Here is an article I wrote for Survival Blog. Some of you might find it interesting.
https://survivalblog.com/useless-useful-skills-pete-thorsen/
https://survivalblog.com/useless-useful-skills-pete-thorsen/
Useless and Useful TEOTWAWKI Skills
- Thread starter hiwall
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I saw this article this morning! Thank you for your ongoing prepping articles!
It was a very good article. Plenty of good points made.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the kind words everyone.
depends on whether TEOTWAWKI is a fast or a slow event, a fast event would leave fewer survivors to use up what is left, i'm thinking mostly metal and metal objects here, although there would also be other stuff, a slow event would leave more survivors, a least for a while, who would use up what is left more quickly.
so that flint knapping might come in handy after all, those bullets aren't going to last forever, even if you can reload yourself black powder is just as finite as everything else, flint isn't an option for me as I don't live in a flint area and the nearest area would be a 200 mile round trip which wouldn't be safe in a WROL world.
so that flint knapping might come in handy after all, those bullets aren't going to last forever, even if you can reload yourself black powder is just as finite as everything else, flint isn't an option for me as I don't live in a flint area and the nearest area would be a 200 mile round trip which wouldn't be safe in a WROL world.
gardening skills along with animal husbandry skills.
all things agriculture...know how to put up hay and not burn a barn down is just one example.
all things agriculture...know how to put up hay and not burn a barn down is just one example.
A lot of those skills may not come into play for a long time but it would be a shame to lose them. They may not be first line of defence but I’m not so sure they are useless. It seems every generation losses some level of skills
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All the farm, garden & non electric skills.
Felling a tree, sawing lumber, cutting firewood from limps.
Building a fire, without burn down the barn & half the forest.
Using hand tools, making furniture,making moonshine for cars & drinking.
Most people never killed, cleaned & cook anything.
Growing & repairing everything all the time, making what you can not repair.
The article is right that we will need less, then in the 1800's.
Most tools were made from wood & rotted, if left out, now most are metal & last 50-100 years.
Wooden basket & barrels are replaced with plastic buckets & barrels.
Metal fence last 65 years & so on.
Felling a tree, sawing lumber, cutting firewood from limps.
Building a fire, without burn down the barn & half the forest.
Using hand tools, making furniture,making moonshine for cars & drinking.
Most people never killed, cleaned & cook anything.
Growing & repairing everything all the time, making what you can not repair.
The article is right that we will need less, then in the 1800's.
Most tools were made from wood & rotted, if left out, now most are metal & last 50-100 years.
Wooden basket & barrels are replaced with plastic buckets & barrels.
Metal fence last 65 years & so on.
Computer programmers are great problem solvers and can trace any number of systems or procedures and point out problems.
Logic and critical thought are shared by lawyers and programmers. Lawyers get along with people better. Neither make good leaders, on the average, but they are useful.
Logic and critical thought are shared by lawyers and programmers. Lawyers get along with people better. Neither make good leaders, on the average, but they are useful.
Someone with computer skills has skills that can be used in other areas. For example, problem solving is a great skill to have. System design and security are other crossover skills.
Don't worry if they are not smart enough to fend for themselves they would not last long anyway.
I completely disagree with computers geeks and lawyers being useful unless they grew up on a farm or had worthwhile hobbies. But we will likely never find out because TEOTWAWKI will not likely ever happen.
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Thanks, hiwall, for the good article! Well rounded with many good points.
Speaking of points, I must disagree with this bit, though, for many reasons:
FLINT-KNAPPING: NOT
Many often talk about flint knapping as a very good end times skill to possess. I really disagree with this opinion. In the end times, we will never run out of metal which almost anyone could shape into a viable arrowhead. The reason we now use steel arrowheads is that they are less fragile than knapped obsidian heads. So in my opinion flint knapping would be mostly a useless skill in TEOTWAWKI situation. Arrow making might possibly be a good skill but honestly guns are better. And in America there are hundreds of millions of guns and billions of rounds of ammunition. That would last a long time.
I am pretty sure that I (and even a novice flintknapper) can bang out a serviceable blade or arrowhead made with rock, glass, or porcelain a LOT quicker than one made with metal. (See the video at the end of this post for more on that.)
Also, it is not always practical to spend a lot of time hunting for a lost arrow, especially if the lighting is not the best, or if enemies are in the area, or...a half dozen other reasons that we are finding so many old arrowheads on the ground. When you lose a knapped arrowhead, you have not lost much in the way of time or resources.
Knapped arrowheads are more durable than most would think. It takes a lot to break a well-made arrowhead (usually hitting it with another rock or concrete in just the right angle can break it in half). Oftentimes an arrowhead is chipped, rather than broken in half. This chip is very sharp and does not diminish its functionality. If necessary, the arrowhead can be quickly reworked later.
Another advantage to non-steel: you can quickly make effective arrowheads from all sorts of trash: the thick glass from the bottoms of some jars and bottles; a broken porcelain toilet, slag glass (hunks of glass that are used as ornaments in tropical fish tanks), etc. https://www.offgridweb.com/survival/trash-into-treasure-making-glass-arrowheads/
Best of all: NO special grinding or cutting tools are needed to do the job.
“If you want to learn flintknapping but don’t have the right type of stone, don’t despair,” Berger says. “Glass is plentiful, free, and it flakes much easier than flint.” https://returntonow.net/2018/05/13/how-to-make-an-arrowhead-from-a-glass-bottle/
It is a verifiable fact that obsidian/glass arrowheads are much sharper than a surgical scalpel. I remember seeing a National Geographic article that featured electron microscope photos comparing the sharp edges of an arrowhead with a new surgical scalpel edge. The comparison was like night and day: the edge of a brand new scalpel looked jagged and rough, whereas the edge of the arrowhead was clean and sharp. Surprised me, really.
About metal arrowheads: they can do the job very well, as this video shows, but to do much good, it needs to be at least this sharp, which could take quite a bit of time to make.
(If you're short on time, go to the marker 6:28 to see a comparision test on a deer)
Speaking of points, I must disagree with this bit, though, for many reasons:
FLINT-KNAPPING: NOT
Many often talk about flint knapping as a very good end times skill to possess. I really disagree with this opinion. In the end times, we will never run out of metal which almost anyone could shape into a viable arrowhead. The reason we now use steel arrowheads is that they are less fragile than knapped obsidian heads. So in my opinion flint knapping would be mostly a useless skill in TEOTWAWKI situation. Arrow making might possibly be a good skill but honestly guns are better. And in America there are hundreds of millions of guns and billions of rounds of ammunition. That would last a long time.
I am pretty sure that I (and even a novice flintknapper) can bang out a serviceable blade or arrowhead made with rock, glass, or porcelain a LOT quicker than one made with metal. (See the video at the end of this post for more on that.)
Also, it is not always practical to spend a lot of time hunting for a lost arrow, especially if the lighting is not the best, or if enemies are in the area, or...a half dozen other reasons that we are finding so many old arrowheads on the ground. When you lose a knapped arrowhead, you have not lost much in the way of time or resources.
Knapped arrowheads are more durable than most would think. It takes a lot to break a well-made arrowhead (usually hitting it with another rock or concrete in just the right angle can break it in half). Oftentimes an arrowhead is chipped, rather than broken in half. This chip is very sharp and does not diminish its functionality. If necessary, the arrowhead can be quickly reworked later.
Another advantage to non-steel: you can quickly make effective arrowheads from all sorts of trash: the thick glass from the bottoms of some jars and bottles; a broken porcelain toilet, slag glass (hunks of glass that are used as ornaments in tropical fish tanks), etc. https://www.offgridweb.com/survival/trash-into-treasure-making-glass-arrowheads/
Best of all: NO special grinding or cutting tools are needed to do the job.
“If you want to learn flintknapping but don’t have the right type of stone, don’t despair,” Berger says. “Glass is plentiful, free, and it flakes much easier than flint.” https://returntonow.net/2018/05/13/how-to-make-an-arrowhead-from-a-glass-bottle/
It is a verifiable fact that obsidian/glass arrowheads are much sharper than a surgical scalpel. I remember seeing a National Geographic article that featured electron microscope photos comparing the sharp edges of an arrowhead with a new surgical scalpel edge. The comparison was like night and day: the edge of a brand new scalpel looked jagged and rough, whereas the edge of the arrowhead was clean and sharp. Surprised me, really.
About metal arrowheads: they can do the job very well, as this video shows, but to do much good, it needs to be at least this sharp, which could take quite a bit of time to make.
(If you're short on time, go to the marker 6:28 to see a comparision test on a deer)
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If you really believe that you will need a bow in your life time, then you should use one NOW.
You should buy spare bows & over a thousand arrows, for storage.
Some of us are a little old for even the new compound bows.
Traps & snares, farm raised meat, all can replace guns & the sling or bows & arrows for hunting.
But self defence is a need that will only increase, even with lawyer, preacher & critical thinker.
Many common people do not know how to do these things.
They do not know where to start, so some of the people will be able to teach a few neighbor.
Why do we care, a man who can grow & trap, will steal less from you.
A hunger scared man will do crazy things, to live another day.
You should buy spare bows & over a thousand arrows, for storage.
Some of us are a little old for even the new compound bows.
Traps & snares, farm raised meat, all can replace guns & the sling or bows & arrows for hunting.
But self defence is a need that will only increase, even with lawyer, preacher & critical thinker.
Many common people do not know how to do these things.
They do not know where to start, so some of the people will be able to teach a few neighbor.
Why do we care, a man who can grow & trap, will steal less from you.
A hunger scared man will do crazy things, to live another day.
Grizzlyette, I may be bias because I am a metal worker as a hobby! As you state that you could knapp an arrowhead quickly, as could I pound one out quickly. We each just have different skills. I do stand by my claim that knappingis a rather worthless skill for the end times (though I have been wrong once before
).
I admit though I have a bow and arrows, I never see the circumstance where I would use that instead of one of my guns.
).I admit though I have a bow and arrows, I never see the circumstance where I would use that instead of one of my guns.
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Grizzlyette, I may be bias because I am a metal worker as a hobby! As you state that you could knapp an arrowhead quickly, as could I pound one out quickly. We each just have different skills. I do stand by my claim that knappingis a rather worthless skill for the end times (though I have been wrong once before
I admit though I have a bow and arrows, I never see the circumstance where I would use that instead of one of my guns.
Of course, in some situations, guns would be much better than bow/arrows, crossbows, or atlatls. But in the event of a prolonged SHTF situation, bullets/shells may eventually run out or else be in such short supply that shooting will be like ringing the dinner bell for trouble, lol.
Even if bullets and shells are not in short supply, there will be times where you may wish to have something a lot quieter than a gun.
If I somehow lost everything I owned, I know I will still have the means to defend myself and also to "make meat."
I just like to diversify as much as possible, but that's just me.
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TEOTWAWKI has happened before, just ask the dinosaurs, or the Mayans or the Aztecs or the Ancient Roman empire.
civilisations have collapsed before and will again, we are not exempt we just have further to fall is all, as people rely more and more on technology and get further away from their agricultural roots, many people do not know where there food comes from and many don't care, until the supply route collapses.
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It is not likely in our life time, but one day it will happen.
This ^^ is a very good point!
If you scroll down on page
https://survivalblog.com/contest/
You'll find past winners, and me
Round 42: Dan in Alabama for “Make Your Own Retort Style Charcoal”, posted on September 19, 2012.
Knowing how to make charcoal is a skill the worth time... Fires hotter than wood fires, air and water filtration and most importantly, a fire without smoke or flame.
I used two 55 gallon drums and two 15 gallon drums. It would take most of a day to produce 40lbs of charcoal.
The small barrel containing quality wood to be converted goes inside the big barrel. Scrap wood is burned in the big barrel to make the conversion.
https://survivalblog.com/contest/
You'll find past winners, and me
Round 42: Dan in Alabama for “Make Your Own Retort Style Charcoal”, posted on September 19, 2012.
Knowing how to make charcoal is a skill the worth time... Fires hotter than wood fires, air and water filtration and most importantly, a fire without smoke or flame.
I used two 55 gallon drums and two 15 gallon drums. It would take most of a day to produce 40lbs of charcoal.
The small barrel containing quality wood to be converted goes inside the big barrel. Scrap wood is burned in the big barrel to make the conversion.
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I'm not so sure, I think it will happen a lot sooner than anyone realises, the more and more people that are on the planet exaserbates the problem.
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Fantastic article, Peanut!
You make it seem so easy, with your clear cut directions, that I am encouraged to make my own charcoal. Thank you!
You make it seem so easy, with your clear cut directions, that I am encouraged to make my own charcoal. Thank you!
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Millions of people thought the very same thing but discovered the tragic consequences of being wrong…
I didn’t want to derail this thread, so I expounded on this concept in another thread:
https://www.homesteadingforum.org/t...-likely-to-ever-happen-in-your-lifetime.4850/
Excellent !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good one Peanut. This is a skill I’d like to try.having a relatively smoke free fuel has a lot of advantages.
