Keeping It Real

Skills

The practical things a capable man can do. Short guides, no filler, no life story first.

The BRO Survival & Preparedness GuideThe printable family manual: a kit and go-bag builder, water and food calculators, the core skills and a family emergency plan.Get ready, calmly

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Fire Without Matches Is a Tinder Problem, Not a Spark Problem

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Fire Without Matches Is a Tinder Problem, Not a Spark Problem

A ferro rod, a bow drill and a 9-volt battery will all make fire. Only one should be your plan, and none of them work without the boring part.

Set up the block so your worst swing hits wood, not your shin

GuideCountry BroDean Shaw3 Oct 20267 min

Set up the block so your worst swing hits wood, not your shin

Most splitting injuries are decided before the maul leaves the ground. Get the block, the stance and the wedge right, and a bad swing costs you nothing.

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The Railway Canada Couldn't Afford and Built Anyway

StoryHistoryMarcus Vale4 Oct 20266 min

The Railway Canada Couldn't Afford and Built Anyway

A young country promised a train to the Pacific, nearly went broke keeping its word, and finished five years early. Not everyone was thanked.

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Hang a Pre-Hung Door So It Doesn't Drift Open at 2 a.m.

Can You Fix It7 min read

Hang a Pre-Hung Door So It Doesn't Drift Open at 2 a.m.

Most bad door installs get decided before the first nail. Diagnose the opening, set the hinge side first, and the latch takes care of itself.

Poll

How often do you see your closest friends?

The Ten Minutes Before You Start a Chainsaw After a Storm

GuideTools & OrganizingDean Shaw3 Oct 20267 min

The Ten Minutes Before You Start a Chainsaw After a Storm

Chaps, chain tension, a clean air filter and fresh fuel. The checks that keep a cleanup Saturday from ending in the emergency room.

The Pony Express Went Broke Delivering the Mail on Time

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The Pony Express Went Broke Delivering the Mail on Time

For eighteen months, kids on fast horses beat the clock across 1,900 miles of open country. The company lost a fortune doing it. The ride was worth it.

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Sweating a Copper Joint Is Mostly About Getting the Water Out

GuideCan You Fix ItWes Dunbar3 Oct 20267 min

Sweating a Copper Joint Is Mostly About Getting the Water Out

The torch is the easy part. A dry pipe and clean metal decide whether the joint holds, and most first-timers skip both.

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Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

The spark plug job is easy until the last quarter turn

GuideAutosDean Shaw3 Oct 20267 min

The spark plug job is easy until the last quarter turn

Gapping, torque and the hand-start habit that keep a simple plug change from ending with a stripped aluminum head and a tow truck.

Wash Day, the Iceman and the Lamp Chimney Nobody Misses

StoryHistoryDean Shaw3 Oct 20266 min

Wash Day, the Iceman and the Lamp Chimney Nobody Misses

Three machines took apart the American week your great-grandmother lived. The real story of how they got into the kitchen is better than the myth.

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Your Mower Probably Isn't Broken. The Gas Is Just Old.

GuideMomsNina Castellan3 Oct 20267 min

Your Mower Probably Isn't Broken. The Gas Is Just Old.

Most mowers that won't start in spring just need fresh fuel and a proper pull. Start, fuel and care for one yourself, without a repair shop.

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The anchors that came in the box are why the shelf fell

GuideBRO for HerNina Castellan3 Oct 20266 min

The anchors that came in the box are why the shelf fell

A cordless drill isn't hard. The clutch, the pilot hole and the right wall anchor are the whole game, and almost nobody explains them.

Poll

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The Can Came Almost Fifty Years Before the Can Opener

StoryHistoryDean Shaw3 Oct 20266 min

The Can Came Almost Fifty Years Before the Can Opener

The zipper, the lawnmower and the can opener all took two men: one with the idea and a second, stubborn one who made it actually work.

Your daughter's standard for a husband is being set at your table

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Your daughter's standard for a husband is being set at your table

Forget the porch routine for her first date. The real screening happens years earlier, every time she watches how you treat her mother.

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Fixing a dripping faucet starts with the valve under the sink

GuideBRO for HerNina Castellan3 Oct 20266 min

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Most faucet repairs fail in the hardware aisle, not at the sink. Shut the water off, take it apart, then shop with the old part in your hand.

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Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next fortnight.

The Flour Sack Dress and the Neighbors Who Fed Each Other

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The Boyfriend Who Texts Every Ten Minutes Isn't Being Sweet

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A drywall patch nobody can find is mostly about the paint

GuideBRO for HerNina Castellan3 Oct 20267 min

A drywall patch nobody can find is mostly about the paint

From nail holes to a doorknob through the wall, the fix is cheap and learnable. What gives it away is what you do after the mud dries.

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Proving up took five years and two neighbors willing to swear

History6 min read

Proving up took five years and two neighbors willing to swear

The Homestead Act's paperwork was easy. Staying alive on the claim was the hard part, and at the end your neighbors had to vouch for you.

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