Sharp Knives Matter -by Hammer Down

SHARP KNIVES MATTER -By Hammer Down

Did you ever wonder why they say a sharp knife is safer than a dull knife? It’s because a dull knife needs more force to cut. What that means is that it is a lot easier for the knife to hurt you because you are pushing harder. Anyone that has ever cut themselves, and most of us have, knows that a clean slice from a sharp knife heals faster and cleaner than a ragged cut from a dull knife. So lets go through the knife sharpening 101. Hammer Down’s quick version of how to Sharpen a Knife.

First, lets look at how a cutting edge works. If we look at the edge of a knife, under a microscope long ways, a dull edge looks like the letter “U”. We want the edge to look like the letter “V”. The way to do that, is to shave off metal at an angle on either side of the U to make the U a V.

The first thing we need is a sharpening tool. There are many different opinions on what is best. I will tell you what I use. There are two main options: a sharpening stone, or a diamond hone. Take my advice, spend a little money. For between $30-50 you can get a diamond sharpener that will last you forever. Old school stones are great too, but they do wear out. I use both. There are three different grits for degrees of roughness that you can use. Course, medium, and fine. In the name of simplicity we are just going to talk about medium. I use mostly DMT brand diamond hones. I have hones that I have used for 20 years A LOT and they still work just like brand new. For $35 investment, I think 25 years is a pretty good deal. Whatever you decide to sharpen, the idea is the same. I am not going to go into degrees or angles or any of the high tech stuff, because for homestead purposes you need a good general edge on any tool you use. Whether it is a pocket knife or butcher knife, the technique is all the same. Take your knife, lay the blade on the sharpening stone FLAT. Get a nickel, lift the back of the blade and put the nickel under it. That is the angle you want. That will get you a good sharp edge but not so fine that is it frail and easily dulled. Start at the base of the blade and simultaneously lightly drag it toward you so that the whole edge makes contact with your stone. Do that twice. Then flip it over and do the other side twice. Always keep it even on both sides. You want to feel like you are shaving a thin layer off your stone.

Now, you kneed to know that for a diamond sharpening tool, DMT, Smith’s, don’t require any lubricant and are easy to maintain. Spit on it, wipe with a paper towel and you are good to go. You use them dry. A stone however, is different. A stone requires lubrication. I use spit. I know that some women can spit farther then men. I know that some women find spit to be gross. If you don’t like to spit or you are extremely inaccurate, you might be better off with a light oil. Any kind of light oil will work. I use 3 in 1. I have seen people use vege oil and WD40, but 3 in 1 seems to be the best. Keep the stone lubricated when you use it and don’t be shy about the oil, because it carries away the steel filings that you are taking off the edge of the knife. Diamond hones are self cleaning in that regard.

So let’s say, you have sharpened your knife on a medium diamond hone and you think you want it a little sharper than that. You have to step up to a fine grit hone. In DMT, they are color coded. Medium is red. Fine is green. If you go to that fine hone, give it a few licks. You will feel the difference. It will feel sharper. But keep in mind, the sharper the edge, the easier it dulls.

This is a skill that requires lots of practice. I enjoy hand sharpening my tools. It’s like Man Yoga, for me. If you don’t care to sharpen your own, they sell electric sharpeners for about $100. Plug it into the wall, run your knife it through, and boom, you’re done. But, if you prefer old school techniques like me, this is a basic idea of how to do it. Like I said, there are many ways and opinions, but this is the a basic idea.

It’s not hard to keep your knife sharp. It’s safer and easier to work with, and might impress your boyfriend. That’s just what I think.

pic #1: examples of grit color code

pic #2: proper angle

WHY A WORKING DOG FOR THE PROTECTION OF MY LIVESTOCK?

Well, that’s a question every rancher and farmer ask, besides what are they? LGD (Livestock Guardian Dog) are INSTINCTUAL dogs that originated from the sheep herds in New Zealand. The most common is a Great Pyrenees. But Akbash and Anatolian Shepherd are also becoming more common as the wolves make their way South. A wild wolf will easily kill a GP but have a run for it’s money with the Akbash or the Anatolian Shepherd that are both known to be more aggressive. I personally own both a GP and an Akbash. 

To train one: buy from WORKING stock. And I don’t mean some mom and pop running a 5 chicken farm. No! Go to a working goat or cow dairy of over a 100 goats (to give you an idea) that has more than one dog running around. They need to have at least 5 adult dogs and the owners of the dairy need to be proficient in their lifestyle. THOSE are the dogs to get and even pay a little more for. If the parent of the puppy is “aggressive” and not people friendly….PERFECT. Just so the pup is able to be handled by you. Just lay eyes on the parent for health/genes not because you want to snuggle and make friends. 

Remember, these are WORKING dogs. That means they are NOT domesticated pets. Never free feed. And keep your affection to a limited 1-2 mins of the day during feeding times. Don’t over feed! An overfed dog SLEEPS and won’t feel like going on patrol. Think of this working dog like a warrior. They must be in conditioned health to always ward off the evil that is lurking in the shadows to kill your livestock. People want to make them pets, then guess what, the dog hangs with you and your family and not the livestock. This then is a human failure. The next worst mistake is the human then getting a 2nd dog to “be the working dog” and forgetting that dogs learn from each other…so guess where the 2nd dog ends up? Hanging with the first one—WITH YOU. Meanwhile, a hawk is taking out your chickens…..

It is best to buy or adopt an older trained dog that can then train a younger one. I cycle the young one through then so it is then the older one and then teaching the younger. Food: each dog eats about 4-5 cups a day of good grain free kibble I get from the Co-op. The older dog will show the young one the ropes, but the fun part is the young one is expected to take day shift here while the old one sleeps. They then both are working patrol all night. YOU MUST HAVE HOTWIRE TO KEEP YOUR DOG IN if you do not have goat wire around your property!!! The dogs WILL wander off to the neighbors, gather up their stock and “guard” them too! Some have been known to wander into traffic and get killed—that’s an expensive bill you will have to pay! Hotwire is cheaper. For shelter, they sleep where the livestock sleep. Another tool you will need if you have only a single dog and not an older to teach the younger situation is a Yard Trainer. This is a dumbed down e-collar and much less expensive. Expect to pay about $140 for a good one. I recommend a Petsafe Rechargeable Yard Trainer. Here is the link on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/PetSafe-Yard-Remote-Trainer-PDT00-12470/dp/B004488VQ4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440721048&sr=8-1&keywords=yard+trainer+for+dogs&pebp=1440721053766&perid=11WRMTDCD3CZ95XAGBK0

On Arrival Home with New Puppy: awwww! “So cute” is death trap to a pet —step #1 and not working dog!!! Straight out to the barn. The pup should be allowed to see the herd and smell them, but not be with them till about 3-4 mo old. Finish all required puppy shots and get some weight on that pup to withstand the head butting the goats are going to do. The pup can do supervised visits with your presence to the herd. Chew bones and toys are good practice for the dog to learn to use its own stuff to tear up and not yours. Make sure the pup’s area is free of chemicals, loose ropes, or anything it can get it’s head stuck in. Expect the pup to cry the first few nights away from its pack. That is normal (same as your goat and calf did when it left it’s herd. You didn’t bring that inside into your bed did ya? Neither should the pup. Leave a working dog in the barn.) Let the pup get used to the smell of the herd from a distance. Dog’s don’t see their world thru their eyes, but rather through their NOSE. All the new smells need to become familiar. Another thing, make sure the space you have the pup in is one that the dog can always go to if you need to put it somewhere (like when you need to cull your herd and don’t want the dog to watch and be stressed out from the goat yelling). You will be glad in the future that you listened to that advice!

At the 3-4 mo mark, start letting the pup run with the herd. Here is where I am going to restate the need for HOTWIRE. You MUST teach the dog where its boundary lines are! They are bad to wander!!! The dog will want to play with the goats and the chickens and whatever other livestock you have. Correct it! A yell “HEY!” might be enough but 99% of the time it is not. I like to use the yard trainer for this. Set it on the lowest setting and work up. You want a change in the dogs behavior but not a yelling dog in pain. Even a startle reaction is to much. You want just enough of a zap the dog STOPS the undesired behavior. I like to use the chime first for 3 secs then zap. Chime-zap, fast as my thumb can change the position. Usually after a couple zaps, I don’t have to even use it any more. The chime is enough to stop the unwanted behavior. DO NOT LEAVE THE DOG WITH YOUR HERD UNATTENDED UNTIL 6 MO OF AGE! To make a proper correction, wait till the EXACT moment the dog puts it’s paw, mouth or body on the livestock, and CHIME-ZAP! The dog should instantly stop. If it does not, turn up the dial. You want the dog to THINK the bird or goat is zapping him. If you are to late or to early in this timing you will confuse the animal. 

For bird training. Use the same correction described in the previous paragraph. But I also recommend you get a mean bird that will stand up to the dog. When my chickens have been to nice, the dog wants to play with them, hurts them, or kills them. This then becomes an unwanted habit and leads to a bird killer. This is the #1 reason an LGD is rehomed. If you get a bird that will stand up to the dog and teach it bird boundaries and even combine it with the training collar, I have had a 100% success rate in bird training LGDs this way.

Remember: it takes 2 weeks to soft wire the brain and 6 weeks to hard wire it. Most owners want to quit after day 3. You wanted to save money and “train your own dog” right? Then get out there and train the dog! Guard your stock with the best working dog you have ever had or pay a professional.

--BOOTS N LACE

How to Maintain your "Worm Load" in goats -by Charaty Lawson

Worms!

The bane of every goat raiser's existence. If you've owned goats before or if you've even researched owning goats, you'll see that there isn't a lot of 'official' information out there about what drugs are labelled for their use. So, over the years, various goat breeders have had to sort of use trial and error to come up with off-label uses for their herds. One thing to note....as goats possess a four compartment stomach, they process medications much faster than say, a cow or a horse. Because of this, the dosage of dewormer is much higher than expected. Below I'll list what the medication is, the brand name, the dosage (based on weight) and who it cannot be used for. All dewormer should be given orally, despite what the label says. 

Also...please remember that deworming goats is best done using FAMANCHA scoring or fecal testing...not just basing the deworming on the calendar.
•Ivermectin ◦Ivomec 3x label dose
◦ Double Impact

•Doramectin ◦Dectomax 1 cc per 35lbs

•Eprinomectin ◦ Eprinex 1 cc per 10lbs

•Albendazole ◦Valbazen 1cc per 10lbs. Do not give to pregnant does

•Fenbendazole ◦ Safeguard 4x label dose
◦Panacur
◦ Benzelmin

•Moxidectin ◦ 3x label dose Do not give to pregnant does
Cydectin Pour-On 1cc per 25lbs Do not give to pregnant does

•Oxfendazole ◦Synanthic 2x label dose. Do not give to pregnant does
◦Benzelmin

There are also herbal dewormers available but they work on a preventative basis and should not be considered if the animal already shows signs of worm infestation.

Hammer Down's Thoughts on Virginia's Shooter this Aug 26, 2015


In light of this morning's tragic deaths on live TV in Virginia, I will repeat. Be responsible, be aware, watch your surroundings. Get yourself a weapon. Learn to use it safely. Keep it on you at all times. Protect yourselves and your family. 

The Governor of Virginia is already crying gun control as we speak, which creates more unarmed victims. I guess he owns stock in mortuaries. Don't let morons like him make you a victim.

Mental patients abound. Think tactical. Remember Arlington TX? If these idiots were shot down at the onset of every incident, it would prevent further slaughter. If you don't think so, you can disregard my words. Sleep on, America.

-Hammer Down

How to Render Lard -Independent Twist

Today we are going to talk about rendering Lard and Schmalz. What is the difference you ask? Not much, Schmalz simply still has the little bits left in it. It's really a sinfully easy thing to do but not many households use lard anymore. It really is a shame as lard has good fats as well as many fat soluble vitamins necessary for proper health. You can do it either by stove top or crock pot. Stove top gets you cracklings without an extra step, continue cooking bits without fat for cracklings from the crock pot. For stove top remember not to use non-stick pans. For crock pot, do not use glass (most newer ones are ceramic, so not to worry) as the hot fat can break it. Use pork fat. If you buy your fat from meat markets make sure you know the source of the fat. Nasty stuff fed to factory-farmed pigs accumulate in their fat stores, so it’s very important to source your pork fat from healthy, pastured animals.

Stove top directions:
*Ground or cut fat into 1/4” pieces.
*Heat and stir for about 75 minutes after the fat starts to melt.
*Pour through cheesecloth (to get the bits out) and into mason jars.
*Let cool on counter.

Crock pot directions:
*Ground or cut fat into 1/4” pieces.
*Add 1/4 cup of water and fat to a crock pot (the water will prevent the fat from burning before it starts to melt. It will evaporate out) on low for about an hour.
*Check after about an hour and stir. After about 1-1/2 to 2 hours (total) it is done (when the cracklings start to settle on the bottom of the crock pot).
*Pour through cheesecloth (to get the bits out) and into mason jars.
*Let cool on counter.

If you skip the straining step and choose to leave the bits in, it becomes Schmalz (German). This is quite tasty on toast and retains the flavor of bacon.

For storage you have a few options. Our grand parents used to place a lid on the jar while hot (remember to wipe rims clean first) so it would seal and be able to store in a cool place such as a basement. They also had one open on the kitchen counter. Nay sayers say this is not good. For those that don't trust centuries of practice, you can also freeze or refrigerate.

You can use lard in place of shortening or butter in many recipes. It tastes better and is better for your health. Recipes are soon to follow so keep a look out and enjoy your refound lard!

~Independent Twist

Guns Every Homestead Should Have

It has been requested that I use some sort of cool pseudonym. After much thought, I have decided to use the name “Hammer Down.” In the military, this means erectile dysfunction, but in my business it means Hauling Ass.

Every homestead should have 3 guns. More would be good. Less would be unacceptable. First, a shotgun, normally used to take small game and birds depending on a shot size but can be versatile enough to take large game. This includes bears, elk, and dear. A bad guy, should you find one in your front yard, will be easily intimidated or eliminated. The ultimate in home defense. The always delicious 12 gauge shot gun.

Second, a substantial rifle, depending on caliber, capable of taking any size game up close or way out yonder. Scoped or un-scoped, they come in all flavors. You can choose one to suit your purpose and taste. The most powerful long range option.

Third, a handgun. Useless in all but close range situations, in various calibers. Most useful for home defense, or toting around the property. In the .22 flavor most useful for pot meat or small game i.e. squirrels, rabbits, and Quail if you are good with it.

A .22 rifle would always be handy. But not quite enough for home defense in a SHTF type situation. Perfect for teaching young shooters and perfecting marksmanship skills. I predict that the last round ever fired on this planet will be the ever popular .22 long rifle.

My ultimate, bare minimum, homestead battery would include the following:
A long barrel 12 gauge repeating shotgun,
A scoped hunting rifle of substantial caliber, .270, 30-06, 30-30, insert your choice here.
A common semiautomatic battle rifle. AR-15, AK-47, M1A, or equivalent type weapon.
A repeating .22 rifle of your choice.
And last but not least, a handgun of substantial caliber and magazine capacity. At least 9 mm, but not more than .45 caliber.

That’s JUST WHAT I THINK…
-Hammer Down

Aug 23rd Post: How Far are you Willing to Go? -by Hammer Down

I have people I care about. I think we all do. Family, friends, and neighbors, people that we are tight with. We all have someone that means a lot to us. How far will you go to protect these people? Would you be willing to fight for them? Would you be willing to stand up and fire at someone to protect your loved ones? 

We’ve all seen the headlines from recent horrible events. Crazy people are not just hiding in the alleys anymore, now they are coming out into the open and hurting us. It doesn’t matter what the weapon is, a bomb, a gun, a vehicle on the highway, people with mental disorders and people that make poor decisions can destroy a family in less time than it takes to talk about it. How far are we willing to go to protect those we care about? 

I have not been unarmed in public in over 20 years. I have no conceal carry permit. I have no wish to have to use a weapon against anyone. But I am sure not going to be standing there empty handed if one of these deranged people tries to harm my family, friends, or neighbors. The people that are being killed by deranged assholes in recent events, are leaving us with a message. I think this message is that it can happen to any of us at any time. We’re no longer safe in a church, military facility, or even in the streets in our home towns. Why are so many Americans vulnerable to these horrible acts? The answer is simple. Because we are no longer an armed society. We’ve all heard the arguments, but more guns equals less crime every time. 

The church in NC, our military personnel in TN and TX, our schools, and our public events have all been targets of crazy people. I think we would be a lot safer if Americans began arming themselves nation wide. Granted, places like Detroit, Chicago, and Washington DC would be interesting places if everyone was always armed. But I think they already are. Case in point, Arlington, TX. Two morons climb out of a car intent on harming Americans and were cut down by an officer with a pistol before they could do anything. What if this happened a lot more often? What if these crazy people were cut down by armed Americans before they had a chance to carry out their plan? What if that was the norm rather than the exception? 

I think there are enough decent, responsible people in this country, that if armed at all times would make anyone think twice about trying to hurt us the same way they have been. I’ve taken my children to a lot of movies in the last 10 years. I’ve had a .357 with me every time. In my small town, I’m sure I was not the only one with a gun. If someone walked into that movie theatre with a rifle I don’t think the gun fight would have lasted very long. So I ask again, what are you willing to do to protect your loved ones? 

That’s Just What I Think…

Just Who is Independent Twist?

Just who is Independent Twist?

Bio time: Um..er..how does one do this without sounding like a pompous ass? In real life I am the person you never notice. Not too much or too little of anything. The only time you'll notice me normally is when I'm standing up for the little guy. I've fucked up enough in my life that I no longer fear what others think or the consequences of my mouth. I've been told you need all of my education, both in school and out so lets get this crap out of the way first. I have more degrees and letters that follow my name than I want to count. They involve business administration, accounting, marketing, psychology, allied health (both medical and nursing), automotive, gen ed, etc. Most of these were taken at the same times or built on top of another degree so there was a considerable amount less time in school than what it looks like. You know what they all have in common? They are all utterly useless in the real world! I love traveling, learning, and trying new things so I have a very wide skill set. I am an expert in nothing but fucking up and fixing it. I am however competent in whatever I do because I refuse to give up until it is correct (stubborn and hardheaded). My real world training started when I was very young by a vet. My father used to tell me “Don't ever be with someone because you need them, be with them because you want them”, “If you know how to do it yourself you'll never need anyone else”, “Never trust a fucking plumber”, “If you point a gun at someone you better shoot. If you shoot them you better kill them”, and “Just 'cause you got a pussy don't mean shit, get your hands dirty”. This was the basis for my real world training. Though he wasn't my custodial parent, my father tried his best to prepare me for the real world. I was cooking and baking by 4. Growing a garden for the entire neighborhood over a septic tank and canning by 5. Plumbing both new and correcting others at 6. Electrical and mechanics by 7. Hunting, processing, and expert shooter at 8. Building houses and wood work by 10. Fixing and remodeling houses, search and rescue, and plane lessons by 11. I refined all these skills my 12th year. I was made independent due to home circumstances by a judge (emancipated) at 13. I tested out of high school (in FL it isn't hard...), moved out, and went off to college during this time as well. It wasn't until I was 14 that I started raising animals for meat. I have raised chickens, ducks, quail, geese, emu, swine, cattle, fish, gators, and hunting dogs. I took a break from homesteading because I still didn't have a clue what I wanted to do with my life and traveled all over in the military. I was still missing something so I went back into medical and homesteading. I recently downsized in preparation to move to a larger property where I can expand and retire. I want to have a property large enough to have a fruit orchard, nut orchard, grazing fields, bee hives, and at least 2 ponds. Though I am still younger, I have been fortunate enough to pack a ton of life into my years.
~Independent Twist

Who is Boots N Lace

Who is Boots N Lace? 

Well, I am a nobody too. I just happen to love farming. Currently I run a small farm in E. TN on only 5 acres, alone, single, and 40. I have 3 hired hands (1 full time, 2 part time). It takes a lot of hard work and dedication, but most importantly a well developed sole income. Let me back up a bit so you can see how this got started….

I was born in the great ULTRA RED state of Montana (so red, the Blues don’t even bother campaigning there till Obama. lol) and raised on a small ranch there by my Mennonite parents. I was one of the first Homeschooled kids in the country. We had to hide in the house till we saw the school bus go by at 4p before we could go play outside, for fear our neighbors would call the law and put our dad in jail. Normal chores from the time I was 9 started at 6am: picking Buttercups to burn from the cattle field, bucking hay and putting it up for the season, flood irrigation, changing sprinkler pipes, gardening, canning, drying, flower garden weeding, cattle wrangling, knitting, sewing, horse back riding and training, dog training, hosting parties with friends, going to the livestock sales, bottle feeding, chopping wood, getting wood from the Rocky Mountains (we always stayed 2 years ahead in our supply), and probably more that I just can’t think of right now. :) My dad believed there was no such thing as men’s work and had me digging ditch right there next to him and my brother should the need arise. He taught me how to change a tire on the car, check and change the oil, and drive a stick shift.

When I left home at 18, I joined a missionary ship with Operation Mobilization for 2 years called the MV Doulos. This has nothing to do with homesteading, but briefly: I lived with 36 different nationalities on board the ship, saw 27 countries, and had the best time of my life there. Seeing the ways that people survive everywhere made me want to come back to the US and get my nursing degree.

Unfortunately, back then, a well-educated female was where my conservative parents drew the line. So, I followed my dreams. Finished my Assoc Degree in Science, got my LPN, and practiced in mental health for 8 years, EP Cardiac for 2. All the while, dreaming of moving back to the farm. A bad marriage ended, I knew then that you can only live once! I went into my farming plan with gusto, but also chose to not follow the normal routes you would see in most homesteads. 

I knew that to survive and keep the animals fed, I needed to have ONE SOLID sole income. What did I know best? Dogs! I had been playing around as a hobby breeder for 8 years raising Dachshunds and my dad and grandfather trained their own bird dogs. So I decided to tell my puppy customers to bring their dogs to me for their boarding needs. And that is how Puppy Luv Farms, LLC was born, 10 yrs ago now. This then led to getting a certification as a dog trainer, as I quickly realized, most folks have no idea how to train a bird much less their dog!

Here at PLF, we board, train, dog bakery, and daycare behavioral dogs the Pack way, using Cesar Milan the Dog Whisperer’s teachings. The dogs are the primary income to this farm, but also now have 5 dairy goats, 1 meat goat, 2 mini cows for meat and milk, 2 well trained LGDs, and 55 chickens and counting (where does that stop?). Having now trained over 1000 dogs, I am proud to report my farm is everything that I dreamed for and am now just working to maintain. Customer base is over 1000 now and counting and include people like Animal Control officers and their personal dogs, Sheriff officers personal dogs, and many prominent business men. Elaine Hendrix visited with her dog Ellie (stars in Parent Trap as the girl friend) more than once. 

Why the pseudonyms? Twisted Mind Homesteading is building a blog. So outside of this group, you can share any of the links in the files, but most of us don’t want our real names attached. Feel free to go to files or share the blog links if you wish to post a link to your timeline to share outside of the group. 

Who is Hammer Down?

JUST WHAT I THINK….

I’m nobody special, but I have been given the opportunity to put my thoughts out there to promote conversation information and maybe start a few fights. My Bona Fidies are: I am 54, white, hairy, and All-American truck driver. As a child, I was trained by a PTSD Special Forces Vietnam Vet, along with the rest of my Boy Scout troop in evasion, resistance, escape, and general buggery of the enemy. We learned to survive with nothing but our clothes and a pocket knife through the use of theft, distraction, skullduggery, and knowledge of the surrounding culture. We were taught this because my father and the Scout master were convinced that all young boys were wimps. We learned to eat things that would make a dog puke. We learned to set ambushes for other Boy Scout troops, steal their food, and bamboozle them with constant distraction and morale busting problems. After a stint in the military, I lived off the land for several years in the mountains of SE New Mexico. I worked part time construction, lived in a gold mine, and survived on what I could kill, hook, or pick for free. I discovered that law enforcement was a more constant pay check than construction. I worked my way up from basic officer to training supervisor. Schooled all over the country in small arms, tactics, trauma first aid, verbal judo, pain submission, and dealing with unsavory characters including my superiors. I ran with a crowd of survivalists. College educated, fascinated by history, bushcraft, and anything a pioneer would use to survive in a New World.

My children tell me, I have a head full of useless knowledge. Maybe they’re right. You can make that call. I will put out various subjects for discussion weekly, you might agree, you might disagree. You might get pissed off, you might feel pissed on, you might think I am an idiot. I might think the same of you. But either way, it’s just what I think.