Sunday, October 28, 2012

How to Fortify your House

There a couple things to remeber when prepping for when SHTF.  If you live in a castle in the middle of nowhere you will be ok but for the rest of us we will need some more supplies to properly fortify our home. First thing to think of are access points that you will need to protect.

Always have wood on hand. This can be life saving. Cover all windows and doors. Remember to leave yourself a way in or out to gather supplies. If you do not have wood stored then lots of household items can be used to baracade an entrance. You can use inside doors to cover windows. They are generally hollow but they should deter someone long enough to escape of attack. Bed frames are sturdy and can easily be taken apart to cover an entrance. Copper pipes and cabinets also can be used.

If you have a 2 story house being above your target makes it harder for them to hit you and easier shots for you. Also you have better chance to see in the distance. If you are protetcing yourself from 360 degrees of possibilites then you will have a pretty hard chance to save yourself. If you can create areas where the enemy has to go and cannot go you will have a better chance of protecting yourself.

Items that are useful to have in case you need to fortify are a a powerful drill with extra charged batteries, screws, hammer and nails, u shaped clips, wood and any sort of objects you can use to create a baracade.

If you have any ideas on household items that you could use leave us a comment and always follow us at @fortheworst

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Deal of the Week

The Deal of the Week comes from http://www.mickeyssurplus.com/ where they have the Exxell Outdoors Cascade III sleeping bag for sale for 19.99. It can never be underestimated how important a sleeping bag can be. When SHTF your comfy bed will probably not be a possibility and a good sleeping bag will! Please visit http://www.shop.mickeyssurplus.com/Exxel-Outdoors-Cascade-III-Sleeping-Bag-cascade.htm for its direct page.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Personal Defense: How to make a stun gun with a disposable camera

This is the guide to make a device which runs on a battery and produces sparks at tens of thousands of volts very rapidly. 

DO NOT use this for any other reason then self defense.

How it works: 

The capacitor charging circuit from a camera is used to charge a small capacitor. Not the electrolytic capacitor from the camera. A different one.

When the capacitor reaches X volts then a spark gap which arcs at X volts will arc across and dump the capacitor through a high voltage coil.

The high voltage coil then puts out a very high voltage spark on the other side.

The capacitor loses its charge, the spark gap stops conducting and it all starts again with the camera circuit charging the capacitor.

All that will happen about 20 times a second.


How to: 

First you need the capacitor charging circuit from a disposable camera. Any will do but the easiest way is to get a Kodak Fun Saver camera. The Wedding and Custom Kodak cameras are the same thing by the way.

Get the battery out of it, and short out the capacitor before removing the circuit: 




Chop off just that corner with the charging circuit on it: 


That's the difficult bit done.
The rest is plug and play. These are what you need:




The spark gap in this example is a 350V gas discharge tube (so it will arc at ~350V). You may also get by with an open air gap as commercial stun guns use which is two strips of metal crossing each other separated by a thin insulator. 

To assemble follow the video: 


Finally, pack it up into a practical size: 


Safety: 

This circuit produces tens of thousands of volts. Be extremely careful with the output, it can and will jump gaps of several centimetres. 

Ideally, use a momentary switch so that if you do get electrocuted by it, it's easier to switch it off. 

The capacitor will store a voltage of several hundred volts even when the circuit is turned off, short it out before working on the circuit. 

The high voltage sparks are VERY likely to cause interference and damage to nearby sensitive electronics even if the sparks do not make contact. Don't run it near an expensive phone or computer... 

Bear in mind the sparks cause ozone and nitrogen oxides to be produced as they ionise oxygen and nitrogen in the air. 

Both gases cause irritation and damage to eyes and lungs. Try to be in a ventilated room or outside if allowing it to spark for any notable length of time. A small closed room is not ideal. 

Prepping For The Worst is not responsible for any injury obtained with this information. This is a self defense tool used in a SHTF situation only.


Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Duct Tape: How One Roll Of Tape Can Save Your Ass

We've assembled a list of the 10 most practical things a simple roll of duct tape can be used for in a survival gear bag. A small compact roll of duct tape can turn into more uses then one would expect, anywhere from arrow fletchings to a drinking cup, writing notes to repairing clothing.


1. Mend shoes and clothing. Who needs sewing kits when you have enough tape.
2. Twisting into rope. Twist long pieces of tape into make shift rope.
3. Toilet paper. Ok not really, or .. .really?
4. Handcuff alternative. If someone is acting up during a survival emergency, you can duct tape their hands together to prevent them from becoming a danger to themselves or others.
5. First Aid. Use tape and sticks for a splint or wrap it more for a cast after bone has been set. Or just use it as a band-aid.
6. Make a spear. Tape your knife to the end to ward off others or gig fish.
7. Make a drinking cup. Yes, it can be done.
8. Survival arrow fletching. Tear off a few 5-inch pieces, and a long edge of one piece to the arrow shaft, fold the tape lengthwise, and stick the other long edge of that piece to the arrow. Repeat this process one or two more times; trim the vanes to shape with your knife; and you will have a serviceable arrow fletching.
9. Used for making a structure. Wrapping tape around logs and sticks will hold them together for a strong structure.
10. Sealing windows and doors. Tear gas? Other toxic fumes? Use duct tape to seal off doors and windows and save your oxygen inside your home.