the ability to create any sort of mechanical or eelctrical device I could dream of and fix anything. Instead of buying food preps I am making a list of barterable items. Every tom,dick, harry and thier dogs are buying the usual stuff of food and ammo. So here is my list

spices(black peppercorns, salt, cinnamon etc)
industrial materials( butyl rubber tape, types of glues, antifriction alloys, potassium ferrocyanide to case harden steel( will stop 50cal bullets)
electrical components( resistors, capacitors, coils, screws, wire, timers, solar cells)
machine equipment( engine lathe and a knee mill. Plus all measuring equipment, and tooling)
refractory materials such as alumina and silicone carbide.usefull for creating high temperature to cast metals.
chemicals( ammonium nitrate, sulfuric acid nitric acid, various catalysts, inert electrodes to do electro-chemistry.
metals( lead, tin, antimony, silver. useful for creating bullets anti friction alloys, solders. You need the ability to fine tune the composition of solders so they will work with iron and steel)
welding rods and flux ( building a welding machine is easy if you can regulate the field voltage on an automotive alternator) welding materials will command a very high premium wtshtf

You notice that everything here cost alot of money and you cannot eat. And requires substantial technical skill to use. but the quality of life that proper use of these technologies will be enormous. Instead of living like cavemen or
in squalor like other survivalist will be doing. you hold the keys to the industrial society. life will be tolerable and even enjoyable.

Actually, you're thinking in a good way, albeit somewhat flawed.

I take it gathering together a small band of men and ceasing control of a weapons manufacturing facility appeals to you?

This is from your own thread entitled "Your Survival Skills are worthless"

if you think that you can survive the upcoming plagues, famines, wars, and nukes with your family or with a a few friends. You are sorely mistaken. The degree of intensity of the sheer horrors that are upcoming will surely shake the world up completely. I don't care how well you are stocked up even if you have silos of preps and tons of bullets you have little hope of making it through the night.
I have knowledge of the future and I know that many will form survival retreats and end up eating thier families for food. Normal people will become savage like animals.
infected people will be forever modified and can never be healed. Diseases that will literally change your dna structure will race across the globe. the elite have knowledge of these events and have made preparations. Unfortunately even these heavily fortified complexes underground will not shield them from dying.

The biggest survivalists on the internet will have
a huge firefight with other survivalist and gangs. Way too many people know about his retreat and how it was built. Soon after the diseases hit it will be impossible to get to a real safe place. and soon after that you will be turned away becuase you have been modified.
My advice to you is pray. pray for wisdom. DO not be afraid. God will protect you in the trials of the earth. This is not the time to "make preps"

So what happened in that 9hrs from that post to this for you to come 180 and decide survival skills and prep work "are needed" and are not "worthless"? Did God speak to you in your prayers for wisdom and tell you that survivalist's might know something you do not? If we wont survive the first night, how is it you will? None of the things on your list will help you or your family survive one day much less some sort of catastrophic event. But good luck with that.

My $.02

Silver

reply to post by heliumboy


Interesting viewpoint on post event reconstruction, and i cant disagree with your argument. I would only say my first priority would be to make it through the event and beyond.
Thefore i would suggest as well as spices
vitamins
lots of first aid items
emergency dental kit
( imagine 1 month post event, trying to build a wind turbine, but with raging toothache- the sort that can drive you mad)
I tend to look at how i can cope with everyday events, that can become serious if the infrastrutures gone:
how to filter water
how to treat someone with diorea
etc

It`s certainly not just about getting things, it`s knowing how to use them.
Knowledge is the first step to ultimate survival.
I`m sure in a post event situation, that your hardware would be a valuable bartering store. And someone needing an item from you would trade, just like in days of old.

reply to post by heliumboy


You overlooked one very useful material in your list...resins/hardeners and fibreglass matting!

with that you can make impact/blade resistant (tho not bullet resistant) body armour panels for an urban warrior type survival scenraio...make air/water filter units...build boat hulls or even microlite wings if you prefer to fly (think Colditz glider)...build/patch shelters and roofs...fabricate wind/hydro turbine blades and housings and for casting the stator-rings...the list of uses for the stuff is endless!

[edit on 27-5-2008 by citizen smith]

This list is similar to one I have set up in a small shop, but don't forget one thing: you may well have to bug out at a moment's notice and leave all that stuff behind.

The real key is knowledge... where to find components (such as scraping a busted TV or stereo), and how to uise the items retrieved to assemble what you need.

I have a similar list:

• three-in-one machine shop (Smithy Midas 1220)
  
• Lincoln MIG welder, along with wire.
  
• Various woodworking tools (table saw, router/table, sawsall, drills/bits, circular saw, etc.)
  
• Drafting setup for design work
  
• metal-working tools (cutoff saw, vises, grinders, etc.)
  
• A good set of wrenches/sockets/ratchets/extensions
  
• Various shapes and sizes of mild steel, aluminum, ABS plastic, copper tubing
  
• A collection of lumber, regular and PT
  
• A selection of PVC pipe in various sizes and fittings.
  
• A huge electronic parts collection, plus circuit board fabrication materials
  
• Chemicals and apparati, such as flasks, stands, beakers, tubing, etc.
  
• Typically used chemicals and accessories for all of the above.
  

But this is not for a SitX situation. This is for an economic disaster. I can create almost anything I can envision or need, with a minimum of purchased materials. This is for the possibility (probability) that the simple things we rely on will become unavailable or unaffordable.

Should a SitX situation arise, I can maintain my home almost indefinitely, and I can defend it against minor attack. In the event of a major assault, I will bug out and leave all this behind, until the time when I can retake it.

Your preparations are good, but don't put too much faith in them.

TheRedneck

Diversity. Great idea. Yes, we will need these things.

I would love to see production shift back into smaller enterprises, more under the control of the local tradesmith rather than the global corporation.


We spend our lives building up a company that then tosses us overboard and moves overseas... THIS ISN'T RIGHT.

Damn, I think im in trouble, apart from starting to stock up on dired foods and some simple bits and pieces, I lack the skill to work metal and other substances and materials. Am I doomed, infact the only thing I can do well is fish.

A few Points

I assume you have a very large generator and a lot of fuel stockpiled to power all that equipment..

How exactly will you have the energy to do all this heavy labor if you have no food stores laid-in?

I didn't see any mention of firearms, so how do you plan on defending all this equipment from looters?

Originally posted by LLoyd45
A few Points

I assume you have a very large generator and a lot of fuel stockpiled to power all that equipment..

How exactly will you have the energy to do all this heavy labor if you have no food stores laid-in?

I didn't see any mention of firearms, so how do you plan on defending all this equipment from looters?

Some types of machine equipment can be converted to direct drive from a external motor such as a water wheel or gas engine. If you are lucky you are situated near a large river such as the hudson or colorado. Just dam off a section. A large water wheel can be made along with a tall gear ratio. 50kw is an easy proposition. you can find used 50kw generators on ebay for less than 5K. if you are inventive then you can make 500kw off of a major river. with this kind of power a small scale industry can be built.



I feel That the almighty is leading some people to "set up shop" in mountain ranges. Those who know God will find thier way to these places. Those who don't will probably get whacked by government goons, the bug, asteroids, earthquakes, tsunamis, anything that heaven decides to throw at the earth.
of course this is all speculation.
I am doing nothing except acquire mechanical skills to design these types of projects. it is not time to hoard and play Rambo just yet. To have a proper retreat you need a big mix of skills. some people who can fish, others sew, some wll be blacksmith, others will be engineers.

When it is time to be at your retreat. the weather will be so cold that any looters will die before they even get 25 miles away from your retreat.


some survivalist will make it others will perish. Salvation comes when we are airlifted away from the retreat in whirlwinds. the question will be have you refined yourself spiritually.

Exactly, the brotherhood-of-man-rekindled after a time of hardship needs everyone in an area to pull together.
I can't see this happening if the government is destroyed and anarchy is going on though

reply to post by WatchRider


It's almost impossible from my beliefs for complete anarchy to take place. The ambitions and concerns of man will and has almost always driven someone to drive to the top and gain control in the midst of chaos. It can end up being some sort of criminal, politician, soldier, an average joe even. You don't really need to have an education to be a leader, because if that was a requirement then humanity would never have made it past hunting and gathering.
People in need will begin to flock to strong leadership. For instance there is Vladimir Putin of Russia, the Russians seem to like strong leaders to unite them when things are seeming to look down. The same thing will likely occur in a post-apocalyptic world.
Man tends to look for some form of order in society (or lack thereof). It's greatly a part of the psychology of the human mind.
I find it illogical to believe that everything will abruptly end after the apocalypse. Man is too ambitious to allow that.

To Heliumboy:

Which Almighty God are you reffering too? The Christian one, the Muslim one, the Hindu one, or Gods et al?

I dont know about some of you on this forum but as soon as I see 'God' mentioned in 'Survivalist' terms, then I am sorry, I cannot take the poster of the article seriously.

Originally posted by heliumboy
A large water wheel can be made along with a tall gear ratio. 50kw is an easy proposition...if you are inventive then you can make 500kw off of a major river. with this kind of power a small scale industry can be built.

50kW? 500kW??? You're talking a major civil-engineering project there that could power a decent-size village at averaged current on-grid power consumption levels with the all-mod-con electrical devices

Even with the materials you have at hand you are going to need a considerably sized and specialised-skilled team for the manpower, lifting machinery, mechanics, electrics, and plenty of high-voltage switch-gear/relays/monitoring eqpt/cabling for power distribution!

I'd strongly recommend looking at basic 12-24V DC based on RV/yacht electrical systems with (preferrably) marine deep-cycle, or standard car battery bank for power staorage and charging...and downsizing your dependance on electricity to around 2-3kW/hr/peak at a maximum draw...plenty enough power for a basic workshop/home and far safer to build and use

There are plenty of info sources on DIY building a wind/hydro power generators that could supply all your power needs based on that maximum 2-3kW capacity, but still require a fair amount of time investing in engineering to build and maintain.





[edit on 27-5-2008 by citizen smith]

Its simple I will just wate til you starve to death then take all your stuff.
Food and meds as well as your list needs to be stored.

In one thread you say were all gonna die don't try. then in the next every body but you is gonna die because we stock up on actual survival goods.

So when we all die who are you gonna trade with. You cant have it both ways. I cant believe I am the only one bothered by your arrogance.

Wotan I gave you a star.

[edit on 27-5-2008 by angryamerican]

reply to post by angryamerican


Well I'm going to give helium a break here as they're a new member...it's easy to be swamped by all the information we share here on ATS and feel like there's no use in trying as we'll all be doomed, then after that phase of denial/helplessness passes, there's the renewed sense of empowerment that you actually can do something to help yourself and others...

There is a god too...he's called Ray Mears

Heliumboy

If your gonna be working with chemicals I'd advise you to get protective equipment such as thick gloves a thick apron a dedicated chemical first aid kit and rig up some ventialtion for your work area.

Trust me I've worked with these kinds of chemicals (and worse) for years, its bad enough getting a burn at work (and not all burns are on the outside) but in a sitX it could literally be life or death if you dont have all the necessities.

Well, I can't afford to buy all that stuff. I will probably be one of the many who die right away. I'll probably try to make it up to the Arctic and ask the Eskimos if I can live with them. They still live off the land for the most part. I will learn their skills.

i would like to add an item that alot of us use but never think about.

it is 2 cycle oil.
At your retreat your gonna have chainsaws and ATV's plus it is highly barterable
I a stocking up on this item