Some new gear

I just opened a package of gear I ordered from my friend Ben. He sells a variety of quality gear for camping and survival. I linked to his store in this post. Ben is a fair and honest man and you can't do better than dealing with him.

First photo shows some blades I bought. The first is a Mora #1 carbon steel blade. The blade length is 3 3/4", .079" thick OAL 7 3/4". Its good Swedish steel! I plan on using deer or elk antler to finish this one. Cost: $6.75

The second blade is a real beauty! Its a Lauri progressive temper carbon steel blade. Blade length 3.7", OAL 8 1/4"and 3MM thick. When you look at the blade from an angle you can easily see the progressive temper line. This blade is scary sharp right out of the box! Its made of good Finnish steel. I'll mount this one in an antler handle, too. Cost: $19.98


Next is the Zebra pot. I bought two of these, one for the wife and one for me. They are the 14CM. Its 5 1/2" diameter, 6 1/4" high with lid and holds 64 oz. Weight 1 pound 10 oz. They are 18-10 grade stainless steel. It has a nesting insert that can be used as a skillet or bowl. This is a very high quality pot and as Ben says "it's pass down to your kids type of gear". Cost: $24.98


Heres another shot from topside.


This photo shows the plastic snaps that hold the lid on when the bail is up. They keep the pot, insert and lid from rattling, too. You remove them before cooking. They are easy to take off and re-attach.

Heres a shot with the bail up lockingthe snaps.


I also ordered two 90' lengths of paracord. This is the real 7 strand stuff and cost $6.99 each.

Have a look at his store and maybe you'll see something you need.

http://www.bensbackwoods.com/servlet/StoreFront

Food storage buckets

I use plastic food grade buckets for storing food. The ones I get from restaurants for free are food grade. You can also buy them brand new. The important thing to remember is FOOD GRADE plastic. Some plastic will leach chemicals into your food that you don't want to eat. I once picked up a dozen buckets that were used for pool chlorine when I first started storing food. Even after washing them a dozen times and letting them air out for a few weeks they still reeked of chlorine. Not good for food storage but useful for storing some tools and non edibles. As for lids, I really like Gamma Seal lids. They screw off rather than peal off like regular lids. A bit more expensive but great for buckets that you may be opening frequently.

Heres some links to food storage grade buckets and lids. The first is for the popular Gamma Seal lid.

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=USPlastic&category%5Fname=24&product%5Fid=20669

Next is the regular, cheaper lid.

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=USPlastic&category%5Fname=24&product%5Fid=9751

Here are 5 gallon buckets. Notice they are FDA approved. This means food grade.

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=USPlastic&category%5Fname=20327&product%5Fid=26588

Here are 6 & 7 gallon buckets. I prefer the 5 & 6 gallon size. These are FDA approved.

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=USPlastic&category%5Fname=20327&product%5Fid=9746

Heres a link to oxygen absorbers as well as how to use them.

http://www.nitro-pak.com/product_info.php?products_id=366

Heres a link on oxygen absorbers, desiccants, and diatomaceous earth for protecting storage food.

http://www.survival-center.com/foodfaq/ff17-oxy.htm

Another popular method of protecting storage food is dry ice (CO2) and nitrogen. Heres an informative link on those process's.

http://www.survival-center.com/foodfaq/ff17-co2.htm

Some folks like to put their loose grain, seeds, beans, etc. in mylar bags. Heres a link.

http://www.survivalunlimited.com/buckets.htm

I hope this information has helped you and inspires you to start your own storage program. With stored food you cant go wrong. If nothing ever happens, you can just eat it anyway.

Food storage FAQ

Heres a link for a food storage FAQ (frequently asked questions). In my opinion this is the best one out there. With the rising price of food, its a good idea to stock up.
Heres the link:

http://athagan.members.atlantic.net/Index.html

Theres also an excellent water treatment & storage FAQ on Alans page.

More knives.......

Here are some more of my knives.............

The first photo shows a big bowie style my father in law gave me. The only markings on it are "STAINLESS". I have no idea where it was made or by who. I modified the sheath by dropping the handle loop down. As for the handle I didn't like the open hollow rivets so I filled them in with pieces of bamboo chop sticks. I then re-profiled the handle. I use this for a machete (thats about all its good for). It works very well in that capacity. If it gets broken or damaged, no big deal. Don't get me wrong, I still treat my tools carefully. I'm not a fan of big stainless steel knives, but since this was a gift I decided to fix it up and use it. The blade is a whopping big 12" long, 3/16" thick, and 17 1/2" overall.

This next photo shows a knife I made several years ago out of an industrial hacksaw blade. The copper looking strip is actually phosphor bronze. I heated it and fit it over the saw edge to protect the sheath. It slides on and off easily. I still put a liner in the sheath made from a piece of milk jug. The scales are walnut. My wife decided she really likes this knife so it's hers. Blade length is 8 3/4" and 13" overall.

Heres a close up of the blade.

This is a handy tool I picked up at a close out sale for all of $3.00. Since its made in China I figure thats about all it's worth. I use it for gathering wild edible plants and herbs.

Heres an other photo of the above knife.

Heres an old carbon steel blade I re-handled. The sheath has two holes at the top for a neck knife lanyard. Blade length about 3".

This next 4 photos show another home made knife. This one also belongs to the wife. It has a deer antler handle with a nice piece of silver mounted turquoise in it. I made the blade from some kind of semi-stainless steel, stock removal. It sparked like crazy but it doesn't rust. I have no idea what it is. I set it up as a neck knife. Blade length about 3".

Tools used for wood working

Heres an answer to a question I received. What do you use to make your wood/bone/antler stuff? Here are a few that I use. Besides stone tools, I use these tools, too. The first three photos are some small planes I use. The brass bodied ones are from India and they work great. The blades are good high carbon steel and they hold a good edge. The only thing I had to do to them was hone them when I bought them. The plane in the third photo is a small block plane. I use this for planing larger pieces such as bows, throwing sticks, etc. Its about 3 1/2" long but has a 1" wide blade. The brass ones have a 1/2" wide blade.





This photo shows some of the knives I use. On the right are my Warren blades and chisels. The handle is the brass and wood one. These are really super blades that hold an edge. The blades in the plastic box's are various X-acto brand as is the handle.

In the next photo is a Nicholson combination rasp/chisel. It has a half round fine rasp on top and a flat fine rasp on the bottom. I removed the plastic handle to make it more portable. The golf ball handle fits the hand very well and its a lot easier to control. I simply drilled a hole the appropriate size 1/3 of the way into the golf ball and jammed the tang in.


This photo shows my small chisels. These are high carbon steel and hold a great edge. Again, I use a golf ball handle for ease of control and less fatigue.



For safety I use this cohesive wrap. I buy the big rolls from sporting good stores. Weight lifters use it to protect their hands. My wife saves hers for me when she gives blood. I wrap it around my fingers to protect them from minor cuts and nicks. This stuff works great. Some wood carving stores sell it. Its called "Wimp Wrap".


This should answer your question and give you some ideas for making/improvising your own tools.

Homemade gear

Heres some home made gear. These were all made from natural, untreated materials. The first photo shows some cooking utensils. On the left is a spatula/stirring tool. Its made from a piece of valley oak. Its about 16" long. Next is a pestle made from a piece of beech limb. Next is a spoon made from western red cedar and finally a spoon made from palo verde. All of these were made from seasoned limb sections found on the ground. The only treatment was to soak them in olive oil. This helps protect the wood and keeps it from cracking.




Heres a side view of the spoons.




This next picture shows a cordage/tinder shredder, a fire steel mounted in a piece of antler and a"hoko" knife. The shredder is made from a piece of bird leg bone. I use it to finely shred tinder such as cedar bark and to remove the outer skin when I make cordage from dogbane, nettle, etc. The fire steel is made from a piece of file mounted in a piece of antler. It makes a handy scraper, too. The "Hoko" knife is made from a stick of cedar and a flake of Burlington chert. Its 5 1/2" long. The cordage is dogbane. These knives are really easy to make. I've seen archaeological samples from caves and rock shelters that had the blade in the middle of the handle. I would imagine these were used some what like a spoke shave or draw knife as well. There are some excellent photos at Texas Beyond History such as this one:
http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/hinds/images/EachWoman.html

Also these sites have excellent tutorials for "Hoko" knives;
Wilderness Way Magazine
www.wwmag.net/hoko.htm

Primitive Ways
www.primitiveways.com/pt-hoko.html

For more Hoko knife info do a google search:
www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=hoko+knife




This photo shows some wood needles made from mesquite. The one on the right is finished. I use these for sewing rush/cattail mats for walls, roofs, sleeping mats, etc.The third one from the left is 3" long. Mesquite is a hard, beautiful wood and takes a fine finish by simply burnishing it with another piece of mesquite as I have done to these.



I hope you've been inspired to create your own tools............enjoy!

Hiking staff ideas

Heres a photo of my hiking staff. Notice the extremely handsome fellow holding it. The fancy top is a chrome plated brass knob with a shaft about 3 inches long. I drilled a hole big enough for the shaft to fit in and glued it with liquid nails. It adds a bit of weight to the stick as well as a hard point for fending off wild critters, 2 and 4 legged. You may notice that duct tape and liquid nails are the two most essential tools in my survival kit. I never go anywhere without them. Good stuff.

Heres a photo of the bottom. Its heavy brass tubing I salvaged from an old brass headboard from a bed. This will protect the end from mushrooming and splitting. I drilled through the brass and wood and drove some small nails into it. It covers the bottom as well as the sides like a cap.



Heres a close up of the end cap.

This photo shows the markings burnt into the staff with a wood burning pen. I marked it off at one, two, and three foot increments. It helps to make measurements in the wilds at times.

This photo shows the reverse side of the staff. I burnt marks every inch for a foot length.


The staff is a limb from a eucalyptus tree I salvaged in the desert of Arizona. Its very strong wood and should last quite a while.

Heres a photo of the top of the staff.



This is a photo of my "signature" or makers mark. A backwards "R" connected to an "L", my initials. I've used this for years on my art work and wood work.


Thanks for looking and enjoy. I hope you've been inspired to personalize your gear.

"C" ration can water filter

Heres a water filter we made in survival class while I was in the Army. I designed this in 1977 while stationed at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. It works great for removing the nasty taste from water you may find in the desert or dry areas. I'm not too sure it removes any pathogens. We used Iodine tablets for water purification. I hate the taste of the stuff so I made one of these up and it worked like a charm. If you don't know what a "C" ration is let me explain. They were tasty meals that came in small cans. There we several different menu's called "B" units. The cans contained things like ham and eggs, ham and lima beans ( we had a special name for these that I won't use in this blog), chicken and noodles, turkey loaf (very similar to turkey spam), etc. The little cans of peanut butter, jelly, and cheese spread looked like shoe polish. As a matter of fact, the contents TASTED like shoe polish! To be fair, some of the food was decent and we learned all kinds of different ways to spice it up and supplement it. In 1973 I received a box of "C" rats at Fort Dix, New Jersey during a training exercise. The date on the box was 1967. I ate them and they were good.
Since finding a "C" rat can is highly unlikely, a soda can or "Campbells Soup" size can will work fine. The "C" rat main meal can is halfway in size between a tomato paste can and a soup can.
The best way to view this drawing is to click on the image and it should enlarge or right click and save image to a file on your computer.

By the way, don't forget your "John Wayne"! Any Vets out there will know what this means.

Knife re-do

Heres a photo of a pair of knife scales I just bought from Spa City Woods on ebay. The wood is Afzelia xylay burl and hales from southeast Asia. The "xylay" term describes the type of quilted pattern of the burl figure. I'll be using them to re-do the handle of my "Canadian Trapper" knife shown in my post "my cutting tools". The original handle was cracked and poorly repaired so I wanted to replace it with something really nice. I'll do a step by step pictorial when I re-handle the blade.

Spa City Woods photo

Artifacts

Here are some photos of my artifacts from various places. These are original tools that were used in day to day, life or death, survival. I replicate some of these styles and use the tools experimentally on wood, bone, antler, etc. Even though some of them are broken they were still usable. I would imagine they weren't thrown away until completely worn out.

This first photo is of a knife from near Denver, Colorado. Its made from petrified wood.


This is a photo of a small knife or scraper. Its from near Grand Junction, Colorado. Its made of fine grained quartzite.

Heres a photo of another small knife from the same locality. Its made of chalcedony.

This is a photo of the reverse of the above blade.

This is a spear head or knife from western Pennsylvania. Its made from Flint Ridge, Ohio flint. The quarry at Flint Ridge has been in use for thousands of years for the quality flint it produces.

Heres a selection of various blades and scrapers from near Grand Junction, Colorado. The two bottom ones are made from a glassy quartzite.

Here is a photo of two artifacts from the Grand Junction , Colorado area. The top one is a broken arrowhead or knife and the bottom a micro blade.
Heres a photo of a very nice knife from Grand Junction, Colorado. Its made from a black chalcedony.
Heres a photo of a quartz blade from Oro Valley, Arizona.
Thanks for looking and enjoy!

My camera

I use an Olympus FE-130 digital camera. It has excellent macro and super macro capabilities.

Re-do:Rocks and Minerals

Heres the pics of some of my rocks and minerals. If you click on any picture it should show enlarged on your screen. Some of these materials have been and are still used for knapping.

Pic 1 petrified wood from Eden Valley, Wyoming


Pic 2 petrified wood Eden Valley, Wyoming-note the preserved growth rings

Pic 3 petrified wood Eden Valley, Wyoming-again, note the reserved growth rings.

Pic 4 thru 7 agate Rabbit Valley, Colorado


Pic 5

Pic 6

Pic 7

Pic 8 thru 13 Oregon beach agate

Pic 9

Pic 10

Pic 11
Pic 12


Pic 13

Pic 14 petrified wood, Colorado -note knot
Pic 15 petrified wood, Colorado-note preserved growth rings
Pic 16 Mojave jasper Mojave desert, California

Pic 17 native copper crystals Houghton, Michigan

Pic 18 Montana agate Yellowstone river, Montana


Pic 19 crazy lace agate Mexico

Pic 20 Laguna agate Mexico

Pic 21 Moab jasper Moab, Utah

Pic 22 Moab jasper Moab, Utah