DIY Archives - Page 3 of 24 - Knowledge Weighs Nothing

Endless FREE Hot Water Off-The-Grid!

March 5, 2014

If you already have a wood burning stove at home that heats your water, this is not going to be of much interest to you…

If however you rely on gas/electricity to heat your water, this is a great little emergency preparedness project for backup hot water in emergencies. It would also be useful for remote/off-the-grid cabins etc. With this system, you effectively have a free, constant supply of hot water stored in an insulated water tank (old water heater), much like folks with built in wood burning stove boiler systems.

You can pick up those old water heaters for nothing, or next to nothing from FreeCycle and Craig’s list etc. They often get wasted or recycled when people get their heating systems replaced for new modern ones.

(Image from: engineer775 Practical Preppers)

How to Build A Simple PVC Tube Homemade Squirrel Trap

October 10, 2018

This PVC tube homemade squirrel trap is useful for getting rid of pest squirrels and also for trapping wild squirrels for food. This trap is humane, in that it doesn’t kill or harm the squirrel once caught (providing you check it regularly). It’s up to you, if it is a pest squirrel, you can either re-home it somewhere else, or you can kill it. Obviously, if you are using the trap for hunting, you’re going to kill it.

All you need for this trap is a five-six foot length of 6 inch PVC tube. You also need an end-cap or something to securely plug one end of the tube.

Once you have your length of PVC tube with the end capped off, it’s time for bait. I think it is a given that peanut butter works best; smear a little around the open end of the tube and then keep adding a little more down to around an arm’s length down the tube. I also got a slice of bread (which I covered in peanut butter) and dropped it down to the bottom of the tube.

Ok, so now we have the baited squirrel trap, it’s time to set it. Set the trap where you know there is squirrel activity. You want to set the plugged end on the ground and rest the open end against a branch etc. You don’t want the tube to be fully vertical, as the squirrel won’t go down the tube. You want to set it at around 60-70 degrees. This way the squirrel will go down after the food, but cannot escape due to the slippery surface of the inner tube.

A Few Tips

You can spray or smear some cooking oil around the inside of the tube, around an arm’s length down. This will make it doubly difficult for the squirrel to escape.
If you are planning to dispatch the squirrel, the easiest way to do this is to hold a hessian/burlap bag over the open end of the tube and simply tip the squirrel out into the bag. A heavy whack with a piece of wood etc should kill the squirrel quickly and humanely.
If you are hunting squirrel for food, make several of these homemade squirrel traps and set them in several locations.

There you go, a low cost (free if you have some PVC tube laying around), zero skill way to trap squirrels. Happy hunting!

(Photo from: Airwolfhound)

2 Minute Trick To Clean/De-Haze Headlights

April 15, 2014

I have known about this tip/trick/hack for years, to be honest, I thought everyone did so it was a huge surprise when a friend of mine told me she has just paid $20 to have her headlights cleaned… Anyway this made me think that perhaps there are lots of people out there paying professionals or purchasing expensive cleaning products to clean their headlights, so I thought I would do this quick post just in case.

2 Minute Trick To Clean & De-Haze Headlights

Go out and buy a cheap $1 tube of toothpaste – squeeze some on a paper towel and rub onto the headlight. (Be careful not to rub too hard as this could cause tiny surface scratches). Now take a clean paper towel or two, and polish the toothpaste off the headlight. You should be left with a crystal clear, haze free headlight.

This takes around 2 minutes of your time and costs you $1, and your tube of toothpaste will likely last for another 5-10 cleans.

(Photo from: Wikipedia)

DIY Hydroelectricity 101: Generate Electricity From Running Water

October 17, 2018

Some of the most popular posts on K.W.N have been the ones about generating free energy and electricity; by far the most popular have been the numerous DIY solar power, solar heating and solar hot water posts. However, if your property has a suitable and reliable running water source, I would highly recommend you look into hydro-power/hydroelectricity.

The benefit of using a hydro-generator over solar power is that with a hydro-generator, power is generated 24/7, solar panels only work during daylight hours and their efficiency is affected by the weather and time of year.

If you are considering purchasing some land for a homestead or bug-out location, land with a reliable running water source would be a HUGE plus as it could provide free electricity, drinking water and food. However, before you go ahead and purchase, you should check with the local authority to see whether you can use the water source for hydroelectricity. Just because it is your land, it doesn’t give you OFFICIAL permission to do so.

DIY Hydroelectricity 101: Generate Electricity From Running Water

Book: Microhydro: Clean Power from Water (The book by Scott Davis, who wrote the post!)

(Photo from: hoyasmeg)

12 Homemade Wood Burning Stoves & Heater Tutorials

July 14, 2014

We really want to get a wood burning stove to supplement our heating (to be honest we want one for the atmosphere created by a wood burning stove just as much!) Nothing beats the smell and warmth of a wood burning stove…

The problem is – if you want to purchase a ready made wood burning stove off the shelf, they cost a small fortune. This got me looking online for some DIY options instead. The post below has gathered together some of the best DIY wood burning stove tutorials online. If you are looking down the DIY option it is definitely worth a look.

12 Homemade Wood Burning Stoves & Heater Tutorials

(Image from: Self Sufficiency Magazine)

How To Buy A Shipping Container

May 21, 2014

Due to TV shows such as Doomsday Preppers and Armageddon Outfitters etc, there has been a huge boom in the sale of used shipping containers. Preppers everywhere are snapping them up and burying them in their backyards… Problem is the used shipping container companies have cottoned on to this and the price for a used shipping container has now gone through the roof.

Below is an excellent tutorial which explains how to go about purchasing a used shipping container. There is loads of advice on regulations, which types of containers to consider etc. Best of all there are a couple of tricks listed that can enable you to get a jump on the competition and bag a shipping container on the cheap. Click the link below to find out more…

How To Buy A Shipping Container (incl tricks for finding cheap containers)

(Image from: Wikipedia)

Tiny House Plans Free To Download & Print | 8 Tiny House Blueprints

July 15, 2017

Tiny houses and DIY sheds and cabins are really popular right now. They are so affordable to build (or buy), they take up so little space, and they are so adaptable. Some folks live in them 24/7 whilst others use them for guest accommodation or workshops and home offices etc.

There are many PAID DIY build plans out there, but if you are on a budget there’s no need to have to pay for plans. You can get a selection of free tiny house blueprint plans down below. There are 7 free tiny house plans available, although the newest one at the top of the page requires you to sign up to the newsletter to get it, but that is no hardship really to bag some quality free PDF tiny house blueprints.

There are some great downloadable and printable PDF floor plans here. There are a few basic free tiny house plans, some static and some on wheels, but there is also a nice homesteader’s house plan and a solar house plan, with the tiny solar house designed to be lived in full-time. Whether it is for your accommodation, guest accommodation, an outside office, or even just a shed/workshop, building one of these yourself will give you great satisfaction and save you money a ton of money. Check out the 7 tiny house plans free to download here.

Below is another free tiny house plan!

Free Tiny House Plan – Cottage Style Plan

You can print out the tiny house blueprint below.

This wood cabin is 8 foot by 13.6 foot, which gives you 108 feet of living space. Many local authorities don’t require a building permit for structures less than 108 feet, so you should be able to build this cabin without a building permit. That said, be sure to double check with your local authority first! This wood cabin would be great for guest accommodation, or perhaps even a secret, get-away-from-it-all cabin in the woods. Get this tiny house plan free to download and print out here: Free Cottage Style Wood Cabin Plans.

Amazing Mobile Hot Tub Tiny House – You’ve Got To See This!

Ok so this doesn’t contain the build plans, but that’s why the post is titled – 8 Tiny House Plans Free To Download & Print In PDF (rather than 9!) – This is one of the coolest things I have ever seen, a tiny house with a hot tub, built on a trailer for easy transportation. It’s also absolutely stunning inside and out.

This tiny house is owned by Tinywood Homes, and if you live in the UK (or you are visiting), you can actually stay in this awesome little house, as it is one of several tiny wooden built houses they have for holiday rental. Even if you are not going to stay there, I highly recommend checking out the additional photos of this and the other awesome tiny houses they have for rental. See here: Amazing Mobile Hot Tub Tiny House – You’ve Got To See This!

(Image from: TinyWoodHomes.com & Nicolás Boullosa)

DIY Emergency Candles: 6 Different SHTF Candles You Can Make

September 22, 2016

DIY Emergency 100 Hour Candles (Cost $1 Each!)

When I say these couldn’t be easier to make, I mean it! You need just three things to make these 100-hour emergency candles – a jar, a cheap table type candle and some shortening (Crisco or cheaper alternative). You simply spoon the shortening into the jar and when almost full you push the candle down into the middle, and apart from a bit of tidying you are all but done! If you like you can add some essential oils to the mix to give the candles a nice fragrance.

Now I said these 100-hour candles could be made for $1 and I believe they can. In the video BacktoBasics Gal purchased the jars, but you can clean out a reuse food jars, so then you just have to purchase the shortening and the table candles. I have seen packs of 12 of these type of candles in Dollar stores and you can pick up large containers of shortening pretty cheap too. You can pick up 48oz tub of Crisco on Amazon for $11.95.

How To Make Emergency 50 Hour Candles

Normal candles are fine for the odd short power outage, but if you are going to be days or even weeks without power/lighting, you want something bigger and more efficient like a 50 hour candle. The problem is these are expensive… The good news is you can make around 15 of your own 50 hour candles for around the price of purchasing two.

You can reuse food jars, so they are free, and you can purchase 5 LBS of soy wax here and candle wicks here from Amazon; you can then make around 15, 50 hour candles for less that $25. For a full tutorial on how to make the candles, check out the link below.

How To Make Emergency 50 Hour Candles

(Photo from: TEOTWAWKI Blog)

Altoids Tin Emergency Candle (Stove & Heater)

This Altoids tin emergency candle is a great little project that actually has several different uses in camping and emergency preparedness scenarios. This DIY Altoids tin candle has a candle with four wicks in the base and some matches and strikers glued to the underside of the lid, to make a complete emergency candle kit.

Personally, I actually think this Altoids candle is far more versatile than simply a light source – in an emergency, you could light all four wicks and it could be used to warm food and sterilize water in small quantities. Also if you were surviving outdoors or camping, I am fairly sure that with all four wicks lit, this would pump out a good amount of heat to help keep you warm, or at least warm up your hands to get some feeling and dexterity back into them. Check out the tutorial below to see how to make this simple but versatile Altoids candle.

Altoids Tin Emergency Candle (Stove & Heater)

(Photo from: EaKLondon via Instructables)

How to Make an Everlasting Candle from Crisco (it doesn’t smell!)

Ok, here’s the thing, I was always going to get around to doing a post on making a candle with Crisco, but then someone commented on our Facebook page about our make a candle with olive oil post saying olive oil is expensive and Crisco is a better option.

This got me thinking and tinkering and do you know what, it’s nice to make an olive oil candle (there is just something nice, healthy and clean about olive oil), but if you are up against it and you want the functional no-frills, but works like a charm option, then Crisco is the way to go. Also, it couldn’t really be simpler as Crisco comes in a tin, so once you have inserted a wick, you are ready to go!

And NO, No, No it doesn’t stink! So don’t ask! I admit I thought it would, but to my surprise, it doesn’t.

One thing I would do differently to the video is – I find it easier to use a straw to insert the wick. Simply cut your wick to size, insert it into the straw and then use the straw to slide the wick in the Crisco, easy! It is preferable to buy and use proper wicks as these burn better, but at a push, any similar sized cord will do if you are stuck.

So there you go folks, but a few tins of Crisco in the cupboard and keep some wicks/string handy and you have cheap everlasting candles, which you could eat if you got really desperate…

You can get your Crisco and candle wicks from Amazon (Crisco at Amazon, is there anything you can’t buy from Amazon now?)

How To Make An Emergency Candle From Butter

In the past I have posted about how to make DIY candles from things you have at home: How to Make an Everlasting Candle from Crisco (it doesn’t smell!) and Make a Candle with Olive Oil.

I had never really considered making a candle out of butter, but I guess it makes sense as butter is mostly fat the same as Crisco and olive oil…

The great thing about this candle is you only need two things to make it – some butter and some toilet paper (to make the wick!). Anyway, head over to the Instructables and check out the video and tutorial.

Make a Butter Candle – Emergency Candle McGyver Style!

(Photo from: The King of Random via: Instructables)

Make A Lip-Balm Candle (Another reason to carry lip balm)

I have previously done a post called: How To Start A Fire With A Chapstick but here is another great reason to carry some lip-balm with you… You can make a create little candle with it, whilst still having the lip-balm available to protect your lips.

So for all you tough guys out there that don’t carry lip balm, now you have two extra reasons to consider taking some with you. It can help you start fires and you can make candles from it. Oh yeah, it will also keep your lips nice and soft!

How To Remove A Car Fender Dent With Boiling Water

September 17, 2014

If you have a newer car, with a plastic bumper/fender and it has a dent in it, you are in luck as I am going to explain how to remove the fender dent for free with some boiling water…

This all started when my wife’s car had a dent in the fender. She took it to the garage and they quoted $300 to repair the dent. I thought there must be a cheaper DIY way of fixing the dent. I got to searching online and sure enough there are several DIY techniques you can try to remove the dent from your plastic fender/bumper. The one I tried was the boiling water method and it worked a treat!

How To Fix A Fender Dent On Your Car In Minutes With Boiling Water

Firstly be careful as we are using boiling water!

Boil a pan/kettle of water. When boiled carefully take it out to the car and slowly pour all of the water on and around the dent in the Fender. This will soften the plastic so you can pop the dent out.

Now reach under or around the back of the fender/bumper and push out the dent. If you are lucky, like we were, the dent will just pop right out. If the dent pops out, get pan of cold water and slowly pour over the area to cool the plastic so it sets hard again so it stays in place.

If this technique didn’t work for you, don’t rush out to the garage and spend $100s on the repair. Instead, head over to Amazon and purchase this tool for less than $10. Firstly try and see if you can pull out the fender dent without using the boiling water method. If that doesn’t work, pour the boiling water over the dented area and then try to use the tool to pull out the dent whilst the plastic is softer.

(Image from: lr10cent)

Build A Self Contained 5 Gallon Bucket Sink System

October 27, 2018

This is so simple, but so useful! You have the sink at the top with the pump attached, then you’ve got the water reservoir and the gray water collection below. Press the pump peddle and hey presto! Running water… Best of all, when not in use, the buckets fit inside each other and the pump/tube/peddle fit inside the top bucket.

This self contained sink could also be used in an off-the-grid home, that doesn’t have running water. You could build a nice sink surround and pop in a nice metal bucket at the top (or even a normal sink), and hide the other buckets under the sink with a curtain etc. So there you go, a great little self contained sink system for camping, or use off-the-grid.