90 Miles From Tyranny

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Friday, December 6, 2013

100 Skills Every Man Should Know: The Instructions

Brains and charm are fine, but a real guy needs to know how to do real stuff. After months of debate among PM's expert editors—and a preview of 2008's ultimate DIY list—now you can explore how to perform life's essential skills, broken down for the competent man—plus 20 tools you need to own. Click through for the tips, or take PM's interactive DIY quiz to see how you measure up against the MythBusters and more TV know-it-alls. Did we leave anything out—or included a skill you don't think is worthy? Then scroll down and let us know in the comments section.

1. Tape Drywall

Easy to do. Hard to do well. Spread a strip of compound about the width of your 5-in. drywall knife along the entire joint, then press the tape into the compound. Use your knife to embed the tape; allow the excess compound to build up on the front of the blade, covering the tape in a thin layer. Repeat with a 4-in. knife to remove even more excess compound. Let the joint dry; sand lightly and repeat with an 8- or 10-in. blade. (The wider the band of compound, the smoother the joint.) Dip your knife in water occasionally to keep it clean and lubricated.

2. Grill with Charcoal

Cluster the coals on one side of the grill with as little space between the briquettes as possible, says Jamie Purviance, author of Real Grilling. This minimizes airflow, which keeps coals burning longer. For direct grilling (burgers, steaks, fish fillets), place the food above the burning coals. For lower-temperature, indirect grilling (chicken, ribs, roasts) place the food well away from the coals. Shut the lid; open it only to check whether the food is done. You can also grill indirectly with gas. Preheat all burners on high, then turn them down on one side of the grill to the temperature needed for the recipe and completely off on the other.

3. Split Firewood

Seasoned splitters use a maul, not an ax, to prep firewood. (With its slim taper, an ax head often gets stuck in the end grain.) Don't use a chopping block—it reduces the arc of the swing, which decreases power. Instead, place the log on the ground, 5 in. closer than the length of the maul handle. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart; place your dominant hand at the bottom of the handle and the other hand three-quarters up the handle. Rest the maul on the wood, then lift it all the way up—your bottom arm should be straight and your top arm slightly bent. As you begin the downward motion, slide your top hand down to your bottom hand. Use your whole body, not just your arms, and bend your knees slightly, snapping them back a split second before hitting the wood. "You want to drive the maul through the wood," Waterfield says, "so complete the swing once you make contact."

Photo Credit: Michael Lewis

4. Set Up a Ladder,Safely

Before stepping on the ladder, check that it's set at the correct angle, 75 to 78 degrees. Stand with the toes of your work boots against the ladder's base and extend your arms horizontally. The ladder is at a safe angle when you can just grasp the rung at shoulder level with arms fully extended.

5. Take the Perfect Portrait

Portraits are the most popular type of photography, often with the most disappointing results. To properly frame a face, opt for a zoom between 120 and 150 mm, says Lynn Donaldson, who shoots for National Geographic Traveler. Any wider and you risk exaggerating features. But zoom in too much and you can add the illusion of weight, because longer lenses compress space. Opt for a simple background; avoid bright light directly in front of subjects (they'll squint) or behind them—automatic cameras darken the foreground until your subjects look like silhouettes. To counteract this, turn the flash on. "You can almost always use your flash in the sun," Donaldson says. "It evens out skin tones and makes wrinkles and dark circles disappear."

6. Find Potable Water

"Don't exert yourself in the heat of the day," Sanders says. "You may lose more water by sweating than you'll gain by digging." Ravines and valleys are carved by running water, so head for the bottom. In deserts, with only occasional flow, look for cottonwoods, willows and other light-green vegetation that grows in wet areas. When the sun or moon is low in the sky, scan the horizon for reflections that may reveal the location of small pools. (Don't worry if the water looks scummy. Waterborne illnesses won't kick in for at least three days; dehydration can kill in a single day.) Collect morning dew by wiping grass with a cloth, then wringing out the water. If you have plastic bags, wrapping them around the boughs of deciduous trees yields 1 or 2 ounces a day.

Build a Fire in the Wilderness

First, prebuild your fire: Top a base of wrist-size logs with a crosshatch of finger-size sticks and a tepee of slightly larger stuff. Make a handheld bundle with fine tinder, such as pine needles, on the bottom and progressively larger twigs at the top. Light it and insert under your already-built lay.

8. Build a Shelter

Find a small dead tree about 10 to 12 ft. long to serve as a ridgepole. Lean it against a boulder, stump or the branch of a standing tree 3 to 4 ft. off the ground. Lean as many small branches as you can find against the ridgepole, then crisscross them with smaller sticks. Finally, add a thick layer of leaves and grass, plus more sticks on top to keep the wind from blowing away your "roof." If time is short, or water and food are scarce, consider a more efficient, if less elegant, method: "Make a big pile of leaves and grass and small debris," Sanders says, "and just dive in."