CRAZY PREPARED

[Richter]

i carried one of those in my car then my jeep for years they do work in a pinch, but i replaced it with a real shovel the first time i got my jeep seriously stuck. i don't know if the german version is better but the American army surplus version was a bit weak still works though.

The USA version?  One of the trifolds?  Too many moving parts for a tools you use REALLY hard, IMHO. 
They're also shorter and have a funny triangular handle, making a good swing tricky.

I'm pretty certain the one I own / linked to is German.  They're not exactly marked either way.  Even so, I've yet to see one that isn't solid;vintage or reproduction nonwithstanding.  (When buying, I discreetly stomp them to make sure they're not pot metal.)
I like that you can fold them like a hoe, mow down drifts or the crap plows leave in front of your car holding them at the base of the handle, and then choke up to scrape / dig. 
Like you, I still carry a full sized shovel too, thou

[East Coast Hustle]

I have one of those wonderful trenching tools too. It's gotten me out of several snowbanks before the cops could pass by and give me a ticket/take me to jail. Not sure what the country of origin is but it's got a straight wooden handle and a steel head with a pivot/lockscrew assembly that allows it to be folded straight out (like a normal shovel) or half-out (like a hoe) or folded against the handle for storage.

I've also sharpened the head to a razor edge which not only makes an easy task out of breaking through ice or hard-crusted snow, but has gotten me out of a few ass-kickings. Seems not even 5 drunken hicks want to meet the business end of a shovel.

ETA: http://www.armynavydeals.com/asp/products_details.asp?SKU=BG164&ST=2&U.S.%20BiFold%20Shovel%20w/Cover%20WW2%20Era

[fomenter]

i recommend the stomp on it / mess around with the mechanism idea, the one i had was wobbly after one use and the locking ring never worked quite right, it did still function but after a 4 to 5 hour dig out when i buried the jeep up to the body in heavy clay i got pissed at the piece of crap and tossed it, i have a short handled garden shovel now, i would buy a folding shovel for the car but not without giving them a  careful look over to find one that is built well. they are not all built equal.

[Richter]

Dirtytime / ECH's version is the same idea.  The one I have / have gifted to many folks has a wood handle and a spring loaded pin instead of a screw locking ring.  (Neither is really going to be superior though, any pivot on a tool is suspect.)

I've also sharpened the head to a razor edge which not only makes an easy task out of breaking through ice or hard-crusted snow, but has gotten me out of a few ass-kickings. Seems not even 5 drunken hicks want to meet the business end of a shovel.

Glad I'm not the only one who does that.

Protip:  apply heavy grease or parafin wax to the head to prevent rust and help snow slide off more easily

[Reginald Ret]

10% Sulphur + 15% Charcoal + 75% Saltpetre
Pulverize, mix, make wet, dry and pulverize again and you have gunpowder.

Saltpetre:
http://docsouth.unc.edu/imls/lecontesalt/leconte.html
check out the swiss method.
Sulphur:
haven't found a way of getting sulphur without access to springs, volcanoes, salt deserts, natural gas, oil or man made stockpiles.
It's function is ignition facilitator, maybe someone can come up with an alternative?

[the last yatto]

potato batteries, how and how many would you need to have radio output

A simple hand crank radio would be much more efficient.  They are getting pretty cheap too. You can find one with AM/FM/Weather Band plus a flashlight for under $50.

I have one of those and mine sucks.  The WHIRR-WHIRR-WHIRR of the crank is louder than the radio.

or even camel dung batteries to recharge your celphone.
could be useful for items taht need recharge but arent damaged.
a simple gameboy just may save your sanity in hard times


*edit* idea was to be able to make something so you can turn your alarm clock into a radio
instead of having to buy something taht will only get used on camping trips and the end of the world.

[the last yatto]

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Lye

Lye, also known as NaOH, sodium hydroxide, or caustic soda, is used in making soap, and also in biodiesel fuel production.

fuel could be a useful thing to know how to make

[East Coast Hustle]

10% Sulphur + 15% Charcoal + 75% Saltpetre
Pulverize, mix, make wet, dry and pulverize again and you have gunpowder.

Saltpetre:
http://docsouth.unc.edu/imls/lecontesalt/leconte.html
check out the swiss method.
Sulphur:
haven't found a way of getting sulphur without access to springs, volcanoes, salt deserts, natural gas, oil or man made stockpiles.
It's function is ignition facilitator, maybe someone can come up with an alternative?

match-heads contain sulfur.

nearly useless trivia: In a pinch, you can make an explosive out of matches, fruit loops, and batshit.

[Reginald Ret]

matches = sulphur rich
fruit loops = sugar (good replacement for carbon)
batshit = (mostly) saltpetre


should work.

[Requia ☣]

I've seen sugar cereal and saltpeter rocket fuel... same principle I suppose.

10% Sulphur + 15% Charcoal + 75% Saltpetre
Pulverize, mix, make wet, dry and pulverize again and you have gunpowder.

Saltpetre:
http://docsouth.unc.edu/imls/lecontesalt/leconte.html
check out the swiss method.
Sulphur:
haven't found a way of getting sulphur without access to springs, volcanoes, salt deserts, natural gas, oil or man made stockpiles.
It's function is ignition facilitator, maybe someone can come up with an alternative?

I've been scouring my hard drive for that document.  It should be noted it nets impure shit.  Still haven't seen anything good on further refining it.

Also: salt deserts huh... how do i get sulpher out of the one I live next to (assuming I can keep the desert from swallowing me whole).  Or from oil for that matter, my ditch point when things collapse is in the middle of an oil field.

[Reginald Ret]

Cant remember exactly. But one of the byproducts of oil and natural gas production is pure sulphur. And nobody wants it so they stockpile it. so if you live near an oilfield then there should be massive sulphur stockpiles nearby.

For salt deserts remember that sulphur is yellow. look for yellow salt.

[Richter]

My first idea was to attempt extraction / distillation from marshland / swamp soil / peat. 
From what I've read so far, it's rare enough in non - volcanic / non post - volcanic areas as to be a BITCH to extract from smaller more widely occurring concentrations. 

If we're talking post apocalyptic gunpowder production to make muskets to shoot zombie hordes, I'd say raid a refinery, they seem to stockpile.

If we're talking "DIY gunpowder", current era, I'd tell you to not be a fool.  Get some contacts with a local rod + gun, or reenactment group into muskets.  They'll walk you through / refer you how to legally buy the stuff.  (Takes MUCH less licensing than regular firearms, and minimal, if any permits for black powder.)

In the 16-1800's, powder mills were constructed along rivers, with the wall facing the water being the one designed to blow out in case of an explosion.  I wouldn't want to do this in my house.

[East Coast Hustle]

muskets to shoot zombie hordes

[Requia ☣]

Cant remember exactly. But one of the byproducts of oil and natural gas production is pure sulphur. And nobody wants it so they stockpile it. so if you live near an oilfield then there should be massive sulphur stockpiles nearby.

For salt deserts remember that sulphur is yellow. look for yellow salt.

My research says that the sulfur comes out at an oil refinery, so being in an oil field doesn't really work unless I'm able to refine it.  Sulfur salt might be more useful, at least for small amounts, (a whole army might take a proper mining operation though).

[Richter]

RIGHTO:  I wanted to have a little fun with the Crazy Prepared Musing: 
Anti – furry tactics.

Witness:

I hung out with perverts and conspiracy theorists all weekend. 

Did they have X-Day early this year? 

No, I just found another pocket of weirdness in Tucson.

Leather freaks, armed furries (No shit, they were armed to the teeth.  No fun for Roger ), trannies, and then a batch of people that actually woke the fuck up from the left/right paradigm and don't know what the fuck to do with themselves.  So I helped a couple of them.

Furries with guns.. the New Apocalypse!

Yes, I'm playing on the "Furry Haet" bandwagon, but this shit is entertainment too. 

Know your enemy:  Not every furry is a threat, or even a problem outside of deviation from social norm.  You'll encounter everything from "catgirls", teenagers with a set of ears and an affinity for wapanese speech, or rubbing against you.  (Beware age / delicious trappage [it may have a package] / the UNCLEAN), to full on fur suited yiff-freaks.  Only the later may pose a threat, and we have only this single report of the gun toting variety.  Dissection has shown standard human anatomy, the synthetic hair coating and dangerous tendencies being a result of paraphilia rather than tactical advantage.  These coatings range from light to heavy, afford little ballistic protection, and retain heat to varying degrees.  (Most are heavily customized, there is no "standard issue" fursuit.)  Full – head enclosures mimicking a stylized wild animal are also present.  (The author suspects these may need to be removed prior to discharging firearms.)  Aside from their projectile weaponry, these suits make short range engagement difficult.  Pack behavior may be present, and will pose the greatest threat, as it brings the numbers needed to affect a "furpile", maneuver.  (NEVER leave a man behind for the furries!)

The fursuit that the dangerous variety of furry will wear is as much their trademark as it is their Achilles heal.  Consider it similar to a medieval knight in full plate metal armor.  The suit will inherently hinder motion, blunt the senses, and make respiration and heat dissipation much more difficult than usual.  The exact degree of armoring adopted has yet to be accurately gauged, but anti – ballistic vests could EASILY be concealed.  Assume every furry is a hard target.  This additional armor will further complicate the conditions already highlighted. 

Again drawing a parallel to medieval anti - armor techniques, mobility, blunt force, or piercing to gaps in their armor are most effective.  Even if a direct kill is impossible, harrying any fursuited target long enough will result in exhaustion, heatstroke, and dehydration.  Forcing a prolonged engagement to exploit these weaknesses puts your furred foe in a position where retreat and rest becomes their best case scenario.