Higgenbotham's Dark Age Hovel

[Higgenbotham]

In the link to Charles Hugh Smith there was a photo of him holding a Skil Saw. I rebuilt dilapidated houses full time for 8 years and can therefore imagine what it might be like to keep deteriorating houses livable in a future with lack of supplies and materials. The tools I thought I needed or happened to have going into it were mostly not the tools I ended up using or taking out of it. When doing rebuilds, probably 90 percent of the time it was faster to cut by hand due to it being piecemeal work (a rotted joist here or there, for example). I broke 2 or 3 spade handles digging old bushes and trees out until I bought a spade at True Value that could handle the work, which I still have (likewise, I about gave up on sanding the gray wood off old siding because 3M sandpaper wasn't up to the job, but True Value brand sandpaper was - the sanding was done with a power drill). All the putty knives I had were hard to use until I found one that did everything well. Can't remember where I got it but it has slightly rounded corners and the right thickness and sharpness. What I'm saying is don't just buy anything as in hand saw, check, got one, now I'm good. Reading these posts made me think I don't want to be without lots of hacksaw blades. Will probably check what I have and buy at least a hundred. If things really go haywire there may be a need to cut sections of PVC pipe out of abandoned buildings and the blades might be good for barter. The 2 photos below show houses I bought with sinking front or back porches for around 12K in both cases. Since the structure was good, the rebuild on the front porch was done with hand tools except for the bolt on post. The stair stringers were cut by hand. The back porch was a tear off and therefore more like new construction with the joists and 4X4s being cut with a Skil Saw due to quantity, plus trimming the decking with a Skil Saw. A power drill was used to drill the bolt holes. All the post holes were dug to 4.5 feet by hand. The front porch was done for about 1/10th the cost of the back deck and half the time while requiring very little in the way of power tools.

[Higgenbotham]

What about the attempt at CBDC's Higgie?

It reminds me of the discussion 15-20 years ago about the North American Union, the Amero and the NAFTA Superhighway. But what I'm not sure about is, whereas CBDC is being openly discussed by Powell, if Bush was as open about discussing the NAU. There is confirmation that Bush was meeting with Fox and whoever was heading Canada to discuss it. The reasoning behind it was similar. The NAU and the Amero was supposedly necessary because Europe had the EU and the Euro and it was to be our way of competing with that. After all this time, it's still being discussed, now by Biden instead of Bush: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/matt-g ... list-order
What do they want - the Amero, a CBDC based on the dollar, or none of the above? It doesn't seem like they know.

[aeden]

Inputs.
https://mises.org/library/essay-economic-theory-0
The effects are clear H. No amount of discussion will help them now.
They will not listen and will not start now anyways. Its on them and thats it.
The swamp cult is not capable at all to ground intel affairs.
I seen a private video of condition to the left coast and another remittance from the Sheriff
to real time events escalating. We have no debt and yea we are all past over room temp from medical
to skilled trades and law enforcements facts.

[Higgenbotham]

Saw 3 New York license plates last week. As these influences move in and take over, it is inevitable that Texas will fall too. These influences WANT a dark age. It's all they know and understand.

The biggest movement out of New York is to Florida.

Someone I know who moved out on 10 acres in Florida almost lost their property to fire last week. The adjacent neighbor, who moved in a year ago, was burning cardboard during dry season and a fire got out of control quickly. I don't know where they came from. It took the fire department 20 minutes to arrive and by the time they got there 5 acres was gone. It was estimated that in 2 more minutes the fire would have reached the house.

A couple things I said to them. If this were the dark age rather than just the descent, your house would be gone. And if this were the dark age, the remaining neighbors would have to get together and decide what to do about these clowns.

All anecdotal indications are that the descent is proceeding unchecked.

[aeden]

Local is stable for now as the pearl pigs in mommys basement worship btc as educated imbeciles they are H, so nothing new.
Brand On. You will escape to your house, rest your hand on the wall, and be bitten by a snake.
https://newspunch.com/chicago-mayor-bra ... osecution/

https://youtu.be/Slszva6kk90
Biden, "I guarantee you we're going to end fossil fuel"
Moron in Chief.

Another adult legilation is seen and left cod. Cult of demsheviks.
Tricia Cotham declared that “The modern-day Democratic Party has become unrecognizable to me and others across the state,” adding “I will not be controlled by anyone.” They are not democrats deary.

You will learn the hard way.
Inputs.
https://mises.org/library/essay-economic-theory-0
Decent break down for the the above average synopsis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAV9dLTa5Sk
Jpow was correct.
Pain.

[aeden]

H the ARC movement as Dimon also indicated will finish off what the uniparty could not destoy.
The Senate are not leading from behind or ahead.

[Higgenbotham]

In the link to Charles Hugh Smith there was a photo of him holding a Skil Saw. I rebuilt dilapidated houses full time for 8 years and can therefore imagine what it might be like to keep deteriorating houses livable in a future with lack of supplies and materials. The tools I thought I needed or happened to have going into it were mostly not the tools I ended up using or taking out of it. When doing rebuilds, probably 90 percent of the time it was faster to cut by hand due to it being piecemeal work (a rotted joist here or there, for example). I broke 2 or 3 spade handles digging old bushes and trees out until I bought a spade at True Value that could handle the work, which I still have (likewise, I about gave up on sanding the gray wood off old siding because 3M sandpaper wasn't up to the job, but True Value brand sandpaper was - the sanding was done with a power drill). All the putty knives I had were hard to use until I found one that did everything well. Can't remember where I got it but it has slightly rounded corners and the right thickness and sharpness. What I'm saying is don't just buy anything as in hand saw, check, got one, now I'm good. Reading these posts made me think I don't want to be without lots of hacksaw blades. Will probably check what I have and buy at least a hundred. If things really go haywire there may be a need to cut sections of PVC pipe out of abandoned buildings and the blades might be good for barter. The 2 photos below show houses I bought with sinking front or back porches for around 12K in both cases. Since the structure was good, the rebuild on the front porch was done with hand tools except for the bolt on post. The stair stringers were cut by hand. The back porch was a tear off and therefore more like new construction with the joists and 4X4s being cut with a Skil Saw due to quantity, plus trimming the decking with a Skil Saw. A power drill was used to drill the bolt holes. All the post holes were dug to 4.5 feet by hand. The front porch was done for about 1/10th the cost of the back deck and half the time while requiring very little in the way of power tools.

The house in the second photo had an old cistern out back that had collapsed, so the back porch was unsalvageable partly for that reason. But that brings something up. Most or at least many houses built 100 years ago had cedar shakes on the roof and a cistern in back. Nowadays, with asphalt shingles, any rainwater collected will be contaminated with hydrocarbons from the asphalt. Whether or how rainwater should be collected off asphalt is covered on other sites, so no need to get into that here.

That brings something else up though. In a collapsing world lacking supplies, deteriorating asphalt roofs are probably going to be the main problem with housing. Once one starts to leak, I know of no good way to get more than another few years out of one. If I find myself in that bind and no way to get new shingles, I guess I'll have a few years to figure it out.

A high quality pair of nippers comes in handy. When doing tear outs or salvage, if nail heads break off or for finishing nails the nippers can be used to quickly pull nails out from the other side. A good quality crowbar is essential. Several pipe wrenches of various sizes, including a big heavy one will be useful. Propane torches are useful. These are used frequently. Here are some things that may happen once in a blue moon but for which the right tools are necessary. A bolt head twisted off on a boiler once leaving the rest of the bolt inside. An easy out will help remove the rest of the bolt. If a piece of metal pipe breaks off leaving the rest stuck inside, cut crossways with a hacksaw blade and twist it out once it's been cut through completely. Cutting crossways across the threads will not ruin them.

Another thing that comes to mind is an old Craftsman belt sander will have metal gears in it whereas about late 80s the metal gears were replaced with plastic and those will strip under heavy use. Buyer beware.

I have about 5K worth of hand tools in old dollars and will go through them and add anything I forgot.

Speaking of fire or building collapse, I rent a secure garage within walking distance (not in a storage unit facility).

[Higgenbotham]

All the putty knives I had were hard to use until I found one that did everything well. Can't remember where I got it but it has slightly rounded corners and the right thickness and sharpness. What I'm saying is don't just buy anything as in hand saw, check, got one, now I'm good.

Essential dark age tool. Got putty knife?

In the link to Charles Hugh Smith there was a photo of him holding a Skil Saw.

Not high on my list but I have one. In storage.

[Higgenbotham]

That brings something else up though. In a collapsing world lacking supplies, deteriorating asphalt roofs are probably going to be the main problem with housing. Once one starts to leak, I know of no good way to get more than another few years out of one. If I find myself in that bind and no way to get new shingles, I guess I'll have a few years to figure it out.

They are sprinting to mud huts and your Dark Age Hovel is just touching the reality too many cannot even register.

Yes, exactly. And barely touching the reality.

[tim]

Hand tools are a worthy investment.

In the north woods I have been collecting hand tools for timber frame housing. Carpenters braces and the square tapered bits. Axes and crosscut saws. If you live in an area where you plan on surviving with a wood stove you better have the axes and saws for when there is no gasoline. Along with that there are tools needed to set the teeth of the saw and files to sharpen them.

Crosscut saws are easy to come by most have been forgotten about or used as decoration. If not too rusty they can be used. I have found plenty of them for sale for around $20.

Even in a rural area where country folk are expected to do better I don’t think many will fare well as chainsaws are common while crosscut saws and axes are not.

A froe can be used to make wood shingles. Plenty of videos on YouTube about it. They still use wood shingles in Eastern Europe.