Knowledge Weighs Nothing

How To Get Power From A Phone Line In An Emergency

Free power in a SHTF emergency

Firstly – please note the words ‘In An Emergency’. This works but it could get you in trouble if you abuse the technique. This post isn’t about showing you how to power and charge your USB devices via the phone line for free. This cable set-up should only be made for use in the event of a SHTF emergency scenario.

The information is provided for use in an emergency. For example the power may be out and you need to charge your phone so you can head out in a disaster. Alternatively the power may be out in a SHTF scenario, but if there is still power running through the phone line, you could get one last charge on your phone, which could maintain communication for another day or two and make a huge difference…

I am not sure about this, but there may still be power running through your home phone line, even if the phone is disconnected. You would have to check to be sure though.

It is pretty cheap and easy to make up the cable used in the video above.  It might be worth making one up now and storing it with your emergency supplies, as it may come in handy one day. It is simply not worth doing this daily and abusing the free power – the trouble you could get in is way out of proportion to any benefits gained.

(Photo from: DIYHacksAndHowTos via Instructables)

How To Open A Locked Padlock With A Soda/Beer Can

How to open a padlock with a soda can

There are many emergency and survival scenarios where you may need to get past a locked padlock, but you don’t have the key. To be honest, there are also many non-emergency times you may want to open a locked padlock too. For example, I once lost the key to the padlock that secures one of our sheds. It wasn’t an emergency, but I wanted to get in without damaging the door of the frame.

There are obviously ways around smaller padlocks – smashing/hacksawing them etc, but in a SHTF scenario these can attract unwanted attention and might not be successful on larger padlocks anyway. Below is an excellent way to hack a soda can to make a tool which can be used to pop open a locked padlock. The video below shows how to make the shim tool and how to open the two most common types of padlocks using it.

This technique of opening padlocks has been around online for years. It is not new knowledge, but if you are now concerned about the security of gates and buildings you have padlocked, read on, and find out how to make your padlocks shim proof so they cannot be opened with the above method in the video.

How To Secure A Padlock With A Soda Can (To make it shim-proof)

When we posted the video above showing how to make a shim from a soda/beer can, LOTs of people complained… They said we were showing folks how to access and steal their goods. With this in mind I searched around to see if there was a method to make padlocks shim-proof. Guess what? There is! And it uses soda/beer cans too.

In a similar way to the original – where you make a small tool (shim) out of the can to pop open the padlock, this time you are making a small insert tool from a can which when used correctly, will stop a shim from working and being able to open the padlock. There we go, the balance of power has been restored!

By the way  – you can use any beer or soda can!

(Photo from: Lftndbt via Instructables)

Homemade Natural Bug Spray Recipe

bugspray

If you purchase bug spray it will likely contain a chemical called DEET. Simply put – DEET is nasty stuff, so unless you are plagued by mosquitoes and have no other option, I would steer clear of the stuff. I accidently sprayed some DEET on a tent when camping once… It melted the material! Below is a natural, safer homemade bug spray recipe for you to try. It is very cheap and easy to make and it works well for us.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of boiled water (left to cool)
  • 1 cup of apple cider vinegar
  • 50-60 drops or peppermint essential oil (you can also try lemongrass or lavender oil too)

You will also need a spray bottle or two.

Instructions

Add all the ingredients to the spray bottle. Give it a really good shake and it’s ready to use. Simply spray on exposed skin and you are ready to go outdoors.

Notes

  • As it is a natural recipe it does wear off after a while, so be sure to reapply every hour or two.
  • Be sure to give the bottle a good shake before spraying to ensure the mixture is well mixed.
  • If you find the spray still smells a bit vinegary, add a few more drops of peppermint oil. You could also experiment by adding different essential oils too.
(Image from: Wikipedia)

Endless FREE Hot Water Off-The-Grid!

Free off-the-grid hot water

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

DIY squirrel trap PVC tube

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!

Related books: Guide to Trapping & The Forager’s Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants

(Photo from: Airwolfhound)

2 Minute Trick To Clean/De-Haze Headlights

howtocleanheadlights

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

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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

12-Homemade-Wood-Burning-Stoves-and-Heater-Ideas

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

shippingcontainer

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

Free tiny house plans
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

Free tiny house 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!

Hot tub tiny house

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)