One in particular. Parts. Car parts, house parts, gun parts, etc.
Y’all know my black powder pistol; 1858 Remington six-shooter.
Well, she went down awhile back and I kept putting off the repair until recent. The problem was the “hand” that advances the cylinder to the next chamber as you cock the hammer. Snapped right in two during a target session. $4 part and tiny, but essential to the operation of the gun.
Well, the place I normally order through has been out of stock for awhile, but a little digging on the web and I found some. Ordered 4 because its entirely to ornery for me to make. A small spring embedded in it is the problem. Now, if push came to shove, I could rig something, but I’d prefer to not do so.
But that gots me ta thinkin’ ; what about the other tools. Trigger assemblies, firing pins, all the little bits that if broken make things go click or clunk or ” “. Things that don’t need a permission slip to get, aren’t really all that pricey, and when ya ain’t got it, shut down the whole show.
And of course there are the other things that need “got” before they diskapear: powder, primers, cases if you need them and the heavy things that go in the end of all that; all the little stuff that can be made, with some know-how but is easier to keep on hand in bulk. Having a boo-lit mould is handy, and you’ll need one for each of your tools. Loading them, well, if’n your into that, you already know or have that thingamajig. In my case, the tool loads itself, kinda. The means are built into it and that is handy as all get out. It isn’t fast, but it is faster than most would believe. (Designed in the middle 1800s, they knew that the owner would be in the middle of nowhere with nothing but basics. )
Anywhoos, here is my take on figuring preps. First question: can I grow it? Second question: Can I harvest extra seed? (Is it heirloom or hybrid?) Third question: can I make its replacement? And that third question is killer. Its the reason I started learning machining and metal casting and various other skills. But there are thing I don’t know how to do. Making needles for example. I could likely come up with something, but as inexpensive as they are and as small, its much easier to pick up a couple hundred and store them. Same goes for fish-hooks. Yes, I know a field expediant that has thousands of years proof of concept, but a modern hook is more reliable. Fishing line, both mono and braided, are in the same category. And braided line is what I use for making my bowstrings, as well as some of my more demanding sewing, like kayak skins: you had better believe I have several thousands of yards of braided line in storage.
And there is always need of the “re-use, re-purpose, recycle” mindset. Start looking at what you have and how you would fill in for some thing if it were broken, or how to rework a broken some thing so it retains usefulness. In my little world ‘recycle’ takes on meanings many wouldn’t believe. Aluminum is gold to me. Being able to smelt it, and cast it, then machine it,,, only limits are the laws of nature and my imagination. And I have a hell of an imagination.
And thats why I have stressed learning skills, not just reading about them, or worse, buying a book on it and shelving it. You do that, you may as well give it to the library and hope someone else uses it.
One of the great parts of our workd today is net, and in particular a certain server farm of the YOU toob variety. Wanna learn how to start a fire from twigs and ambition; its on there. Wanna know how to make a debris hut that sheds water and will keep you warm in subzero temps when all you have is your underwear: its on there. Need to make a bow (assuming you know how to shoot one) from plastic pipe: on there,,, You get my point I hope. But the key to all of that is busted knuckles, scraped skin, and dirty fingernails. Ya havta play to learn. Reading or observation alone is worthless. Like my grandma said, “owning a sharpening stone does not mean a guys knife is sharp”. A book or video without practice is the same thing. Ya gotta use it to get sharp, and ya gotta know when you are just dulling the blade. (She also said “a mind is like a jar of mayo, you can’t use it if its not open.”)
Remember this one thing: your current life is standing on the shoulders of ALL those that came before you. Those people in the past had to overcome many hardships to provide a world where you have the leisure to investigate their skills without NEED to know them. Take away just one leg of infrastructure supporting our modern world and the whole thing collapses like a house of cards. IF THAT HAPPENS, Malthus will be proven right. (100+years late, but still right in the long run) At current course and speed, certain factions are deliberately undermining several of those legs and doing so with the blessings of ignorant feel-good types. Those doing the undermining KNOW the end result while those blessing it, thinking it will be a better world, not knowing that such calls for a huge die-off to rebuild from.
I have no intention of being in the die-off side. I will keep me and mine as comfortable as I can with the “lost ways” I have struggled to learn and hone. I may not be able to build a toaster from scratch, but I can keep us fed and healthy.
