This weeks preps check-in

[Gazrok]

I was going to do a concrete slab for the gazebo, until I priced it out...yikes. I'll stick with stones and gravel thanks. More power to you Brent. That's a lot of work.

We'll be doing a gravel and stone path to the gazebo and pool too.

Since the last satellite pic doesn't have these additions, here' an idea of the layout now.
The blue fences are ones we still need to put in. (just to show location).
I still need to build the pool platform and put in the walkways to it and the gazebo, but hopefully this weekend. (if t he weather cooperates...it didn't last weekend).

 

[Brent S]

Got the forms done for the monolithic slab done today for the new shop. It's actually a multipurpose building with prepping in mind. I also got the plastic sheeting and rebar set in it, and raked the surrounding area and got hay spread. Also sprayed termite treatment on area. We got the silt fence set for erosion too. Tomorrow I'll spread some grass seed out and finish cleaning up the area. I can't pour till next week after the inspection though. Sucks that I got rained out today, but glad the plastic was down as Ga clay is really nasty when wet. It's moving along but I'll be glad to have the foundation stuff done.

 

[jontte]

did just modify my edc-pack with a kevlar backing,something little to protect my 6.

you guys are amazing!!!!

 

[Silent Earth]

Spent most of the day looking for good gas cans 5gal or so then getting pissed once home.

Initially gone out looking for a good old Blitz 5gal plastic gas can, no damn luck, ended up getting 4 6gal Briggs & Stratton cans (plastic) filled them up before bringing them home, once home filled one of the generators up to find out the spout sucks (drip drip drip) changed the spout from the other new can then that one had other problems (leaked) tried the third finally one that works so I tagged it as a good one then out of curiosity tried the 4th one it f_____ leaked, by this time I'm pissed, I head back into town to look for some good o'l spouts, I couldn't find the older spouts anywhere they all sold these new spouts! In the end I find out Blitz gone out of business and the older spouts were ban by the government.... what the g______ hell, so I gone one ebay to look for the older Blitz spouts... shxt, the damn things are selling for like 26.00 damn dollars for a used plastic spout. I go to Amazon no luck though Amazon did have a Blitz 5gal can for a ___________ $90 damn dollars, being in an already bad mood I start looking at the metal can oh shxt.. good grief $50 some odd dollars for a 5gal metal can not a chance in hell. So I tried my spouts from the older Briggs & Stratton cans (plastic) ... oh for christ sakes the threads are different on my new cans.

I got nothing accomplished today except anger!

I can still get new NATO coated steel 5 gallon Jerry cans for £20 each over here ( $30)

 

[jontte]

that's a good deal mate!

 

[Silent Earth]

Yeah I tended to keep between 6 and 8 or em when I had the Ford Transit Van , but now 'm stuck with the little suzuki I only carry a ten litre can that still gives me 70 miles range.

 

[Mountain trapper]

Got the slab poured for the well house and the walls framed. Started on the trusses and installing the windows. Ordered a new 8kw (10kw surge) generator, should be here next week. Finished roofing the new extension on the bee house. Did some more excavation on the garage site and put about 40 yards of dirt on the barn floor to bring it to level. Cleared the house site. And finally the dog found another damn rattlesnake today. At least he didn't get bit this time. That's 3 rattlers that we killed here on the property and 3 more on the road. Two within 1 week.

 

[Mountain trapper]

Double post again.

 

[Silent Earth]

Just ordered a new CB unit, President Grant 2 premium export model ( expanded) 4 watt 27 MHZ AM and FM, 12 watt SSB , in expanded mode it apparently puts out 20 watts. Rig covering the following channels
EXPORT MODE

To convert this radio for additional frequencies is fairly easy (see my video below for details). After performing the modification you'll have the following bands available -

A 26.965 - 27.405 Mid CEPT /Mid US
B 27.415 - 27.855
C 26.515 - 26.955
D 27.865 - 28.305
E 26.065 - 26.505
F 28.315 - 28.755
G 25.615 - 26.055
H 28.765 - 29.205
I 29.215 - 29.655
j 29.655 - 30.105

The modification also unlocks the ability to change the last digit from a 5 to a 0. Something useful for freeband and ham radio bands. The radio does not have the ability to tune in 1 kHz steps which would have been a nice feature on this radio, but I think since the new Lincoln II is going to offer split modes and 1 kHz tuning steps President is trying to tier their radio line a bit and make a clear distinction between the President Grant II and the additional features added to the President Lincoln II. I think the more serious operators who also are looking for a radio to use on ham radio frequencies and perhaps even CW use will be looking towards the Lincoln II.

 

[Joe SA]

okay,how did you tell your closest family members that you prep and how did you "recruit" them ??
as my oldest son is moving in with me,I'd love to add him into this...

Just do it straight up, let it settle, either they will be in or out.

 

[jimLE]

aint a prep,or what ever.but i finally got a tree cut down.in which it's been falling apart on us..all i got left to do now.is to cut it up into manageable pieces so it can hauled off.on account there's beetles n roaches in it..

 

[user 4617]

Picked up a new BOB, got a used USMC issued big bag and assault bag for $90


- Jim

 

[Brent S]

aint a prep,or what ever.but i finally got a tree cut down.in which it's been falling apart on us..all i got left to do now.is to cut it up into manageable pieces so it can hauled off.on account there's beetles n roaches in it..

Sounds like it would be good to sit around in the evening and enjoy the fire. It will be cool enough in a couple months anyways. I heat my house with wood mostly, but anything too bad or odd sized gets put in the fire pit.

 

[jimLE]

that tree was a part of the sitting area.in which we do have a fire pit there.but like i pointed out.roaches.and i don't want them within 500 feet of the home...pluss the wood is still green,and i find it hard to catch green wood on fire..

 

[Gazrok]

Good point about bugs in the wood. We'll be adding a fire pit to the backyard setup, and I just figured on putting a woodpile by the house. But, we're in FL, so may be a better idea to put that elsewhere, and simply wheelbarrow some wood over when using it....I've actually got a perfect spot to put it, now that I think of it.

 

[Brent S]

that tree was a part of the sitting area.in which we do have a fire pit there.but like i pointed out.roaches.and i don't want them within 500 feet of the home...pluss the wood is still green,and i find it hard to catch green wood on fire..

If it's size able and dry it gets used in the wood burning stove. Everything else gets enjoyed in the pit by the creek with a glass of wine. I actually just burned a huge blaze as its been so hot I don't want to even see a fire right now. The debris had been building up too long so I just decided to light it up. This fall ill go back to the evening fires.

 

[Gazrok]

Silent Earth, what is it you don't like about the plastic fuel containers? I've never had a problem with them, so just curious? My big issue is making sure folks stick with putting just Diesel in the yellow containers, and regular gas in the red ones....

 

[Joe SA]

Silent Earth, what is it you don't like about the plastic fuel containers? I've never had a problem with them, so just curious? My big issue is making sure folks stick with putting just Diesel in the yellow containers, and regular gas in the red ones....

The only problem i had with my plastic fuel cans, the one for gas became a little brittle after 10 years, ill stick with them cause they can take that extra 5lt and they cost a lot less over here. We used to store diesel in those big steel oil drums, all of them rusted through from the inside, so we swithced over to the plastic ones, just one recommendation, keep them away from direct sunlight.

 

[user 4617]

https://plus.google.com/+JimLinch/posts/cYCa8M8iYzi

Learned how to make plum jelly from the trees in the yard.


- Jim

 

[Mountain trapper]

Picked up the new American made generator on Thursday and tried to return the Chinese junk one. When I ordered the new genset they said I had 90 days to return the other one. Turns out they only have a 30 return policy on generators. Now I have two 8kw generators. Guess I'll repair it myself and keep it for backup. Next week the electrician will wire the new generator to the pump.
The concrete guy came out to estimate the cement needed for the garage. Looks like he'll need a pumper unit with a 100' extension to reach it.
And killed another rattlesnake this morning. This one was just a baby, the most dangerous kind.

 

[Mountain trapper]

The only problem i had with my plastic fuel cans, the one for gas became a little brittle after 10 years, ill stick with them cause they can take that extra 5lt and they cost a lot less over here. We used to store diesel in those big steel oil drums, all of them rusted through from the inside, so we swithced over to the plastic ones, just one recommendation, keep them away from direct sunlight.

If you're going to store diesel in steel drums you should coat the inside of the drum first with a corrosion inhibitor, or buy a lined tank. Then add a diesel fuel additive to the tank. Of course you always want to add a double filter and water separator to the system too.

 

[Maverick]

Silent Earth, what is it you don't like about the plastic fuel containers? I've never had a problem with them, so just curious? My big issue is making sure folks stick with putting just Diesel in the yellow containers, and regular gas in the red ones....

Out in the field here it's always better to have the metal cans, I have about 25 5gal safety cans that I'm in the process of replacing (with new metal safety cans), my cans are between 20 and 30 years old inside is good but the outside is weathered, I had problems with the plastic cans bursting at the seam if they got too warm so for the most part, out in the field I use metal though around the house I use plastic given I am constantly using the fuel in them but for storage I use metal. My metal cans held up better than my plastic cans by a big margin, I'm already having to replace my 10yr old plastic cans.

 

[jimLE]

it's been a long time since i seen one like those.and their worth their weight in gold..

 

[Mountain trapper]

Out in the field here it's always better to have the metal cans, I have about 25 5gal safety cans that I'm in the process of replacing (with new metal safety cans), my cans are between 20 and 30 years old inside is good but the outside is weathered, I had problems with the plastic cans bursting at the seam if they got too warm so for the most part, out in the field I use metal though around the house I use plastic given I am constantly using the fuel in them but for storage I use metal. My metal cans held up better than my plastic cans by a big margin, I'm already having to replace my 10yr old plastic cans.

View attachment 5998

Back when I was working I wouldn't let anyone though away the steel fuel cans. Instead I would have them steam clean the inside and coat with a rust inhibitor. For the outside I'd have them sandblasted and powder coated. If taken care of properly steel fuel cans should last a lifetime, and then some. Unlike the cheap plastic "safety" cans now days.
A big part of my preps is to buy tools and equipment that will outlast me. Plastic by design is made to be replaced periodically.

 

[Maverick]

My son-n-law has a sand blaster, he's going to use walnut shells to sandblast with, he's going to fill the cans half full of sand and put it on the shaker to clean the inside then use eastwood gas tank sealer kit to restore the inside, overall about $45 to restore the old cans worth saving. I've used white vinegar to remove simple rust from the inside of gas tanks works extremely good in fact I use white vinegar to clean the inside tanks of old coleman stoves and lanterns.

 

[Brent S]

Picked up the new American made generator on Thursday and tried to return the Chinese junk one. When I ordered the new genset they said I had 90 days to return the other one. Turns out they only have a 30 return policy on generators. Now I have two 8kw generators. Guess I'll repair it myself and keep it for backup. Next week the electrician will wire the new generator to the pump.
The concrete guy came out to estimate the cement needed for the garage. Looks like he'll need a pumper unit with a 100' extension to reach it.
And killed another rattlesnake this morning. This one was just a baby, the most dangerous kind.

My new shop was 1900.00 for the concrete. I got the fiber in it, bringing it close to 125.00 a yard. Ouch. Now the foundation and slab are done I'll order the framing pkg on Monday. I just picked the hottest time of the year to do this!

 

[Maverick]

If you're going to store diesel in steel drums you should coat the inside of the drum first with a corrosion inhibitor, or buy a lined tank. Then add a diesel fuel additive to the tank. Of course you always want to add a double filter and water separator to the system too.

I use PRI-D diesel stabilizer on all my diesel holding tanks and fuel tanks, it prevents even rust in metal tanks, I purchase about 1 gal of PRI-D every two years, 1 gal treats over 2000 gallons, if you treat the fuel in the holding tank once a year you can keep the fuel stable for years I'm talking 8 to 10 years. the same for gasoline except using PRI-G, it has been tested that it keeps gasoline stable for 12 years if treated once a year.

1 gal of PRI-D (diesel) is $80 treating over 2000 gallons, 32oz of PRI-G is $33 treating over 500 gallons, the PRI-D also works good for kerosene/aviation fuel. The PRI products is Military/NATO approved that far far exceeding Sta-Bil

 

[Mountain trapper]

My new shop was 1900.00 for the concrete. I got the fiber in it, bringing it close to 125.00 a yard. Ouch. Now the foundation and slab are done I'll order the framing pkg on Monday. I just picked the hottest time of the year to do this!

I paid $149 per yard for concrete for the well house pad. I have to pay extra because of my location. It's a 60 mile trip for the truck. Since the shop is cut in the hillside it's going to take a 6' wall in the back tapering down towards the front. Should get the estimate next week.

 

[Mountain trapper]

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[Mountain trapper]

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