J. Syme

winter wear, hmm i usually run a bit warm since i'm naturally insulated (fat).  For the brisk 5am walks with dog it's usually boxer's & tee shirt (what i roll out of bed in) boots if snow is deep, if snow is low, slip on shoes are sufficient. The dog is only interested in <5 minute walks in the early morning.  For daily outdoor extended chores:  deer skin gloves, wool hat, dry boots, jeans & i choose to light layer the upper half so i can un button waxed cotton jacket and or flannel shirt as i warm up. if it's below 20 deg f  I'll add scarf, flannel lined jeans, and wool liners to oversized leather gloves. The trick for me is keeping feet dry and warm. Head warm but not too warm, and the rest of the body seems to regulate to the temps.

Yes  https://permies.com/t/9580/Rocket-mass-heater-converts-cooler   basically close windows in heat of day. leave feed tube open to let air flow thru RMH and open windows to cool air at night. See link to a nice movie to explain it better than I.  https://youtu.be/xo9xJo6dTxE

I like the make it soggy and then squish it into usable blocks of biomass. I was envisioning myself pouring the slurry between two pieces of plywood then running it over with the tractor while my wife watches shakes her head and walks back into the house.

workie job has about 400-500 banker boxes full of "unclassified" documents that need properly disposed of. It would be Very cool if I could use them to heat stuff without smoking out the neighborhood. Has anybody converted stacks of copy paper and file folders to heat things or recycle without doing the Shred/paper mill toxic chemical bath then mix/blend into pulp thing??

I want a more permie style use of this resource that can destroy the sensitive/controlled words on the paper yet not kill the environment. I'm open to any & all suggestions.
90% of said stuff falls outside of Department of Defense or Department Energy jurisdiction but sorting them requires time, so complete burn or decompose is optimal to eliminate regulatory concerns.

I read normally 3 books at a time, one new, one old, and one for fun...here's the current winter rotation. SourDough Starters by Kate Downham. Willow Feeders by Paul Wheaton. re reading the literary works of Abraham Lincoln * Curry.  rereading Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance.  John

wow 11mil + visits, the server upgrade was just in time, does it need any expansion? I'd be willing to invest $$ if it helps spread the permie word.

teeter totter style mouse trap work well for me. i use 5 gallon buckets or small drums as the holding tank. on the lid i place/secure a rod across the top with a paint stir stick tied to it. one end goes to the edge of the bucket so the mouse can walk the plank to the peanut butter or beef jerky. as the mouse walks to the bait it's weight tips the plank at the pivot point dropping the mouse into the bucket. athletic country mice can jump out of some 5 gallon buckets, so in the generator shed i use a slightly taller drum in that area. sometimes i think I'm just taking mice for a walk  to the back field and they return, but the population has decreased significantly. internet image search for mouse rat bucket trap for pictures of various ideas

does your local library have a scanner? the one 10 miles from my house has a tech dept with copy scan print services...  they print 10 cents per page black & white,  50 cents for color... not a bad option for occasional needs.

Matt McSpadden wrote:

J. Syme wrote:If you're not apposed to paint, there is an additive to paint that might help. back in the 80's when i was studying ceramic engineering some folks were experimenting with light weight thin insulation ideas and they came up with making tiny bubbles (microspheres) in clay dust particles, then putting it into paint. Do an internet search for ceramic microspheres paint additive. there are industrial applications of this tech being used to limit corrosion on high temp pipelines. HyTech and Super Therm are two that i remember using to cool a metal roof.

I am trying to avoid any paint that would offgas, so this may not work for this situation... but that is a really cool technology that may work for other things.

yep agree it is paint... it's good at blocking Infrared heat from the sun, okay at blocking thermal transfer from other sources. keeps hot side hot and cool side cool. a lot of info on spicoatings website.

If you're not apposed to paint, there is an additive to paint that might help. back in the 80's when i was studying ceramic engineering some folks were experimenting with light weight thin insulation ideas and they came up with making tiny bubbles (microspheres) in clay dust particles, then putting it into paint. Do an internet search for ceramic microspheres paint additive. there are industrial applications of this tech being used to limit corrosion on high temp pipelines. HyTech and Super Therm are two that i remember using to cool a metal roof.