Hillbilly Emergency Candle

Right about now, you might be asking yourself "Why is Mr. Kevlar showing me a picture of a regular old steel can?" Well that is because it is not just a can, grasshoppers. I am going to try and spice up the blog with some survivalist/DIY type stuff and here we have what we might call the Hillbilly Emergency Candle. If you are like me, you might get a bunch of catalogs from various companies with all manner of survival and emergency equipment. Some is great and some of it is junk. But most of us simply cannot afford every single type of equipment that we might need or want. So I find that ways of increasing my preparedness without spending much money are very valuable. By the way, I did not come up with this myself, one of my good buddies showed me how to make these a little while ago, so remember that there is always more to learn.


So that brings us back to the hillbilly candle. The materials are common and cheap or free. Start with an empty food can that has been washed out and preferably opened with one of those side opening can openers. More on that in a second. Most of us eat canned food at least a little, so the can is pretty much free. The second ingredient is some cardboard, another item you probably throw away every week. (you should recycle though- don't be an asshole)
Cut and roll the card board into a tight spiral that will fit in the can, stopping just below the rim. The last item that you need is two blocks of paraffin wax, available from just about any grocery or hardware store. It is very cheap and has many uses so it is not a bad idea to keep a box or two around. To complete the hillbilly candle, melt the wax in a double boiler (place a pot with the wax blocks inside a larger pot of boiling water) Let the wax melt, but be careful to not let it get too hot. (It should not smoke), Then simply pour the wax into the can and over the cardboard. Try to let the wax cover as much of the cardboard as possible. Let it sit for quite a while as the wax will stay liquid for longer than you might think. Keep in mind that the can will be hot, so don't burn yourself.


And there you are, one hillbilly emergency candle. Burn time is estimated at about 8-9 hours. It is good for low level illumination, you can warm up some soup or water for coffee or whatever on it. It does make a lot of sooty smoke, so don't burn it in your mama's house. Also, keep in mind that a fire inside a steel can will make said can very hot, so don't come crying to me if you pick it up after it has been burning for 3 hours and leave your fingertips on it. To extinguish the flame you simply put the lid down on it and cut off the fire's oxygen supply. That is why I recommend the side cut lids because they make a tight seal with the rim and are also easier to hold and less likely to cut you. The hillbilly candle can take the place of or supplement real standard and emergency candles, firestarters, Sterno cans or other types of open flame heating elements. It is completely waterproof, mostly windproof and about as cheap as can be. My next project is to make a couple out of smaller cans for decreased weight and size, like the ones that tomato paste comes in.

Emergency Preparedness- Dynamo Radio

I did a bad thing to you, my loyal readers.
A few weeks ago, I made a recommendation that everyone have a multiple power source radio for emergencies and I did not have one myself.
Of course I would also recommend that you have an armored car and I don't have one of those either.

In any case, I feel I have redeemed myself because I bought the: Kaito KA888 radio!




It is a FM/AM/Shortwave radio. It can be operated from four different power sources:

Dynamo Power: The hand crank generator charges the internal NI-MH Batteries (5 minutes cranking for 1 hour of power)

Solar Cell: You can play it with the direct Sun or charge the NI-MH batteries. ( With 12 hours in the Sun, you will supposedly get 6-8 hours of play time)

Batteries: 3 AA batteries

Electric : With the AC adapter, you can play or charge with 110V electricity.

6 hours charging = 48 hours playing.

Radio Bands

AM -- 525 KHz------1710KHz,

FM -- 88MHz ------108 MHz

2 Continuous short wave bands:

SW1 :6.00 - 12.00 MHz

SW2: 12.00 - 18.50MHz

The KA888 also has:

• LED flashlight ( you can never have too many lights )
• Liquid filled compass
• Siren (which might be nice if you drive off a ravine or a boulder lands on you or something. It happens.)
• Internal storage compartment ( just enough for the headphones and shortwave antenna)
  
• Thermometer
• Clock

Some of the features may not be particularly useful or necessary, but to me they are just gravy. The radio is pretty small (9.5 X 10X 6CM), only weighs about a pound and works well, I even tested it in my tornado bathroom downstairs. It seems that it would be splashproof, at least, and has a fairly robust construction, especially the dynamo.

There are dozens of radios like this, some a lot more basic and some with a lot more features. I got this one because, at $20.00, it was an absolute steal and I couldn't afford to not have it. It does not have NOAA radio alerts or Air band radio, but for the price I don not believe you could do any better. Kaito has a deluxe radio that I liked more, but it was 3 times more expensive and I am cheap. But everyone should have something similar.

Hurricane Season

Okay folks, once again the tropical storms are rolling across the Atlantic.
No more can anyone in America be unprepared and unaware of the danger and be anything other than a vagrant, an idiot or both.
The North Atlantic basin receives, on average, 10.6 tropical storms and 7.9 Hurricanes a year.
Two of the hurricanes are Category 3 or higher, which are very dangerous storms.


Although the entire Southeast, the Mid Atlantic states and the Gulf Coast have known about them for years, a survey of the media shows that, apparently, many people ( their name rhymes with spankees) have only recently discovered them. The hit the Eastern, Southern, and Western Coast of the United States, oh, EVERY YEAR. Hurricanes are responsible for immense destruction, monetary loss and from time to time, massive casualties.

However, this does not need to be the case. Hurricanes are one of the only natural disasters that can be detected long before they pose serious threat and the only one moving slow enough to get out of the way.

So for EVERYONE living within 100 miles of salt water, listen up.
You really need:

1. A plan
2. Flood insurance (Home Owners Ins will not cover you)
   
3. Gas in the car (and a car)
4. Emergency food and water
5. Emergency radio
6. Simple tools
7. Propane grill
   
8. A goddamn clue
9. Little to no expectation of Government help

Keep in mind that hurricanes are less likely to kill you than any other natural disaster.
As long as you are prepared and aren't one of those "I'm not gonna evacuate" idiots. You might not get to be rescued by FEMA.
For more info straight from the horse's ass: http://www.fema.gov/

Emergency Preparedness--Equipment for the Home

Here we go again. It is time for FEAR MONGERING!

No really folks, a few dollars spent and a small amount of time might save you a lot of headaches.
(or save your life)

To review, you do not have to believe that the UN black helicopters will descend on your compound after Nancy Pelosi tells them your address to have a need for an Emergency Plan.

To get right down to it, water, money, and guns (and lawyers)are probably the most important things.
But the list of things that may be very helpful is quite long.

Equipment for the Home

The most important thing to have is water. In any kind of emergency, having a adequate supply of clean water is essential. How much is enough? Well, you can never have enough. It is recommended by faceless authorities (like myself?) to have 3 gallons, per person, per day. Suffice to say, start picking up some water, 2 gallons a time, at the store.

Canned and dried foods, enough for about 2 weeks. This is really not all that much, you can probably buy all you need for $50, depending on how many mouths you have to feed. Buy the things you actually eat and use a Last in, First out (thanks for nothing Business School!) system to keep it from going bad. Don't forget to keep some extra food for your animals, too. Or the cat is gonna get pretty smacky when you won' t share the SPAM.

It is always important to keep some cash around the house. One day the ATMs and credit cards might not work. It would likely only be for a few days or weeks, but you would feel pretty stupid with a bank account full of money and no way to get any. How much money? Well, that depends more on your financial well being than anything else. But with the market how it is today, you would not be losing anything to keep a few hundred dollars in a safe place in case you need it.

As for weapons , I am of the opinion that if you care at all about your personal safety, you should own a gun. More than one, ideally. What kind of gun? Well, if you are only gonna have one, I would choose a 12 gauge pump-action shotgun. The reason? Versatility. No other firearm in the world as many different types of ammunition for as wide a variety of uses. 00 buckshot, slugs, birdshot, bean bag rounds, rubber rockets, Taser even makes a 12 gauge "shock the crap out of you" round. Also, you can keep a shotgun in most areas of the country. (except places like D.C. and Chicago, where the Constitution is apparently not in force)
And for those who think that pumping a shotgun will scare off intruders--- that might work.
( it would certainly scare the crap out of ME)
But I bet the ferocious roar of a slug approaching them at 1000 feet per second would do the job even better and should you happen to not miss, it would solve the problem as well.

Other things you should probably have:

1. Flashlights. More than one. With extra batteries. Maybe one that doesn't need batteries. LED lights are where it is at. I have several that I got out of a cereal box that are even pretty good up close.
   
2. First aid kit. I would go further and recommend that you step it up to a trauma kit, with extra gauze, bandages, a tourniquet, pressure bandages and quick clot.
   
3. NOAA weather radio with a hand crank. Many of these also have lights, compasses and other junk.
   
4. Duct tape, rope, electrical tape, etc.
5. Bleach
6. Candles, matches, Lanterns, firewood if applicable. (you people in Michigan could be in for some long, dark, cold nights otherwise)
7. Fire extinguishers- One for every room with a major appliance or electronics, especially the dryer.
8. Basic tools-- hammer, screwdrivers, wrenches, crowbar, bow and hack saw, etc.
   
9. Tarps or plastic sheeting for covering windows, etc.
   
10. Toilet paper and buckets.
    

Well, I am bored of writing this post, so you most likely stopped reading it 10 minutes ago. Just in case you are still here, please review the list of bad things that could happen where you live and take some appropriate action.

(terrorist attack, riot, hurricane, earthquake, wildfire, virulent pandemic, flood, zombies, global economic meltdown, tornado, solar flares, zombies, meteorite strike, cat uprising, nuclear war, conventional war, civil war and zombies.)

Emergency Preparedness

yes, it is a bit dramatic

I like to think of myself as a survivalist, but don't often use that term due to most people conjuring images of me eating SPAM in a basement with a gas mask around my neck, sitting on a crate of ammo. And that would be wrong.
I don't even HAVE a basement.

But I try to impress on people the good sense of being prepared for trouble. That will mean a great deal of different things to different people. But I think one would be pretty spot on with a prediction that something bad is likely to happen. You know, sometime. That does not mean that you should move to the Mosquito Coast, dig a bomb shelter, or invest your 401k in gold coins and AKs
(well, not all of it at least)

[Seriously, leave your retirement alone unless you can't pay rent. And now is a bad time to buy gold. That's why they are advertising it]

Anyway...

It is a good idea to be prepared. There are all sorts of things that can go wrong.

(terrorist attack, riot, hurricane, earthquake, wildfire, virulent pandemic, flood, zombies, global economic meltdown, tornado, solar flares, zombies, meteorite strike, cat uprising, nuclear war, conventional war, civil war and zombies.)

See? and that's just off the top of my head.


So some things I think everyone needs: (very basic)

1. 12 gauge Shotgun (if someone kills you, all other plans are moot)
   
2. Water (you need way more than you think)
   
3. Non perishable foods
4. Cash
5. Flashlights
6. First aid kits
   
7. Hammer
8. Duct tape
9. Multi tool
10. Insurance and a good lawyer (OK, so that is at least two things. It is my list)
    

You would be surprised how many of life's problems can be fixed with the above items. And how many people would be completely at a loss without them in 48 hours if the lights and water stopped working.


Obviously, the above items do not in any way guarantee that you will survive the apocalypse, or even at the championship weekend of your local sports team. This list is woefully inadequate. But it is a start, and I can't give away all my secrets now, I want you to keep reading.

I believe everyone must take steps to ensure the security and health of their persons, families, and property. Those who fail to do so run the risk of fleeing down the highway, starving with no shoes on, wondering why the government won't save them.