How to make clay

This could be useful for small projects.  It would take a lot of dirt to make clay.  Very labor-intensive.

Starhopper test

Coming soon.  Perhaps this week, or this coming week.

Elon Musk says SpaceX is about to launch and 'hover' a Mars rocket prototype. Here's what we know about Starhopper's next big test in south Texas. https://t.co/gEmQ7LmC5J via @businessinsider

— Greg Meadows (@BootsandOilBlog) July 13, 2019

Starhopper has hopped. 

Uses for vinegar

Very handy and very cheap.  It seems to work in repelling pesky insects.  It seems that you can also use cinnamon.  But cinnamon is a bit volatile and won't last.

Purslane, a superfood

It grows "in the wild", so to speak.  That, as opposed to cultivating it.  From what I gathered on the video, seeds can be obtained.  Naturally, I'd like the idea of growing my own food.   Since this stuff grows on its own, then it should be relatively easy to cultivate it.  Or so I think.

Hot diggetty, you might say.

Comment:


Betcha they used the hell out of slave labor, and they probably used the hell out of concrete.  These two factors were well within their their capabilities.  It isn't "high tech", but modern day people may think of it as such.  

The Romans knew about geothermal power and in the renaissance architects utilized the same sources to build great villas with natural air conditioning. Here is the Villa Trento Carli in Italy, built in 1645, never warmer than 17 to 23 degrees c even in the hottest of summers. pic.twitter.com/xD2Njy7gai

— Wrath Of Gnon (@wrathofgnon) July 22, 2019

Too much optimism at SpaceX?

Comment:

It's a new engine type.  It's a new rocket configuration.  It is made of stainless steel.  It hasn't been tried like this before.  Perhaps there are so many things here that aren't "tried and true" that to project completion dates like Musk is doing seems a bit much.  We'll see.

Elon Musk says Starship prototypes will have first test flights in '2 to 3 months' https://t.co/iGUoo52lCp via @techcrunch

— Greg Meadows (@BootsandOilBlog) July 21, 2019

Off-grid post 7.21.19

The weather is hot lately.  It is an opportunity to test out some ideas on climate control.

You've got to follow the sun.  If you can keep in the shade, it would be a big help.  An exposure to the sun creates a "greenhouse effect".  The heat gets trapped, and it takes something to get that heat back out.  If the trapped heat can be avoided, then the problem is mostly solved.

Easier said than done.  Digging out a trench will take heavy equipment.  It also introduces other problems, like creating a low spot for rain run-off.  Another problem could be that the soil is too unstable out there.  Disturb it, and it could be a disaster waiting to happen.

Perhaps the most conservative ways are the best here.  A simple structure with an east-west alignment.  On the south side, there will be an overhang, which will block the sun.  Not too much of an overhang, though.  Summer isn't the only season out there.  As for the unstable soil, a wide profile base as foundation would offer the best stability.  There would still be post holes, but these would be connected to each other ---- giving that wide base.

As for what to build, well, I've been going back and forth on that one for almost the entire time I've been in this trailer.  The trailer offers the simplest solution.  Install the septic, put up a roof,  and add some fencing on the south side, then presto!  I may go with this idea after all.  It would also be the lowest cost option, I suspect.  Once you start adding all the costs, money will become an issue.  Heck, it already is.

Back to the climate- control summer phase---  It is a good idea to keep the breeze blowing thru the joint if the goal is to minimize the a/c use.  I did that yesterday.  I'd like to eliminate the a/c altogether, but that will not be possible.  If that fails, then I will have to use a portable generator so that my a/c can run.  Solar panels and batteries aren't cheap, never mind what the greenies say.

Awhile back, I found a video which demonstrated that a common window unit can run off of a modest generator, which also turns out to be quite efficient.  Given my economizing so far, in order to run it a couple hours per day may not be all that costly.  But that is still under study.

Spacex news

Metal foundry

Updated,

7.12.19:

lighting it up foundry making copper ingots:





7.7.19:

Here's a couple more.  There may be more.  The author says so.


mega foundry out of a trash can




upgrade of foundry:




7.6.19:

Here's one way to recycle aluminum.  Melt it down and make some aluminum muffins.

Probably not good for your teeth.

Btw, I'd like to recycle all my garbage out there.  ( Don't bother with the wisecracks. )

3D printer magic

Hey, if you got enough sand, you can make bricks made of glass.

But don't throw any stones, okay?

This 3D printer works best in the middle of the Sahara desert pic.twitter.com/fPlFEtSo58

— Mashable (@mashable) July 9, 2019

Lop-G Gateway Space Station

There are critics of this approach, but I have no comment upon that.  This video doesn't cover the criticisms per se, but merely describes what it is.

Focus Fusion making progress

Previous experiments used tungsten.  The latest will use beryllium.  The beryllium electrode is seen in this pic:

A pic looking up at the assembled device.  The beryllium cathode is in the center.

How long until breakeven?  It all depends on how successful they are.  It appears to be on track, so the answers should be coming soon.  "Soon" meaning in the next year or two.

LPPFusion Report July 3, 2019: https://t.co/LGH7iL2b5F

— Greg Meadows (@BootsandOilBlog) July 4, 2019

A/C off of solar panels, he says

This video is so good that I had to put it up.

What is so good about it?

The generator he mentions seems to be quite capable, light, and economical.  The a/c unit is likewise.  He said that he could run the a/c off this little generator, and the video demonstrates this.  Not to mention that the video is actually about running it off of solar.

Maybe you don't want to fool around with gasoline.  It smells and its dangerous to handle.

Anyway, here's the video.








Daily update:


There's a lot of links in the description section, so this video is included.

I noted that he had a travel trailer with solar panels mounted on the roof.  This gives me an idea.

Orion test

An abort test.

The Orion spacecraft flew Tuesday morning, and it looked pretty spectacular https://t.co/61qeqoyAVX

— Greg Meadows (@BootsandOilBlog) July 2, 2019

Things that Gilligan never told us

Bust a coconut without any tools. 

I bet Chuck Noland would have liked to have watched this video. 

Who's Chuck? 

Making your own rope

Making rope

He makes a machine that makes the rope.  It is a simple enough machine so that most folks could do it.







Part two making rope

With his machine, he demonstrates it making some rope.








Soda bottle rope:

Must be Seven Up, or Sprite.  ( it's green )  By the way, another one of his machines takes a two liter ( empty) bottle of soda pop, and makes strips that can be woven into rope.  It is actually quite strong.

Portable air cooler ( similar to mine )

Mine recirculates water, and routes it through a heater core from an automotive heater device.  Also, I did not cut holes in my cooler!

Mine worked okay, but lugging around a lot of ice seemed to be a headache.