Reloading - Extreme Tumblers Rebel 17

One of Sir Knight's favorite pastimes is reloading.  He has been reloading for years, hauling his Dillion RL 550 B from Western Washington to the heart of the American Redoubt.   He has set up his gear in the drafty basement of a late 1800's house, the dark office of a large heated shop, on a workbench in a 40' shipping container and now, in a small niche of our shouse bedroom.   He has reloaded untold rounds of .223, .308, .45ACP, 9MM and .45 Long Colt - and even a few rounds of .300 Winchester Magnum and 35 Wheelan.  He has reloaded with Maid Elizabeth at his knee, followed by Master Hand Grenade, Miss Serenity, Princess Dragon Snack and now, Master Calvin.  He has allowed countless young men to spend hours on our shooting range, having them police the brass afterwards and then sitting them down at the reloader to replace what they shot.  Not only is Sir Knight an advocate of reloading, he is also a teacher and mentor to those who have the desire to reload.

Over the years we have accumulated a LOT of brass, much of it coming off the range, tarnished and corroded.  Sir Knight has always used a vibrating tumbler to clean his brass.  Although it worked (mostly), it took about 6 to 8 hours to tumble relatively clean brass and 24 hours to clean tarnished brass.  Unfortunately, some of the range brass we've collected has been so tarnished that it was (according to Sir Knight's standards) unsalvageable.  Hating to throw any brass away, Sir Knight began searching for a better way to tumble casings.

Tarnished .308

Lone .223 brass

Sir Knight's research led him to STM (stainlesstumblingmedia.com).  STM sells rock tumblers, however they have figured out how to use them for tumbling brass.  Through a process of trial and error, they have come up with the proper proportions and time frames to quickly and easily clean brass - even tarnished and corroded range brass!

Knowing he wanted to try the wet tumbler (the rock tumbler uses water and stainless steel media instead of dry walnut or corncob media), the kids and I pooled our pennies and bought one for Sir Knight for his birthday.  Now, I have a love/hate relationship with his new tumbler.  I love it because Sir Knight loves it.  He loves how quickly it cleans brass and how well it shines up really tarnished brass.  My hate relationship?  I never knew Sir Knight had SO much brass!  Please!  Just a moment of peace!!

STM sells a Basic reloading kit which includes the Extreme Tumblers Rebel 17, five pounds of stainless steel media and a bottle of Lemishine detergent.   They also sell a Deluxe kit which includes everything in the basic kit along with an STM media separator.  We just bought the tumbler and media (we purchased the Lemishine at Walmart) and Sir Knight uses his old media separator.

STM did all of the homework and came up with a winning formula for their tumbler.  Basically, the tumbler is rated for 17 pounds (total capacity) which equals 5 pounds of stainless steel media, 1 gallon of water (8 pounds) and 4 pounds of dirty brass (the weight depends on the caliber - it's approximately 275 - 300 rounds of .223).  Opening the tumbler, you put your brass in, 1 gallon of water (approximately 1" from the top of the tumbler), 2 tablespoons of Dawn dishwashing liquid, 1/4 teaspoon of Lemishine (available at Walmart).  Make sure you don't use any more Lemishine - too much citric acid will tarnish the brass.  Seal the tumbler and tumble for 1 hour.  If your brass is black and tarnished, tumble for 3 to 4 hours, changing the water half way through (and adding new Lemishine and detergent).  After the brass has been thoroughly cleaned pour the water out of the tumbler and rinse several times until the water runs clear.  Dump the brass and media into your media separator (fill the separator with water) and rotate to separate the media from the brass.  Pour the brass onto a kitchen towel and dry.  There are several methods for drying, ranging from sun drying to drying in a dehydrator.  Our method of choice at the moment is drying on a kitchen towel in our wood cook stove's warming oven (it generally takes 1 hour, depending on how hot the stove is).  One thing to note is that the Lemishine softens the water and prevents water spots from forming on the brass.  Another thing Sir Knight is experimenting with is using Armor-all Wash and Shine instead of Dawn dishwashing detergent (use the same amount).  The Armor-all is the equivalent of putting a polish in your dry media tumbler.

Taking the top off the tumbler

The inner seal

Stainless Steel Media

Dirty brass goes in....

Add Lemishine, Detergent and Water

The water after an hour in the tumbler

Media Separator full of water

Pouring in the cleaned brass

Rotating

The Media has been separated

Media in the bottom

Clean brass on a kitchen towel

Master Calvin helping to get the media back into the tumbler

Drying in the Cook Stove

So far, Sir Knight has been thrilled with his new tumbler.  It cleans the brass quickly and wow, does it do a beautiful job!  A few days ago we dug through our brass and found some really corroded, ugly casings.  In the past, Sir Knight would have tossed that brass, however this time he eagerly tossed it into his new tumbler.  The transformation was amazing.  The brass came out beautiful and shiny.  Perfect.  And in only an hour and a half!

The single .223 casing

Look at that shine!!

Hopefully, Sir Knight will tire of his new tumbler soon, or perhaps, we'll run out of brass.....but until then, we'll have the best looking brass in the neighborhood!

Our Long Winter

A few posts back, I mentioned that my long absence had been due to technical difficulties.  I did indeed have technical difficulties, however, it wasn't just technology that had plagued me, it was life - coming at me from every direction!

This winter has been a learning experience, a trial, and a blessing.  Over the past year, my computer had been becoming increasingly glitchy, until finally, in November, it died.  Not a slow, agonizing death, just an abrupt, final end.  At first I was panicky, wanting another computer immediately, however, the longer I went without one, the more peaceful my life became.  No more perusing Craigslist or reading the news, instead I read old George MacDonald books and played board games with my children.  I did occasionally bum Sir Knight's iPad in the evenings, just to stay up on current events, but really, life without a computer wasn't bad at all.  In the end, the only thing I really missed was you.  I missed blogging.

Truthfully, I probably would have bought a "new" computer earlier, but just after my computer died, so did everything else we owned.  The first thing to go was the new battery we had brought home for our solar system.  The new battery was incredible, and then one day I noticed that we had gone from 27 volts to 22.5 volts in a matter of hours - and nothing was on but the refrigerator and a couple of lights!  When Sir Knight came home, I shared my concerns and he immediately checked the battery with his volt meter.  Because we use "old" forklift batteries for our system, they are technically worn out when we get them.  This battery had been thoroughly tested and charged, however, after using it for about a month, we lost one of the cells, which meant that instead of having a 24 volt battery, we now had a 22 volt battery.

Sir Knight, with his infinite battery knowledge, did the impossible and "fixed" our battery.  He jumpered the battery, bypassing the bad cell, and in doing so, tricked our battery into holding a remarkably decent charge.  Sir Knight is planning on replacing the bad cell (I didn't even know that was possible!) when he finds the right battery.  I think that will be a pretty tricky job, but if anyone can do it, Sir Knight can!

Our "new" jumpered battery

Sir Knight says not to try this at home!!

Just after the battery lost a cell, our generator died - again.  Without a good battery and no way to charge, we really had to change our lifestyle.  We used little electricity - only a few lights and the refrigerator.  I did laundry once a week, using our backup welder/generator (which was only available when Sir Knight was at home) and we streamlined our showers and general water consumption.  As we struggled with our power system, our only vehicle began to fail.

Last October, Sir Knight and Miss Serenity put new shocks on our Toyota Landcruiser.  The shocks were not nearly as stiff as we were used to and we weren't thrilled with their performance, but they were better than our old, worn-out shocks.   One day I was driving down the road, heard a thump and realized I had broken a shock.  Really?  Who breaks shocks?!  With property taxes due, it wasn't the time to fix the damage.  Another week went by and the second rear shock broke.  Argh!!!  We figured that we would put new shocks on the truck after Christmas and just live with "Galloping Gertie" until then.  We still had a generator to pick up from the mechanic - now was not the time for additional mechanical expenses!

Christmas was drawing near.  Our generator was fixed and running well, Sir Knight had jumpered the battery and we were back up and running.  Although our shocks were shot, our truck still ran well.  And then, the other shoe dropped......our heat in the truck went out!  It was the middle of winter, we had a trip to Caer David planned, we had no shocks and now, no heat and, most troubling, no defroster!  In a panic, we thought of buying a new truck.  Regaining our sanity, we decided that there was nothing terribly wrong with our Landcruiser and it was well worth fixing.   And it was certainly not worth having a vehicle payment!

We drove our Landcruiser to Caer David with hot water bottles at our feet, blankets on our laps and cold air pumping out of the defroster.  We managed to keep the windshield clear, and though uncomfortable, had a perfectly wonderful trip.  We have since had new shocks installed (I can't tell you how wonderful it is!!) and have an appointment to have the heating system looked into.

In the midst of all of these things, our generator quit running - do I have to say it?  Again.  Once more, Miss Serenity and I loaded the genset into the back of the truck and trundled it to the mechanic.  We cobbled parts off another dead generator and soon the mechanic had it purring like a kitten.  At this moment it seems to be running well and we can finally start saving for a backup generator!  Oh, this is living the dream!

Sir Knight and I have been fixing and repairing one system at a time, ticking off the boxes as we go.  The generator has been repaired, the shocks installed and the battery temporarily jumpered.  And finally, after the important things were attended to, my family pooled their money and bought me a "new" computer!  What a joy!!  I have been an Apple fan always.  I began this blog using an iMac and then moved to a MacBook.  After my MacBook died, some wonderful folks sent me a Window's based machine, which was amazing.  Now I have come full circle, with my new MacBook Air.  I'm feeling so spoiled.

My "new" computer

Through the long months of winter, God has been teaching me many, many things.  Although I have been frustrated with one problem after another, I have learned a great deal.  I have learned to give grace where I have been prone to give judgement.  Before Sir Knight and I were hit with one thing after another, I really thought that most of life's problems were self-made.  I assumed that if your car (or generator for that matter) broke down, it was probably because it hadn't been properly maintained.  I had this notion that if you did the right things, life worked and if you did the wrong things, life went wrong.  Our long winter taught me that sometimes, bad stuff just happens.  That in reality, you can do all the right things and still, life takes a left turn.  It made me realize that we all need grace, mercy and encouragement, regardless of life's circumstances.

I am grateful for our long winter.  It has removed some of my pride and made me look at my fellow man with grace.  It has refined a few of the rough edges of my character.

Onward and upward!  Come on spring!!

Beware the Way of Folly

Every morning, Miss Serenity reads Proverbs out loud to me.  She reads the Proverb that corresponds with that day of the month, Proverbs 1 on the first day of the month, Proverbs 2 on the second day and so on.  A couple of months ago, I was listening to her read and a phrase caught my attention.  Serenity was reading Proverbs 9 and the phrase that gave me pause for thought was "She (wisdom) cries out from the highest places in city".  That phrase alone was interesting, however, when it was combined with a verse a little bit down the page, it really made me think.  "For she (folly) sits at the door of her house, on a seat by the highest places of the city".  Interesting, huh?

To put the verses in context, Proverbs 9 is talking about the way of Wisdom and the way of Folly.  Never before had I seen how very much Wisdom and Folly resemble one another - they are nearly indistinguishable to the untrained eye!  In Proverbs 9:3 it says, "She (wisdom) cries out from the highest places of the city, 'Whoever is simple, let him turn in here'!  As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, 'Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed'".  But, just to muddy the waters, Proverbs 9:14 says, "For she (folly, or a foolish woman) sits at the door of her house, on a seat by the highest places of the city, to call to those who pass by, who go straight on their way; 'Whoever is simple, let him turn in here'.  And as for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, 'Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant'".  Can you believe that?  The wording is almost exactly the same!

Not only are Wisdom and Folly calling from the highest place in the city, but they have also both prepared for the simple.  In Proverbs 7, the "crafty harlot" says "I have spread my bed with tapestry, colored coverings of Egyptian linen.  I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.  And back in Proverbs 9, it says Wisdom has "Built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars; She has slaughtered her meat, She has mixed her wine, She has also furnished her table".  Both Wisdom and Folly prepare (have you noticed they are both presented as women?), yet their preparations yield much different fruits.  Whereas those who embrace Wisdom will "Forsake foolishness and live, and go in the way of understanding" - Proverbs 9:6; those who follow Folly are told "He does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of hell" -Proverbs 9:18.

What really struck me about these passages is that Wisdom and Folly are almost indiscernible. Only if you're actively pursuing wisdom, will you be able to distinguish the differences between the two. Multiple times every day we willingly choose between Wisdom and Folly, both of whom have prepared for our arrival.  It is up to us to seek Wisdom and walk in the way of understanding rather than follow Folly's guests into the depths of hell.

In every aspect of our lives we will find Wisdom and Folly sitting side by side at the highest points of the city.  We hear them calling from our town halls and our state capitols.  We hear them calling from Washington D.C. and from the United Nations.  We hear them calling in our families, in our schools and in our churches.  Every day, Wisdom and Folly call to us as we go along our way.  And every day, we choose between the two.

As Folly calls to you with a loud, brash voice, be still, and listen.  Listen for a quiet, small voice - and follow the path of Wisdom.

If you please.....

Last August, I switched my blog address from paratusfamiliablog.com to paratusfamilia.com.  Although I changed my blog from one address to the other, it didn't seem to bring my blog followers with me!  And I've missed you!!

Yesterday, I added a "Follow Paratus Familia by Email" button to the righthand side of the blog.  If you are not getting updates and would like to, please add your email address to the new button and every post will be automatically sent to your inbox.

I hope to soon be a regular in your inbox!  Hope to see you there!!

Enola

Snow Day!!!

Last week we had a first of March snowpocolypse.  One day, we had green clover showing on the garden mound and the next a ground blizzard rendering our driveway nearly impassible.  Although lighter vehicles were able to drive on top of the drifted snow, Sir Knight's heavy service truck just sank and stopped.  After he managed to back his truck out of the knee-high drift, Sir Knight called dispatch and told them he wouldn't be in - his first snow day of the year!

After a "weekend" breakfast of pancakes and bacon, Sir Knight decided to get down to business and put his bonus "snow day" to good use - it was time to reload!

A few months ago Master Hand Grenade and I moved Sir Knight's reloading bench out of the living room and into our bedroom.  It has been great arrangement.  Now the reloading bench is easily accessible (no more moving the furniture to get to it) and the reloading equipment within arms reach.   Not only did we move the bench, we also hung an LED shop light over the reloading area.  Now, Sir Knight has ample light for precision reloading and a tidy area in which to work.  Perfect for snow day reloading.

Picking up primers

Pouring powder

Reloading! 

Loaded Ammunition

Sir Knight uses a "wet" tumbler for brass.  Really, it is a rock tumbler, however it works beautifully for cleaning brass, especially the really tarnished, dirty range brass.  It is tumbled for about an hour and a half, with water, Dawn dish washing detergent, Lemishine and about five pounds of stainless steel media.  What used to take 24 hours with a traditional vibrating case cleaner now takes an hour and a half!  And now we have piles and piles of clean brass just waiting to be turned into ammunition!

Wet tumbler

Cleaned brass

The Dillion 550 RL progressive reloader has been Sir Knight's reloader of choice for the last 26 years.  He has reloaded thousands of rounds of ammo with his Dillion and wouldn't use anything else.    For his "snow day" reloading project, Sir Knight decided to reload .556 match ammo.  He is very particular, visually inspecting every round.  When all was said and done, Sir Knight had 500 rounds loaded, on stripper clips and in bandoleers!  He even put them into cardboards and stacked them in an ammo can!

Stripper clips and chargers (also known as spoons)

Isn't that a thing of beauty?

Labeled and ready to go on the shelf

What a family fun day!  After reloading, we sat down to a wonderful dinner of Bangers and Mash with Onion Gravy.  We visited, we laughed, we enjoyed each other's company.  What began as the snowpocolypse turned into the perfect snow day!  I know everyone would love to see the blooms of springs, but I say - bring on the snow!!

Some of my favorite faces!

Bangers and Mash!

Of Hearth and Home

I LOVE my job as a homemaker.  I view it as my commission, my calling, my sacred duty.  I see my home-centered influence shaping generations and in turn, shaping the very history of mankind.

Over the years I have collected a number books in keeping with my mission, books like "American Woman's Home" by Catherine Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe (copywrite 1869) and "Home and Health" which was "prepared and edited by a competent committee of home-makers and physicians" in 1907.  These books are filled with wisdom, encouraging women to excel in the business of keeping their homes, loving their husbands and raising their children.  They view the world through the lens of the family and an understanding that the family directs the nation, which in turn, directs the history of the world.

Thumbing through Home and Health, I came across Don't for Parents.  Although considered old-fashioned and outdated by today's standards, think of how our society, our nation, would look if we but adhered to these few simple rules.....

Don't for Parents

1. Don't train your baby to cry for everything in sight, or he will soon learn the value of tears.
2. Don't neglect early training in orderly habits.
3. Don't allow demonstrations of temper.  Screaming, kicking, and striking need never be struggled with if "nipped in the bud".
4. Don't allow "whining" or "teasing".
5. Don't fail to express sympathy when the child is in trouble.  Sympathy is soothing.
6. Don't tolerate talebearing.  It breeds selfishness.
7. Don't criticize and punish first, and investigate later.  Injustice inflicts a deep wound.
8. Don't offer bribes.  Teach obedience from principle.
9. Don't push the little ones from you for fear of their soiling a pretty gown.  Sometime you may long for their caresses.
10. Don't fail to fulfill all promises.  This will instill confidence.
11. Don't give opportunity for the children to question your justice.
12. Don't fail to be kind and considerate.  Kindness is a mighty conqueror.
13. Don't neglect forming the acquaintance of your children's playmates and companions.
14. Don't try to frighten your children into obedience by telling them ghostly tales, or shutting them up in a dark place.
15. Don't fail to require good manners at the table.  Habits early formed will stay by children through life. 
16. Don't use language that you would blush to hear your children repeat.
17. Don't manifest partiality toward any one of your children.  They are keen observers.
18. Don't look for polite answers from your littles ones if you fail in this respect.  They are excellent imitators.
19. Don't treat your girls and boys in such a careless way that they will bestow their confidence elsewhere.  When you lose that, you lose your stronghold.
20. Don't put everything up out of the reach of the baby finger.  An understanding that some things are not to be touched will be a good lesson in self-control.
21. Don't turn a child off with an evasive answer when he is seeking special information.  He will get it elsewhere.
22. Don't deceive yourself by thinking that your children will grow up to be gentlemen and ladies unless you treat them as such.
23. Don't frown and scold the children continually and expect them to be sweet-tempered.
24. Don't feel above making an apology if you have wronged your child.  This is one way of establishing confidence.
25. Don't permit your children to stay with their playmates overnight.  Be fearful of their learning lessons of impurity.
26. Don't fail to instill honor and truthfulness into their young hearts, by example as well as by precept.  To do this under all circumstances requires courage, but it pays.

Oh, if we were to turn from the things of the world and become the keepers of our homes, we would surely change our families, our nation and our future. 

Homestead Espresso

Twenty-five years ago, I bought an extravagant Christmas gift for Sir Knight - a La Pavonia Europiccola espresso machine.  I had saved my pennies for months and was so excited to walk out of the boutique coffee shop with a treasure that I was positive my husband would cherish for a lifetime.  And cherish it he has.

Sir Knight has always been a coffee aficionado.  He remembers Starbucks when they only had two trucks (delivering coffee to businesses - no retail locations), Star Ship 1 and Star Ship 2.  But, even then, he wasn't interested in sitting in a coffee shop sipping on a Grande Macchiato, no Whip, with a beret jauntily positioned on his head and a copy of Mein Kampf in his hand.  He was more of a double-shot mocha, extra froth, sitting in a club chair in his living room, kind of guy.  Because of that, the La Pavoni was his kind of machine.

La Pavoni Europiccola

This machine is 25 years old!

Steam escaping the relief valve

Heating/frothing the milk

Pressing the espresso

Beautiful!

We've used the Europiccola heavily over the years, however, it fell into disuse when we moved into a "shouse" in the middle of a prairie with no electricity.  After we installed solar panels, we dusted off the espresso machine and reveled in the luxury of an occasional coffee.  As our off-grid systems have improved so has our ability to enjoy espresso.  Not only does Sir Knight enjoy a mocha from time to time, hot chocolate, made with Hershey's syrup and steam frothed milk has become a special treat for our children.

The one downside of the Europiccola is that it requires electricity.  We really wanted an espresso machine that would work on a gas range and especially, on a wood stove, without requiring any electricity.  Stovetop espresso machines are easily obtained, however,  we really wanted to be able to froth milk as well as well as make espresso.

Perusing Craigslist one day, I came across a Bellman CX-25 stovetop espresso machine.  Not only did the Bellman make espresso, it also steamed milk!  We snatched it up for an embarrassingly small sum, brought it home and proceeded to put it to the test.  What a wonderful little machine!  It is the perfect addition to our off-grid homestead!

Bellman CX-25

Frothing the milk

Espresso!

The making of a mocha!

Grated chocolate on top!

After watching a youtube video, we fired up our gas range and gave it a try.  The little machine worked wonderfully, with a yield of two 2 ounce shots of espresso.  It also frothed a full pitcher of milk relatively quickly.  We did use boiling water in the tank, which cut down on the heating time, and were careful not to overfill the tank, which could block the relief valve.

The real test came a few days later when we decided to use the Bellman on the wood cook stove.  Again, we used boiling water to fill the tank, put the Bellman over the woodbox and waited for it to heat.  After about 15 minutes, steam began flowing out of the relief valve indicating that it was ready to go to work.  I steamed the milk, using gloves (that cook stove was hot!) and quickly heard the low rumble of heating milk.  After the milk was heated, I removed the Bellman from the cook stove and cracked open the espresso knob, releasing perfect, steaming coffee.  Success!!

On the wood cook stove

Frothing the milk

The Bellman CX-25 will be going to live at Caer David.  Now, we'll be able to enjoy espresso both at home and at our home-away-from-home.  Although nothing will ever take the place of tea in our lives, an occasional coffee can be good for the soul.