These were the two tracking books recommended to me by Nature Studies. The Jon Young book was on special as I start Bird Language in a few weeks.
Month: January 2023 (Page 1 of 2)
Taking a short break from carving to post pics. Seem to be able to take my time and concentrate more on Tramadol SR, at-least there’s less pain in the hands and no cramping. Walking up and down stairs to get these pictures is another matter entirely. I try and make time for at-least half an hour for carving to relax every few days. Its not like I need to use it straight away. I use carving and flint knapping more for meditation and like to take my time.
Getting some good pictures of the sunsets
ITS February 18th to 19th, 18 speakers works out to about $103 AUD for two days and up to 3 months to watch in its entirety.
Its always a good habit to get into to touch up your blades after each day of use. Not only are they easier to sharpen before they are totally blunted but also to oil them to prevent rust. The last week I used the two larger blades in the pictures I ended up in hospital for a series of operations and never got back to them until today, 8 months later. Sharpening my carving knife reminded me to get them out and I have paid the price. They will now require much more work to get an edge back on them and a lot of TLC with steel wool and oil to remove the rust that has started to develop.
When I first wanted to try carving I searched for a traditional hook knife and found them at Cariboo blades. I asked Aki and Scott if you just had one hook knife in the bush what would it be and they made me the following blade. “Which has a medium size blade with a longer walnut handle. The blade has a little more hook. The steel is from spent lumber mill band saw blade (15N20)”. After double checking the sizing with Aki and Scott although I thought the timber was Yew. Ive had it for must be five years now and is still my favorite. If I’m carrying a carver in the bush rather than carry and entire tool roll of specialist tools I carry this one blade. I seem to get a lot more leverage if that’s the correct term, making it a lot easier for me to use with the damage I have in my hands. The edge is also sharpened on both sides for left and right handed use, but I like being able to change directions when making a spoon.
https://www.caribooblades.com/about-us
Haven’t been in the best of places since my Staffy passed in November. Been doing everything out of habit more than anything else. Fighting with the court system over a dodgy van build, the NDIS National Disability Scheme which seems to be a scheme in rorting the system more than anything else, working out at the gym almost every day to try and build back up the muscle Ive lost over the last year, made a new friend with cancer that Ive been trying to motivate and its ended up hes probably been motivating me more. Started drinking beer today and trying to carve my spoon project and stopped handling knives after the third beer. As I told my new mate I haven’t given up, just don’t give a f#k anymore. Selling my car and caravan and trying to buy a Mercedes Sprinter Van and live the van life for a while. I need a sea change. I write on the blog out of habit, I go to the gym out of habit and I give grief to government departments out of habit. Then I remembered something today. A promise that I made my self. It was 8 years Dec 3rd since my last transplant The NDIS said I can apply as many times as I like till Im 60. I’m not going to live that long, I know that. The week I got Tash she would tremble under the table just from me opening a rubbish bag she had been abused that much. Her back was fused from being beaten and her leg lame from being in a rabbit trap and crippled.Couldn’t even walk 50 feet. It took years of rehab to help her. I was driving interstate to do courses and went to let her out of the car to do her business and she backed into the corner of the back seat and wouldn’t come out. She thought I was going to dump her after ten years of being with me. Today I remembered that promise. I was going to hunt that c*^t down and work his spine with a hammer that did that to her before I croak. Brings a whole new attitude to life. You-tube clips have been popping up on my phone about adopting elder Pities that have been abused. Too early yet but thinking of fostering. Seems to be something I’m good at rehabilitating abused animals. I’m better with animals than I am with people.
The above clip reminded me of Tash.
I found the below videos and thought this would make a great quick project for me that I could use as a makeshift firewood carrier, instead of having to tie knots onto two branches.
Burden strap
Tensioner
How to carry Firewood
Double Overhand Stopper knot
Another way to feed line through the toggle
My Jasper Whetstone arrived today from Gabriel J Warren at Natural Whetstones. I’m going to try getting a slurry on it today and touch up the edge on my carving knife.
https://www.naturalwhetstonesharpening.com/
I ended up purchasing a Myrtle Beech and White Beech blanks. A little easier to carve than the Sassafras until my hands get used to working again. I may try burning the bowl on the Sassafras and using only my Esse bushcraft blades RB3 and CR2.5 to carve them out.
Percussion
Solar
Compression
Chemical
Electrical
Friction
Recently Ive been fooling around with Percussion and Solar fire starting. I didn’t have much luck with compression. Electrical Ive done before. I hadn’t had much experience with Chemical. I had been shown how to do this but wanted to try for myself. I would also be using much smaller quantities than they use on YouTube. Due to 1) I’m not starting a fire, 2) Large amounts are for show, on film and 3) Conserving the Potassium for carrying in my first aid supplies.
Three ways of igniting fire with Potassium Permangate. Mixing it with 1) Glycerine, 2) Brake Fluid and 3) Sugar, which is friction based and also the highest probability of usage since we all carry sugar in our bushcraft gear brew kits. I rarely carry Glycerol, but brake fluid may be an option if stuck in the bush with a vehicle.
I also don’t believe you require very much of either chemicals if applying them inside a tinder bundle and I could only find one clip of anyone doing this from ten years ago, most of them use large amounts of the chemicals for effect but don’t actually light a fire, only the chemical reaction. Very few of them were bushcrafters using this method in context.
I did have several links to YouTube clips showing the different methods, however after two hours of writing nothing saved and I decided because of the Dumbarse Factor, not to show how to do it from this website. There are plenty of clips on YouTube.
Ill be using very small amounts of glycerol and potassium Permangnate within tinder. The chemical reaction took maybe 45 seconds to 90 seconds to start and smoke before full ignition. Once again I’m not trying to make large ignitions but small controlled chemical reactions to light tinder.
Potassium Permanganate Usage Warnings
Everything in life comes with a warning label
Potassium Permanganate is an aggressive oxidizer. It must be kept in a safe, non-reactive container.
Potassium Permanganate solutions mixed too strong can cause caustic burns!
Potasium Permanganate mixed in large quantities can be explosive!
Potassium Permanganate will colour just about anything it comes in contact with purple!
ALWAYS USE GLOVES AND EYE PROTECTION WHEN HANDLING
Potassium Permanganate can become toxic in high concentrations, just like anything. The lowest recorded instance of a person poisoned was 100mg per kilogram of body weight. That said, the LD50 scale for Potassium Permanganate is 1900mg per kilogram of body weight.
