John Novotny, a Melbourne resident, has developed a very simple and innovative method of rammed earth construction that results in houses massively cheaper than conventional ones and with amazing environmental benefits.He passionately wants to see this technique widely used to benefit ordinary people and contribute to a better world.

The great thing about pie iron cooking is that it's easy for anyone to get involved which makes it all the more inclusive and fun when cooking in a group or with the family. Although the learning curve is slight for basic sandwiches and pies, the complexity can be taken up a notch or two for those so inspired.

When you're ready to move up to grinding your own blades from steel bar stock, the first tool you're going to want to consider is a good knife belt sander. Up until now, a huge barrier to beginners was the cost of a quality machine. If you've looked at some of the Knifemaker Suply catalogs, you've seen Bader, Wilton, KMG , Burr King and Pro Cut machines that cost $500 to $1800.00. Some of the smaller ones in the $400 range had wimpy 1/2 horsepower motors , no ball bearings and are built for a few months of light use.

A Wilderness Survival Kit is an absolute must if you spend any time away from civilization (hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, etc). There are commercial kits available out there for purchase, but building your own helps you to think about the what-ifs involved in living off the land, and also the opportunity to tailor the kit to your skill sets and tastes. I detail one of my relatively comprehensive kits below. I have listed each item and explained some of the various uses for each as well.

REEL AIRBRUSH INK-TOTAL COLOR KIT

Total Color Kits contain spectrum and fleshtone colors. They contain 14 bottles of these colors. The airbrush inks are the same as Reel Body Art inks and are the most economical way to buy several colors.**

BRANDS I HAVE USED: Reel Creations, Graftobian, OCC Ink

BRAND I PREFER: Reel Creations

PROS:

Alcohol based body ink stays on the skin VERY well, and can even be worn two days in a row with only touchups needed to repair damaged areas.

CONS:

Body ink is terribly expensive, it is available in fewer locations, the alcohol fumes tend to burn the eyes and nose while the ink is being applied, and it takes a lot of work (and remover) to wash it off. It also has a tendency to dry out the skin. To get an even coating, you must have an airbrush.

Possible source of scrubs

javac options for ant build file.

Tiger Foam® quick curing, disposable, two-component spray polyurethane foam insulation kits are manufactured to ASTM E-84 Specifications and classified as a fire-rated foam insulation.

Our spray foam insulation is manufactured using the most environmentally friendly blowing agents and fire-retardant chemicals available today and DOES NOT contain CFCs, VOCs, Formaldehyde or PENTA-BDEs.

We are the ONLY supplier offering E-84 Fire Rating STANDARD in our surface spray product line. We believe safety is not optional.

If I ever need to remove the inner skin of my trailer, I plan to add strips of 2mm thick EVA foam to the inside rib faces before reinstalling the skin panels. The plan is to use double stick "Super Seamstick Tape" (see Seamstick 1" Super Seam BastingTape by 3M (60 Yds) ) to apply strips of EVA foam which are a little wider than the rib face then connect the inner panels to the ribs with rivets like the factory.
The weight is negligable and it could reduce the heating (or cooling) load by as much as 20% (my own guesstimate(unscientific))

In our rebuilds and new buildouts we use Polyisocyanurate closed cell, aluminum faced, board insulation of 1.5" thickness and tape the seams with an aluminum foil tape. Critters and insects will not burrow or nest in this material and it will not collect or hold water. If repairs are needed it is easy to remove. It can be scored on the backside and bent to fit in the compound curves of the upper body. In these locations we use the foil tape to make a complete seal to act as a vapor barrier which prevents the accumulation of condensation on the inside of the walls during cold weather use. In the upper bodies we also offer formaldehyde free fiberglass but it does not form a vapor barrier and will collect a great deal of water from condensation. Most people who can afford the polyiso foam board opt to install it.

Perhaps you might want to start with an excellent article in Fine Homebuilding #204, July 2009. Of course, an Airstream is not like a stationary house but checking out all the references in this very complete article, you will find vendors who use spray foam insulation in refrigerated trailers and other applications.

We insulate with Polyisocyanurate foam panels to achieve about R-12 in our projects. The panels are faced with aluminum which allows us to use aluminum tape to form a sealed vapor barrier and keep the moisture away from the skin. We order a specific type of polyiso foam which contains a high number of glass fibers and a high carbon black content. The glass and the foil keep the foam from breaking down into the "dust" others have described. The cabon black significantly reduces the flammability of the foam. It is waterproof.

While "polyisocyanurate" is a terrible sounding name the product is quite green. It does not contain formaldahyde. It does not off-gas nasties into your confined cabin environment. In the event of a fire it does not off-gas toxins.

Polyurethane Foam Roof Systems reduce energy costs. With an R value of 6.25 per inch, polyurethane foam has the highest insulation value of any material available on the commercial market today.

Reflective coatings reduce external roof temperatures by 50'F-90'F (See the "COOL ROOF" link below), and polyurethane foam insulates buildings from the outside, allowing the building's cooling and heating equipment to operate more efficiently.

When compared to other roofing systems, Polyurethane Foam offers the most efficient insulation available achieving energy savings from thirty to fifty percent over traditional systems. These features result in substantial, long term savings of energy costs which quickly recovers the cost of the roof system.

Make your parties be filled with everlasting memories of fun and laughs with Foamalicious’ machine spray foam LA. For your machine spray foam LA needs, try Foamalicious’ excellent packages that will surely fit whatever party preferences you have. Looking for excellent machine spray foam LA, machine spray foam Long Beach, and machine spray foam California? Let your search end with Foamalicious’ excellent services.

Tyvek supplier

Rosco sample pack

Excel Dryer is proud to announce a breakthrough in hand drying technology. The XLERATOR hand dryers deliver 3 times faster hand drying power. A user’s hands will be thoroughly dry in only 10 to 15 seconds. The XLERATOR hand dryer is the result of a two-year research project, in which we studied every detail of the hand-drying process, with countless hours of field testing, listening to what users had to say, and, as a result, developed the patented technology behind the best hand dryer in the business. The benefits of the XLERATOR include:

Hang-em High Fabrics was formed the summer of 1989 for the express purpose of providing the finest ripstop and the greatest availability of fabrics to the kiting industry. From the very beginning, we found out there's more to building a kite than just fabrics, so we quickly expanded to cover all the spars, hardware and hi-tech parts it takes to build a quality kite.

Today, Hang-em High is known throughout the kiting world for selling only quality supplies at a price well below retail.

The Tele-Tower® Adjustable Work Platform adjusts from a deck height of 2 feet to 11 feet (17.5 feet with optional extension) manually with a hand operated winch. One person can easily set the Tele-Tower up from the ground. The Tele-Tower can role through a 32 inch opening with the outriggers in and the Guardrails down.

Hacking/design focussed around ikea products

I’ve been seeing a lot of cardboard in the kids design world lately and I thought I’d round up some examples of this emerging trend. Of course children playing with cardboard is nothing new (everyone knows that kids have more fun playing with the box than what’s inside!) but I have not before seen so many designer cardboard products. Not only is cardboard a fantastic eco-friendly material, but products made of it are also blank canvases for children both in terms of imaginative play and creative artwork and decoration.

Beautiful copper room divider

Lot's of weird, interesting photos

This page is maintained with specifications for mechanical components which are the current best-practices employed by UNAVCO in the Polar Permanent GPS Station design. Specifications are subject to change as the design evolves, however the most current design will reside here.

Ceiling height measurements required for standard sizes for ceilings up to 9'-0" – 4" adjustment range.
Inexpensive simple and elegant decorative privacy screen wall panel system.
Light weight residential grade screen wall partitions for your home, apartment, dorm room, or office.
Modern anodized aluminum frames and translucent polycarbonate light transmitting panels.

This month's topic is handsaws. This is one of the tool groups I seem to collect. They have a fascination for me in a way other hand tools don't. I sometimes get a glazed look in my eyes and think if I can find that one special saw my woodworking, in fact my life would be that much better, that much easier. I tend to snap out of it when remember a picture of a woodworker in Indonesia making beautiful furniture with one handsaw, one bit & brace, literally a handful of carving tools and using his stool as his workbench, his leg as his vise. His entire shop is wherever he sits down. Very humbling.

Lot's of useful tips for dividing a room

Our made to order blackout curtains are manufactured with inherently fire retardant (IFR) fabric. The twice turned, double needled lock-stitched top and side hems combined with our #2 grommet, provides superior durability and long-lasting performance. Our blackout curtain fabrics provide a 98% room darkening atmosphere for laboratory and laser work, as well as for photography studios.

Source for "hospital track"

eShoji.com offers information on shoji screens and a online shoji paper store. Created by Shoji Woodworking Co., a shoji maker in southern WI, specialized in traditional Japanese sliding door and track system. The company has been making shoji screens and using shoji rice paper materials since 2001.

As shoji screens and rice paper inspired products gain popularity, our distribution of shoji paper and Japanese washi products expands throughout the states and beyond. Our customers are architects, designers, builders, landscapers, woodworkers, shoji makers and DIYers.

I like to make my kites: I cut out the patterns, hot cut the pieces of Tyvek, sometimes of spinnaker nylon; I fold sheets of (A4) paper, glue or sew them; I often use round bamboo sticks, out of blinds, for spars, but sometimes I use hard wood spars or bamboo for larger kites; and, yes, of course, I use sometimes carbon and glass fibre spars.

BreatheEZ is the highest quality weather resistant barrier
on the market – with the most competitive price.

This will add directly to your bottom line!

Because BreatheEZ housewrap is a woven polyethylene product, engineered with micro-perforations, water vapor is allowed to escape from the substructure. When housewrap is properly installed it can eliminate the mold and mildew that normally occurs in framing components and absorbent sheathing materials. Click here to view the BreatheEZ brochure.

… keep your eyes open for a house being built. The odds are that, after the walls have been sheathed with plywood, but before it has been covered with the finishing surface of shingles or clapboard or brick or whatever, it will be covered with looks like white paper. On the paper, in big blue and red letters, are printed “TYVEK” and the DuPont logo.

Or you may have received things in the mail in a big white envelope that you discover you can't tear open, for it is too tough. And you may see workmen handling chemicals clad in white suits. These too are made of Tyvek.

You can make a good sail out of it, and very easily and cheaply.

In the first place, it is available in great width. What the house builder uses is typically ten feet wide. So there will be fewer seams, and in a small sail, no seams at all. In the second place, it doesn't need to be stitched. Wherever one piece of cloth goes over another, like at a seam or a corner reinforcement, it can be stuck together with tape

Since I didn't have a lot of time (or money), and since I'd never built a boat before, I decided to employ the fastest but least respected form of wooden boat building: stitch and glue. I walked to the bookstore and got a book called "Stitch And Glue Boat Building" that had plans for something called "The Jimmy Skiff." Since I didn't have a lot of tools (or the lifestyle that could really accomodate a lot of tools long-term), I decided that I'd build the whole thing using only hand tools. I got a small Japanese pull-stroke hand saw, a block plane, a rubber mallet, a bit-and-brace screw driver/drill, and some clamps. Nothing large, and no electricity. While I made a lot of mistakes during this process, resolving to use only hand tools was the best decision of the project.

Tyvek is that tough plastic paper stuff used for the envelopes that you can't tear. Mainly it is used for house wrap on building projects. I've seen it stapled to stud walls out in the wind and weather, exposed for months. It is a breathable material, to stop the wind but let the moisture out.

All of the above plus the stretch resistance should make it ideal for a cheap and dirty JIFFY-SAIL … Will it work? The answer is a BIG YES! D.I.Y. sails are a natural companion to D.I.Y. boats, especially when they are so easy to make.

I’ve written before about refilling disposable one-pound propane cylinders that so many portable appliances use. That article is the most-viewed post on Navagear.com. It’s popular because the subject is relevant to a wide variety of outdoor recreational enthusiasts: backpackers, kayakers, hunters, boaters, you name it.

Links to interesting art

How to take photographs at Burning Man.

Kifaru Tipis are the largest and lightest four season shelters we know of, and accommodate up to 12 people, and a mountain of gear. You have full stand-up headroom, space enough to sprawl in comfort and plenty of camaraderie! These Tipis are ideal base camps for any big adventure!

This is a fantastic way to remove rust and oxidation from steel and iron tools. It is not recommended for brass, aluminum, copper or exotic metals and alloys.

Electrolysis is a method of removing iron oxide by passing a small electrical charge from a battery or battery charger through the rusty metal to stimulate an exchange of ions while the tool is submerged in an electrolyte solution.

Don't let that description worry you because the actual process is quite easy to accomplish. Let's get to the stuff that makes it work.

This system is so simple, easy to make and to use that anyone that collects or accumulates old tools for use or preservation should keep a small electrolysis system available in their shop.

There are many variations of the setup but this is the simple, down and dirty method that requires a minimum of time, resources and understanding.

Full color custom 1" buttons

This pack of two Powerex 11,000mAh NiMH "D" batteries delivers honest, high-capacity performance that far exceeds many other NiMH batteries that claim the same capacity. They can be recharged 1,000 times and come with a one-year manufacturer's warranty.

DIY Design Inspiration from … the Prison Population?

diy prison escape tool designs

They say necessity is the mother of invention – and there are few so desperate as those sent for years to (or serving life sentences) in prisons around the world. From weapons to tools of escape, prisoners have a long tradition of turning ordinary objects into creative constructions – in short: they are perhaps the ultimate upcyclers. Masters of disguise as well, those locked behind iron bars and concrete walls have also learned to conceal the nature of their creations – making escape ladders look (albeit remotely) like chess sets and grappling hooks like candelabras.

Nifty bike camper.

Yes, I have a turtle sex fetish. Why do you ask?

How to give women squirting orgasms

Oblique Strategies (subtitled over one hundred worthwhile dilemmas) is a set of published cards created by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt first published in 1975, and now in its fifth edition. Each card contains a phrase or cryptic remark which can be used to break a deadlock or dilemma situation.

Hang stuff on the wall.

Lot's of positive reviews on yelp

Lots of useful sql recipes

Realistic sex.

Visitors to this year’s Chelsea Garden Show were left scratching their heads by an unusual fountain created by none other than inventor James Dyson. Inspired by the works of MC Escher, the water in the fountain appears to flow uphill, cascading over the top of a series of four ramps. Wrong Garden, as it’s called, actually took about 12 months to design and build, and the secret to how the illusion is accomplished is spoiled revealed in the above illustration from BBC News. Basically the laws of physics are left in tact, but compressed air is used to create bubbles that provide visual clues that the water is flowing uphill, when in fact it’s not.

A few blogs are passing around videos of the Ishikawa Komuro Lab's high-speed robot hand performing impressive acts of dexterity and skillful manipulation. However, the video being passed around is slight on details. Meanwhile, their video presentation at ICRA 2009 (which took place in May in Kobe, Japan) has an informative narration and demonstrates additional capabilities. I have included this video below, which shows the manipulator dribbling a ping-pong ball, spinning a pen, throwing a ball, tying knots, grasping a grain of rice with tweezers, and tossing / re-grasping a cellphone!

THE BUSHBUDDY (REGULAR MODEL), IS A MORE RUGGED AND LOWER COST ALTERNATIVE TO THE BUSHBUDDY ULTRA, BUT STILL WEIGHS ONLY 6 1/2 OUNCES

About the BUSHBUDDY

Like the Bushbuddy Ultra, this stove was designed to provide the cooking needs of one or two people, but can also serve the needs of a family or small group if two stoves are carried.

It weighs just 6 1/2 oz, and makes a compact package 4 1/4" in diameter and 3 3/4" high when nested (the same size as the Bushbuddy Ultra), which will fit inside the Snow Peak Trek 900 titanium pot, and many other pots of similar or larger capacity. It's compact size and light weight make it ideally suited to the needs of the backpacker, cyclist, and other outdoor travelers. Because it burns wood, it is a very economical stove to use.

With Tyvek® clothing you don’t have to compromise. That’s because Tyvek® clothing delivers the best balance of protection, durability and comfort. Made using a proprietary manufacturing process, Tyvek® clothing features a protective inherent barrier. Tyvek is 100% High Density Polyethylene, (HDPE), and it's generic trade name is "spunbonded olefin". So, unlike other disposable garment fabrics, which have either a film or coating that can be easily scratched or worn away, Tyvek® clothing provides barrier through the entire fabric. As a result, your protection is not compromised unless the Tyvek® clothing has been completely torn which isn’t easy to do because of the strength and durability of Tyvek® clothing. Make sure you’re getting Tyvek® clothing Ask for it by name. Barrier Protection You Can Trust, Durability That Isn’t Easily Compromised

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FabricMate Permanent Chisel Tip Fabric Pens

29 Colors!

QUICK LINKS
• Available Colors
• Product Description
Just like the superfine FabricMate pens (#FM) only with chisel tips! They come in the same 29 colors and can add a nice look to your project.

Fabric paints

flashlight recommended by bandicoot.

If you’re interested in reading about our experiences eating on a dollar a day for month, you can start here and then click through each day; you’ll see “Day 1″, “Day 2″, etc. in the upper corner. If you would like to pre-order the book, you can do so at one of the links to your right. Thanks for visiting, and we look forward to hearing from you after you’ve read through the blog.

ampfire Starters

windmill-lighters-delta-shockproof-lighter.jpg

Ever try to start a campfire while the wind was howling? It darn near impossible – but with Windmill Lighters’ Delta Shockproof Lighter, you’ll never have that problem again. This hot Windmill Lighter is tougher than tough and can start a fire in any kind of weather condition. Outfitted in matte black or olive green, the Delta Shockproof Lighter is shock resistant and storm proof, so you can count on it in the most dire of weather conditions. It’s also impact resistant, comes in a tough elastomer case, and features an oversize fuel window and a stainless steel wire closure. Start you fire for $52.49. Buy it here.

Cheap goggles

AA powered glow stick

Lighted safety baton features a unique polymer/LED combination technology that provides visibility up to one mile. Design is shockproof, sparkproof and weather-resistant. Safety baton provides 400 hours of battery life in flash mode. Requires two AA batteries (sold separately).

The web pages which follow provide step-by-step instructions for building a zero-impact camp shower like this one. This kind of shower is ideal for Burning Man or any outdoor setting where you wish to have no impact on the environment (e.g. to prevent any release of gray water into the environment).

My camp of 25 got a hot shower per day.
I made a demand water heater and pump water throught the sink shower system using 15gal spray pump reservoir from Harbor Freight:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=9583

The shower floor is an old home shower floor pan with a drain in the center. It sits on four white 5gal buckets with a fifth bucket in the center under the drain. Using pvc plumbing the water will drain from the center bucket to each of the four corner buckets sequentially with the water slowing down and dropping sediment until reaching the last bucket that has a standard sump pump in it. When this last bucket gets full the sump automatically activates and pumps the grey water back into 55 gal drums that have been emptied as the water use continues. The sink basins also drain to the first center bucket.

By the time water reaches the last bucket with the sump pump it is really free of muck.

the shower floor is curtained to contain all the overspray.

About Us

After a lifetime of enjoying the outdoors and camping, I was getting too old to jump in an ice cold river to wash off the trail dust at the end of the day. In 1997, I designed a portable hot water shower for use when camping. I discovered another new company (Zodi) had just introduced a similar device. After doing extensive research and testing, I put together an aray of products geared toward heating water, taking showers and having a clean, private restroom while on the go. In 1998, Deckers Hot Camp Showers became the first one-stop online store aimed at providing the comforts of home in the great outdoors. For the last eleven years, we have continued to seek out and test new products as well as review current product lines to be certain that the gear we offer is the best on the market.

Nearest tractor supply store

I agree with Dork here, at my last burn I had a 55 gallon drum that I just left in the bed of my pickup. I used a coleman unheated, battery powered, pump shower. I used a cheap combo of pvc and shower curtains for and encloser. For greywater I made an evap pool out of 2by4's and tarp, and stood on a wood pallet. This worked very well. I always took my shower about dusk, and the water was the perfect temp. I camped alone and 50 gallons was enough to share with my neighbors.

We used a bilge pump last year to very good effect – no more shower restrictions due to evap issues! We used a very small pump and constructed an A-frame from 1/2" EMT; a 4" diameter piece of ABS pipe along the top of the A-Frame with end caps distributed the water through holes drilled in the bottom on each side. The A-frame was covered in greenhouse cloth. The pump was controlled by a 555 timer setup driving a small relay; it turned on for about 30 seconds every 5 minutes, adjustable w/ a knob….

Evap was far more than we needed for 15 people.

Changes for this year is to dig a slightly larger sump (3" deep x 1' square or so), and
to remember to bring the bleach this time… and solar powered battery charging this year!

Come by and check it out at blacklight aquarium…

Another view of my Father-in-law Larry and his Burning Man-bound greywater evaporator. Here you can see a little better the double screw that allows the whole thing to work no matter which way the wind turns the fan.

I sometimes feel like I married MacGuyver's daughter.

HP-300FX High Output Solar Pump Kit: The 300FX uses the highest quality motors and is machined to meet exact specifications. It uses a powerful magnet drive motor to deliver peak performance on call, and is fully submersible. This low maintenance solar pump system offers both reliability and performance. It is great for circulating water in small ponds or pools or for creating extravagant fountain displays. Many customers find this pump is very useful for creating custom waterfalls and water features, lifting water up to 5 feet.
* Pump lift & spray output: 80 GPH with a 4-5' max lift
* Panel Size: 15 w / 17 v at 900 ma

Features:

* 1 year limited warranty on solar panel
* For use in new or existing fountains
* Use in ponds, landscaping, fountains, and other water features
* 15 watt solar panel
* Includes a set of 8 fountain heads

My camp has been using a very effective greywater evaporator for the last couple of years. We never had the need to evaporate more than 30 gallons a day – but it easily handled that load.

I spend much of my time outside. Especially backpacking. And this hat always goes with me. It looks a little different, but I've come to like that. Its function is unequaled. Light weight at 2.5 oz and crushable into the pack when not in use. It blocks sun all around with a 4" front brim and a long back tail that can be velcroed up if not needed. It breathes well through side mesh panels and will even scoop water out of a stream to douse your head on a hot day.

rom the German: "council cellar"; modern spelling: Ratskeller (we pronounce it how the modern spelling suggests). In German-speaking countries the word refers to an alehouse in a room set below street level.

The theme for Burning Man this year is particularly poignant for us. Rathskellar is a new project raised from the ashes of Spike’s Vampire Bar, and it is with parallel enthusiasm that we embrace the sweet darkness that birthed us and evolve into an utterly new breed of party for your enjoyment this Burning Man, 2009.

Kinetic Steam Works, a Bay Area collective dedicated to steam powered kinetic art, came together in 2005 to explore and repurpose the artifacts of clockwork modernity. We are a small and growing group of industrial artists curious about what came before the advent of petroleum power, electronics, and the automobile culture

Purpose: The Arc-AAA is designed to meet the qualifications of the "Every Day Carry – most convenient" class. To meet these goals, the light must:

* Be small enough to be carried with minimum effort and thought. Ideally, it would attach to something else you already are in the habit of carrying. That way, it is more likely to be with you during an emergency.
* Have sufficient runtime to last the length of typical emergencies with an additional amount added because we can assume the battery is not always fresh when you leave the house.
* Use a common battery that can be found throughout the world and can also be scavenged from other equipment.
* Be durable enough that it can be depended on over a wide type of emergencies including floods, fire, earthquake, etc. It should be at least as durable as the person carrying it.

Sino Union Technology have managed to make LED flashlights that don't cost a fortune. They're not waterproof to a zillion feet, or brighter than similar-sized incandescent-bulb lights, or going to win any design awards. But they work, and they're cheap.