The Do It Yourself Thread (for SHTF Scenario)

I will be posting videos instructions and blueprints for various survival techniques for both people in the Country and in the City. Before I begin, I would like to thank ALL of the folks that contribute to this forum, and if you enjoy what I post, please be sure to visit the others here.

When and if SHTF we need to be prepared, its not always easy to understand the steps and or routes that some might explain, so I decided to post do it yourself videos to try to make it easier. Some of these techniques will be quite easy, as others are clearly for those that might have the space, but this is for people with families or neighbors that can contribute to making the transition from supermarket to backyard, from the stove to the outdoor pit.

So please enjoy, and I hope that we all learn something, and if there is anyone with any more info, please be free to post it.

This section will be on solar cooking also pots and pans for this type of cooking and recipes.
Many of these solar stoves are used in third world countries, and are from family size to making an oven in a shoe box, and even an umbrella. The instructions are also in at least 7 different languages.
solarcooking.org...

Here is a full category list of different types of materials, pots, pans, lids, and paints that may be available to you in your particular area.
I will list a few that I think will be very helpful the rest is on the page. There is a total of 42 different categories.

Cardboard.

Cardboard is a popular material used for the construction of solar cookers. Can easily be found for free in developed countries and relatively cheaply in poorer countries. It is ideal for solar cooking because it's lightweight easy to work with and easy to find. Double-walled corrugated cardboard is stronger and more insulative than single-wall, desirable characteristics for some types of cookers.

Boxes from electronic equipment such as computer cases, printers, laptop computers, etc, are often of superior quality and in good proportions for solar box ovens.

solarcooking.wikia.com...

Solar cooking pots

Whenever we hear reports of people having trouble cooking in a solar cooker we most often find that they were using normal pots whose finish reflects the light away from the pot instead of absorbing it. Unless you're cooking, parabolic solar cooker where the light is being focused in on the bottom of the pot, it is very important to use dark colored pots. Pots of thin material heat faster than thick ones. Metal heats faster than ceramic or earthenware. Cast iron is slow to heat initially but will work during good solar cooking conditions.

solarcooking.wikia.com...

Here is a video on how to make your jars solar and cook directly in them

When using jars for cooking, make a hole in the lid of any non-canning jar, such as mayonnaise jars, peanut butter jars, etc., to prevent steam buildup. Dome and ring canning jar lids that are designed for food preservation automatically release excess steam pressure yet are safe only when used on canning strength, food preservation jars. The thickness and strength of non-canning glass jars is not intended to take the strain of steam under pressure and could break explosively unless vented.

solarcooking.wikia.com...
Its located mid page.

Now here are some videos to make Rocket Stoves.
Dr. Larry Winiarski makes a clean burning rocket stove using 16 adobe bricks at the Rotary International-sponsored Integrated Cooking Workshop in Tlautla, Mexico


Rocket stove out of thrown away bricks, trial 1


Here is a list of all types of recipes with directions when using a solar stove. It includes, beverages, past, meats, desserts, etc,.
solarcooking.wikia.com...

I'm not sure how to get my photos on my thread, but I have a picture of a Rocket stove that I built myself.

Now here are some videos to grow some of that delicious food for your solar ovens and rocket stoves, by using either containers, or garbage cans.

Container Gardening - How to Start an Easy Basic Garden


Gardening: Edible Plants : How to Grow Potatoes in a Garbage Can


Gardening Tips : How to Grow Strawberries Indoors


Gardening: Edible Plants : How to Grow Beans

as far as the beans I just bought 3 bags of my favorite beans, and took them right from the bag and into the ground, and within a month I grew 1/2 a pond of beans from one vine, from ONE bean. These for me were the easiest thing to grow, and the most producing.


Now I will post a video on how to build your own greenhouse with simple directions and material you can buy at Lowe's.

Organic Gardening - Building a Miniature Green House


Believe me you only need one of these videos, and this is the easiest one available. You can get any ideas just from this basic video. If you don't have land to build this on you can build a box underneath, and place on a roof or terrace.

I hope some of this information was informative and helpful. I will post more as I get info situated.

Peace, NRE.

I will bump this due to all the information that is available. I don't need replies or anything, I just want to make sure that this thread doesn't get lost, and people get a chance to see it, before its lost forever.

Peace, NRE.

Interesting thread.. As always with alot of good info for people.. Best advice can offer people is dont panic - stay calm.. You panic you die. By staying calm you can properly assess the situation and plan / act accordingly..

I wanted to post the least expensive, and easiest ways to get things going. I have done all of these things myself, and it is rewarding and calming that I know that I don't have to be rich or a scientist to get self sufficient.

Peace, NRE.

Ahhh, I guess I should have written the name of this thread....
DANGER DANGER, SHTF DANGER!! UNICORNS ARE TAKING OVER!!

I once wrote a thread about sharks driving and more people were interested

Well I hope that some people got the message

Peace, NRE.

Wow

Great info sir, star and a flag for you.

I will refer to this for a while.

reply to post by ArcAngel


Your quite welcome. This took me quite a while to complete, and make as easy as possible, and I will continue to post lots more information. And thank you for participating.

Peace, NRE.

BTW, and this is SUPER important. If there is anything that you enjoyed or want to try, but not until a later date, I highly recommend that any blueprints or recipes, of the solar stoves or anything like that, get printed, and put into a zipper bag.

If there was ever a time that you would need this and not have the availability of the internet, its always good to have for a time that it will be needed the most. I know people that say, Oh I saved it on my computer, and my reply is, what if your computer is down and you cant get to it?

So be sure to use the information wisely, especially as I begin to post more info, that can be printed and saved.

Thank you.

Peace, NRE.

Nice thread. S+F

This is great for anyone with a tiny budget. Just FYI, the last video you posted doesn't allow embedded videos. You can still watch it on youtube but have to sit through a commercial.

Nice thread S+F

Just a suggestion.
I think the information you are imparting would be more useful if it was presented in a way that people could print out and keep, rather then in video form that will be gone when youtube is no longer available.

Thank you very much for this information!! I do spend a good bit of time thinking about surviving what "may" and being able to feed my children is a HIGH priority for me! I do not have a printer so I will be taking *notes* and keeping them in a safe place!

Thanks again, I will be watching for more info from you, looking forward to it

Thanks for the info, starred and flagged.

I struggle with veg growing, so any info is welcome.

I love the brick stove, i'll try that with the kids this weekend.

Cheers.

CX.

I learned that you can purify water easily without a purifier..

How it is done is like this..

Sand
Charcoal
Sand
Charcoal.

I assume you can add more levels if you want but this is the gist of it.. It sorts out the bad things in the water and then you boil it and it should be drinkable, or use iodine and it will become drinkable.

Either way it is a good idea incase shtf..

Great thread, thanks!

I've been giving some thought to portable planting beyond pots. I'm going to pick up a camper frame and build a planter on top - sort of a raised bed. I'm going to install a removable plastic greenhouse over it and perhaps have a removable screen top as well (insect control). This type of set up would require regular watering but I think given the right plants would yield well. It can be planted tighter than an in ground garden due to the fact that the soil will be hand mixed and better prepared.

I'll let you all know next spring how this turns out.

reply to post by NoRegretsEver


Very useful information.

Could you show us how to dress out a dog or cat and cook it, because if the s really does h t f we will need to know how to do it as it will eventually become our main source of protein other than long pig of course.

reply to post by davespanners


I figured that the most important info, like the solar ovens, would be the most complicated to do from memory. It has blueprints that can be printed in many different languages, as for the videos, they were pretty simple. But as a poster had already mentioned, notes is great too.

Also many of the recipes can also be printed.

Thanks for the reply.

Peace, NRE.

A few PDFs that may be of use to you all. You'll need adobe reader to veiw/print these.

Stoves:

Rocket Stove Design

Rocket Stove from Cans

Justa Stove Plans

Portable Gardening:

website: Portable Gardening

reply to post by CX


The brick stove is my favorite, and so easy to do. Also a bit of advice, if you wanted to use it as a b-b-q grill without the charcoal you can place one or both of your oven racks between the bricks, or even from a grill you might already have.

Also with the design you can make a much larger stove. The one I made has 2 large slots, and 4 racks. I can make up to 4 things at once, you can control the temp for what your making, by raising and lowering on the racks.

Thanks for the reply.

Peace, NRE.

Also as far as water is concerned, with this stove and or solar stoves there is a definite way to clean and purify your water, without a stove.

reply to post by SeenMyShare


Thank you for the info. I was going to go get some more, but I think that is sufficient .

I hope others can come by and check those out.

Peace, NRE.

I can't believe more people haven't responded but then I am one of those who probably needs this thread. I am not a big reader of this forum but when something of interest pops up I will look. I never knew how to do any of these things. Thank you for putting this together for those of us like me who would probably die when shtf I will admit I am not very good at any of that survival stuff but it's only because nobody has ever taught me or even brought it up. I think everyone should know the basics.

I I will forward this to some friends too

S&F