Off Grid Survival | Living Off Grid

Finding old fashioned products for self-sufficient off grid survival is easier than many may think.  You can find all kinds of vintage old fashioned products all online at the www.cottagecraftworks.com self-sufficient lifestyle general store.

Cottage Craft Works specializes in finding USA old fashioned non-electric products still being manufactured and used with the Amish self sustaining communities. 

The Amish still use the same simple human powered gadgets and appliances that were being used at the turn of the century before electricity was commonly available. 

The Amish build things to last for a lifetime and many are finding that the Amish products are actually easier to use and maintain than the newer complex electric appliances.

This is an important factor when considering the investment into something that might sit on the shelf for years just in case there’s a major grid outage.

The hand crank Little Dutch Maid mixer is a good example. Considering the initial investment for something to have as a backup is a bit hard to comprehend. Compared to the equivalent electric mixer many have found that the Little Dutch Maid Mixer is actually more user friendly and end up using it daily in place of their cumbersome electric mixer.

Life expectancy also needs to be considered.  Let’s face it an electric mixer these days comes with planned obsolesces built in. With motor brushes, plastic housings, and manufactures making it more difficult to find replacement parts down the road a person might be looking at needing to replace it within 8- 10 years depending on usage.

The Little Dutch Maid mixer base uses no plastic parts and is built like a tank for heavy long term use.  It was designed by an Amish gentleman for large batch cooking and cranking out bread dough on a daily basis.

Many non-Amish ladies are rediscovering the old fashioned treadle sewing machine.  Yes Janome makes the 712-T treadle brand new for the Amish communities.  Many non-Amish claim they find it easier to control than their electric sewing machines.

Many other Amish products are less expensive like the Country Egg Beater.  It’s a reproduction of the popular egg beaters once used in every kitchen before the larger mixers were invented.  It is still triple the price of a cheap imported copy but a side by side comparison will soon reveal why.  The Country Egg Beater cranks smoothly while the imported model is hard to turn.

This brings up another important consideration.  There’s a huge quality time gap from what was once made compared to the cheap imported copies of those products of today.  

As products have been copied over the years the quality just hasn’t been maintained the same. Imported copies use cheaper metals that just will not hold a cutting edge. Even though the product may look the same as the one that granddad used, people using a cheaply made import copies quickly become fatigued and just give up.

In contrast the Amish products are made to be used by the people who still depend on them to grow food and process it for the family table.

So if you’re looking for basic durable products for the potential need to live or survive off grid consider these old time favorites shipped directly from the Amish featured at www.cottagecraftworks.com

Old Fashioned Quality Built Ice Cream Freezers | USA Immergood

Homemade ice cream lovers have been frustrated with the lack of a quality built ice cream freezer like they remember growing up with. 

Ice Cream Freezers are a prime example of the discount store squeeze to produce competitive products at rock bottom prices  and still make a handsome profit for share holders.

For those who grew up in the 1950s and even up into the 1970s making ice cream in a hand crank freezer was the highlight of many summer Sunday afternoons.

As people now try to find the type of quality freezers to make a new family tradition they are finding a very much water down version made of thin materials and plastic parts. 

Manufactures have also reduced the capacity because the cheaply made gear frames just will not handle large batches of ice cream.

Immergood introduced their original 6 qt freezer and it became almost an overnight sensation for those who have been craving this level of quality being reproduced much like ice cream freezers manufactured at the turn of the century.

Immergood just recently introduced an 8 qt model to fill a huge void since White Mountain stopped making an 8 qt option years ago.

Why is Immergood bucking the trend?  Well Immergood is an Amish company that started up from the same frustrations of finding a long lasting quality ice cream freezer.

Immergood is not new to the Ice Cream Freezer business and is well positioned to take the company well into the future.  The parent company has been dealing in ice cream freezers and parts for a number of decades replacing the imported gears with USA made gears for the Amish communities.

The Amish view products as functional long lasting products they use day in and day out to support their conservative back to basic lifestyle.

Before electrification of the rural areas most everyone had hand crank off grid products that were readily available. Products were just made to last longer during this time as well.

When the Amish are unable to no longer find those quality products they tend to begin making it for the large Amish communities across the country.

Immergood double wall insulated leak proof tubs, an all stainless steel positive tub latch system and then topped with a heavy duty gear frame places Immergood Ice Cream Freezers well ahead of the pack.

Immergood freezers will hold ice cream for several hours depending on the outside temperatures.

An optional tub cover is also available for the 6 qt and will soon be available for the 8 qt freezer.

Order Immergood Ice Cream Freezers from Cottagecraftworks.com

Sliding Barn Door Hardware | USA Amish Made

Sliding doors equipped with sliding barn door hardware is the hottest craze in home improvement and DYI television shows. 

The versatility of these functional doors is endless and one of main the reasons of their surging popularity.

Doors equipped with sliding door hardware don’t have to look like a barn door especially with the many different styles and finishes available.

Sliding barn door hardware is the most ideal installation for wide heavy doors. It’s virtually impossible to hang an extra wide door on hinges without the door eventually sagging.  Trolley mounted hangers distribute the door weight evenly.

Doors can be as elegant or rustic as the surrounding decor.  Select the horse shoe style for a rustic ranch home or cabin or the industrial strap look for a more modern style with much other retro hardware available.

Reclaimed antique doors are very popular for use with the barn door hardware since the size is not as critical as if they were to be hinged into a door frame.  The track can be hung higher than the opening to accommodate tall doors and the doors can be much wider than the door opening.

Doors should have at least and 1” preferably 2” overlap on each side to cover any side views into private areas.

Barn door hardware can also be ordered to accommodate different thickness of doors from 1-/3” up to 2-1/4”.  The massive hardware will handle heavy doors as well.

The term barn door hardware has just stuck since they were mainly used on large doors on each end of a barn to allow easy opening access for large machinery and equipment.

The fact is sliding doors hung on a rail using trolley hangers have been used in many other industrial and warehouse operations.

The sliding door is not new to the residential setting either.  The concept has mostly been hidden in walls using sliding pocket doors and closet doors dating as far back as the 1800s. 

Adding a sliding pocket door to an existing retrofit is very difficult and costly as the wall has to be opened up to install the hardware.  This often necessitates removing wall studs and the relocation of electrical light switches located next to doorways.

Sliding closet doors are easier to install but with the smaller rollers they tend to jump off the track frequently and the opening is limited to just one door side at a time.

Equipping a door to roll using an overhead wall mounted rail allows the door or double doors to slide wide open for full entry.

The hardware and different door styles add a nice appealing attraction to any room.

The sliding door concept also saves space in that there’s no door to swing into the room as a traditional hinged door.  This makes them ideal for smaller rooms and smaller homes.  It does require the wall space on the side(s) of the door to be open enough for the door(s) to clear.

The higher initial cost of the barn door hardware should be considered against the labor of installing other sliding or hinged door applications.  Barn door hardware is a very easy and quick install.

Sliding doors can also be used outside to protect and provide privacy to outdoor spaces. 

Sliding barn doors can also be used for security and hurricane shutters for vacation cottages and businesses.

Other are using shorter sliding doors in conference rooms to cover dry erase boards and projector screens as well as home entertainment centers.

Just about any space that you want to have opened up or closed off will benefit with a set of sliding barn doors.  Smaller efficiency apartments can be easily sectioned off to open up a sleeping area at night and then closed off quickly to entertain guest.

You will find various suppliers handling barn door hardware. Like any other product the type of material used and where it is manufactured will be the ultimate outcome of the finished installation.

Cottage Craft Works is one unique shop that is carrying a selection of barn door hardware in four different trolley styles.  Since they specialize in old fashion reproduction products made by the Amish their barn door hardware is all USA Amish hand forged. 

The Amish don’t believe in making products to fail so that the consumer has to purchase new. You will find the barn door hardware at Cottage Craft Works to be as unique and high quality as the vintage products that were made in the  1800s early 1900s.

Unique Christmas Gifts 2014

Unique Christmas Gifts  2014

Santa is Shopping, How about you? Christmas Gifts 2014

Santa is Shopping, How about you? Christmas Gifts 2014
http://www.cottagecraftworks.com

Ice cream freezer replacement tubs | Replace wooden tub with fiberglass

Insulating fiberglass 6 quart tubs from Immergood are better than the OEM tubs used on White Mountain and Country Freezers.

This insulating tub is leak proof and holds ice cream much longer.  Optional matching fiberglass insulating lid  even allows you to make ice cream and then hold for outdoor events hours later.

Newer fiberglass blends make these tubs even more durable than the fiberglass used on earlier freezer tubs.

Replace an old wooden White Mountain or Country Freezer tub with a new Amish made heavy duty insulating fiberglass tub.

Replacement Immergood tub includes new heavy duty positive locking stainless tub ear and latch.

Developed and manufactured by an innovative Amish company, the new Immergood fiberglass tubs are the refined next generation of old fashion style ice cream maker.

While Immergood is sold in the local Amish community stores, to find one online you will need to go to Cottage Craft Works .com   They are currently only available in the 6 quart model.

http://www.cottagecraftworks.com has unique relations with the Amish communities providing them a market place for their durable products.  While most think of the Amish making quilts and great homemade cooking, you might be surprised at just how many functional old time products  that are available at the touch of a key board for the home, farm, ranch, and garden.

The Best-Economical-USA- Ice cream freezer | Ice Cream | Churn | Maker

The problem with purchasing an ice cream freezer today is the quality of the parts and overall durability.

Manufactures’ have become so focused on the discount and big box store frenzy  that they have totally lost sight of the ice cream loving family or other social groups that will be making homemade ice cream more than a once a year event.

Immergood Ice Cream Freezers are the next generation to the old fashion ice cream freezer. 

For homemade ice cream lovers the Immergood Freezer provides old fashioned quality and durability with a modern day twist. 

New innovative durable fiberglass tub is equipped with heavy stainless positive latching tub ear and latch.  Unlike older fiberglass tubs made over the years these new Immergood tubs also have the advantage of new stronger blends of fiberglass that make them even more durable to last for generations.

Previously to jump back into time to find a freezer with commercial durability for frequent ice cream making events people would need to purchase an Amish made Country Ice Cream Freezer.

Country Freezers are made by the Amish who really don’t care about the discount store competition; they just build things the old fashion way to last a few generations.

Immergood is also an innovative Amish company that has taken the old style ice cream freezer and improved on it. 

The fiberglass tub allows the Immergood price point to be much less than a comparable sized Country Freezer, yet the improvements are much more notable.

The fiberglass tub also has a matching tub cover that will hold ice cream for hours after it is made.  Some even report holding it over for days in the freezer tub.

Beyond the problems inherit with wooden tub freezers; Immergood has also focused on other key elements to add to the improvement listings.

Stainless steel gears with nylon bushings on the hand crank models are much more durable than on the Country Freezers.  See this Video done by a owner of both comparing Immergood to Country.

An all stainless steel positive cam lock tub latch is the first thing that new Immergood owners notice, and for good reason.  When ice cream begins to reach its ready state the freezer head becomes harder to crank or run with an electric motor. 

A loose fitting tub latch allows the head to move around creating more wear on the components and more effort for the freezer to finish the ice cream.

Made in Lancaster County Pennsylvania Immergood Freezers even come with their own serial numbers.

You don’t need to go to the Amish country to find them as they are sold on line at Cottage Craft Works .com

Cottage Craft Works http://www.cottagecraftworks.com is a self-sufficient living back to basics general store hosting hard to find Amish made products for home, ranch, farm, garden and hunting.

Headlight & Flashing Light Safety Vest

Safety vest features a bright chest mount headlight along with flashing front orange and back red lights and turn signals.

For those who work and live for the great outdoors.  Perfect for bikers, joggers, hunters, emergency workers, police, and anyone else needing roadside visibility.

See and be seen in the dark patches along busy roads.  Bright front headlight provides usable functionality beyond having just a safety vest.  Complete with flashing front and rear lights equipped with turn signals.

Commercial duty USA Amish made from durable Bio leather harness material as used in horse harnesses.  Bio leather is a more durable, cleanable, stronger and easier to maintain product over traditional leather. 

Developed by the Amish to protect their own children and families from the increasing distracted speeding drivers that hit and kill Amish people each year as they go about their early morning and late evening trips to and from work, shopping and school.

Adjustable straps for any height slips over the shoulders with Velcro strap waist band.

Provides up to 100 hours of headlight use on 8 AA batteries.

Just another high quality Amish product from the unique online Cottage Craft Works General Store.

Cottage Craft Works at http://www.cottagecraftworks.com provides hard to find high quality Amish made products for the home, farm, ranch, garden and outdoor sports.

The popular Amish Scooters and the Headlight Vest make a perfect combination.

Electric- ice-cream- churn- freezer-20-qt-restaurant-commercial

This 20 qt old fashion ice cream maker is becoming popular with restaurants and small ice cream shops. 

While soft serve ice cream freezers dominate the fast food restaurants, those wanting to add the taste of old fashion hand crank churned ice cream are turning back in time.  

This  Amish Country Freezer is equipped with a modern day direct drive electric motor set up.

The unit also has a built in amp meter to help determine when each batch is ready.

Dual voltage ¾ HP motor operates on 110/220 volts 60/50Hz Single Phase. Motor is wired for 110 volts with standard US grounded plug for International customers. 

This custom churn from Cottage Craft Works.com uses an Amish made 20 qt Country Ice Cream freezer with a direct drive motor.  It has no external belts or pulleys making this freezer set up perfect for the commercial kitchen.

Other Amish companies use belts and pulleys that take up much more space and can become an employee hazard.  This type of set up is also difficult to keep clean and use in a commercial kitchen.

These issues are one of the reasons most commercial operators have steered clear of using this type of ice cream freezer.

Made of commercial grade 304 stainless steel can and dasher.  The unit can be ordered  with NSF certification stamp if required by local health authority.

Country Freezers feature;

• Amish hand crafted (old time quality, company does not try to compete with imports)
• Tall design for optimum freezing
• Extra heavy seamless stainless steel can
• Rustproof manganese-bronze housing
• Rustproof zinc gears (stainless steel available up grade on 20-qt)
• White Oak wooden tub (the same used to make whisky and other barrels)
• Adjustable stainless steel tub straps (three of them to keep the tub staves tight)
• Stainless steel shaft & handle
• Stainless steel dasher 
• ¼-turn slide latch (positive locking)
• All stainless steel fittings (nothing to rust)
• Should last a lifetime
• 5-year warranty on all stainless steel parts

Everything is mounted on a rolling oak platform equipped with 3” polyurethane wheels.

See more by visiting Cottage Craft Works .com

The standard 20 qt freezer with pulley is also available.  It comes standard with a 14" V belt pulley but can be ordered with a 19" pulley with hand crank.

Cottage Craft Works offers all types of Amish made products for the home, ranch, farm and garden.  It is much like an old fashion Sears Roebuck catalog with functional products that are still being made like they were in the early to mid 1900s.

International companies will want to use an US forwarding agent like Bonvu.com for the most economical shipping rates.

Old Fashioned USA Ice Cream-Churns-Freezers-Makers

Quality USA made ice cream freezers are still being made just like the ones you probably grew up with. 

Deep in the heart of the Ohio and Pennsylvania Amish communities Amish factories are still making ice cream freezers just like they were made in the early 1900s.

During the late 1800s and early 1900s several companies were manufacturing heavy duty hand crank ice cream freezers.  White Mountain emerged as the main survivor and was once considered the Cadillac of back yard ice cream makers. White Mountain also made the transition over to electric powered freezers and still make both hand crank and electric freezers today.

As with many American companies White Mountain  struggled with increasing pressures from investors, imports and the discount store push for lower prices.  The company moved manufacturing out of the US and sold several times  to different large corporations. 

In order for the company to survive the focus had to become centered more on profits and competing with much cheaper models and whole new line of table top electric ice cream makers flooding the US market. 

For the average consumer, these ice cream makers work very good and are priced right.  For the Amish who make homemade ice cream more frequently year round for large families and social events they needed an ice cream freezer built more towards commercial use. 

White Mountain freezers are still a very solid economical choice for a family who enjoys making homemade ice cream on special occasions.

Building an ice cream freezer with  the old fashion durability that the Amish required  just was no longer feasible for main stream corporate America.  So the Amish began to manufacture their own ice cream freezers.

Not being pressured for profits and sales the Amish make products mainly for their own use within the large communities across the US and up into Canada.  Their focus is on long term durability and use.

Over the years Amish made Country Ice Cream Freezers became the most popular ice cream freezer used by the Amish.  Like many great products non Amish quickly realized the quality of the Country Freezers and began to go into the Amish stores to purchase them for their own use.

While the Country Freezer is still one of the best made they still have wooden stave tubs that will begin to leak it they are allowed to dry out.  Storing a wooden tub freezer in a hot garage or attic is just not a good idea.

 To solve this problem other Amish companies have been designing less costly fiberglass tubs that are leak proof.  In doing so one Amish company discovered how to construct a tub to provide an insulating air void between the outer and inner layers.  They also make a rust proof tub center for the triple motion dasher can to smoothly turn on.

This insulating factor keeps the ice cream colder for longer periods of time.

Beyond the improved tubs, these newer Amish made freezers incorporate many improvements over the Country Freezers. 

The hand crank models made by Immergood incorporate long lasting stainless steel gears with nylon wear bushings.  The tub ear and latch are made from heavy stainless steel.  The latch has a positive cam lock.  Immergood is also developing their own USA electric motor to be made as an available option in 2015.

This innovative Amish company that goes by the name Immergood is also adding more options including a fiberglass insulated tub cover to hold the ice cream longer after churning and even a clear can cover to be able to watch the ice cream as it is being made. 

Just to give an example of how the Immergood compares to the County Freezer, watch this Video produced by a customer who purchased the hand crank frame and compared it to the one made by Country Freezer.

Country Freezers have the most sizes available starting with a cute 1 qt going all the way up to the commercial 5 gallon 20 quart size.

Most families find the 6 or 8 quart models adequate for them, while the 20 quart is used for large socials and church events.

You might also see the Country 20 quart hooked to an old time hit and miss motor at a county fair as many ice cream vendors use them to attract a crowd.  There’s nothing better than a hot apple dumpling topped with a scoop of homemade ice cream.

As restaurants and small ice cream shops try to entice customers with unique dishes many are purchasing the 20 quart Country Freezer equipped with a direct drive electric motor. 

While many of the Amish shops still use belts and pulleys, this newer direct drive Country freezer is much more acceptable in a commercial kitchen.  It can also be ordered NSF stamped certified if required by local health departments.

These Amish made ice cream freezers can be purchased at Cottage Craft Works .com  

Cottage Craft Works also has all the parts for the Country as well as White Mountain freezers.

Cottage Craft Works located at http://www.cottagecraftworks.com has one of the largest selections of Amish made products for the home, garden, farm and ranch.

Customer Review CCW-3 Equine-Oat-Crimper-Roller-Corn-Cracker

Please feel free to post my review because you have certainly done a great job and earned my respect for customer service.

The equine oat crimper is a good product for my operation, my boys raise hogs for 4H and they need a mill to grind their hog ration with. This roller mill / crimper came ready to grind, in a short amount of time we had a 55gl barrel full of mixed hog feed. I spent quite a bit of time looking for feed mills that would grind the volume of grain that we need and this crimper was the best fit for our operation. I am happy with what we got but mostly I am happy with the quality of customer service that came with purchasing this machine. Paul called me the day I placed the order and made sure that the truck shipping arrangements worked for me and he has promptly responded to several follow up e-mails asking about support items and possible attachments like a grain auger. I like the confidence that I purchased a quality product with solid customer service and support.

Thanks
Eric Davis

Cottage Craft Works  http://www.cottagecraftworks.com is an online emporium featuring quality USA made Amish products for the home, farm, ranch and garden.

Oat crimpers are Amish made and available in 2 sizes.  The CCW-3 will crimp oats as well as crack corn.

Winter Wood Working Projects For The Avid Hunter Promotes Family Values

These can’t miss wood working projects will keep them busy on those long cold winter days and nights during the off season building long lasting family memories.

Turkey Call Kits

Turkey box call and friction slate call kits come already cut out and ready to assemble and finish.  Hunters can carve, wood burn or finish them to make a heirloom father son project.  Flash forward 30-50 years these calls will still bring back the father and son memories of making them together and then bagging the big Tom together on opening day of the upcoming season.

Rebuilding an old Shotgun or Rifle

Replace an old worn out or broken gun stock with and affordable replacement stock.  Hunting and guns run deep in family blood lines and so does the old family heirloom rifle or shot gun that dad or granddad first taught a youngster to shoot with.

You can still find unfinished gun stocks for some of the early models of shotguns and rifles.  Over the years these old relics may have been abused or broken during various moves made by a family. 

Just by age some of the wood especially around the forends have become brittle, cracked or broken off.

Now with Pop long gone people want to bring back the memories and restore these old guns as they remember using them for the first time.

An unfinished machine inletted stock takes the major work out of starting with a slab of wood.  The stocks are duplicated off an original with the hard inletting 90% to 95% completed.

The woodworker then can take and hand fit the stock and complete the outside final sanding and then finish it saving hundreds of dollars that shop techs charge to complete making it worth redoing a family heirloom.

The wood worker will need some knowledge of working on guns.

And where do you find these types of project components?  The old fashion product online General Store at Cottage Craft Works .com

Just going through the large selection of old fashion hunting gear and products will stir up childhood memories.

Cottage Craft Works http://www.cottagecraftworks.com is much more than just a hunting web site store.  You will find hundreds of old fashion American made products for the home, farm and garden.

It is like the old fashion Sears and Roebuck where you can order Amish sewing cabinets, a hand push garden plow, cookware, and even organic grains and flour.