Mike Barkley

This might be hard. Any guesses?

Last week the tube on my percolator clogged up. The water was at a rolling boil & the tube didn't want to unclog easily so I dumped the still dry coffee grounds into the boiling water. I wanted coffee right then! Poured a perfect cup a few minutes later. It was awesome tasting. Nice & strong without letting it percolate for a long time &/or reloading the grounds for a 2nd brew.

The percolator is 20 or 25 years old & has been used daily on campfires, wood stoves, charcoal grills, electric stoves, & gas stoves. It is like an old friend. It has character. I did unclog the tube but haven't used it since. Tomorrow I'm going to start using my Kelly Kettle to make some. Assuming it makes great cowboy coffee for about a week I'm going to retire the percolator. Good bye old friend. We've had some great times together but I think it's time for you to hit the dusty trail to Goodwill.





 

Ran across this interesting publication again today so bumpity bump bump.

As Raven stated above ... it is under review. Stay tuned.

This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEP curriculum.  Completing this BB is part of getting the straw badge in Electricity.

In this Badge Bit, you will build a kick ass "charge and carry" lithium battery system that is always charged.  Maybe you want to have some electricity for tools while working at your food forest.  Or your off grid tiny home needs a bunch of power from time to time.  Or you want to be able to run your refrigerator for a day if the power goes out.  Let's make a portable light weight energy system!

Here's a great video of a guy making exactly what we're talking about (except he builds the battery packs as well which is not required):


Another example

To complete this BB, the minimum requirements are:
  - 1100 watt hour capacity
  - 1500 watt inverter
  - reasonably water resistant case
  - One 220VAC 30 amp RV outlet
  - Four 110VAC 15 amp outlets
  - Four USB plugs
  - Two 12V sockets
  - Power meter with display
  - Solar input plugs
  - Plug to charge the unit from 110V or 220V

To show you've completed this Badge Bit, provide proof of the following as pics or video (less than two minutes):
  - the parts you're putting together
  - a description of the build and how you're satisfying the minimum requirements
  - the construction mid-way through
  - the assembled back-up battery system (inside and out)
  - the system turned on
  - the system powering a device with 110VAC, USB and 12V

Allen you should be able to get most of it from here ... https://www.mcmaster.com/products/electrical-lighting/

fear

I think it would Justin. Anything to keep the roots out of waterlogged soil will help them.

One thing not mentioned above is to buy fuel at the coolest time of day rather than the hottest. Since liquids contract a little as temps cool you get more for the same price.

This is not so much a "you can't do that" as some "you'll never get a fire started" & "you're going to die" tales. It happened on the Boris Adventure. Daughter & I named it that in honor of the bear we had to chase out of camp at dawn one morning. That's a story for another time but let's just say I could have touched it several different times & it was within an inch of stepping on her head at one point. Never seen her wake up & get motivated so fast before!!!

We had been backpacking for 5 or 6 days in the Smoky Mountains. Staying at backwoods campsites. On our last night we stayed at a horse camp on the river that had other people. It had been raining for days, especially that day. Everything we had was wet or at least damp. After we got into camp I collected firewood for about an hour. I wanted a good fire or it would have been a miserable cold night. Some lady saw me & said "you'll never get a fire started".

Little did she know. I had a little dry tinder in a waterproof container, a tea candle, & some soggy paper trash. I started a small fire with the tinder & candle then proceeded to dry out small sticks. Gradually increasing the size of the fire & drying larger & larger sticks. Then some small logs. About an hour later we had a roaring fire while everyone else was huddled in their tents without any heat. Never underestimate a cold pyro who knows what he's doing.

Another time I took an out of town friend on a raft trip. Down the same river that flooded so bad & killed all the bible school girls a couple years ago. It was flooded that particular day but I knew that part of the river extremely well & had a really good raft. Not the crappy tourist raft that most people around there used. We set off & headed for the opposite bank just to make sure we had everything under control. The homeowner there came running down yelling "you're going to die". Hold my beer & watch this. We shoved off & enjoyed a very fast but safe & uneventful trip down the river.

One pic shows us attempting to dry some gear during a lunch break on the Boris Adventure. Good times.