# What you haven't thought about



## Hails

I have been looking around this site for a couple of weeks and I do think it contains so very vital information. One thing I have noticed though is that most is "What to have in your B.O.B" or "What to have in your stock-pile", but I have noticed something very important that needs to be addressed.

What does everyone think they are going to do once the antibacterial wipes and stock-piled bars of soap run out?? Most of you probably have not even thought about soap. Many of you are thinking "Well we have a first-aid kit and I know how to get food so I am set" Right?

Wrong! When something happens you are going to be set for the first few weeks provided something big does not happen to your family or group. When everything settles and you form small community groups those antibacterial wipes will be GONE and those pre-made bars of soap are going to be very hard to come by.

You need to learn how to make YOUR OWN bars of soap. Because there is only so much water can rinse off and water CANNOT and WILL NOT disinfect (it could even make things worse) So without further ado here is what you need to make soap [Castile soap to be exact]

Ingredients:
*Sodium Hydroxide* (commonly known as Lye)
*Oils* (olive, coconut, sunflower, veggie or otherwise)
*Water*(distilled is the best to guarantee a neutral pH)

Tools:
*Thermometer* (digital is ideal)
*A Scale*(again digital is ideal)
*Plastic Jar* (to mix Lye{needs to be able to stand 295 F degrees})
*Long Handled PLASTIC spoon*(the Lye will not eat through plastic)
*Ladle*
*2 Large mixing Bowls*
*Stick Blender* (or a whisk can be used in an emergency situation)
*Some type of mold* (your soap is going to need a place to cool and to cure)

**ALL MEASUREMENTS ARE IN OZ NOT FLUID OZ**
This is the recipe to make a full batch (28 bars) 
--assumed bar size 4 oz--

*24 oz* Cold Distilled Water
*12 oz* Sodium Hydroxide (Lye)
*74 oz* Olive Oil
*14 oz* Sunflower oil

Now when you are working with the Sodium Hydroxide it is imperative you do not breath the fumes and DO NOT get it on your skin. USE THE PROPER SAFETY EQUIPMENT (i.e. gloves, goggles)

1. Add the Lye to the water in the Large plastic container ALWAYS LYE INTO WATER *NEVER REVERSE* Stir with plastic spoon. The lye heats quickly to aprox. 195 degrees

2.Mix the oils and heat them to 110 degrees F

3. Allow Lye to cool to 110 degrees [ place in bowl of cool water to speed cooling]

4. When both solutions reach 110 degrees add the Lye mixture to the oils and blend until the mixture reaches TRACE {this is when you will see faint lines of film start to trace the movements of your stick blender or your whisk} You can then ladle the soap into the molds.

5.Handle with care the next 2 days. After that the pH should settle to neutral (if you used distilled water, there is no guarantee if you used tap or any other source)

6. Allow 6-8 weeks to air dry before use.

** You may not need to wait that long for use on clothing and dishes but for contact with skin BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY**

Do not let anyone try to tell you that you don't need Lye for soap making. In order to create the Perfect environment for Saponification you NEED lye.

If this Thread proves useful and you would like to learn how to make your own Lye from scratch Let me know and I will have it Up 

Hopefully you found this information very useful and informative, Thank you for reading

Hails


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## Davarm

Quite a few of us here make soap and we have had discussions about it a number of times.

It is a prep item that is often overlooked though.



BTW, Welcome to the forum!


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## lotsoflead

somewhere this information in on here, but 
Calcium Hypochlorite which you can easily find as “pool shock” at your pool-supplier store or Walmart. Both are used throughout the world for water purification and are the main chemicals in standard household cleaning products. liquid bleach will not store longer that a yr and still have the strong kick, but you can store Pool Shock powder indefinitely to make bleach .


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## UncleJoe

Here's a few threads on soap making.

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f78/i-make-my-own-4191/

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f39/soap-making-9853/

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f26/homemade-laundry-detergent-4252/

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f39/pine-tar-soap-10641/

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f39/vegi-oil-soap-10388/

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f35/soap-4894/


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## Sourdough

If the SHTF baby, making soap or even bathing will be the least of your worries.


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## labotomi

Sourdough said:


> If the SHTF baby, making soap or even bathing will be the least of your worries.


Hygiene should be near the top of everyone's list especially if things get really bad.


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## Genevieve

hmmm... take a bath or find some food....take a bath or fight off the heathens attacking my place...... taking a bath or hunting an animal to feed the family...... gee the choices we'll have to make lol

by looking at UncleJoe's 6 ( thats SIX folks) links I can tell the OP really took it upon themselves to look hard for evidence of the topic lol 

oh and I really appreciate how for the first post they take it upon themselves to right such a grievous wrong that the forum apparently has been doing by doing NOTHING but talking about BOBs and stockpiles. lmfao! ( insert sarcasm here please)


For me personally I would've been more receptive of the topic if it didn't start out with such a back handed way. A simple topic title of : How I make soap or A great recipe for soap or even Do you want to swap recipes for soap?, would've had me clicking on the topic.


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## TrinEire

Genevieve said:


> hmmm... take a bath or find some food....take a bath or fight off the heathens attacking my place...... taking a bath or hunting an animal to feed the family...... gee the choices we'll have to make lol by looking at UncleJoe's 6 ( thats SIX folks) links I can tell the OP really took it upon themselves to look hard for evidence of the topic lol oh and I really appreciate how for the first post they take it upon themselves to right such a grievous wrong that the forum apparently has been doing by doing NOTHING but talking about BOBs and stockpiles. lmfao! ( insert sarcasm here please) For me personally I would've been more receptive of the topic if it didn't start out with such a back handed way. A simple topic title of : How I make soap or A great recipe for soap or even Do you want to swap recipes for soap?, would've had me clicking on the topic.


I agree, sometimes all it takes is a little finesse and thinking before you speak. Hygiene is important, but there are many ways to maintain it without a bath and suds. Well I guess we all can learn from each other if we are willing to and have an open mind. It's good info, but the righteous way in which it was presented makes many turn away.


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## labotomi

Genevieve said:


> hmmm... take a bath or find some food....take a bath or fight off the heathens attacking my place...... taking a bath or hunting an animal to feed the family...... gee the choices we'll have to make lol


Even in your sensationalistic view of what will happen if SHTF there will be more deaths due to infection and dissentary than battles with heathens.


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## hitman3872

Great recipe and I appreciate it, I have been having a hard time getting my soap to cure properly. It never fully gets hard. I think maybe there is too much oil in my batches I will try this recipe soon to see if it works. 

I agree we all need to practice a little more tact when having our daily interactions with each other. I do agree it is better to catch flies with honey then with vinegar.


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## cowboyhermit

I wonder if anyone on here has not thought about soap? I know some people have decided it is not a high priority, others have researched making it, others have stocked up like crazy etc. Personally we have made soap from scratch, have things like soap, glycerine, chlorine, etc stocked up, and also can make distilled alcohol for disinfecting what can't be boiled.

I have been on here almost a year and I wouldn't guess about how much people on here know about the subject, you know what they say about assumptions


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## Sentry18

I am just going to wait for FEMA to bring me some soap. Surely they will have soap supply trucks out delivering personal hygiene supplies within a few days of the collapse. If not I am sure the FEMA camps will all have nice hot showers and plenty of body wash.


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## Geek999

As I am prepared for X months, and not TEOTWAWKI, I am able to stock hygiene supplies rather than learning to make them, since soap is both inexpensive and not terribly bulky, the idea of setting aside a year's supply isn't that hard. Toilet paper is more of a challenge because of the bulk. However, I consider hygiene to be a whole category of prep supply as you start to think about toothpaste, dishwashing soap, laundry detergent, hair needs and so on.

I'll worry about making my own after I have a farm and my own perpetual food supply.


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## Lake Windsong

Hails said:


> What does everyone think they are going to do once the antibacterial wipes and stock-piled bars of soap run out?? Most of you probably have not even thought about soap. Many of you are thinking "Well we have a first-aid kit and I know how to get food so I am set" Right?


I have been here since 2009 and NOT ONCE have I seen it suggested that my preps will ever run out, nor have I EVER seen it suggested that a balance of 'skills and stuff' will increase our probability of survival. Thank you, oh, thank you for showing me that the last four years I have been in sweet denial of what is truly important.

*sarcasm*

I do have one question: how is it that we will all run out of wipes and store soap within a couple of weeks, yet you have an unending power supply for your 'ideal' digital equipment? And I assume you have an olive grove somewhere as well?


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## FatTire

Newbs comming in with 'i know more than everyone here' attitudes dont seem to last long.

My SO has made soap, and its on my list of projects. What id really like to know how to make is aspirin..


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## Cotton

I already have soapwort growing but will plant more in the spring. Willow bark is a great source for asprin.

"The use of willow bark dates back thousands of years, to the time of Hippocrates (400 BC) when patients were advised to chew on the bark to reduce fever and inflammation. Willow bark has been used throughout the centuries in China and Europe, and continues to be used today for the treatment of pain (particularly low back pain and osteoarthritis), headache, and inflammatory conditions, such as bursitis and tendinitis. The bark of white willow contains salicin, which is a chemical similar to aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). In combination with the herb's powerful anti-inflammatory plant compounds (called flavonoids), salicin is thought to be responsible for the pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects of the herb. In fact, in the 1800s, salicin was used to develop aspirin. White willow appears to bring pain relief more slowly than aspirin, but its effects may last longer.

Source: Willow bark | University of Maryland Medical Center http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/willow-bark#ixzz2jL20zNbh
University of Maryland Medical Center"


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## Sourdough

Clearly your idea of SHTF...............is my idea of, Mildly inconvenienced. 
I figure that what is coming will be so horrific, that most preparer's reaction will be, Oh SH!T, "I am going to die".



labotomi said:


> Hygiene should be near the top of everyone's list especially if things get really bad.


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## Meerkat

Turpentine is also a germ killer.

When we were visiting my aunt who lived to be 100, my 6 yo daughter sliced open her foot really bad by the spokes in a bike. It laid her heal wide open.

I freaked out and my aunt ran into the carport and grabbed the turpentine. She poured it onto the wound and the kid screamed bloody murder. So did I! I thought she was nuts and she said it wouldn't need stitiches and it would heal quickly. She was right on both counts.

Hubby also used lacquer thinner on his cuts at work all the time. Heals from inside out,twice as fact, took soreness out too.


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## boomer

Meerkat, thanks for the turps information. 

And as for willow bark, the old timers here say clip the ends off the really small branches and simmer, drink the liquid. Someone has planted random willow throughout our community, so there is not likely to be a shortage of willow bark.

Right now I am rounding up the older oils/fats etc here to clarify and make into soap. I started having skin rashes from store bought soap over a decade ago and tried homemade soap as a solution. It worked. It works best when cured for at least three months preferably six months.

We also use a lot of vinegar for cleaning etc. This fall I am experimenting with making our own vinegar, starting with apple cider vinegar from peelings and cores, I will have something to report in another couple of months, maybe longer. I hope it turns out better than the sourkraut experiment. LOL


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## Meerkat

boomer said:


> Meerkat, thanks for the turps information.
> 
> And as for willow bark, the old timers here say clip the ends off the really small branches and simmer, drink the liquid. Someone has planted random willow throughout our community, so there is not likely to be a shortage of willow bark.
> 
> Right now I am rounding up the older oils/fats etc here to clarify and make into soap. I started having skin rashes from store bought soap over a decade ago and tried homemade soap as a solution. It worked. It works best when cured for at least three months preferably six months.
> 
> We also use a lot of vinegar for cleaning etc. This fall I am experimenting with making our own vinegar, starting with apple cider vinegar from peelings and cores, I will have something to report in another couple of months, maybe longer. I hope it turns out better than the sourkraut experiment. LOL


 Your welcome.

Wish we could grow apples here. But they bloom then freeze,then bloom and freeze. One year I got enough for one apple pie off the tree.


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## boomer

I was gifted the ones I am using right now, by a young couple who just bought a house with an apple tree and had more than they could manage. I will gift them back some vinegar if it works.


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## labotomi

Sourdough said:


> Clearly your idea of SHTF...............is my idea of, Mildly inconvenienced.
> I figure that what is coming will be so horrific, that most preparer's reaction will be, Oh SH!T, "I am going to die".


You'll be more inconvenienced when missing a limb or two due to gangrene.

I've had enough military training and field exercises to not be alarmed at any shtf situation. I'm set for land, water, livestock, gardening, self defense, etc. This isn't a competition but I doubt you're much more prepared than I (if any).

The worse the situation, the more important it is to ward off infection. The more dead and diseased, the more infectious conditions become.

Unless you're in battle continuously or on the run, taking a little time to wash up will go a long way toward keeping you from dying unceremoniously from that little boo-boo.


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## Grimm

Genevieve said:


> hmmm... take a bath or find some food....take a bath or fight off the heathens attacking my place...... taking a bath or hunting an animal to feed the family...... gee the choices we'll have to make lol
> 
> by looking at UncleJoe's 6 ( thats SIX folks) links I can tell the OP really took it upon themselves to look hard for evidence of the topic lol
> 
> oh and I really appreciate how for the first post they take it upon themselves to right such a grievous wrong that the forum apparently has been doing by doing NOTHING but talking about BOBs and stockpiles. lmfao! ( insert sarcasm here please)
> 
> For me personally I would've been more receptive of the topic if it didn't start out with such a back handed way. A simple topic title of : How I make soap or A great recipe for soap or even Do you want to swap recipes for soap?, would've had me clicking on the topic.


I love you.

Seriously, I'm glad that even when I am logged out for a day someone picks up the mantel of snarky remarks for me.

:kiss:


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## Sybil6

FatTire said:


> Newbs comming in with 'i know more than everyone here' attitudes dont seem to last long.
> 
> My SO has made soap, and its on my list of projects. What id really like to know how to make is aspirin..


What else I find interesting that you may not know, is that you can make antibiotics with silver. I'm not going to explain it outright for fear of mistaking myself, but I thought it was very interesting when I found out. Pain relievers are easy to come by with herb tinctures as well. When Bayer Aspirin started producing, they started with heroine, because it did have a pain relieving effect and when used in small doses, it helped. However, it WAS addictive. But the interesting thing is, they pulled it from poppies. :flower:


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## OldCootHillbilly

Sentry18 said:


> I am just going to wait for FEMA to bring me some soap. Surely they will have soap supply trucks out delivering personal hygiene supplies within a few days of the collapse. If not I am sure the FEMA camps will all have nice hot showers and plenty of body wash.


Funny yall should mention that Sentry, we still got 65 buckets a cleanin supplies (includin hand soap) in the CERT shed leftover from the flood.


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## OldCootHillbilly

FatTire said:


> What id really like to know how to make is aspirin..


In my herbal studies, the bark of a willow tree got the same stuff in it as do aspirin. I'd read up on it before I just wen't an bit a willer tree. They say ya take the young bark an chew it.


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## Sourdough

I am a total New'be to this preparing stuff. I sure wish I was prepared like you are.



labotomi said:


> You'll be more inconvenienced when missing a limb or two due to gangrene.
> 
> I've had enough military training and field exercises to not be alarmed at any shtf situation. I'm set for land, water, livestock, gardening, self defense, etc. This isn't a competition but I doubt you're much more prepared than I (if any).
> 
> The worse the situation, the more important it is to ward off infection. The more dead and diseased, the more infectious conditions become.
> 
> Unless you're in battle continuously or on the run, taking a little time to wash up will go a long way toward keeping you from dying unceremoniously from that little boo-boo.


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## labotomi

Sourdough said:


> I am a total New'be to this preparing stuff. I sure wish I was prepared like you are.


I thought you were prepared for the "mild inconvenience" .


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## *Andi

OldCootHillbilly said:


> In my herbal studies, the bark of a willow tree got the same stuff in it as do aspirin. I'd read up on it before I just wen't an bit a willer tree. They say ya take the young bark an chew it.


And there you have it. 

Mother Nature at its best...


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## Sourdough

NO, I am just here to learn. I am thinking about getting prepared next year.



labotomi said:


> I thought you were prepared for the "mild inconvenience" .


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## musketjim

Birch trees work also as an aspirin substitute if needed. I'll try the soap next summer at my BOL when I have some time to kill. Speaking of kill, after my soap runs out I'll shoot someone and take theirs. Just kidding, now coffee is a different issue altogether.:laugh:


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## Tirediron

How come the kids from the super clean house are always sick ?? to much clean can be a bad thing, not enough could be gangrene. clean soft water should be a good enough cleaning agent for the outside of your skin. Lye soap is not the complete answer to post shtf survival. there is probably a plant within a days walk of where ever you live (unless you are in the middle of a festering city) that would provide some sort of cleaning agent and almost for sure some kind of antibacterial agent. people lived before the industrial era


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## cqp33

All right I guess I will throw my $0.02 in since everyone else is and I won't even be a smart a$$ even though this seems the right thread for that too! 

In this day of "oh wash your hands with antibacterial soap" just look around folks every where you go there is a waterless, anti-bacterial dispenser that everyone that walks by can't help but get a squirt from! Ever wonder why there are so many "resistant" strains of this or that out there? We have tried to create a "germ free" world but instead have created antibiotic resistant strains or super germs (I wonder if they wear capes? now I threw in my smart a$$ remark). As a result of this as the vast majority of the population rip through their anti-bacterial, waterless hand soap that is when there will be problems! I believe that once that starts to happen, infections, rashes and the like will kill people off in the 60-90 day range because their bodies aren't used to be exposed to germs! It's like a vaccine up to a certain point, if your body isn't used to fighting it off then "it" will win most likely!

I will end my $0.02 there because that is a lot for $0.02 that isn't worth half of what it was 5 years ago!


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## Viking

Then there is people like my wife and me that just happened to be blessed with soap root that grows abundantly almost everywhere around us, just have to dig it up if needed as a last resort.


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## hitman3872

Ok I am not for sure who posted first about the willow bark, ( I think it was Cotton)... You are now my HERO that is so information I needed. Thanks I have lots of aches and pains and my father is on an aspirin regiment for his heart. Very good info.


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## Mase92

labotomi said:


> You'll be more inconvenienced when missing a limb or two due to gangrene.
> 
> I've had enough military training and field exercises to not be alarmed at any shtf situation. I'm set for land, water, livestock, gardening, self defense, etc. This isn't a competition but I doubt you're much more prepared than I (if any).
> 
> The worse the situation, the more important it is to ward off infection. The more dead and diseased, the more infectious conditions become.
> 
> Unless you're in battle continuously or on the run, taking a little time to wash up will go a long way toward keeping you from dying unceremoniously from that little boo-boo.


I agree with your statements and overall message. Far too many romanticize about the excellent shoot outs and roving band of bandits coming for their preps too understand that if things get really bad and a situation goes of for a long period of time, far more will die due to unsanitary and infections.

As for newbs coming in to say they know more, they generally get chased off, not because of the want or need to learn but the sheer attacks they face from the masses of we disagree with you so you will be attacked for not thinking exactly like us....kinda like labotmi is seeing right now.:eyebulge:

Love the birch bark tip too. I always heard that worked.


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## Genevieve

musketjim said:


> Birch trees work also as an aspirin substitute if needed. I'll try the soap next summer at my BOL when I have some time to kill. Speaking of kill, after my soap runs out I'll shoot someone and take theirs. Just kidding, *now coffee is a different issue altogether*.:laugh:


now there you will have to walk over my dead dirty body!!!:kiss::laugh:


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## mojo4

Mase92 said:


> I agree with your statements and overall message. Far too many romanticize about the excellent shoot outs and roving band of bandits coming for their preps too understand that if things get really bad and a situation goes of for a long period of time, far more will die due to unsanitary and infections.
> 
> As for newbs coming in to say they know more, they generally get chased off, not because of the want or need to learn but the sheer attacks they face from the masses of we disagree with you so you will be attacked for not thinking exactly like us....kinda like labotmi is seeing right now.:eyebulge:
> 
> Love the birch bark tip too. I always heard that worked.


In my best Christopher Walken voice...."Its your tone. Its its all wrong!" I have no problems with anyone offering up advise or a tip but telling everyone you didn't think or plan for this on your first post??? I wouldn't expect that kind of tone from sentry or unclejoe or linctex so I am sure a tad put off when newfish takes that tone on your first post. Anytime someone gives me the old man on the mountain attitude I pretty much tune em out immediately.


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## Mase92

mojo4 said:


> In my best Christopher Walken voice...."Its your tone. Its its all wrong!" I have no problems with anyone offering up advise or a tip but telling everyone you didn't think or plan for this on your first post??? I wouldn't expect that kind of tone from sentry or unclejoe or linctex so I am sure a tad put off when newfish takes that tone on your first post. Anytime someone gives me the old man on the mountain attitude I pretty much tune em out immediately.


I can agree with that. It isn't always that way thou. Those few that you mentioned are established posters with LIKE minded stances who make excellent posts. They aren't always correct (don't get mad  ) but would be allowed with out a HUGE attack by others. Just because someone has a low post count doesn't make them wrong...it makes them un-established.

BTW love the Christopher Walken voice reference. Good stuff there.


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## Tirediron

one really important thing to think about is the climate of the area that you are in and if you are acclimatized to it. there is a lot less danger of infection in a climate that has freeze thaw cycles, as opposed to a jungle that never sees frost. Staying clean is pretty important, although if you stink really bad no one will come near you to transmit disease so you need balance there :scratch


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## dixiemama

Completely agree with the 'too many antibiotics/antibacterial' comments. My mother in law swears by them and is the sickest person I know. She catches everything coming and going. We use regular old soap to wash with and vinegar to clean with. We are hardly ever sick.

That being said, when my supply of bought soap runs out, I'll make more. Gonna experiment in the spring with it and see how it goes. I have many old recipes for making it so I don't have to rely on modern equipment for when the grid goes down.

Anybody else notice that the OPer hasn't responded?


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## UncleJoe

dixiemama said:


> Anybody else notice that the OPer hasn't responded?


Can't say I blame them. They were bashed pretty hard on their first post.

I'll be the first to admit, the search function here at PS leaves a lot to be desired, but in this case, a simple search on soap making turned up a lot of results. The 6 I posted only went back to 2010 so there are probably more.


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## Magus

I've got a case of ivory.


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## oldasrocks

Vinegar is easy to make if you have apples. Powdered bleach is available at Wally world. Cheap and easy to store. 32 tablets make 32 gallons of bleach.


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## goshengirl

oldasrocks said:


> Powdered bleach is available at Wally world. Cheap and easy to store. 32 tablets make 32 gallons of bleach.


I didn't know that. Thank you!


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## ZangLussuria

oldasrocks said:


> Vinegar is easy to make if you have apples. Powdered bleach is available at Wally world. Cheap and easy to store. 32 tablets make 32 gallons of bleach.


How's the shelf life? Is it stable like pool shock?


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## Sourdough

I also did not know that........thanks for the information.



goshengirl said:


> I didn't know that. Thank you!


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## boomer

As much as I dislike Wally Wold I may show up and get some Powdered Bleach. Tks for the information.


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## redhorse

boomer said:


> As much as I dislike Wally Wold I may show up and get some Powdered Bleach. Tks for the information.


That makes four of us. Thanks!


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## dirtgrrl

When my kids were little, my housekeeping was not the best (ha, still isn't). They played in the dirt, played with their diapers (ick), ate the dog's food, ate snot (more ick), etc. and were hardly ever sick a day in their lives. My grandkids live in a spotless house. They were not allowed to crawl on the floor as babies. My DIL would faint from horror if her kids ever were exposed to half of what mine were. BUT, all three of her kids have been hospitalized for some sickness or another. They get everything that comes around, so she sterilizes everything, and they get worse. And I can't say one damned thing about it.

Another great pain reliever is Jimson Weed. Now this is important so I'm gonna yell it: *NEVER TAKE JIMSON WEED INTERNALLY!! NEVER NEVER NEVER!!!!*

*It is for external use only! * Here's what you do: cut the big leaves off the plant. Do not smoke or eat while you are handling the leaves. Take the leaves and slightly wilt them with steam or over flame. You want them to get limp so they can conform to your skin. Wet your skin and lay the leaves over arthritic joints or sore muscles. Pat them down with a little more warm water. Lay quietly so they stay put and do their work.

Another way to use the leaves is to make a strong tea (NOT FOR DRINKING!!!) and pour it in a tub of water to soak in. This can make a person very drowsy so be sure to have help available if you do it.

Before you try either remedy, try a small piece of leaf in the above manner first. If you have no bad reaction to it, try a little more. If good try a little more. If you have tomato, tobacco, or potato allergies, you could be deathly allergic to datura (Jimson). It is very STRONG medicine and can kill you if not used properly. Treat it with respect. It is used for intense or intractable pain, and it can be addictive. Try willow or cottonwood buds first, before you try datura.

You can also use cottonwood buds and tips like willow. (Family-wise, they're first cousins!) The new spring resinous buds are best, and they can be dried for later use. Or you can heat the buds in oil to extract the resins, then thicken the oil with beeswax to make a salve.

Michael Moore (the herbalist, not the film maker) has published some outstanding books on herbal remedies using western American plant species. They are worth any amount of money you pay for them.


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## Cotton

Heed dirtgrrls warnings, jimson weed is medicine but very dangerous. Latin name “Datura stramonium”, it’s in the Solanaceae or nightshade family which includes “deadly night shade”, but ironically, it includes tomatoes and potatoes.

Here is what it looks like…


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## dirtgrrl

Our southwestern datura has larger, ranker, darker leaves, but the fruit looks the same. Notice on Cotton's lower photo, a round fruit with stickers on it. The fruit gives this plant another name, Thornapple. Don't eat this "apple". Really.

The lower photo also has a few spent flowers in it. When they open at dusk they look like huge beautiful ghostly white trumpets, hence another name, Moonflower.

I do have an amusing story about Datura. Years ago, before I knew much about herbalism and DH and I were first dating, we took a walk near a desert wash. In this wash were several large Datura plants where the flowers were just opening. They were so pretty we both just stopped and stared at them. It was dusk and the moon was just rising, and it was so romantic! He jumped down and gathered a big armload of them for me, and we continued walking to my house. About halfway home I started to itch. Almost home and I started wheezing a little. I said goodbye at the door and almost pushed him into his car, then quickly ran into the house to throw those flowers about as far away from me as I could. I was horribly allergic to them (as I am with a few others in the solanum family) and had to take a shower and some benedryl before I could stop wheezing. To this day I don't know if he realizes how close he came to killing me!


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## oldasrocks

More info on the bleach tablets.

EVOLVE is the brand here. It was hard to find so had to ask for it. I think it will store long term. I read about it on another Forum.


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## talob

oldasrocks said:


> Vinegar is easy to make if you have apples. Powdered bleach is available at Wally world. Cheap and easy to store. 32 tablets make 32 gallons of bleach.


Sometimes it just amazes me the little things I DONT know, will be stocking up on soap makeing supplys now to.


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## UncleJoe

talob said:


> Sometimes it just amazes me the little things I DONT know...


And that's what this site is all about. Even being here for nearly 5 years, I'm still learning new things. It's a lifelong process.


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## merks

While I believe that keeping clean in a shtf is important, I also believe what my Grandma always told us kids. " God made dirt so it wouldn't hurt " Maybe that's why my kids have a pretty good immune system. They grew up being allowed to get dirty. With that said, here is a little something I do. I buy liquid detergent. I do know how and have supplies to make my own. Any way, there's always that bit that doesn't come out. So rather then add just a bit of water to rinse it out, I just fill it with water and store it. I realize this is very watered down, but I figure that bit of soapy water is better then none. I have bottles over 2 yrs old and no leaks yet.


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## Tirediron

The OP got slapped for the condescending attitude, not so much the comment, but OP got us "talking'' and some more good info came to type so it has become a positive thread.


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## crabapple

A search came up with:
Garlic,Turmeric,Willow & myrtle, Quaking Aspen,Big tooth Aspen.
White,black,purple willow, Crack & weeping willow.
For general pain relief Capsaicin from hot peppers,0.075%-0.025%.


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## Tactic12

WTF?! Why is everyone blasting each other? The purpose of these forums are to start conversations with like-minded people. Each & everyone of us may have a different view of SHTF, but blasting a guy for donating a recipe on soap is screwed up. Hygiene is important, & for everyone arguing about hunting & battling will probably want to use soap afterwards. Hygiene is important, & you can put it as high or as low as you want on your list, but try to respect each other in the process. 

Thank you for the soap recipe, your donation has brought value to the community!


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## kyredneck

TrinEire said:


> I...Hygiene is important, but there are many ways to maintain it without a bath and suds.....


Heheh, pan of water (preferably warm) and a soapy washcloth; wash as far up as possible, and then wash as far down as possible, and then wash ol' possible...


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## Viking

UncleJoe said:


> Can't say I blame them. They were bashed pretty hard on their first post.
> 
> I'll be the first to admit, the search function here at PS leaves a lot to be desired, but in this case, a simple search on soap making turned up a lot of results. The 6 I posted only went back to 2010 so there are probably more.


Search functions on a lot of different sites often leaves a lot to be desired, I've often spent way too much time looking for things so I too appreciate a "how to" post like making soap or other things and on occasion I'll take an old post and "bump" them because so many question come up that bringing the subject forward makes sense.


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## Dixie

What you haven't thought about

*Mayo.*


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## Viking

Dixie said:


> What you haven't thought about
> 
> *Mayo.*


Once and awhile I can talk my wife into making mayo. Homemade tastes far better than store bought.


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## talob

Tactic12 said:


> WTF?! Why is everyone blasting each other? The purpose of these forums are to start conversations with like-minded people. Each & everyone of us may have a different view of SHTF, but blasting a guy for donating a recipe on soap is screwed up. Hygiene is important, & for everyone arguing about hunting & battling will probably want to use soap afterwards. Hygiene is important, & you can put it as high or as low as you want on your list, but try to respect each other in the process.
> 
> Thank you for the soap recipe, your donation has brought value to the community!


Your right, I have been dinged here because I asked an "old" question when I did a search and found very little information on the subject, maybe the OP just had a ******* moment (I seem to have a lot of those) but I hope they call it lesson learnd and keep on trucking because it is a good thread and has a lot of good info on the subject if no one else has I have gotten something good from it.


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## OldCootHillbilly

I thin what rubbed so many folks wrong be the way it were presented. The feller bein a newbie an all sorta kicked in the door an screams I'm here ta save you. I don't thin it were the fact he wanted ta share a recipe, it were in how it was handled. Ifin he'd said, "I'm new here, I got this recipe ta share an I didn't really find much about it in search", it'd gone over better. Just sorta how I see the thread. Yes, some good thins have come outa it, just like many threads. I hope the OP will stick round an learn an share still.

I don't mind answerin a old question ifin it be done politely.


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## goshengirl

It has nothing to do with the information, and everything to do with the way the information was presented.

When someone tells me "you haven't thought about X, Y, and Z and this is what you need to do" it sounds like a used car salesman (or equivalent stereotypical wheeler-dealer). Especially if I've not only thought about X, Y, and Z but have also taken care of X, Y, and Z, and maybe some of A, B, and C as well. 

People have commented about her being a newbie and making such a post. Yes, it does rub people the wrong way when a newbie makes a presumptuous and condescending post, but the fact is, that wouldn't go over well if an old-timer did it, either. Difference is, and old-timer wouldn't post like that (or if they did, they would be taken to task as well).

Posting about old topics happens. In my opinion, that's not a bad thing. It is good to try to do a search so that the exact same material isn't rehashed. But in general, I think there can be benefits to revisiting 'old' material again - this very thread is an example of how bringing up an old topic can be a springboard for new information and discussion.

So no, it's not the fact that the OP posted about an old topic. It's that the OP posted about an old topic and acted like it had never been talked about before, and posted in an I-know-more-than-you-know manner. I don't believe the OP intended to be off-putting. I think the OP truly did intend to be helpful - and she shared some information, and that _is _helpful. I hope the OP does stick around (I'm sure she'd revise her delivery in the future) - there's a lot to learn here, and she has something to contribute, too.


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## crabapple

goshengirl said:


> It has nothing to do with the information, and everything to do with the way the information was presented.


I know what you are saying.
I type up a really good post & then get really bad reaction to it from more then one person.
So I read the post & wonder how I could think one thing & type another.
Lucky for me I have been posting for a while & have learned to:
1) Be carful of what I say
2) reread everything
3) Make sure not to sound like a TROLL when defining what I mean, after I have gotten in trouble.
I can be a slow learner at times, but we all should try to see thing from the other person point of view.


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## Viking

crabapple said:


> goshengirl said:
> 
> 
> 
> It has nothing to do with the information, and everything to do with the way the information was presented.
> 
> 
> 
> I know what you are saying.
> I type up a really good post & then get really bad reaction to it from more then one person.
> So I read the post & wonder how I could think one thing & type another.
> Lucky for me I have been posting for a while & have learned to:
> 1) Be carful of what I say
> 2) reread everything
> 3) Make sure not to sound like a TROLL when defining what I mean, after I have gotten in trouble.
> I can be a slow learner at times, but we all should try to see thing from the other person point of view.
Click to expand...

 Believe me it's more than likely, being as we're all human, that at some points in our travels through life that we have "Stepped in it" and ruffled feathers. Hopefully we aren't so thin skinned as to be offended and leave but rather learn from the incident and become a person that makes this forum the best place to be.


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## mercygirl87

You are so right. I went to the grocery store Saturday. I thought the apocalypse occurred while I was at work. It obviously was social security check people out, 2nd of the month. Couldn't even park car, and after I did, the lines were into the isles. Turned around and walked out. Point is, if the SHTF these sort of people, already desperate, will be even more desperate. They cant make it one month without food. Oh boy, really makes one think.


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## Wellrounded

I had a bit of a chuckle when I first read the OP, many people I've met over the years have started a conversation with me with 'What you need to do is........' not knowing that I've been there done that. They assume knowledge they have recently gained is new to everyone  . Some can do it nicely some not so much. 

On the subject of old posts and searches ..... I've seen posters blasted for not searching but also for 'bringing back a dinosaur post'. Searching is fine but can be very frustrating especially if you're not finding an answer to a specific question, just stuff vaguely on the same subject. Also it's much nicer to be part of a conversation not just reading a dusty old one. If I see a thread that is repetative I will ignore it or have a quick look just in case there are any new ideas popping up. Depends on the subject matter.


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## merks

I think if you read the op's intro, that they were generally excited to be a part of this community and very excited to share. I don't believe any ill intentions were meant.


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## Geek999

In various forums I have come to conclude that the best way to join is to read a lot first, then post an introduction, then post a few questions and respond to the questions of others.

When someone starts with a long declarative post, the odds of coming off badly get high. The idea of a forum is discussion and getting other points of view, not making a a statement without inviting a response.

I'm not suggesting that folks who start that way don't mean well, just that their initial post may be received poorly.


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## hitman3872

I am new and still need to learn some of the etiquette of posting, this type of media is kind of new to me also. But I am here to learn from others as well as things that I have learned try to share them also.


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## Tirediron

Hitman, glad to have you join us, the best rule for forum etiquette in my opinion is to never type what you wouldn't say to someones face. the trouble with typed word is it is hard to say "I never said that", when it is clearly there on the page.
Some people feel that because they are anonymous they can be a jerk and get away with it. people like that don't last long here, people like you who explain their position will be warmly welcomed by most.:beercheer:


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## Hails

Okay I just took the time to read all 74 comments, I DID NOT mean to sound condescending at all and I was not aware of the fact that I did. I am new to the forum. I don't know how to search old posts so I did not know you had posted about this topic. I was excited to share something i thought was very important and obviously it did not go over well. I apologize for any toes I stepped on and I will refrain from posting anything else lest I "offend" someone with my "tone", or maybe I won't but who cares right? Hygiene is obviously not an issue for the majority so I have learned my lesson. Shame on me for being such a condescending brat while trying to share knowledge I thought was invaluable.

Great Job! You taught me a lesson, that newbies should not post. Sorry my mistake, I haven't been a member for 4+ years. But I ought to have known better.

On a side note for those of you who responded graciously I say thank you. I am glad you liked the recipe and the info i presented and on my next post I will word it as if I were talking to sweet, talking woodland creatures. 

Hails


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## oldasrocks

I have a close friend who is a doctor. He says he loves it when people come in and tell him whats wrong with them. snicker.

It seems we professional preppers get a little uppity when a newbie know-it-all comes in with 25 cents worth of info. When actually we ought to sit back and say we finally have our PhD in prepping. NOT only do we know what we know but we can add 2 plus 2 and get five when the time is needed. (ie applying our knowledge.) We've become confident to the extent we're not afraid of anything.

Although remember, even doctors go in for extra training on occasion to learn something new. Sure I get a chuckle when I see the question "Whats a T post?" and read where someone found out you can actually can home veggies! I have learned a lot of new stuff in areas I thought I was an expert in already.

So instead of calling newbies idiots we need to nurture them into becoming preppers. Thats one less person we'll have to take care of when SHTF.


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## Geek999

Hails said:


> Okay I just took the time to read all 74 comments, I DID NOT mean to sound condescending at all and I was not aware of the fact that I did. I am new to the forum. I don't know how to search old posts so I did not know you had posted about this topic. I was excited to share something i thought was very important and obviously it did not go over well. I apologize for any toes I stepped on and I will refrain from posting anything else lest I "offend" someone with my "tone", or maybe I won't but who cares right? Hygiene is obviously not an issue for the majority so I have learned my lesson. Shame on me for being such a condescending brat while trying to share knowledge I thought was invaluable.
> 
> Great Job! You taught me a lesson, that newbies should not post. Sorry my mistake, I haven't been a member for 4+ years. But I ought to have known better.
> 
> On a side note for those of you who responded graciously I say thank you. I am glad you liked the recipe and the info i presented and on my next post I will word it as if I were talking to sweet, talking woodland creatures.
> 
> Hails


Thanks for that. Consider yourslef properly hazed and initiated. 

How about an introductory post? That will get us all off to a good start.


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## alwaysready

Hails said:


> Okay I just took the time to read all 74 comments, I DID NOT mean to sound condescending at all and I was not aware of the fact that I did. I am new to the forum. I don't know how to search old posts so I did not know you had posted about this topic. I was excited to share something i thought was very important and obviously it did not go over well. I apologize for any toes I stepped on and I will refrain from posting anything else lest I "offend" someone with my "tone", or maybe I won't but who cares right? Hygiene is obviously not an issue for the majority so I have learned my lesson. Shame on me for being such a condescending brat while trying to share knowledge I thought was invaluable.
> 
> Great Job! You taught me a lesson, that newbies should not post. Sorry my mistake, I haven't been a member for 4+ years. But I ought to have known better.
> 
> On a side note for those of you who responded graciously I say thank you. I am glad you liked the recipe and the info i presented and on my next post I will word it as if I were talking to sweet, talking woodland creatures.
> 
> Hails


Welcome to the forum. Nothing wrong with being excited about what you are doing. But there two thing I want to point out. First you didn't step on any toes because we wear steeltoes around here. Second climb down from the cross its already occupied.


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## AfleetAlex

labotomi said:


> Even in your sensationalistic view of what will happen if SHTF there will be more deaths due to infection and dissentary than battles with heathens.


Most Epic Comeback Ever.

Thank you for making my day.


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## AfleetAlex

FatTire said:


> Newbs comming in with 'i know more than everyone here' attitudes dont seem to last long. My SO has made soap, and its on my list of projects. What id really like to know how to make is aspirin..


 Don't count out the 'Newbs'. I built my first composting toilet when I was nine years old.

You can make aspirin, from willow trees.

Olive trees will grow in almost any zone in the US. There are videos on YouTube on how to harvest the oil.

You can buy a seed oil press on Amazon or eBay.


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## FatTire

AfleetAlex said:


> Don't count out the 'Newbs'. I built my first composting toilet when I was nine years old.
> 
> You can make aspirin, from willow trees.
> 
> Olive trees will grow in almost any zone in the US. There are videos on YouTube on how to harvest the oil.
> 
> You can buy a seed oil press on Amazon or eBay.


See if you read the whole thing i said, you might realize that i was not counting anyone out, rather i find newbies to the forum _who have a particular attitude,_ to generally not last long on this forum.

I was putting rabbits in the familly pot at 9, but I didnt invent rabbits, rabbit hunting, nor did I figure out how to gut n skin em on my own. I try to keep it in mind that I can always learn something new about rabbits, hunting, and .22's.


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## AfleetAlex

FatTire said:


> See if you read the whole thing i said, you might realize that i was not counting anyone out, rather i find newbies to the forum who have a particular attitude, to generally not last long on this forum. I was putting rabbits in the familly pot at 9, but I didnt invent rabbits, rabbit hunting, nor did I figure out how to gut n skin em on my own. I try to keep it in mind that I can always learn something new about rabbits, hunting, and .22's.


 I did read the whole thing. The 'Newbs' thing is annoying and uneducated. It's also defensive and territorial. The best Neonatal surgeon at the Mayo Clinic, recently moved to America from India. He is technically a 'Newb' to our country, but I promise you, when he speaks, other doctors who have been here 'since 2009', listen.

At any rate, aspirin can be obtained in the white flesh under Willow bark. It can be chewed or absorbed in a tea. Use sparingly and with caution though. Like aspirin, it can be lethal in large doses.

Love,
A Newb


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## goshengirl

Apparently we're having red herring for dinner tonight.


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## redhorse

My dog, Ruger, is 9. He makes his own compost by doing his business in one spot behind one tree in the pasture. 

You can make moonshine from corn. 

There is lots of weather in every zone in the US. There are lots of videos of it on YouTube. 

You can buy a thermometer on ebay.


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## FatTire

AfleetAlex said:


> I did read the whole thing. The 'Newbs' thing is annoying and uneducated. The best Neonatal surgeon at the Mayo Clinic, recently moved to America from India. He is technically a 'Newb' to our country, but I promise you, when he speaks, other doctors who have been here 'since 2009', listen.
> 
> At any rate, aspirin can be obtained in the white flesh under Willow bark. It can be chewed or absorbed in a tea. Use sparingly and with caution though. Like aspirin, it can be lethal in large doses.
> 
> Love,
> A Newb


Good point, when you completely ignore that i was specifically referring to this forum, and a particular mindset, and you then apply what i said to highly trained people like neonatal surgeons in a completely different context, you make an excellent point, it is foolish to be zenophobic. :dunno:


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## AfleetAlex

redhorse said:


> My dog, Ruger, is 9. He makes his own compost by doing his business in one spot behind one tree in the pasture. You can make moonshine from corn. There is lots of weather in every zone in the US. There are lots of videos of it on YouTube. You can buy a thermometer on ebay.


Which works better, field corn or sweet corn?


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## cowboyhermit

I always try to look at how things can be a learning experience. If I say something and it upsets dozens of people because of how I said it, it would be easy to assume they are easily offended but that gains me nothing. If I can look at what I wrote and determine what was wrong with my tone, then I have more knowledge and skills at not ticking people off, a very useful survival skill BTW.

On the other hand I have been on here for a year and most likely argued or disagreed with everyone on the site by now I am not suggesting that someone should not bring an opposing viewpoint, I just think respect is something we all need to keep in mind.

Eta; I started the post and came back to it later:brickwall: the thread was at a more positive place back then.

The doctor has an established reputation and proof of his knowledge. Even then if he comes in riding a high horse things do NOT go well.


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## AfleetAlex

cowboyhermit said:


> The doctor has an established reputation and proof of his knowledge. Even then if he comes in riding a high horse things do NOT go well.


You've seen doctors that don't come in riding on high horses? I thought that came standard on every model. 

Pictures, or it didnt happen!


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## labotomi

redhorse said:


> My dog, Ruger, is 9. He makes his own compost by doing his business in one spot behind one tree in the pasture.
> 
> You can make moonshine from corn.


EWWW!!!

Oops, never mind. Those two aren't related.


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## FatTire

AfleetAlex said:


> Which works better, field corn or sweet corn?


This is a subject of some debate, apparently. Looks to me like it boils down to something akin to which is the better scotch, highlands or speyside?'. For most people, shine is shine, when it comes out its somewhere north of 90% alcohol, and is generally cut with distilled or spring water. connoisseurs will generally say that white sweet corn producers a better flavor.

If there is scientific evidense that suggests higher yields from one corn or another, i am unaware of it. I am no expert, just interested in distilling for fuel.. and perhaps a wee nip now and then


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## AfleetAlex

FatTire said:


> This is a subject of some debate, apparently. Looks to me like it boils down to something akin to which is the better scotch, highlands or speyside?'. For most people, shine is shine, when it comes out its somewhere north of 90% alcohol, and is generally cut with distilled or spring water. connoisseurs will generally say that white sweet corn producers a better flavor. If there is scientific evidense that suggests higher yields from one corn or another, i am unaware of it. I am no expert, just interested in distilling for fuel.. and perhaps a wee nip now and then


I've only made it with sweet feed mash for horses... I've never tried corn. I made some strawberry wine once, it turned out to be at best; jailhouse hooch. Lol. I saved it and plan at some point, to put it through my Still. Maybe it will become...brandy?


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## Grimm

AfleetAlex said:


> You've seen doctors that don't come in riding on high horses? I thought that came standard on every model.
> 
> Pictures, or it didnt happen!


That doesn't look like a high horse to me...


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## AfleetAlex

grimm said:


> that doesn't look like a high horse to me...


susan!!!!!!


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## redhorse

"He's called Joshua, it's from the bible. It means, the deliverer."

Dr. Who "Not it isn't. I speak horse, he's called Susan, and he wants you to respect his life choices."


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## Grimm

redhorse said:


> "He's called Joshua, it's from the bible. It means, the deliverer."
> 
> Dr. Who "Not it isn't. I speak horse, he's called Susan, and he wants you to respect his life choices."


Gotta love the Doctor!

Why do you think I named Roo after his wife?!


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## OldCootHillbilly

Shine be made with field corn. Sweet corn be fer the table.

One fellers shine taste different then another fellers. How he makes his mash, his still an so forth all influence the taste a shine. Even water makes it different.


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