Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Mike Finnegan
This song is on my step daughters playlist, she's 2. I've grown to hate this song so much I'm working on lyrics to make it fun again...
If I ever meet, Mike Finnegan, I'll stick him with a blade pull it out, then in again.
I'll cut his throat reach in and then, pull out his heart, and put it in again... Fuck Mike Finnegan
Friday, March 23, 2012
Neglect
I've really been neglecting this space for a while now. I know it and I am really trying to get back in here and get some stuff up. I have a few ideas I'm kicking around plus I need to finish the RV posts. But paying work comes first and I've been loaded up recently. I'll get in here ASAP though guys!
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Saturday, March 10, 2012
Guest Post: Time's Guide To Home Defense
I asked Time from HT if he would do a little thing on home defense for us. He took a little prodding but agreed to write up a little something and answer questions and take comments over at HT. I hope this stirs a good conversation on an often over looked subject. Far too many people think owning a gun makes them safe, and too many more don't even own one. At the end I'll post a link to the discussion page for the post. It's on a separate forum so if you want to participate you'll need to sign up. You will however be able to follow the discussion freely without becoming a member.
There are people out there that want your stuff. Or worse, they may want you or your family members. It’s true now and it’ll be true ten years from now. But if times get really tough it’s almost certain you’re going to need to defend yourself, your family, your friends and your stuff. In some cases, losing your food and water could be the end for you.
I think of these things fairly often. Am I going to be able to protect me and mine? The simple truth is, I have no choice in the matter. Sure, today I can dial 911 for help. That is, if I have the opportunity. But, help may not make it in time and there is no guarantee that the option of calling police will be there next month, next year or in ten years. It’s too late to think about it then. Self defense starts now and even then, you’re late to the party.
So, you have weapons. Right? If not, you need to make it a priority. You can’t protect yourself or your loved ones if you take a knife to a gun fight. I really can’t stress this enough so I’m going to lay a bit of a guilt trip on you here. Do you care what happens to your wife/husband, daughter or son? Do you have the will to live? If you haven’t given yourself the opportunity to protect them or yourself, the answer to both questions is no.
You have some type of early warning system in your home, right? Dogs are great for this. If your protection from being snuck up on is simply a locked door, you’re not ready yet. You’re not prepared to protect yourself or your family.
Okay, end of guilt trip. Let’s get to the meat and potatoes. If someone does happen to get into your home and you have no one to rely on but yourself, do you know what to do? If they’re seemingly intent at getting to you, being armed may not be enough. You need to use your brain too. You have to remain as calm as possible and think clearly. In order to have the confidence you will need to keep calm, you need knowledge. An initial plan is good but these situations tend to be fluid. If you rely too heavily on a well designed plan, one blocked path can ruin everything. Your confidence drops and you no longer think clearly. Notice I didn’t say anything about being scared. You’re going to be scared. I would be scared. Get a grip and do what you have to do. In that light, knowing proper technique and tactics is far more advantageous than a plan.
I have a fluid plan for my home. We should all have a room, some people call it a “safe room”, to retreat to and hold a defensive position. I’m not talking about a concrete bunker in your home complete with six inch blast door and surveillance equipment. Those are for the wealthy. Just a room that everyone can get to in an emergency like this. A room with one entrance and possibly an exit to the outside for escape. If it’s possible in your home, you want to choose a room so that if it’s necessary and you have children in separate rooms in the house, you can go room to room clearing the rooms, hallways and doorways to get everybody into a single room. Something to think about here, if the room has a window that you may be able to escape from, it also has a window that intruders can enter through. For a purely defensive standpoint, it’s not really a good choice to try to hold a defensive position. But if you’re confident there are not others outside, a windowed room or other exit might be the best choice. It’s these unknowns that make these situations fluid.
Once in the room with only one entrance/exit, you have created a “fatal funnel”. An open or closed door is optional I suppose. I think many would prefer to close the door but personally, I want to be able to see them move past the open door. Basically, there is only a small space for intruders to get in or to be able to see in and you’re on the big end of the funnel giving an intruder a wider area to scan. You want to get yourself and any family member behind cover in the farthest corner opposite the door. Move a couch, bed, dresser drawer across if you have to. They won’t stop any bullets but they help keep you from being spotted quickly. Now you have the advantage. If anyone comes through the door, they must locate you before shooting with any accuracy. You’ll see them first and you are already aiming at the doorway so it only takes a fraction of a second to be on target with minimal movement. Um,,,,,pull the ---- trigger!
There is also something else you can do to help prevent being targeted quickly and accurately if it is dark. Shine a bright light in their eyes. But, there’s a trick to it. Personally, I wouldn’t want to use a flashlight or turn lights on in the house if there is someone inside. I know the house and walk around in the dark often. I don’t need to see very well. If I use a light, I tell the intruder where I am. I don’t want to do that until I am in a position to fire first. So, until the light is pointed directly at their face, I wouldn’t turn it on. And to be honest, if I’m hiding in the corner of a room protecting my family, I’m pulling the trigger on the weapon, not the flashlight. An exception to that may be if I had called police or others for help. Chances are if someone had shown up to help, I’d know about it though. I’m still prone to not bother with the light.
There some things I brushed over that people should take some time to learn about. There are tactics to use to clear each room, hallway and doorway as you move through the house. There are proper ways to approach corners. These things can be topics to themselves and there is a good deal of information out there, some with diagrams and videos I just can’t match. So here are some phrases to google.
Tactical building clearing
Slicing the Pie
Fatal Funnel
The main point to the article is to learn these tactics to the point that you are comfortable using them. When the situation is as fluid as a home invasion is bound to be, a steadfast plan might not work out so well. Having the confidence that you can work through a situation and get youself and family in the best position available to defend yourselves is as important as the knowledge itself. But, it's the knowledge that gives you the confidence.
Let's be honest here, gun in hand or not, if your plan is to rush forward blindly or even run out blindly, your chance of being successful comes down to luck.
Please feel free to comment, ask a question or three, and just follow the conversation here:
http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?p=5764257#post5764257
There are people out there that want your stuff. Or worse, they may want you or your family members. It’s true now and it’ll be true ten years from now. But if times get really tough it’s almost certain you’re going to need to defend yourself, your family, your friends and your stuff. In some cases, losing your food and water could be the end for you.
I think of these things fairly often. Am I going to be able to protect me and mine? The simple truth is, I have no choice in the matter. Sure, today I can dial 911 for help. That is, if I have the opportunity. But, help may not make it in time and there is no guarantee that the option of calling police will be there next month, next year or in ten years. It’s too late to think about it then. Self defense starts now and even then, you’re late to the party.
So, you have weapons. Right? If not, you need to make it a priority. You can’t protect yourself or your loved ones if you take a knife to a gun fight. I really can’t stress this enough so I’m going to lay a bit of a guilt trip on you here. Do you care what happens to your wife/husband, daughter or son? Do you have the will to live? If you haven’t given yourself the opportunity to protect them or yourself, the answer to both questions is no.
You have some type of early warning system in your home, right? Dogs are great for this. If your protection from being snuck up on is simply a locked door, you’re not ready yet. You’re not prepared to protect yourself or your family.
Okay, end of guilt trip. Let’s get to the meat and potatoes. If someone does happen to get into your home and you have no one to rely on but yourself, do you know what to do? If they’re seemingly intent at getting to you, being armed may not be enough. You need to use your brain too. You have to remain as calm as possible and think clearly. In order to have the confidence you will need to keep calm, you need knowledge. An initial plan is good but these situations tend to be fluid. If you rely too heavily on a well designed plan, one blocked path can ruin everything. Your confidence drops and you no longer think clearly. Notice I didn’t say anything about being scared. You’re going to be scared. I would be scared. Get a grip and do what you have to do. In that light, knowing proper technique and tactics is far more advantageous than a plan.
I have a fluid plan for my home. We should all have a room, some people call it a “safe room”, to retreat to and hold a defensive position. I’m not talking about a concrete bunker in your home complete with six inch blast door and surveillance equipment. Those are for the wealthy. Just a room that everyone can get to in an emergency like this. A room with one entrance and possibly an exit to the outside for escape. If it’s possible in your home, you want to choose a room so that if it’s necessary and you have children in separate rooms in the house, you can go room to room clearing the rooms, hallways and doorways to get everybody into a single room. Something to think about here, if the room has a window that you may be able to escape from, it also has a window that intruders can enter through. For a purely defensive standpoint, it’s not really a good choice to try to hold a defensive position. But if you’re confident there are not others outside, a windowed room or other exit might be the best choice. It’s these unknowns that make these situations fluid.
Once in the room with only one entrance/exit, you have created a “fatal funnel”. An open or closed door is optional I suppose. I think many would prefer to close the door but personally, I want to be able to see them move past the open door. Basically, there is only a small space for intruders to get in or to be able to see in and you’re on the big end of the funnel giving an intruder a wider area to scan. You want to get yourself and any family member behind cover in the farthest corner opposite the door. Move a couch, bed, dresser drawer across if you have to. They won’t stop any bullets but they help keep you from being spotted quickly. Now you have the advantage. If anyone comes through the door, they must locate you before shooting with any accuracy. You’ll see them first and you are already aiming at the doorway so it only takes a fraction of a second to be on target with minimal movement. Um,,,,,pull the ---- trigger!
There is also something else you can do to help prevent being targeted quickly and accurately if it is dark. Shine a bright light in their eyes. But, there’s a trick to it. Personally, I wouldn’t want to use a flashlight or turn lights on in the house if there is someone inside. I know the house and walk around in the dark often. I don’t need to see very well. If I use a light, I tell the intruder where I am. I don’t want to do that until I am in a position to fire first. So, until the light is pointed directly at their face, I wouldn’t turn it on. And to be honest, if I’m hiding in the corner of a room protecting my family, I’m pulling the trigger on the weapon, not the flashlight. An exception to that may be if I had called police or others for help. Chances are if someone had shown up to help, I’d know about it though. I’m still prone to not bother with the light.
There some things I brushed over that people should take some time to learn about. There are tactics to use to clear each room, hallway and doorway as you move through the house. There are proper ways to approach corners. These things can be topics to themselves and there is a good deal of information out there, some with diagrams and videos I just can’t match. So here are some phrases to google.
Tactical building clearing
Slicing the Pie
Fatal Funnel
The main point to the article is to learn these tactics to the point that you are comfortable using them. When the situation is as fluid as a home invasion is bound to be, a steadfast plan might not work out so well. Having the confidence that you can work through a situation and get youself and family in the best position available to defend yourselves is as important as the knowledge itself. But, it's the knowledge that gives you the confidence.
Let's be honest here, gun in hand or not, if your plan is to rush forward blindly or even run out blindly, your chance of being successful comes down to luck.
Please feel free to comment, ask a question or three, and just follow the conversation here:
http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?p=5764257#post5764257
Monday, March 5, 2012
Drive By Post: Time to Close Those Trades
So here's what I see today as I scan the headlines and read my emails.
1. Greece has broken through 1000% interest on 1 year bonds. I know loan sharks with better rates than that! I don't know how long the Central Banks can suspend reality, but I can't imagine it's going to last a lot longer. Full Disclosure, I expected a Greek default once they passed 150% so maybe 1500% isn't out of the question?
2. Spain is missing big in it's mandatory financial targets so say's it's Prime Minister. They are asking for the EU and the ECB (and by extension the Fed) for a little slack. Thing is they missed really big so they arne't likely to get the slack they need. More austerity is going to be forced on them, which will likely lead them down the same road as Greece. Madrid in flames a future headline? I think it's likely. I also expect the Germans to play hard ball with Spain as they've learned a lot in their dealings with Greece.
3. Portugal is in trouble. Their economy is sliding into the toilet and it's going to have a huge impact on Spain. I am honestly not read up enough on Portugal to be sure of their outlook, but I do know large declines in Portugal means Spain takes a hit as well.
4. China is predicting a 6.6% decline on domestic growth from 8% to 7.5%. I expect the real number will be some what below 7%, though I'm not 100% sure China will admit to that. Not unlike everyone else, China fudges the numbers a bit to look good. With all the troubles in the EZ I expect China will see more declines in exports than they think. This spells a lot of trouble in China which is already having riots in it's far out regions. Rapidly slowing growth in China is going to be a bid deal for them.
They are increasing military spending this year. I expect they know full well that they will have a lot of domestic issues to deal with and are looking to soften those troubles with more military employment, along with more troops to quell dissenters and such. Many are speculating it's for invasive purposes but I'm not so sure they will be able to maintain such a force outside of their borders for long.
5. I've been waiting for years now for the UK shoe to drop. They are almost never in the headlines(Here in the states), and are often over looked for some reason. Fact is they are drowning in debt over there. They've upped the tax on those making over 150,000 pounds a year to some 50% (58% if you include the national health insurance)in an effort to pay down the debt. We all know what happened next right? No, you haven't heard? A lot of those high earners left for greener pastures. Switzerland and Ireland thank you UK for the contribution to their (much lower rate) tax coffers.
So the UK raised taxes much too high, which punished the economy, which lowered tax revenue, which means they may have to raise taxes again? I'd suggest lowering the rate, cut out the tax loopholes (you guys have as complex a tax code as we do, both are ridiculous), and deregulate a little. Give the little guys some breathing room and they'll save the nation.
6. The US. The situation in the US is much like the UK though we're slightly behind them in scale of debt (debt to GDP and/or per capita) and we have an edge with Dollar Hegemony. We've seen and heard some rumbling of tax increases on the wealthy here as well. I think it's less likely though. While the UK may not be in the headlines here I have to believe that those in the know are paying close attention to how things play out there.
The most pressing issue in the US isn't the up coming elections, gas prices, unemployment, or any of those fudged economic numbers. It's Iran and Israel. That is such a complex barrel of shit I could write six articles on it and still not cover everything. Needless to say, I'm opposed to going into Iran except under the most dire circumstances. The cost of war in Iran is just too high economically, in lives lost, and in our standing in the world today.
My advice? March is looking like a month to sit on cash and only take nibbles if you must play. Avoid buying debt at all costs unless the entity you are buying from has the cash and assets to pay off the debt. Lastly hold on to your socks, it's gonna be an interesting ride. That last one speak to the whole year I think.
1. Greece has broken through 1000% interest on 1 year bonds. I know loan sharks with better rates than that! I don't know how long the Central Banks can suspend reality, but I can't imagine it's going to last a lot longer. Full Disclosure, I expected a Greek default once they passed 150% so maybe 1500% isn't out of the question?
2. Spain is missing big in it's mandatory financial targets so say's it's Prime Minister. They are asking for the EU and the ECB (and by extension the Fed) for a little slack. Thing is they missed really big so they arne't likely to get the slack they need. More austerity is going to be forced on them, which will likely lead them down the same road as Greece. Madrid in flames a future headline? I think it's likely. I also expect the Germans to play hard ball with Spain as they've learned a lot in their dealings with Greece.
3. Portugal is in trouble. Their economy is sliding into the toilet and it's going to have a huge impact on Spain. I am honestly not read up enough on Portugal to be sure of their outlook, but I do know large declines in Portugal means Spain takes a hit as well.
4. China is predicting a 6.6% decline on domestic growth from 8% to 7.5%. I expect the real number will be some what below 7%, though I'm not 100% sure China will admit to that. Not unlike everyone else, China fudges the numbers a bit to look good. With all the troubles in the EZ I expect China will see more declines in exports than they think. This spells a lot of trouble in China which is already having riots in it's far out regions. Rapidly slowing growth in China is going to be a bid deal for them.
They are increasing military spending this year. I expect they know full well that they will have a lot of domestic issues to deal with and are looking to soften those troubles with more military employment, along with more troops to quell dissenters and such. Many are speculating it's for invasive purposes but I'm not so sure they will be able to maintain such a force outside of their borders for long.
5. I've been waiting for years now for the UK shoe to drop. They are almost never in the headlines(Here in the states), and are often over looked for some reason. Fact is they are drowning in debt over there. They've upped the tax on those making over 150,000 pounds a year to some 50% (58% if you include the national health insurance)in an effort to pay down the debt. We all know what happened next right? No, you haven't heard? A lot of those high earners left for greener pastures. Switzerland and Ireland thank you UK for the contribution to their (much lower rate) tax coffers.
So the UK raised taxes much too high, which punished the economy, which lowered tax revenue, which means they may have to raise taxes again? I'd suggest lowering the rate, cut out the tax loopholes (you guys have as complex a tax code as we do, both are ridiculous), and deregulate a little. Give the little guys some breathing room and they'll save the nation.
6. The US. The situation in the US is much like the UK though we're slightly behind them in scale of debt (debt to GDP and/or per capita) and we have an edge with Dollar Hegemony. We've seen and heard some rumbling of tax increases on the wealthy here as well. I think it's less likely though. While the UK may not be in the headlines here I have to believe that those in the know are paying close attention to how things play out there.
The most pressing issue in the US isn't the up coming elections, gas prices, unemployment, or any of those fudged economic numbers. It's Iran and Israel. That is such a complex barrel of shit I could write six articles on it and still not cover everything. Needless to say, I'm opposed to going into Iran except under the most dire circumstances. The cost of war in Iran is just too high economically, in lives lost, and in our standing in the world today.
My advice? March is looking like a month to sit on cash and only take nibbles if you must play. Avoid buying debt at all costs unless the entity you are buying from has the cash and assets to pay off the debt. Lastly hold on to your socks, it's gonna be an interesting ride. That last one speak to the whole year I think.
Friday, March 2, 2012
RVs, gold mines in waiting
As my regular readers may or may not have figured out, this blog has generally been about ways to build wealth. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do some leg work, or be afraid to get your hands dirty sometimes. I find that a little sweat, if put into the right efforts, will return a much larger return than investing cash. Also when we consider the state of the markets today we find very few sound investments right now. While I could go into a long post about why I'm very light in the market right now, I think most of the folks reading this blog already know why. Most of you know me from HT already after all. If it would be of interest I might consider doing a few market posts, but for now I've avoided going that direction. Anyway, on with the show.
For those of us that also like to be prepared for what I will call social disruptions, a little hard work today can return even greater dividends in the future than any paper investment. In this 2 part post I'm going to discuss buying and stripping RVs for resources, future prep items, fun, and of course profit. In this post I'll be discussing what to look for in a purchase, things to avoid, potential sources of cheap donor rigs, and potential prep items. In the second post I'm going to include some pictures of the rig I currently have sitting outside with descriptions of the parts I may salvage. I haven't decided if I'm going to strip this one or use it as an emergency rig or something else.
The first step to making bucks on old RVs is buying them right. You'll notice a common theme with me is you make a profit when you buy not when you sell. This is true of so many things it's almost universal. So we'll start by zeroing in on the type of rig we're looking for.
I like the late 70's and early 80's models. These are in a sweet spot for scraping and scavenging as they have a lot of metal parts and were built pretty tough. The price of those old gas sucking beasts comes down fast when fuel prices go up, which means we're looking at a prime buyers market coming up. Later into the winter is also another prime hunting season as a lot of the people that own them live in them full time. As cold weather sets in they realize it would be best to find better shelter. Those old rigs aren't real warm.
In any event, don't pay more than you have to no matter the market. I currently have a cap of about 1k on RVs. For 1k I expect it to run, or at least have a decent motor and trans. Bad breaks, tires, exterior lights, and the like are fine. I also expect the interior to be complete. That means the heaters, AC, lights, inverter, 3 way fridge, bathroom fixtures, etc. are all there. There's a good chance some of them won't work and that lowers the price.( We'll talk about cheap and free ways to repair this stuff for resale later) In any event, unless it's free for the taking we never want to buy a shell. What's the point right?
It's my preference to get an RV and not a trailer. The RVs are heavier which means more metal content. Stripping the engine and transmission from these rigs often pays for the whole deal. The drive train along with many of the chassis parts are just heavy duty versions of the trucks built in those years. Parts are often hard to come by, meaning guys restoring old trucks will be a ready market. (My current project came with a 440 topped with a Carter AFB carb , I've been offered double what I payed for the rig for them) Being a fully self contained unit also means more goodies to nab for resale or personal use.
That shouldn't discourage you from looking at trailers though. You just need to make sure the trailer has other profitable items besides metal is all. You should also lower the price you're willing to pay for them. In a trailer you're really only getting the aluminum shell, frame, axle, wires, and whatever 12 volt and propane goodies are inside it. Less profitable, but still profitable indeed. They also rip down faster and easier so you should account for the your labor.
A nice side bonus to these old rigs is a generator. It's not that often you'll find a really cheap RV with the genset still in it, but if you do consider it a bonus. Even if the genset doesn't run or work properly it's a nice find. They can often be salvaged for parts and 2-3 saved up can yield a good running genny with plenty of spare parts. Or you can break them down for scrap content of course. My current project has an old Kohler 5.5kw 3 phase genny in it. A really sweet find indeed. The 3 phase means it runs at lower RPMs making it a fine candidate for a diesel or propane conversion.
In the kitchen of our project we find a few good items for resale. The stove is where I usually start. I want to know if it works before I buy it most of the time. Too often the people selling have no idea as it's been sitting for a very long time. Checking a propane stove for gas leaks is one of my least favorite things to do as if it's done wrong could lead to disaster. I'll leave you to search out on Google for best practices as I am too reckless to give good advice here. If we find it's in good working order, clean it up and resell it! I have one I use outside during summer months for cooking, and for use in emergencies when power is out.
Next is the fridge. 3 way fridges are valuable without a doubt. I have two I've saved for emergencies along with propane and several batteries. These things are almost always in demand by off grid folks and RVers alike. Make sure they work of course, and clean them up. By and large if they are broken I haven't put a lot of effort into fixing them being as I have limited knowledge of their inner workings. I did however manage to save one recently by turning it on it's head for 8 hours and flipping it back over. (Thanks to Ryan from HT for the tip) I don't know why it worked, but I'm not complaining.
Anything 12 volt inside should be saved for the future or sold. I have this odd compulsion to save 12v lights and fans for some reason. I've also saved a few of the older inverters. While they won't run or will even damage some of the more modern electronics and batteries they are tough as nails. I like having a few around for running lights and such if the power goes out.
We haven't even touched on scrapping metals and some of the other fixtures yet but I'm sick of typing. I'll try and cover as much as I can in the next post and hope to include some pictures as well. If needed I suppose we can expand this out to a 3 part serious though I really hope to have it wrapped up before them. Until then, play safe kiddies and take a cruise through your local Craigslist or other classified adds. Take a look at the local ghetto camp ground and see what's in there. I've found quite a few good deals talking to the manager of local and semi local RV parks. Sometimes some free for the taking stuff! Till next post. :D
For those of us that also like to be prepared for what I will call social disruptions, a little hard work today can return even greater dividends in the future than any paper investment. In this 2 part post I'm going to discuss buying and stripping RVs for resources, future prep items, fun, and of course profit. In this post I'll be discussing what to look for in a purchase, things to avoid, potential sources of cheap donor rigs, and potential prep items. In the second post I'm going to include some pictures of the rig I currently have sitting outside with descriptions of the parts I may salvage. I haven't decided if I'm going to strip this one or use it as an emergency rig or something else.
The first step to making bucks on old RVs is buying them right. You'll notice a common theme with me is you make a profit when you buy not when you sell. This is true of so many things it's almost universal. So we'll start by zeroing in on the type of rig we're looking for.
I like the late 70's and early 80's models. These are in a sweet spot for scraping and scavenging as they have a lot of metal parts and were built pretty tough. The price of those old gas sucking beasts comes down fast when fuel prices go up, which means we're looking at a prime buyers market coming up. Later into the winter is also another prime hunting season as a lot of the people that own them live in them full time. As cold weather sets in they realize it would be best to find better shelter. Those old rigs aren't real warm.
In any event, don't pay more than you have to no matter the market. I currently have a cap of about 1k on RVs. For 1k I expect it to run, or at least have a decent motor and trans. Bad breaks, tires, exterior lights, and the like are fine. I also expect the interior to be complete. That means the heaters, AC, lights, inverter, 3 way fridge, bathroom fixtures, etc. are all there. There's a good chance some of them won't work and that lowers the price.( We'll talk about cheap and free ways to repair this stuff for resale later) In any event, unless it's free for the taking we never want to buy a shell. What's the point right?
It's my preference to get an RV and not a trailer. The RVs are heavier which means more metal content. Stripping the engine and transmission from these rigs often pays for the whole deal. The drive train along with many of the chassis parts are just heavy duty versions of the trucks built in those years. Parts are often hard to come by, meaning guys restoring old trucks will be a ready market. (My current project came with a 440 topped with a Carter AFB carb , I've been offered double what I payed for the rig for them) Being a fully self contained unit also means more goodies to nab for resale or personal use.
That shouldn't discourage you from looking at trailers though. You just need to make sure the trailer has other profitable items besides metal is all. You should also lower the price you're willing to pay for them. In a trailer you're really only getting the aluminum shell, frame, axle, wires, and whatever 12 volt and propane goodies are inside it. Less profitable, but still profitable indeed. They also rip down faster and easier so you should account for the your labor.
A nice side bonus to these old rigs is a generator. It's not that often you'll find a really cheap RV with the genset still in it, but if you do consider it a bonus. Even if the genset doesn't run or work properly it's a nice find. They can often be salvaged for parts and 2-3 saved up can yield a good running genny with plenty of spare parts. Or you can break them down for scrap content of course. My current project has an old Kohler 5.5kw 3 phase genny in it. A really sweet find indeed. The 3 phase means it runs at lower RPMs making it a fine candidate for a diesel or propane conversion.
In the kitchen of our project we find a few good items for resale. The stove is where I usually start. I want to know if it works before I buy it most of the time. Too often the people selling have no idea as it's been sitting for a very long time. Checking a propane stove for gas leaks is one of my least favorite things to do as if it's done wrong could lead to disaster. I'll leave you to search out on Google for best practices as I am too reckless to give good advice here. If we find it's in good working order, clean it up and resell it! I have one I use outside during summer months for cooking, and for use in emergencies when power is out.
Next is the fridge. 3 way fridges are valuable without a doubt. I have two I've saved for emergencies along with propane and several batteries. These things are almost always in demand by off grid folks and RVers alike. Make sure they work of course, and clean them up. By and large if they are broken I haven't put a lot of effort into fixing them being as I have limited knowledge of their inner workings. I did however manage to save one recently by turning it on it's head for 8 hours and flipping it back over. (Thanks to Ryan from HT for the tip) I don't know why it worked, but I'm not complaining.
Anything 12 volt inside should be saved for the future or sold. I have this odd compulsion to save 12v lights and fans for some reason. I've also saved a few of the older inverters. While they won't run or will even damage some of the more modern electronics and batteries they are tough as nails. I like having a few around for running lights and such if the power goes out.
We haven't even touched on scrapping metals and some of the other fixtures yet but I'm sick of typing. I'll try and cover as much as I can in the next post and hope to include some pictures as well. If needed I suppose we can expand this out to a 3 part serious though I really hope to have it wrapped up before them. Until then, play safe kiddies and take a cruise through your local Craigslist or other classified adds. Take a look at the local ghetto camp ground and see what's in there. I've found quite a few good deals talking to the manager of local and semi local RV parks. Sometimes some free for the taking stuff! Till next post. :D
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
What a week!
Well, it's been one hell of a week. I finally finished up a paper I've been slaving on and got it out. Of course as soon as I started working on it the weather turned nice, which had me splitting my time between writing and trying to get some spring prepping done. I'd like to say I put more effort into the spring prepping but... Oh well. I did however manage to get a bull calf slaughtered. He should be gracing my freezer and dinner plate before spring.
So I'm thinking about gold again. I picked up a pretty good idea from a fella over at HT, one that I was ashamed of myself for not thinking up first. He's running a few ads on sites like Craigslist and such buying scrap gold. He pays more than the local gold buying outfits but still well under spot. He was able to pay nearly double that the local scrap buyers are paying which is still half of the spot price! Genius right? I've been doing this with copper and aluminum for some time now which is why I boggles my mind why I didn't think to try the same with gold and silver.
I've only been buying PMs this way for about a week now but it's going pretty well. I've also managed to pick up a few stones along the way, although I know very little about them yet. It's entirely possible I've over payed for them. I'm going to need to study a bit more on them and buy a loop I suppose. All the same, it's pretty interesting and I thought it was worth passing this one on.
I will say that you can not expect to purchase all this scrap and work out any kind of deal with your local PM dealer. It's pretty obvious why right?
I mentioned above I've been doing this same thing with copper and aluminum. With all the things I have to do I really don't have the time or inclination to run around collecting scrap metals from the trash or whatever. What I did to get my scrap collection growing was place an ad on Craigslist saying I would buy this stuff for a little over the local yards prices. I was very careful in who I selected to purchase from mind you, and I told the few folks I decided to work with exactly what I wanted .
I was sure that the folks I dealt with were willing to show me some ID right form the start. I have a photo copy on file of those few folks, just like the local scrap yard. I'm not trying to buy stolen metals after all. I was also careful to get a good look at the few folks I selected. I was looking for people that weren't high on meth of course. While I'm not worried about what the guys look like, I'm certainly not interested in dealing with a bunch of tweekers. Do your homework if you use this method of collecting metal! Like any other dealings you want to know the other guy is going to be someone worth doing business with.
Some of the benefits of this arrangement:
1. I set a minimum amount I'm willing to purchase. Right now I won't get a call unless the guys have 200lbs or more of copper and/or aluminum.
2. I don't have to clean the scrap. Because I'm paying more than the local yard I get better quality stuff. If there are decent lengths of pipe or something I'd prefer in tact, that's what I get. The rest of the stuff is sorted and crushed to my specs. This saves me a lot of time and makes storage a breeze.
3. I'm always learning something interesting. Regardless of how these guys might look to the rest of the world, I know they are decent guys. They have a lot of interesting knowledge to share and I'm ready and willing to soak it all in.
4. I get to promote Ron Paul. Yeah, I said it, so what? These guys often didn't vote as they are kinda free minded. Talking to them about politics often leads me to Ron Paul, whose ideas they tend to like. I'll take any win I can.
5. I've met some real stand up guys. My wife got a flat on her way home one evening and didn't have a spare. (She'd gotten a flat previously, changed the tire and never mentioned it... arg) Two of the guys I deal with saw recognized the car and swung back to help. When she told them about not having a spare, and that I was coming to get her one of them waited with her while the other ran back for a trailer. By the time I arrived they had her car loaded up on the trailer and were waiting on me so they could decide if they should tow it to my house or to the tire place. For this I had to force $100 on them, as they insisted good deeds are free and kindness comes back in other ways.
I feel I should add that this arrangement works well for me largely because I don't have the metal delivered to my home. I have an off site place to have metal delivered and weighed. I'll transfer it to my own trailer and bring it home after. While I don't do business with people I think might steal from me, and while many of these guys are really nice folks; I'm not that trusting to show them my home either. Just sayin.
So I'm thinking about gold again. I picked up a pretty good idea from a fella over at HT, one that I was ashamed of myself for not thinking up first. He's running a few ads on sites like Craigslist and such buying scrap gold. He pays more than the local gold buying outfits but still well under spot. He was able to pay nearly double that the local scrap buyers are paying which is still half of the spot price! Genius right? I've been doing this with copper and aluminum for some time now which is why I boggles my mind why I didn't think to try the same with gold and silver.
I've only been buying PMs this way for about a week now but it's going pretty well. I've also managed to pick up a few stones along the way, although I know very little about them yet. It's entirely possible I've over payed for them. I'm going to need to study a bit more on them and buy a loop I suppose. All the same, it's pretty interesting and I thought it was worth passing this one on.
I will say that you can not expect to purchase all this scrap and work out any kind of deal with your local PM dealer. It's pretty obvious why right?
I mentioned above I've been doing this same thing with copper and aluminum. With all the things I have to do I really don't have the time or inclination to run around collecting scrap metals from the trash or whatever. What I did to get my scrap collection growing was place an ad on Craigslist saying I would buy this stuff for a little over the local yards prices. I was very careful in who I selected to purchase from mind you, and I told the few folks I decided to work with exactly what I wanted .
I was sure that the folks I dealt with were willing to show me some ID right form the start. I have a photo copy on file of those few folks, just like the local scrap yard. I'm not trying to buy stolen metals after all. I was also careful to get a good look at the few folks I selected. I was looking for people that weren't high on meth of course. While I'm not worried about what the guys look like, I'm certainly not interested in dealing with a bunch of tweekers. Do your homework if you use this method of collecting metal! Like any other dealings you want to know the other guy is going to be someone worth doing business with.
Some of the benefits of this arrangement:
1. I set a minimum amount I'm willing to purchase. Right now I won't get a call unless the guys have 200lbs or more of copper and/or aluminum.
2. I don't have to clean the scrap. Because I'm paying more than the local yard I get better quality stuff. If there are decent lengths of pipe or something I'd prefer in tact, that's what I get. The rest of the stuff is sorted and crushed to my specs. This saves me a lot of time and makes storage a breeze.
3. I'm always learning something interesting. Regardless of how these guys might look to the rest of the world, I know they are decent guys. They have a lot of interesting knowledge to share and I'm ready and willing to soak it all in.
4. I get to promote Ron Paul. Yeah, I said it, so what? These guys often didn't vote as they are kinda free minded. Talking to them about politics often leads me to Ron Paul, whose ideas they tend to like. I'll take any win I can.
5. I've met some real stand up guys. My wife got a flat on her way home one evening and didn't have a spare. (She'd gotten a flat previously, changed the tire and never mentioned it... arg) Two of the guys I deal with saw recognized the car and swung back to help. When she told them about not having a spare, and that I was coming to get her one of them waited with her while the other ran back for a trailer. By the time I arrived they had her car loaded up on the trailer and were waiting on me so they could decide if they should tow it to my house or to the tire place. For this I had to force $100 on them, as they insisted good deeds are free and kindness comes back in other ways.
I feel I should add that this arrangement works well for me largely because I don't have the metal delivered to my home. I have an off site place to have metal delivered and weighed. I'll transfer it to my own trailer and bring it home after. While I don't do business with people I think might steal from me, and while many of these guys are really nice folks; I'm not that trusting to show them my home either. Just sayin.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Oil and Iran, follow up post
I realized I needed a follow up to this post after talking about this on various forums and chatting with some friends. There is some information I've forgotten to add which would paint a more complete picture, and maybe give people a better idea why I'm thinking like this. Also, I should mention I'm not saying this is how it's going to happen but that it's one of the overlooked possibilities.
I too am sure oil is going up in the short term. My problem is I don't think it is staying there. A spike in oil will cripple the US economy right now and cut demand too hard. This would cripple the global economy and sink Europe for sure. Demand would evaporate overnight and those long oil bets would get their throats slit. That trade is going to be too hard to keep up with for me to feel good about it.
Something I believe too many folks are overlooking is that Iran is opening it's oil bourse on 3/20 this year. They'll be trading their oil on an open market, without US traders (read speculators), with limited competition, for non dollars. With China and India being their biggest customers I really can see them bidding the price of Iranian oil down simply due to lack of volume in that market.
There are three ways I can see that playing out excluding US intervention.
1. China and maybe India get discounted oil from Iran. While this will most likely lower the price of oil for everyone, it won't be as much a discount for the world as it is for China. This is bad for the dollar and China gets an energy edge on us. While oil is lower for others, it rises or remains flat in the US. Interest rates have to rise to cover the lack of T-Bill buyers, crapping all over the fake recovery we have going in the US.
2. China and India and a few other players bid Iranian oil up to current market price. This creates a lower demand for the dollar and increases the price of oil for US customers. Interest rates have to rise to cover the lack of T-Bill buyers, crapping all over the fake recovery we have going in the US.
3. There is very little interest in the oil bourse and not much happens because of it. Though, if the interest in Iraq and Libya's oil schemes is any indication this is unlikely to happen.
With US intervention anything is possible. Anything from the above still happens to WWIII.
I too am sure oil is going up in the short term. My problem is I don't think it is staying there. A spike in oil will cripple the US economy right now and cut demand too hard. This would cripple the global economy and sink Europe for sure. Demand would evaporate overnight and those long oil bets would get their throats slit. That trade is going to be too hard to keep up with for me to feel good about it.
Something I believe too many folks are overlooking is that Iran is opening it's oil bourse on 3/20 this year. They'll be trading their oil on an open market, without US traders (read speculators), with limited competition, for non dollars. With China and India being their biggest customers I really can see them bidding the price of Iranian oil down simply due to lack of volume in that market.
There are three ways I can see that playing out excluding US intervention.
1. China and maybe India get discounted oil from Iran. While this will most likely lower the price of oil for everyone, it won't be as much a discount for the world as it is for China. This is bad for the dollar and China gets an energy edge on us. While oil is lower for others, it rises or remains flat in the US. Interest rates have to rise to cover the lack of T-Bill buyers, crapping all over the fake recovery we have going in the US.
2. China and India and a few other players bid Iranian oil up to current market price. This creates a lower demand for the dollar and increases the price of oil for US customers. Interest rates have to rise to cover the lack of T-Bill buyers, crapping all over the fake recovery we have going in the US.
3. There is very little interest in the oil bourse and not much happens because of it. Though, if the interest in Iraq and Libya's oil schemes is any indication this is unlikely to happen.
With US intervention anything is possible. Anything from the above still happens to WWIII.
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