What did you do today to prep...

[Redman]

I use an armadillo.laying on it's back, with a beer can held up as if he were drinking..Maybe you have seen some of my work?

So, you passed down the highway behind my house last night huh. Well your signal was flattened this morning. People around here just got no respect. 

[Stwood]

I use an armadillo.laying on it's back, with a beer can held up as if he were drinking..Maybe you have seen some of my work?

 

[Stwood]

So, you passed down the highway behind my house last night huh. Well your signal was flattened this morning. People around here just got no respect. 

 

[Knecht]

Practiced forge-welding on a piece of chain I forged. Forged and finished another knife for sale. Used the leftover coals to melt lead and cast another batch of 50 or so roundballs.
Finished another prototype of my own designed tactical hatchet, based on 9th century Slavic type (these were the main topic of my PhD work, so I know them pretty well). I really like it and several people are already interested. Could be a good product for sale while a good thing to keep around as well.

[Alan Georges]

Ah, I was just getting around to asking you about your dissertation topic.  Feel comfortable posting the title and maybe even the abstract here?

[Knecht]

My dissertation topic was Great Moravian axes. It's an archeological work and the main focus is on 9th century of course, as that's the era of Great Moravia.

Spent Friday and weekend at the range, which is my irregular side job. Other than earning money it allows me to practice with my guns and to test my reloads of course. I've shot couple hundreds rounds and I was quite pleased with my results while shooting on the move at a moving target (taget was coming at me while moving sideways as well, plus I was walking at the same time. Now I know that I shouldn't try headshots much in such situations, but as for center mass, I can afford even pretty rapid fire and still hit reliably.

Heard back from the doctor (should I say from a fellow doctor now? LOL) who had my blood tested for all kinds of stuff recently. All good. I was a bit worried about possible diabetic problems, as family history plays against me in this and recently I had some problems that could point to it, but so far I'm absolutely fine.
Which reminds me, I made and tested a healing ointment that I made with store-bought basic skin ointment, teatree oil and plantain oil that I prepared myself. Seems to work quite well, but it's too early to tell yet.

Took advantage of a sale and ordered 30kg of my favorite Basmati rice. I'll likely continue my diet later this summer, now I wanted to have a rest so I can enjoy the many seasonal fruits growing around me.

[Stwood]

Prepared and canned 17 pints of salsa. Everything came from the garden, with the exception of the brown sugar, garlic bits, and salt.

[Redman]

 

[Knecht]

^^Nice!

Went to the woods with my wife today, to see if mushrooms can already be found. They do! Also blueberries are ripe as well. Usually it's at least a month later here. THis batch of mushrooms we'll eat right away, but we surely plan more trips and will make a supply of dried mushrooms as we do every year. We might make a blueberry picking trip as well. I hate picking them in quantities, but I have to admit I do enjoy blueberry pie or dumplings in the winter, so we could make couple cans of them.
Spending time in nature with your wife or other close person is not only a good way to spend a nice afternoon - it also helps to keep the relationship in harmony and last but not least, it helps you to know your partner better. That can be very useful in possible dangerous times. You know how she moves, how much noise she makes on the move, what other noises she can hear and/or react to....

[Alan Georges]

My dissertation topic was Great Moravian axes. It's an archeological work and the main focus is on 9th century of course, as that's the era of Great Moravia.

Very nice!

[Knecht]

Harvested some sour cherries from an old tree that seemed fruitless for the last couple years, Looks like my pruning attempt worked well. Time for me and my wife to learn the secrets of making jam. Luckily my Mom and Grandma will teach us

Received my order of 30kg Basmati rice.

[Stwood]

Time for me and my wife to learn the secrets of making jam. Luckily my Mom and Grandma will teach us

Received my order of 30kg Basmati rice.

 

We hail jam and jelly as another food source. 

[Redman]

Harvested some sour cherries from an old tree that seemed fruitless for the last couple years, Looks like my pruning attempt worked well. Time for me and my wife to learn the secrets of making jam. Luckily my Mom and Grandma will teach us

Received my order of 30kg Basmati rice.

We just started making jams and jellies last year. We like basmati rice also but usually only have 10 to 12 kg. on hand.

[Stwood]

Yesterday, prepared peppers for todays stew.

[Knecht]

Call it the Prepper's peppers

Not much done today, just reading some research about old forging technologies....

[Greekman]

guys, do you can preppers?
it is my favorite item to preserve

[Stwood]

guys, do you can preppers?
it is my favorite item to preserve

Mmmmm. I'll ck with Red on that. 

I do can *banana peppers*, the hot ones.

[Knecht]

So, the sour cherry jam is done and it's delicious! Beginner's luck I guess

[Stwood]

So, the sour cherry jam is done and it's delicious! Beginner's luck I guess

Awesome!!

[Knecht]

After a week of rain, it's awfully hot today, so of course I'm forging. Making some chains for a cutomer (for hanging pots over campfire), which is not really exciting job, but it will teach you several fundamental forging operations, including forge-welding, so I think of it as valuable practice.
Hope to forge an axe drift today. I've been using an improvised tool for that, time to make a proper one. It's the beauty and a curse of blacksmithing that you can/have to make your own tools.

[Redman]

guys, do you can preppers?
it is my favorite item to preserve

Mmmmm. I'll ck with Red on that. 

I do can *banana peppers*, the hot ones.

Not enough of them around here to can. Store I shop finally fixed their price on banana peppers, $0.99/lb. Still a bit high, jalapenos usually $0.69, serranos $0.79.

[Redman]

After a week of rain, it's awfully hot today, so of course I'm forging. Making some chains for a cutomer (for hanging pots over campfire), which is not really exciting job, but it will teach you several fundamental forging operations, including forge-welding, so I think of it as valuable practice.
Hope to forge an axe drift today. I've been using an improvised tool for that, time to make a proper one. It's the beauty and a curse of blacksmithing that you can/have to make your own tools.

Hope it doesn't get as hot as our forecast for the next few days 101 to 104 *F.

What is an axe drift? A tool to pierce the head or form the handle hole around?

[ZackSurvival]

I usually go to the market and bought one more can that I need to storage it.

[Knecht]

Hope it doesn't get as hot as our forecast for the next few days 101 to 104 *F.

What is an axe drift? A tool to pierce the head or form the handle hole around?

The axe drift is a tool to make the shaft hole yes, though it's usually not ment to actually pierce/cut the hole, but rather is it used to form the eye when the axe is made by folding a piece of flat material and welding it together. You fold it, place a piece of steel between the ends (that's where edge will be), flux it, heat it and hammer it all together at welding heat, leaving the eye part unwelded of course. Then you stick the thin end of axe drift into the unwelded fold and hammer it in, spreading the eye and forcing it to take the shape of the drift corss-section. You can also use the drift inside as support and hammer the sides of they eye if needed.
So, the drift needs to be quite long and massive, thin on one end, gradually getting thicker towards the other. Must be made of steel, so that it won't deform under heavy use. Which means lots of forging to create it, especially if using only hand tools (no power hammer), having no helper (who would use a two-handed hammer while you hodl the hot piece on anvil and correct his blows with a one handed hammer - I usually have my wife to do that, but she's having some problems with her hands now and needs to let them rest). So anyway, speaking of axe drift, I didn't get to making it today. Made a long piece of chain and then seeing I have little time left, I made a knife blade instead. Need to make several English trade knives from 18th century anyway, so I made the first one.

[Redman]

Thanks for the explanation Knecht. As I recall you have a website, is that correct? Would like to see examples of your work.

[Stwood]

Wife canned 12 quarts of garden stew.

[Knecht]

Thanks for the explanation Knecht. As I recall you have a website, is that correct? Would like to see examples of your work.

Check out CustomHistory on FB. I also have my old site www.customhistory.cz but I haven't updated the photo gallery for years, the site has very few visitors and I mainly use the FB for communication with customers (that's about it, I don't use it for personal stuff much).

Stwood, what is the garden stew? Is it simply made of mixed vegetables from one's garden?

[Redman]

Check out CustomHistory on FB. I also have my old site www.customhistory.cz but I haven't updated the photo gallery for years, the site has very few visitors and I mainly use the FB for communication with customers (that's about it, I don't use it for personal stuff much).

Stwood, what is the garden stew? Is it simply made of mixed vegetables from one's garden?

I'll take a look. I have a FB account but disabled it. There was a specific reason for having it but it didn't work out so..........

[Redman]

It's almost 2 am where you are?

[Stwood]

Check out CustomHistory on FB. I also have my old site www.customhistory.cz but I haven't updated the photo gallery for years, the site has very few visitors and I mainly use the FB for communication with customers (that's about it, I don't use it for personal stuff much).

Stwood, what is the garden stew? Is it simply made of mixed vegetables from one's garden?

Yes. Grandma called it The end of the garden stew. Everything left over thrown into a pot.

I use 5 quarts skinned/cut tomatoes as a base, a quart or so of okra, then onions, peppers, maybe squash, corn, green beans, etc to fill in and make up to 7-8 quarts of vegetable stew.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil, simmer for 30 minutes or so, then fill mason jars and cold pack it for 15 minutes.
I also sometimes throw about a pound or 2 of tomatoes on the grill and smoke those for flavor, and add those to the mix.