-->Weil weiter unten die Problematik der Aufbewahrung physischen Goldes thematisiert wurde, hier ein Beitrag, der etwas allgemeiner auf dieses Thema eingeht:

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HOW TO BURY YOUR TREASURE

BE PREPARED

Lesson number 1 - Arrange your hiding place long before it is required -
unless you are a 007 type, you'll never find one when you're in a hurry.
Whereas most houses these days are without wood panelling, revolving
bookcases and the like, it is not practical to hide treasures in your
home building. Up in the ceiling or below the flooring are definite no-no's.
It has to be hidden amongst that which there is plenty of, and that
which is not subject to movement or rearrangement. Pirates of old
figured a hole dug in the ground to be just the ticket and there seems
to be no better place even today, in spite of modern day grand scale
earthworks. Just be very careful where you dig your hole.
Depending on the treasure you want to hide, there are varying degrees of
care in the packaging required to afford protection to the item. If it is
a gold bar, virtually no protection is required at all, just fling it
into the bottom of the hole and fill the hole in again. When, years later, you
dig it up again, it will be just as good as the day you buried it.


YOUR FAVOURITE THINGS

But let's take another example, something awkward, something
perishable....um...let me think...ah...how about a rifle!!?
The two greatest enemies during long term storage of a rifle, are oxygen
and moisture. Yes I know that moisture is 33% oxygen but in this
exercise, in practical terms, getting rid of one doesn't assuredly get
rid of the other. First thing to obtain is a container which can be
assembled at home, is waterproof, acid proof, everlasting, and
economical. A tall order? No, not really.
Initially you will need to know what size you require. This can be
determined by laying your rifle (with scope removed) flat on the floor,
with the toe of the butt and the muzzle against the wall. Then measure
from the wall to that part of the rifle which is furthest from the wall.
The measurement plus 10mm will give you the diameter of the tube which
the rifle will fit into. Measure also the length of the rifle as this
will give you the length of the tube required. Most rifles will require
a 150mm diameter tube. The barrel and action on it's own would fit into a
much smaller tube, but the stock wouldn't, what then would you do with
the stock?


WHAT MATERIAL?

Stainless steel may be classed as the best material but it cannot be
rapidly sealed off by the average handyman at home, nor would it comply
with the economy requirement. The next best is - believe it or not - PVC
sewerage pipe.
Do I detect gasps of dismay at placing your valued rifle in a sewerage
pipe? Well, I dont mean that you should use a used one. Buy a new piece
of course, and rest assured that if it was designed to keep sewerage in,
then when sealed, it must surely keep it out. So off to your plumber
where, unless he has a really big plumbing business, you will be told
that they don't stock 150mm sewerage pipe but only get it in for special
jobs. You may be lucky enough to find an off-cut or you may be forced to
buy a full length - about 6 metres, which will cost you about $40 but at
least you will have enough for about eight rifles.
Also needed will be two end caps and a small tin each on PVC Priming
fluid and PVC Cement. The regular glue-on end caps cost approximately $5
each.
Hopefully, your plumber will cut your piece of tube off square, but if
not, make sure you get a piece that will be long enough when you trim it
off square. It can best be cut with a hacksaw. The end of every full 6
metre length is expanded for about 100mm so that another length can be
slipped into and easily joined (cemented) to it. This end, you do not
want as an end cap will not fit over this enlarged section.


EVEN A BLONDE COULD DO IT!

Joining instructions should be on your PVC cement tin but basically the
process is:
1) clean squared end of burrs.
2) clean both end cap and pipe with PVC solvent
3) apply PVC cement fairly liberally to both surfaces, firstly the end
cap then the pipe end.
4) immediately assemble by pushing the pipe to the full depth of the end
cap and hold there, without movement, for 30 seconds. This results in
one end being permanently and fully sealed. If a screw- on end is to be
put on the other end, then screw cap coupling (the part the screw screws
onto) can now be attached the same way. Unfortunately, the screw-on cap
has shown that after a 12 years trial, the rubber seal was unsatisfactory
and it allowed water into the container, however forshorter terms, they
may be adequate. Two cemented ends means the onlyway in is via a hacksaw.


MOISTURE EVACCUATION NECESSARY

Now that you have your"time capsule", the next task is to ensure the
evacuation of oxygen and moisture.
First, the moisture. It is not necessary to bake your rifle in an oven
to dry it out, though if you live in a damp climate some preliminary drying
would be helpful. The cheapest and easiest to obtain absorber of
moisture is silica gel, available from your local chemist at a cost of
about $20 per 500 grams.
Depending on how long it has been in stock, it may be blue or pink in
colour. It should be blue, but if it is pink, then it has absorbed all the
moisture it can and will need to be dried. This can be easily done by
spreading it thinly on a large plate or dish and baking it at 250 degrees
in an oven. Leave the oven door slightly open to let the moisture
escape.
The silica gel will turn blue around the edge at first and gradually all
will turn light blue. Stirring seems to hasten the process but increasing
the heat seems to make little difference. The whole pink to blue
transformation can take about an hour.
Most turn blue in 10 minutes but the last 10% seems to take forever.
Once blue and cool, the silica gel can be stored in an airtight plastic bag
where they will remain until needed.
Your 150mm capsule some 120cm long will actually hold two rifles placed
top to tail comfortably, plus there will be room for ammunition and
other odds and ends.


BE PREPARED - THAT'S THE BOY SCOUT MOTTO

It would be as well, if only for peace of mind, if the usual precautions for
the long term storage of firearms were carried out first, ie thorough
cleaning and light coating with protective oil to both inside and outside
metal surfaces. Even Ron Owen's 'snake oil' preparation"gunshiner"
would be ideal for the job and you could coat the woodwork with it as
well (As with any long term storage protection after you bury it, don't
forget to thoroughly clean the internals before using the firearm ).
Into the capsule with the oiled rifles etc. should go about 500grams of
blue silica gel. These should be in a separate non air-tight package,
preferably a plastic bag which has numerous tiny holes in it. A cheese
cloth bag would do but take care the bag does not touch the metalwork,
(It probably wouldn't harm the metalwork if it did, but I have this
ingrained aversion to stored firearms touching cloth - rust is the result
all too often but in the capsule in a no oxygen no moisture environment,
rust should not be able to form ).
Placing the capsule upright with the open end uppermost, the treasure
and silica gel in place, the next task is to evacuate the oxygen. This can
be done in a number of ways, depending on what is available in your
area.


GET RID OF THE AIR

If you live in a country town where the local veterinarian engages in
artificial insemination, then you may be able to buy some liquid
nitrogen or some dry ice. The latter should be available if you live near
the coast as fishing boats sometimes use it in deep freezers. Dry ice and
liquid nitrogen are both extremely cold, 170 and 192 degrees below zero
so don't touch either with your bare hands. They vaporise very quickly
and can only be transported in highly insulated non-sealed container
like Esky's - the polystyrene foam type will do. The attributes of great
cold is not what we are after. however Each rapidly turns into gas at
anything warmer than a typical winter day in outer space.


USING GAS

This gas, nitrogen from liquid nitrogen, and carbon dioxide from dry ice,
is heavier than air and if either one of these substances is allowed to
gasify in and near the top of your capsule then the gas released will fall
to the bottom of it. As the gas fills it from the bottom, the regular air
containing oxygen and moisture needed for rust formation, is forced out
the top.
It is easy to see when your capsule is full of gas. The gas being so cold
causes condensation where it contacts regular air - the moisture in the
air freezes, the same moisture that causes rust - so when clouds spill
from the top and flow down the outside of your capsule and you can see
clear"air" inside it through the thin cloud on top, then it is full and the
container of liquid nitrogen or dry ice should be removed - you don't
need to freeze your treasure.
If you used liquid nitrogen your capsule would now be filled with
nitrogen, if dry ice, then carbon dioxide. Sure, carbon dioxide is carbon
and oxygen but carbon dioxide won't readily part with its oxygen to
enable iron oxide, rust, to form. About 2 dessert spoonfuls of either
liquid nitrogen or dry ice is all that is needed to produce enough gas to
fill the capsule but, if it takes an hour to get from supplier to you home,
then you will need to buy about a litre to compensate for evaporation
during transit. Be careful not to spill it especially in your lap, as very
bad burns will result from its contact with skin.
Once the capsule is filled with nitrogen or carbon dioxide, keep it
upright until the end cap is cemented on or until the screw cap is
screwed firmly on, otherwise the gas will"pour out" the same way as
would water, and be replaced with air.
The end cap is cemented on as previously described. This must be checked
to ensure it is undamaged and clean. Should liquid nitrogen or dry ice
not be available, carbon monoxide from your cars exhaust could be
directed into your capsule. Nitrogen gas is available in gas bottles (as
in oxy/acetylene bottles) and so too is carbon dioxide, but neither of
these are too convenient to obtain unless you work at a hospital.


OR LIGHT ME A CANDLE

Another trick is to burn a candle in the capsule during and after
sealing. When all oxygen is burned up, the candle goes out. The candle
would need to be suspended part way down the capsule, while still
standing on its sealed end, so that the flame would not melt or burn the
PVC. Only a small portion of a candle would be needed, half a birthday
cake candle would be plenty.


REALLY MAKING SURE!

Admittedly, evacuating oxygen from the capsule and placing silica inside
to absorb moisture seems to be doubling up but were I about to store a
couple of thousand dollars worth of pride and joy, I would want to be
doubly sure that 100% protection was being obtained. Also, even with
oxygen removed, there must in time, be a release of moisture and/or
oxygen from the woodwork which could react on the metalwork, hence I
advocate both protective measures.
Now that your encapsulated treasure is sealed, where should you bury is
so that it is safe from prying buzzers of metal detectors?
There are several choices:
1) where metal detectors cannot get near it and
2) where metal detectors will confuse it with something else, or
3) a combination of both.
No 1 is very difficult as detectors cant be turned slightly to one side to
take readings other than directly below. Anywhere that a detector can't
get near will also be very difficult place to situate the capsule.
No 2 is easier. If you have a large cast iron water pipe going through
your back yard, bury your capsule about 20cm underneath this and lined
up with it.
Any large concrete slab, a garage floor for example, with plenty of steel
reinforcing in it would be a good place to dig down below and slightly under.
If none are available, I have had it suggested that you bury lengths of
pipe, and other old iron in scattered pieces all over your backyard just
to confuse the issue.
Another good idea is to bury the capsule on its end, this gives a
smaller target for a metal detector to zero in on. The hole is a lot
harder to dig of course but could be worth the effort. Even better is to
dig out a fence post, deepen the posthole to take the capsule and put
the post back, leaving 10cm os soil between the top of the capsule and
the base of the post., this gives you an excellent disguised maker as
well.


WHY THIS ARTICLE IS NECESSARY

this would have to be the most stupid article ever written. Here we have
the decent honest people contemplating hiding their firearms so that the
police won't find them. The police are supposed to be a friend and
helper to the honest person, in times of need. Here we have unthinking
and knowledgeable politicians alienating the two.
How are the police going to cope by being offside to the honest as well
as the criminals?.
"But the honest should hand in their guns" says the anti-gun legislators,
"and police-people relations won't be affected" bull.....if my friend the
policeman comes and asks me to hand over 100's or even 1000's
of dollars worth of property without compensation and for no other
reason than some so' n' so politician changed a law, then not only will
I not be too friendly towards that policeman, who is actually totally
blameless for the problem, but I will tend to be downright unhelpful to
all police from then on.


POLICE - NOT YOUR FAVOURITE PEOPLE

What about the police attitude? Talk about meat in the sandwich
situation. They will be stuck with having to do what most of them don't
want to do, plus the prospect of alienating themselves against at least
20% of the population.
Take a look at the Western Australian situation. Nowhere else in
Australia can you find so much police arrogance, no doubt brought on by
them trying to impose laws that a high proportion of average persons are
not too happy about obeying, what kind of working relationship is that?
All this - and what good will it do? Will it reduce armed holdups? Will it
reduce murders? will it stop pimples on the dicky? ( how did that get in
there?!)
A definite no is the answer to the first two and whereas I haven't
verified that last one, I am fairly sure that rates a 'no' also. In
summing up, that is how to successfully build a capsule for the long
term storage of your treasure.
But if everyone of you spent half the time required to build it, in
talking to and making known your views to your local parliamentary
representative, then you almost certainly wouldn't need to build one.

<ul> ~ HOW TO BURY YOUR TREASURE</ul>