hey interfolks!

hrobyn13 · Aug 31, 2015

Howdy! I am super new to a traveling community in general, which is weird cuz I guess I've been bouncing around the US in all kinds of ways for about 3 years now. This website is kinda cool, to see everyone doing their own thing and traveling/living in their own eccentric ways. I hadn't really considered it because I was just kinda finding myself in lots of random life situations, doing my thing, and encountering a lot of people telling me I can't do things. I'm not super hardcore or anything, barely drink. Very hippie except I can't stand fucking talk without awareness or action, I guess might be a way to put it. However, hippie is a label I often find myself in, so I try to be aware of it.

2010 I was into typical lifestyle stuff, always alternative, but definitely striving for what I was told would make me happy by societal norms. Wasn't happy. So much shit that could never be real, felt sick. Changed everything. Found something different, felt happy just NOT doing or believing in that madness. Struggled to solidify a different lifestyle in my hometown until I bounced out Aug 2012. I've kinda just done a lot of different random situations since then. It's been wild.

I am right now in the process of getting a WVO bus that I can use as a little base of operations, I'd like to set myself up in a more bohemian tramp situation since I'm apparently doing that anyways. I have met some other people in random eccentric lives recently that are doing fan-fucking-tastic. It's been really encouraging to know I can grow and live my dreams in my own unique ways. The biggest struggle has been having felt like I didn't understand how so much of this world operated, being scared to branch out more because I encountered situations I didn't know how to handle. I kinda feel like I operate in this world however I damn well please and operating from that view is the best way to hold my own in anything. Obviously, chiggity-checking myself is a big priority also.

My goals right now are to stabilize my different community spots and connect with more people who are into homesteading and off grid/alternative living, learn new ways of travel, and get my ass on the international nomad scene. My retirement plan is to die shaking my fist wildly into a thunderous grey sea storm and whoever finds my self-made boat can have it. It will most likely be purple or something if you wanna keep an eye out for it.

Thanks a fuck-ton for your time if you are reading this!
-H

dirty andy · Aug 31, 2015

Welcome

creature · Sep 1, 2015

back in the days of the true alternative fuelers...

veggie conversion is cool, but unfortunately waste oil is hard to come by, anymore.

had a short WVO schoolie & my current rig, previously WVO..

if you're stable in an area, WVO is great.. you can make contacts, scope out the best oil, etc.. after maybe 6 months find enough to keep you going cheap around town..

i was never able to do it during trips.. it's pretty labor intensive (though worth it, if you can find it), and not readily available, anymore.. there are folks who make money by collecting the stuff, & ever since corporate oil got its sticky shit into 'bio-diesel', the alternative fuelers who really got it started have been fucked..

there *is* good news, however.. i will get to filtration in a bit, but first off..

i have heard, from fairly reliable sources, that older diesel engines will run on straight liquid oil above 90 degrees F, assuming a strong fuel pump & strong mechanical injectors.. i have also heard that (even better) that you can mix 60/40 (60 diesel, 40 veg oil), with a touch (~2%) of gasoline to help thin it.. this is mid to southern latitudes with low temps in the lower 60's.. Research, because there may be better mixes..

you have to be super carefull where you get your oil from.. avoid chicken places, because the oil is at *least* 20% solids.. i know this first hand.. it was after *that* episode of random knocking on the door that i said "fuck it", & once more became a slave to the diesel industry..

however, since you *can* run on over the counter veggie oil, with almost no modifications, you *could* consider getting a bunch of folks together with EBT & extending your fuel that way..
dunno, but i've wondered if it would work..

the cheapest food oil you could get may be $6 a gallon, if yer lucky.. maybe less if you can but it bulk, or by the case.. dunno, but maybe there are places that sell it cheap in 5 gallon containers..
just thinking along the EBT lines, though..

10 years ago?
yeah.. you still might have been ok, but WVO is no longer found in its old pots of gold..

it sucks..

filtration requires mechanical ability, & harvesting it is a distinct operation.. once upon a time you could search out good supplies & stockpile & refine a 40 or 50 gallon drum in as little as a week..

once upon a time.. & before my time, when i started experimenting..

not meaning to rain on your aspirations, just warning you that what you are envisioning is from a time frame of the recent past which no longer exists..

do not burden yourself by investing unnecessarily or committing yourself to an endeavor too labor intensive to justify whatever minor returns you may get.

i say this from experience.

i de-veggied both vehicles, & i am fucking sad about it.

use your energy more strategically, and if you *do* go forward with WVO, speak to people who not only *do* it, but whom have tried to do it within the context of your own hopes & goals..

hope yer well, sis..

J

Tude · Sep 1, 2015

Great intro!!! And welcome to STP!

hrobyn13 · Sep 1, 2015

creature said:
back in the days of the true alternative fuelers...

veggie conversion is cool, but unfortunately waste oil is hard to come by, anymore.

had a short WVO schoolie & my current rig, previously WVO..

if you're stable in an area, WVO is great.. you can make contacts, scope out the best oil, etc.. after maybe 6 months find enough to keep you going cheap around town..

i was never able to do it during trips.. it's pretty labor intensive (though worth it, if you can find it), and not readily available, anymore.. there are folks who make money by collecting the stuff, & ever since corporate oil got its sticky shit into 'bio-diesel', the alternative fuelers who really got it started have been fucked..

there *is* good news, however.. i will get to filtration in a bit, but first off..

i have heard, from fairly reliable sources, that older diesel engines will run on straight liquid oil above 90 degrees F, assuming a strong fuel pump & strong mechanical injectors.. i have also heard that (even better) that you can mix 60/40 (60 diesel, 40 veg oil), with a touch (~2%) of gasoline to help thin it.. this is mid to southern latitudes with low temps in the lower 60's.. Research, because there may be better mixes..

you have to be super carefull where you get your oil from.. avoid chicken places, because the oil is at *least* 20% solids.. i know this first hand.. it was after *that* episode of random knocking on the door that i said "fuck it", & once more became a slave to the diesel industry..

however, since you *can* run on over the counter veggie oil, with almost no modifications, you *could* consider getting a bunch of folks together with EBT & extending your fuel that way..
dunno, but i've wondered if it would work..

the cheapest food oil you could get may be $6 a gallon, if yer lucky.. maybe less if you can but it bulk, or by the case.. dunno, but maybe there are places that sell it cheap in 5 gallon containers..
just thinking along the EBT lines, though..

10 years ago?
yeah.. you still might have been ok, but WVO is no longer found in its old pots of gold..

it sucks..

filtration requires mechanical ability, & harvesting it is a distinct operation.. once upon a time you could search out good supplies & stockpile & refine a 40 or 50 gallon drum in as little as a week..

once upon a time.. & before my time, when i started experimenting..

not meaning to rain on your aspirations, just warning you that what you are envisioning is from a time frame of the recent past which no longer exists..

do not burden yourself by investing unnecessarily or committing yourself to an endeavor too labor intensive to justify whatever minor returns you may get.

i say this from experience.

i de-veggied both vehicles, & i am fucking sad about it.

use your energy more strategically, and if you *do* go forward with WVO, speak to people who not only *do* it, but whom have tried to do it within the context of your own hopes & goals..

hope yer well, sis..

J

Fuck, creature. Thanks, man. That's incredibly helpful. I have been teaching myself so many new things about all of this, it's hard to keep up with all the info. The bus I'm buying is in the shop until next week getting inspected and finished up. So, I have some time to consider all of my options before I drop some money on it. I figured I would go with this bus cuz it's got the diesel tank still in it. That way I have two systems available to me. Plus, it used to be a tour bus, and the seats are already ripped out and he's got it wired with outlets that run off of a deep cycle battery system that I can easily hook my inverter/solar panels up to. The gas buses are so much damn cheaper, and the alternative fuel technology is certainly not where it needs to be. I hadn't considered that the WVO scene is probably being raped right now. My friend and I had actually discussed this several years back. A big plus for me on that scene: I have worked in restaurants for 15 years now, and I have specifically sought out contacts who have offered to supply me with large amounts of this stuff. I have several contacts in UT, OR, ME and could easily find some in CO. My work trade and odd job contacts that I hit up when I pass through are usually rich with that shit anyways. But yeah, trying to find and process that shit while on the road sounds arduous as fuck. I had considered eventually buying one of the processing stations and leaving it on the park pad I have set up. It's one of those things where I know I don't know enough about it, but I already know I don't wanna go with gas because that feels like it would limit my options even more. I think I am going to ask around to some of my friends with sustainable vehicles what their thoughts are about processing and 'biodiesel', and what other options they are pursuing.

Do you know much about solar energy conversion systems, man? This is one of the hats I've put on recently that I am learning a shit ton about. Curious what others are doing in this scene? I am setting myself up to move mine comfortably between a traveling bus and my little squat spots. Wondering if you know people who are doing this already? Solar technology is in a really interesting place right now, tell ya what.

Thanks!!
-H

creature · Sep 1, 2015

H, hey..

this is a link to my old bus:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/skygull/albums/72157624529934814

if yer saying the conversions are already done, that's awesome!

def go for it, because hell, you can't beat a diesel, anyways..
this moment diesel is a little cheaper than gas, but the top end question is about power & reliability vs. MPG..

if you haven't dropped $ on the vehicle, and you don't have someone you know well, with at least 10 years of serious mechanical experience checking it out, what are some of the details?

most particularly: year, engine size, mileage, number of owners geographic area of usage?(
businesses will use more mechanics, unless it's an owner/operator setup, and every shadetree mechanic that goes under the hood carries the potential to become another significant link in the vehicle's history..

wiring is critical.. can't tell you how many times i've crawled into electrical systems, only to find that the magic performed before the magic *i'm* about to do is indecipherable, or nearly so, & needs to be removed or redone... if there *is* previous semi-professional wiring done, make sure it looks neat.. shitty wiring sets stuff on fire, unless the asshole who put it in knows where the fuck it runs so they can find it & rip it out in the panic of the sudden burning smells..

yer bus actually sounds kind of sweet, though.. but don't romanticize over it..
as beautifull as the beasties are, they are tools & not spiritual entities..
at least not until you can find that they have been conveyed to you with honesty..
if you get lied to about a vehicle, they don't get their fucking spirit until you pump it in, & that's a fucking drag..
not that the vehicle doesn't deserve it, but bringing them to life is work enough, without the pain of hidden discoveries you were told did not exist or not to worry about..

if you're confident in your hunting skills, def go for it.
read up on how to hunt quality oil, if you haven't already.. that would have saved me a ton of trouble, if i had known that fast food oil was the worst you can generally get.. seems the better stuff comes out of private restaurants that don't have a long cycle life for their fryers..

in any case, good luck.. hope your travels are really good..

J

creature · Sep 1, 2015

also.. solar energy is moderately ok while on the road, but only if you're camped someplace to make it worth it..

even 5 decent panels will only give you about 200 watts, depending on what you can afford.. that will provide good light in the evening, & run your laptop if you have 1 or 2 deep discharge batteries of about 900 amps each (use direct 12v DC where possible, since inverters are power hogs).

Passive solar is pretty damn good.. have never used it myself, but have seen it in action.. best setup was a 5' diam reflective parabolic collector that boiled water & ran a frying pan.. looked good for about 3 people..

if you don't have a 40 watt laptop & are ok with 15 or 20 watt bulbs, a 120 watt setup will do you.
the problem with panel systems on vehicles is that they need to track or be adjusted every hour or so, at the minimum.. a real pain in the ass, since most affordable panels are heavy & have to be unpacked & then re-stowed from stop to stop..
if yer parked for a few days, great.. if your just hitting a spot for an afternoon or evening?
in a car you're burning more fuel to carry it than you'd get juice.

in a bus you can *def* pack it..
i tried a tilting roof-mount system on my van, but wasn't able to get (mostly due to impatience, i guess) the range of articulation i needed for complete tracking.. i was able to tilt to about 45 degrees vertically, & that was it..also required permanently mounting the panels, & the rack created a bit of turbulence that threatened to pull the assembly off.. so for storage i just strapped them on, to wait for a better time to remount..

what *i* want to look into is WVO as *cooking* fuel..
cooking fuel is one of the hardest nuts to crack..

i use gasoline powered stoves.. lots of energy, fairly cheap, fuel is easy to get, rugged, portable..
also use gasoline lanterns for outdoor lighting..
but.. looking into the possibility of WVO or virgin VO to power a couple of things..

*that* would be super cool, because the filtration would be so much less arduous, if a few assumptions i'm making are correct.. but.. that's all conceptual design, at the moment..

g'luck, sis!

j

Kal · Sep 1, 2015

Welcome to S.T.P have fun and be safe.

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hey interfolks!

hrobyn13

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dirty andy

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creature

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Tude

Sometimes traveler is traveling.

hrobyn13

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creature

plastic wingnut in a microwave

creature

plastic wingnut in a microwave

Kal

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