JeepHammer
SHOOTER
Now, I can't post my pictures, but a quick search on boobtube for Circular Sock Machine or CSM will be an eye opener!
What a piece of cast iron Victorian engineering!
Socks were one of the most expensive things you could buy at one time,
During WWI the government gave away CSMs to people that could produce socks for the troops,
Trench foot took out more troops and caused more amputations than battle did...
Along with old cast iron (mechanical, no plastic) sewing machines, and my hand cranked food preparation machines these things are the coolest engineering by far.
We have about 6 (more or less depending on what we buy or sell) sewing machines, and these will do everything from fine silk to heavy leather.
Now it's a 'Hobby' making our own socks, but think what a pair of good socks (which take a week or more to knit by hand) in 40-60 minutes would be worth should the supply chain be disrupted...
(The same is true for power, food, patching/mending, making support gear...)
I've shown my reloading equipment (clean, qualify, anneal, lower case roll, size & trim at about 3,000/hour),
Along with grain mills, including actual flour mills, big pressure canners and all the processing gear, solar power, sewing/manufacturing equipment, being able to knit socks/mufflers, hats, mittens & other cold weather gear is going to make a good supplement to our sustainability.
By the way, it takes 400 yards of sock weight yarn to make one pair of good cushion sole boot socks!
That little fact escaped me for 60 years (never unraveled a pair of socks)...
What a piece of cast iron Victorian engineering!
Socks were one of the most expensive things you could buy at one time,
During WWI the government gave away CSMs to people that could produce socks for the troops,
Trench foot took out more troops and caused more amputations than battle did...
Along with old cast iron (mechanical, no plastic) sewing machines, and my hand cranked food preparation machines these things are the coolest engineering by far.
We have about 6 (more or less depending on what we buy or sell) sewing machines, and these will do everything from fine silk to heavy leather.
Now it's a 'Hobby' making our own socks, but think what a pair of good socks (which take a week or more to knit by hand) in 40-60 minutes would be worth should the supply chain be disrupted...
(The same is true for power, food, patching/mending, making support gear...)
I've shown my reloading equipment (clean, qualify, anneal, lower case roll, size & trim at about 3,000/hour),
Along with grain mills, including actual flour mills, big pressure canners and all the processing gear, solar power, sewing/manufacturing equipment, being able to knit socks/mufflers, hats, mittens & other cold weather gear is going to make a good supplement to our sustainability.
By the way, it takes 400 yards of sock weight yarn to make one pair of good cushion sole boot socks!
That little fact escaped me for 60 years (never unraveled a pair of socks)...