BUCKHORN CLIFFSA preparedness field manual

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Tools and Repair

Cut, fasten, patch, and fix

A working home runs on cheap parts and the tools to fit them. Keep the cutting, fastening, and binding basics, plus a deep bin of hardware for the repair you did not plan for.

Start with the full guide

Field guideSpare Parts and Repair Stock Field Guide260 parts across 27 categories: what to keep on hand, why each matters, and how it is used, for the house, the shop, and the land. 40 pages.Open the field guide GuideKnots: Which Knot for the JobTie to a post, join two ropes, a loop that will not close, a tarp. Four knots drawn step by step.Open the full page

The single best buy is a fastener bin

One graduated assortment of screws, bolts, nuts, and washers turns a stopped repair into a five-minute fix. For the full parts inventory, see the Spare Parts & Repair Stock guide.

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Formulas 9

Formula Battery Terminal Cleaner (Vinegar) Alkaline: vinegar; Lead-acid: baking soda; First: disconnect cables Handle with care Formula Beeswax Wood Finish and Furniture Polish The oil soaks into the grain while the beeswax leaves a soft, water-repellent sheen on the surface, reviving tired wood and guarding it against moisture and everyday stains. Hazardous Formula Borax Flux for Soldering and Metal Joining Metal surfaces form invisible oxide layers that prevent solder from bonding, which is why joints fail without proper flux. Handle with care Formula Camphor Blocks for Tool and Storage Protection Camphor slowly transitions from solid directly to vapor without melting, releasing fumes that repel insects and inhibit rust formation on metal surfaces. Hazardous Formula Electronics and Equipment Cleaning For electronics you want the strongest alcohol you can get, not 70 percent. The higher the grade the less water it carries, so it flashes off fast and dry instead of leaving moisture sitting on a contact where it can corrode. Hazardous Formula Petroleum Jelly for Protecting Metal, Leather, and Rubber Rust needs three things at once: iron, oxygen, and a film of water. Take away any one and it stops. A wiped-on film of petroleum jelly takes away two, and it is the cheapest insurance a tool will ever get. Hazardous Formula Rust and Scale Removal with Citric Acid Limescale in kettles, rust on tools, and mineral buildup on cookware all reduce performance and shorten the life of your equipment. Handle with care Formula Rust Removal for Tools and Hardware (Vinegar Soak) Soak: full-strength vinegar; Time: up to 24 hr; Then: scrub & rinse Handle with care Formula Wax Waterproofing for Canvas, Tarps and Rope (Paraffin and Camphor) Wax fills the gaps between fabric fibers where water would soak through, and the camphor adds some insect and mildew resistance. Hazardous

Supplies 1

Supply Synthetic Rope: Nylon, Polyester or Polypropylene, and Which One to Buy for Each Job Nylon stretches and takes shock, polyester holds tension and takes sun, polypropylene floats and costs the least; stock all three and keep the poly out of the sun

Skills 4

Skill Bowline Knot Loop. Holds: Steady pull on the loop. Fails: Slack and shaking, or stiff slick rope. Skill Clove Hitch Hitch. Holds: Steady, straight pull on a round pole. Fails: Sideways pull, slack, square posts, slick rope. Skill Sheet Bend Bend. Holds: Two ropes under a steady pull, even different sizes. Fails: Tails on opposite sides (left-handed), or slack and shaking. Skill Two Half Hitches Hitch. Holds: Any steady pull, any post shape. Fails: Hitches turned opposite ways (a cow hitch), or a tail too short.

Guides 3

Guide Hatchet vs Axe: Which One for the Job, the Sizes That Matter, and the Ones I Own Hatchet: one hand, 10 to 16 inches, small wood. Axe: two hands, 24 to 36 inches, felling and splitting Guide Knots: Which Knot to Tie for the Job, and How to Tie It Bowline for a loop, two half hitches for a post under load, clove hitch for a pole you will adjust, sheet bend to join two ropes. Leave a tail and back up anything that sits slack. FOUR KNOTSDRAWN STEPS Guide The Fix-All Kit: Tapes, Fasteners and the Small Parts That Solve Most Problems Three groups in one box: tapes, fasteners, and plumbing and electrical bits; no nails, screws or glue, those have their own drawer

Spare parts lists 15

Parts list Spare Parts: Adhesives, Sealants & Tape The right glue or tape turns a broken thing back into a working one. Keep a few glues, a caulk, and a deep bench of tapes, since each tape does a job the others cannot. Parts list Spare Parts: Appliance & Kitchen Big appliances fail at small, cheap parts, a belt, a fuse, a gasket, a relay. Stock the common wear parts and you keep the fridge cold and the laundry moving. Parts list Spare Parts: Doors, Windows & Locks Doors, windows, and locks have small springs and seals that wear out and leave you stuck, drafty, or unsecured. Keep the hardware and the weather seals. Parts list Spare Parts: Electrical A blown fuse or a dead outlet can take out a whole circuit. Keep the connectors, protection, and fixtures to make basic repairs, and the tools to do them safely. Parts list Spare Parts: Fasteners & Hardware Almost every repair needs a screw, a bolt, or an anchor. A graduated assortment in common sizes covers most jobs, and the bins pay for themselves the first week. Parts list Spare Parts: Lubricants & Consumables These get used up, not stored until failure. Keep deep stock, because they run out fast and touch nearly every job on the property. Parts list Spare Parts: Plumbing & Water Water damage is fast and expensive. Most plumbing failures are a few dollars of rubber and plastic. Keep the fixture parts and a way to isolate and patch a line. Parts list Spare Parts: Raw Materials & Stock Beyond named parts, keep a little raw material. Short lengths and scraps become brackets, patches, and braces for the repair you did not plan for. Parts list Spare Parts: Roofing & Exterior A small roof leak becomes a rotted deck and a ruined ceiling. Keep the parts to patch fast and cover in a storm. Parts list Spare Parts: Small Engine & Equipment Small engines strand you at a filter, a plug, or stale fuel. Match the model numbers of each machine and stock its wear parts. Parts list Spare Parts: Textile & Gear Repair Gear that tears can be sewn or patched back to useful. A small repair kit keeps clothing, tents, and packs out of the trash. Parts list Spare Parts: The Core Tool Kit A shelf of spare parts does nothing without the tools to install them. These are the hand tools, testers, and a few specialty pieces that turn this guide into working repairs. Buy quality on the ones you will lean on. Parts list Spare Parts: Tools & Cutting Consumables Tools last, but the parts that touch the work do not. A dull blade or a broken handle stops the job just as surely as a missing part. Parts list Spare Parts: Vehicle & Roadside A car strands you at a belt, a battery, or a flat, usually far from a parts store. Match your vehicle and keep the wear parts, fluids, and roadside gear. Parts list Spare Parts: Well, Pressure & Sump Pumps On a well, one small part can leave you with no water at all, and a sump keeps a basement dry. Know your pumps and stock the failure-prone parts before you need them.

Reference charts 1

Reference Tools and Equipment: What to Gather, and What Each Is For A plain-language guide to the 36 everyday tools the recipes call for, with the safety gear marked.

The checklist

Tick what you already have. Checks are saved on this device.

Tools and Repair Cut, fasten, patch, and fix what breaks

Cut & build

Fasten & bind

Bond & seal

Audit questions

From the walk-around audit. Tap a question for what a good answer looks like.

Do you own hand tools that cover core tasks?

Cut, fasten, grip, measure, dig and pry, without a cord. Good is a core kit of hand tools that covers plumbing, electrical and mechanical basics, kept in one place and not borrowed to death. The core tool kit and tools and equipment are the two lists.

Can you operate without power tools?

Every repair that depends on a charger is a repair you cannot make on day three of an outage. Good means a hand saw, brace or hand drill, hand plane, files and a manual pump can do the job a power tool normally does, slower. Batteries for the cordless tools live on the solar generator as a bonus, not the plan.

Do you have the consumables: fasteners, sealants, tape?

Tools without screws, tape, sealant, wire, glue and fuses fix nothing. Good is a deep bin of consumables, restocked before it is empty. The Fix-All Kit and the lubricants and consumables list are what goes in it.

Do you have plumbing, electrical and mechanical spares?

The part that fails is never in stock the week you need it. Good means the spare parts for your own house, water system, heat and vehicles are on a shelf, matched to what you own. The Spare Parts and Repair Stock field guide and the parts lists are the inventory.

Are drainage and fence lines maintained?

Blocked culverts flood the road; a sagging fence lets the goats out the night of the storm. Good means you walk the drainage and the fence lines every spring and fall, clear them, and fix what is loose before the weather does it for you.

Score this in the audit

Common mistake

Buying tools but not the fasteners and spares to use them.

Skills to learn

make a field repair · sharpen a blade · patch under pressure

When it matters

BlackoutWinter StormWildfire and EvacuationFloodRising Prices and Shortages