Mechanical tools | TheaterFire

[-]

dglaw@reddit

So glad someone finally brought this up. Among my preps, I consider my garage and the skills I have to be one of my strengths. Hard skills and soft skills. I can help myself to repair my own problems, I can help my neighbors, and establish a stronger community through hard times. In a collapse scenario, services become extremely valuable and serve as a form of barter. i.e. I'll fix your shit in exchange for rice, beans, med supplies, etc

[-]

Bulky-Law-9191@reddit

Pb blaster should be added, let it soak for a day on any stuck bolts

[-]

VXMerlinXV@reddit

100% basic trade skills will serve you well in an emergency situation. The amount of people who can’t even change a tire is startling.

[-]

4r4nd0mninj4@reddit

I wonder how many people can turn those old tires into gasoline.🤔

[-]

VXMerlinXV@reddit

Not me. But I’ll trade you some old tires for some chow 🤣

[-]

Additional_Insect_44@reddit (OP)

Not many. You'd have to extract the wiring inside firat. Then melt and extract carbohydrates from rubber. Then purify it so it's gasoline.

[-]

4r4nd0mninj4@reddit

On a small scale, you just need to cut it up small enough to fit it inside your processing cylinder. There is no need to separate the belts unless you're going large scale. Heat it up in an oxygen free environment and condense the gasses at different points to separate your products. Though wood gasification is a lot easier.

[-]

porkins@reddit

If it gets that bad, there’s not much hope for most of us prepared or not!

[-]

iwannaddr2afi@reddit

Tend to agree. We have most of this stuff, but I wouldn't anticipate having energy/fuel to run some of the tools or many of the things they fix long term.

I think it's a matter of philosophy, though. This is all great prepped for Tuesday stuff! Which is why we have it. If doomsday happens, I think we're talking about a rapid demodernization and massive simplification - which probably means some of those things won't be useful. Neither will a lot of the stuff we all own, which is fine (or, we don't have a say in whether or not it's fine, which is fine lol).

We're not prepared to stay living like we currently live no matter what, in other words. We just do the best we reasonably can.

[-]

Undeaded1@reddit

I agree we do the best we can with what we got... that's part of why I own all the tools I own and pick up extra supplies when I can... I do all my own work when and where I can because it's a part of the larger picture of preparedness. I save money doing it myself, which allows more preps in other areas. Keeps skill and knowledge sharp. If it ever gets bad enough that we can no longer rely on basic transportation as we know it now, then the tools will still have other uses, and the automotive skills will still be handy for "primitive" vehicles, with some creative engineering solutions, LOL.

[-]

NewEnglandPrepper3@reddit

i think most preppers stock up on tools. good to have one of everything and backups for what you use often. harbor freight is good and r/preppersales often finds deals too

[-]

OnTheEdgeOfFreedom@reddit

Probably because half of us are Tuesday preppers and aren't planning to need to operate a repair shop in a hurricane or aftermath; and the other half of us are planning for doomsday where you can't get oil, actylene or electricity so you couldn't run such a shop anyway.

There's definitely some middle ground where being able to fix your own engines and so on is valuable, and I envy the guys who can tear down an engine and rebuild it and not it lose anything important. It's a valuable skill. I just think it happens to fall slightly outside the bounds of the two main topics here.

If you want to post about it, do it. I'm sure it could be valuable information. But I can also see why it rarely comes up.

[-]

Additional_Insect_44@reddit (OP)

Dad and grandad had to learn such in the sticks of east nc, being targeted by the cliquish backwoods government.

[-]

MountainGal72@reddit

“Cliquish backwoods government…”

Were your folks making elixir?

[-]

Eazy12345678@reddit

more advanced. not needed for basic survival

[-]

Unlikely-Ad3659@reddit

I have a fully equipped metal and wood shop with huge amounts of consumables.

Then the loft area of the shop has duplicates of most things used to build or run the house.

Recently I stocked up on locks, so a break in happens I can replace every window and door on the property if needed. Plus a bunch of others.

I have mentioned it a few times, most responses are " I know whose property I am going to bring my gun and take over if TSHTF."

Most people here are gun nuts play acting being preppers. They will not last long.

[-]

schmeillionaire@reddit

I like where your heads at but unfortunately for me and many others who have these skills and tools they usually live in a box where we work. Slowly I'm building up what I have at home as I get better tools to replace some of my stuff I take the old ones home. I just upgraded my husky pry bars to Mac and will take the old husky ones home. I've been working my ass of growing my skillset from being a welder to turning wrenchs too and the increase in pay for having both skills is pretty good. We're making the moves to pay debt off and then I will start to get more tools for home.

[-]

IlliniWarrior6@reddit

How come we barely talk about any of these things? >> today's car drivers don't know how to open the hood on their cars - much less change a tire ....

preppers that can actually repair & fabricate with the necessary tools & raw materials will be kings .....

[-]

Bobby_Marks3@reddit

Because knowledge of this sort:

Has not easily improved agricultural output on small-scale farms; and
Requires fuel, raw metal, other raw materials, and some processed goods like rubber or plastics.

In rough times, yeah random people who know these skills will rely on them for odd work, random fixes, and so on. Someone will try to melt metals together. But if you're a prepper who knows hard times are coming, it's easier to take a pre-industrial-revolution approach to life.

What I'm shocked by is the community's lack of blacksmithing discussion. The ability to light a fire, take scrap metal and melt it down, then beat it into useful things would be a damned post-apocalyptic superpower.

[-]

Many-Health-1673@reddit

I have those things on the farm in the repair barn, and in my shop at the house. I'd wager that 90+% of the people that are preppers on this forum don't have the ability to use a welder though, let alone do a repair on a rear end, a small engine, or to change the wheel bearings on a trailer or an older car.

For 2 stroke oil for small power equipment Honda HP2 oil at 40:1 is really hard to beat. Stihl oil sucks, Husqvarna is better. Echo Red Armor, Dolmar, and Shindaiwa oil is probably the best from the big manufacturers (one company makes all three brands). Motul 2t and Maxima is also really good. The Mobil 2 stroke oil is great if you live outside of the States.

Most of those items you mentioned take time to acquire the knowledge to use other than the wd40 and the lug wrench. It isn't something you can buy like freeze dried meals or a water filter.

[-]

Fit_Acanthisitta_475@reddit

Now you are start talking about “blinker fluid” territory.

[-]

Bassman602@reddit

When the emp hits nothing mechanical that runs on electricity is expected to work

[-]

User_225846@reddit

My shop is still a long ways from where I want it even for non prep capabilities. But most of my prep revolves around the likely days long power outage scenario, like we experienced several years ago. But i do put some focus on keeping equipment running. Generator spare parts. Wiring and related supplies for cobbling something together in a pinch. Spare chainsaw parts, chains, fuel, oil. Skidloader was invaluable moving downed trees and brush, so spare parts, hoses, filters, tire irons, tubes, etc. In the short term it's at least helped keep breakdowns from ruining weekend projects a few times.

[-]

shiftty@reddit

Check out stick welding with a lawnmower and a regular automotive alternator

[-]

Additional_Insect_44@reddit (OP)

Never heard of it but sounds fun.

[-]

randumguy74@reddit

A good one from back in the days of Mother Earth News being worth buying and reading.

[-]

Skywatch_Astrology@reddit

I want to learn to weld so bad, just need a big enough generator for the welder since it only makes sense to get into stick welding

[-]

Additional_Insect_44@reddit (OP)

Harbor freight may be your answer. I'm used to stick welding. But other types exist.

[-]

hoardac@reddit

I was wondering the same thing. I have been slowly over the years building my skills for fixing things, welding and spare parts gathering. I never really thought about gasket making.

[-]

Additional_Insect_44@reddit (OP)

Buy gasket silicone or even cardboard depending on what gasket type.

[-]

runningraleigh@reddit

torches and welders/welding supplies are up next on my preps shopping list. I will have the most amazing junk fence ever around my house. People will walk away in sheer wonderment before they try to scale it and attack my domicile.

[-]

Additional_Insect_44@reddit (OP)

Nice. And junk is useful for recycling.

[-]

JoplinSC742@reddit

Hi, CDL Trucker here! So I have about ten years of experience, half of which was in Oilfield and Open Surface Mine, and the other half was in specialized OTR Work. I feel somewhat qualified to provide some input on this question. Here are some suggestions for anyone building a mechanics bag.

Pry Bar of some variant. This has multiple functions. Mallet, tinker hammer, regular hammer, mini sludge. Different hammers, different problems. If you have room, full sludge hammer and breaker bar. Also, make sure you get non-wooden handles. Socket set, wrench set, screw driver set, don't cheap out! Headlamp, flashlight, and magnetic light. 1000 Looms is my recommendation, once again, don't cheap out. You'll get more millage out of quality tools. Two bottle nose jackets, and ideally some blocks or jack-stands if you can make room. If you have a source of air, such as on a commercial truck, you can fashion an airline assembly to connect into your air tank or glad hands, which will allow you to bring air tools. You also want to bring three jugs of each fluid you use with their own funnels. WD-40, Panther Piss, Parts Cleaner, ducktape, a small hand held torch with a fuel of your choice, electrical meter, and code reader. You also want to to keep shovels (both square and spade), ice breakers, tow rope or rescue rope, ratchet straps, and rope with you.

You should also keep a ready supply of fuses, relays, bulbs and easily replaceable parts with you. This will depend heavily on your skill sets. Don't keep parts you don't know how to change with you! Keep a manual of you vehicle with you at all times. In addition, its highly recommend to keep detailed manuals on any equipment you have with you, tools included and electronics included.

All of the above can and will fit on a truck with a 5FTbed comfortably and will enable you to resolve most issues you'll run into in the field.

Do not consider this an all inclusive guide, just some helpful information from someone who learned some hard lessons about getting out of some bad situations.

When in doubt, just refer to song: https://youtu.be/aRVqZzfJoOI?si=uy-9h6dCLq7uTDSO

[-]

1one14@reddit

I don't see things running long if it gets that bad. I have thought of getting a few simple e-bikes for patrolling, but when the jeep dies, it dies.

[-]

Ryan_e3p@reddit

Having regular maintenance stuff for vehicles is an obvious, I think. Oil, filters, a set of replacement brakes, brake fluid, etc. Making gaskets is going a bit further; sure, you can have 'em, but at that point if you're tearing down motors to replace gaskets, you already likely have the tools and knowledge to do so.

Welding isn't something everyone either has the capability to do, or the space to do so. Not everyone needs to, though. This is why community is such an important part of prepping. There's likely someone in your neighborhood who does know how to do that, how to do in-depth vehicle and motor maintenance, etc. It's good to learn new skills, but I discourage people from just buying things for the sake of buying things if they are never going to use them. That money can go to improving the skills they already have, or can pick up that they will use more often.

[-]

ReactionAble7945@reddit

Why we don't talk about them...

Those who know how to use them, know where to find them.

Those who don't know how to use them, really have no use spending the money on them.

Then there are people like me. I have some skills. I do not have enough skills. Things like what tools do you put in your car is challenging. You want the least tools for space and function. And at the same time, you need all the tools...

And then... lets say my vehicle crashes and isn't going to go ever again. What tools would I wish I had for the next vehicle. And of course carrying all this crap.

[-]

MadRhetorik@reddit

Personally I always advocate for an engine drive welder/generator for the dual purpose of it. Being able to manufacture or repair things in a grid down event is highly looked over IMO.

[-]

JezusOfCanada@reddit

How come we barely talk about any of these things

Because it's blue-collar/skilled trades stuff that the reddit hivemind hates

[-]