Simple living / Self sufficiency links and lists

http://www.eartheasy.com/

http://www.earthgarden.com.au

http://www.lowimpact.org/

 

This happens all the time in non-fiction book publishing. Occasionally someone a truly original book is published and many copy cat books follow. Some of these books are often quite well written and if written years later maybe more up to date.

 

Just found this one, It is about how to fix faulty electronics. https://www.ifixit.com/

 

Alicia Bay Laurel's Living on the Earth was a source of tidbits.

Mel Bartholomew's Square Foot Gardening
Lasagna Gardening was useful, too.

Anyone have a good source for learning to sharpen knives and tools? I've been using the knife sharpening (not honing) from Ed Brown's Tassajara Cooking, but I think I'm too heavy handed.
Video with voice over especially appreciated. (Having auditory and visual input helps me lock on a new skill)

Cob Building Handbook!

 

To the poster who answered in my profile: thanks but this is a conversation for open forum.

To answer, my knives are pro quality. Not snobbish collector level, because I couldn't see paying that kind of money.

I'm moving soon, and taking my Shun and misen chef knives, and a misen pairing knife. I'll also have my beloved although not pro Kiwi small chef. I like light, fast knives.
Misen was a Kickstarter I backed. They are Japanese-German hybrids leaning to the speed of Japanese design.


I think my angle is off with a whetstone. I've ground away a blade before. It was a thrift store knife bought for learning sharpening.
My honing is good enough. So for now, I hone each use, and get them sharpened annually.

 

I only put a message on your profile feed as I did not want to make you look inept. It is good that you have professional knives. I have not heard of those brands mentioned. If you are in the market for any more knives I would recommend looking at Victorinox knives. They are made in Switzerland and also make the Swiss Army knives. Also, not as expensive as any of the German ones. A professional vegetable peeler is definitely easier to use than a domestic one.
The correct angle for honing a knife is an elevation of 20 degrees. I recommend a silicone carbide stone. I don't like aluminum oxide ones. Diamond and whetstones and marble whetstones work but cost more money.
What I do at work for sharpening a knife is lay the whetstone on a damp , not wet , not dry neatly folded cloth and use washing up liquid and a few drops of water as a lubricant. You can buy mineral honing oil but it just costs more money. Never use vegetable oil as a lubricant. Depending how blunt you knives are you just have to keep at it. There are some Youtube videos of using a whetstone.
At home I use a stationary belt sander.It must be bolted down at bench height.Use a fine grit belt. The cheap ones are not that expensive. Preferably use the underside of the belt to it will form against the contours of the blade. If the blade starts to heat up, take over to the sink and run under cold water.
If you want to get that fine new knife edge that will cut through that overripe home grown tomato, this is what to do.
1. Get the knife to rough sharp stage . It is no use doing the following on the following with a blunt knife.
2. Get a second hand leather belt from a charity shop a cut a 12" section out of it .
3. Find a piece of wood the same width as the belt bub a couple of inches longer.
4. Glue the leather belt to the wood , shiny side up.
5. Use a G-cramp to hold the wood to the edge of a bench.
6. Smear some Autosol metal polish ( from an auto accessory shop).
7. Hold the knife against the leather at 20 degrees elevation gently push . About five strokes both sides. You can feel that last bit of metal coming off.
8. Clean the knife of any metal polish.
Never put kitchen knives through the dishwasher. Carefully wash by hand. I prefer to store kitchen knives on a magnetic strip on the wall.

 

Misen makes their knives at 15 degrees. They are emphatic about that and sharpening! They also suggest whetstones at a few different grit grades.
The Shun and Kiwi are typical 20 degree angles.

I use a steel at each knife use (or daily for the workhorse). Would plain mineral oil (I have it for board and spoon butter) work on the stones?

No dishwasher. Knives get dried immediately. Everything else air dries, so that is "special."

I looked at, and almost got, Victorinox based on the SA knife rep.
I believe my set is complete, and if I'm lucky, BIFL. Or at least buy it for my life.

 

You could probably use mineral oil for a whet stone.If you are going to use a diamond stone then they are used dry.