Curious to know
 

I've seen this mentioned here before, but having not visited in quite a while am wondering now.

How many have stocked items like wash boards, manually operated well pumps, and other 'old fashioned' tools just in case?

What other tools might a person need?

I never thought things would get to a point where it seemed like it would be worth looking into. Now I'm not so sure.

For all those household tasks that would be necessary without electricity to help, what is on the list to keep on hand?

How abouts an upstairs maid, a cook and a gardener?

I have one of those. But it would rather work for jerks than family. :bash: Once it gets hungry though, maybe it would reconsider.

We've invested in a hand powered grain mill, hand garden tools, and DH is learning blacksmithing to make what we need. We already wash dishes by hand. Laundry is the only thing I'm not ready for yet but hope to be soon.

No electricity?
 

You might want to invest in anything that can do the job w/o electricity as it's electric cousin can do. I mean everything. Tools in the garage, shop, garden, yard, kitchen, laundry room, all other rooms, everything.

Our dependency on "Reddy Kilowat" is like an addiction and I plan to break that addiction (slowly of course).

If you don't know how or cannot operate those tools, find a way that you can learn or have someone handy that can.

Be Prepared,

USPatriot57 - Texas Jericho Ranger :cowboy:

My family feels pretty secure in our power consumption since we are off-grid but we still purchase manual over electric even when it costs more. The security of knowing it is going to work no matter what is worth the little bit of extra work.

how about cidermills and lard presses,also those large steel pots they(my grandparents) used to scald hogs in?

We have many of that type of item.

For laundry, if you don't want to invest in a washboard or James washer, you could just get a new plunger and a bucket and acommercial mop bucket wringer thing. Less expense, and doesn't look odd to family and friends.

I "decorated" the porch with old laundry items. The kitchen is being decorated in old/reproduction hand kitchen tools.Dh is working on getting an old/reproduction pump for the yard. When neighbors ask, we tell them we like collecting the old stuff. Most of them collect anitques also and think it is great. Nothing like hiding things right under people's noses.

I have a manual grain mill and a manual pasta maker. I don't have much else that is manual tho.

Frankly, if you cannot afford household help you need to seriously change the way you do things. Get rid of the carpet so you can sweep. Get rid of the fancy drapes and get wash curtains. Learn to wear your clothes several days and not wash so often. Dig a hole and build an outhouse. Set up your water so you aren't hauling it for every little thing. My greatgrandmother had a hand pump next to the kitchen sink and it was a wonderful thing! Set up your lamps and decide how you will fill and care for them.

We need to study how people did everything before electricity. Most people DID have someone come help if they didn't have children who could help.

Im more like my off grid friend.He has solar and 2 sets of dry back up batteries ready to go.That will outlast them.

More like Electro Amish is my goal,I dont want to go to cave living and dont intend to.

Rocky has the right idea. Look for those tall buckets that some pool chemicals come in. These can be washed out and used for small loads of laundry. The larger plastic tubs will allow bigger loads.

Note: Don't buy a black plunger. The color sometimes comes out and stains and marks the clothes.

Add a length of PVC pipe to the handle so you don't need to bend over to use the plunger. It is much like churning butter in the older days.

I don't know that I stock a whole lot of those items. Basic tools like hammers and saws I keep a few on hand, but with good care they ought to last a very long time.

I disagree with ya, booboo ... I don't mind cave living. In fact, I think it'd be a pretty good lifestyle. Have you ever read a book called "Stone-Age Economics"? It discusses some studies showing primitive peoples and their lifestyles. Did you realize that your average primitive tribe lives better than you do now? An adult male living in Borneo may work only 2 hours per day to provide for all of his household needs. How many hours did you work today? I know I worked a lot more than that. The rest of our bone-in-the-nose friend's time is spent teaching his sons how to hunt and fish, napping underneath a shade tree, drinking a fermented beverage of his choice, and fornicating with his good lady (who also has a bone in her nose).

Heck, Rich, I was planning on just sitting down to work the plunger! The RED plunger, that is.

I actually just bought a manual well pump a week ago, and put it on the shelf. I asked my mom and dad to not get rid of their wash board, or the smal wood cook stove that used to belong to gramma.


I also bought a cross cut saw last summer

neither do I. Im going to livce right in the house that im in

We just bought a meat grinder. We have an old washboard, but I like the idea of the plunger. I am use to heating water on an open fire to do dishes because I've done that a lot in our tent camping days. Plan on getting a manual pasta machine next payday.

LOL,Im taking over a years vacation right now!

Hey!

Cyngbaeld you just made me realize I can count my children as part of my preps! LOL

Many hands make lighter work.....

I feel the same way! You know us empty headed women love to decorate! ;)

I even apply this philosophy to growing food. I try to put the more decorative crops like sunflowers (yummy seeds) and peppers in the most visible spots, with tomatoes, etc more out of view. Most people in this city wouldn't recognise half these plants as food anyway!

My sarge once told me something I have held as wisdom ...

"He who is armed the best will find that all other tools and aide are at his disposal in times of need. No, you don't have to take it, you just have to agree to guard it from those who would take it."

When this philosophy is applied to individual liberties, my friends and I call it the "Why the second amendment should be first" factor.

I'm gradually adding things. We have a couple of oil lamps now, one of which can also be used as a small camp stove. We also have an actual camp stove and a gas grill, and I'm saving up for a grain mill. I just bought as book called Making Do which has plans in it for a handpowered washing machine, and I'm planning on making myself one of those come payday.

What I find interesting is nobody here seems interested in making their own power.

I think making power is THE way to go.

I'm interested in it, but I'm not the wage earner in my family, and DH sees it as something to do when we win the lottery, not a near future thing. I haven't even managed to talk him into a woodstove yet.

We are interested, but have too many trees on our southern exposure. And the outlay to set up . . .

I wish we could get solar panels (the cost is too prohibitive for us) but for now we just cut down on our power usage, we have oodles of hand tools and hubby unplugged the dishwasher years ago :D We still have a long way to go though but we are working on it.

I want to figure out passive solar and heat mass exchanges (dark tile floors, 55 gallon black drums of water, green houses connected to main house).

Angie

I am with you. My approach is a combo of small gas generator, solar, battery, bike-powered generator, and manual labor.

I would probably be interested in making my own power IF I was an electrician and a mechanic, and could build and maintain my own systems. Since I don't have those skills, I'm sticking to things I can build and care for myself.

Having lived without electricity or running water, my FIRST priority was to make sure I could do the laundry even if the power went off. I have two scrub boards (one glass, one metal for traveling); a hand-crank wringer; and on order from Lehman's their double-tub galvanized laundry tubs. We also have a hand pump for the well, but it isn't installed yet.

When something needs done here, and I need a tool to do the job, FIRST I get the hand tools that are appropriate. Then, when I can afford it, I'll add the power tools. I want to make sure that I have all the necessary hand tools and equipment first. Here is one of the reasons why: two years ago, my uncle got us a weed whacker, electric. It's a cheap one, but still....It runs for about thirty seconds, then the thing on the bottom that holds the plastic string in place flies off and the string tangles up. Stop, put it back together, repeat. Really not a fun way to mow the lawn (yes, we mow the 'lawn' with a weed whacker!). So I got the old scythe out, the one that had belonged to my great grandfather and is over a hundred years old. Sharpened it (didn't know about peening -- it will get that, too, shortly), and tried it out. Hey, this works better than that stupid weed whacker that's constantly breaking! Faster, much quieter, and doesn't break!! It's too big for me, though, so I've sent for one that's my size. We aren't going to have any more weed whackers at this house! (I do have a little push mower, the non-powered reel type, but the ground is too rough for it.)

Kathleen

We have several oil lamps with extra wicks, chimneys and fuel; an apartment sized wringer washer that has a motor but I've never used it, just let the clothes soak in the sudsy water, run them through the wringer and rinse. Also have three wood stoves - one is hooked up and I cook on it about three to four times a week. Have butter churns, coffee grinders (getting the coffee beans later this week), three stainless steel coffee pots with the innards that are meant for on a stove or campfire, a camp stove and charcoal grill, and I already hang clothes outside or around the house (the dryer is not hooked up and I could care less if it ever is). Also have lots of hand tools for house, garden, tractor, backhoe and vehicles.

I do think it's important to try using all of these items before the power is off. That way in an emergency you know what you're doing - hopefully!

Making power wasn't the question, tho.

I've lived off grid with solar panels. To live here with solar panels might work with an underground home but not in a mobile home. Solar electric doesn't work too well for a/c in this climate.

I do have a Lister Petter 6.5 KW diesel generator tho. I need more fuel storage.

I'd imagin it helps hold your electric bill down, also. Good savings to buy more of the same.

Angie

Reply
 

Lots and lots of hand tools here. Power tools don't help much when a tractor breaks down a mile from the nearest outlet.

The little 1 or 2 ton cable ratchet pullers are handy to have around. I think I have 3 now. Use them for lifting, stretching, pulling calves, whatever.

A friend is probably going to be setting up a press for making biodiesel from soybeans this year, gonna watch and see how that goes. Maybe try to convince him to do a few tons for me.

Electricity I can live without very easily in the long haul. Where I have a weakness is in the wood cutting if I couldn't use the chainsaw. I don't think I have what it takes to cut wood with a crosscut. I can split with a maul or the manual hydralic splitter, but at my age the actual cutting seems pretty overwhelming. I have all the hand tools I need to do every job and know how to use them, including putting up loose hay etc., but the wood thing scares me.

I don't trust oil lamps. I'd rather use candles. Still have fragrance, jars, soy wax, and a few wicks. Need to order more of those. I think we have the tool department covered. Whoever mentioned that reel mower reminded me we still have one of those. It does need sharpening though.

What do you sharpen with?

Thanks MBB, that's ONE thing that I've been needing, but don't have on my 'now list'... Sounds like he's thinking along the same lines as me... buy large deep cycle batteries, preferably dry, and only add the acid once they're needed. I don't know if draining a new set of deep cycles would be much fun... And having such large glass containers, and storing said acids.

Extra batteries, and a fresh set for now, is the one weakness of my current solar power system... I could still use power in the daylight hours, but nighttime would be nicer!!!

thanks!!!!!

Ahhh but the question was ,what to use without electricity,my take is dont give up the electricity in the first place.I have no intention of reverting to candles.Dont have to and thats my choice on it.

I'd much rather use an electric saw than a hand saw.I like safe,clean electric lights.Yes,a freezer EASILY runs on 2 panels.Etc.Clean,free,safe reliable energy is here now.

Skip one new car in life and have power for life.And it doesnt take that much either,just an example.

I think we should embrace the technology,not plan on regressing to a hard labor society,it doesnt have to happen.

Sounds good to me. Doesnt have to be just solar either,but thats a whole 'nuther rant.

Of course some homes this just doesnt apply to.The resource isnt there to make power,trees,no flowing water,no wind,etc.

Hand powered A/c is even worse,LOL!:D

He is a chemistry pro,storing acid is right up his alley.Yes,I think its a super plan too.They are Deka's too,nice batts,got a sale price on em and couldnt pass it up.750 watts solar so far,getting more and putting in water genny this year for good winter water flow.He is major set nice now and adding to it to boot,its an awesome setup!

You answered your own question of why not consider solar power. The two main factors: Knowledge and also startup cost