Archive for March, 2009
Making Cordage from Natural Fibres
March 23rd, 2009 | 
Author: 
In these modern days with our throwaway society. Cordage, whether it’s string, cord or rope is taken for granted. Not much thought is given to it. A piece of string is used and when its job is done it will probably be discarded. When a piece of string is needed again, a fresh piece is cut from the ball and so it goes on.
However, to produce a length of cordage in the field from natural fibres can take a significant amount of time. Especially if a long, thin strong length of cordage needs to be produced. There are two main methods of producing cordage, twisting and plaiting. Normally twisting is used to create an initial length of cordage. Then plaiting can be used with several of these twisted lengths to produce stronger, larger diameter cordage (cord or rope).
The Lone Trail – A Bushcraft Poem
Ye who know the Lone Trail fain would follow it,
Though it lead to glory or the darkness of the pit.
Ye who take the Lone Trail, bid your love good-by;
The Lone Trail, the Lone Trail follow till you die.
Wild Food that can be Forraged in Spring
Spring is now well on its way. The sun has made an appearance, the sap is rising, buds are opening and birds have paired up and are busy nest building. So I thought it was an appropriate time to look at some of the wild foods that can be foraged from the fields, woods and hedgerows over the coming weeks.
How to Light a Fire Using Chemicals
Here is an extremely easy yet little used method of fire lighting. For this you need two easily obtainable items which can be bought in most high street chemists.
1) Potassium Permanganate.
2) Glycerine.
The Men That Don’t Fit In – A Bushcraft Poem
There’s a race of men that don’t fit in,
A race that can’t stay still;
So they break the hearts of kith and kin,
And they roam the world at will.
They range the field and they rove the flood,
And they climb the mountain’s crest;
Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood,
And they don’t know how to rest.
How to Strike a Match Correctly
How to correctly strike a match! This seems like a case of teaching someone to suck eggs but, imagine just how important this could be to you. If you’re down to your last match and you desperately need to get that fire going. Not to be too melodramatic but “Your life could depend upon it”. Without the warmth of that fire, you’re going to spend a very cold night with no warm food inside you to boot. Worst case scenario = you’re not going to see next morning’s sunrise!
Primus Eta Express Camp Stove Review
I’ve recently been sent a Primus Eta Express stove by Steve and John of Merlin Surplus and Survival ( www.merlinsas.co.uk ) for testing and evaluation in the field.
What follows are my personal views and findings of this small, powerful, self contained gas stove.
First things first. What’s in the box? Well, you get a one litre cook pot which has a heat exchanger system on the bottom (more about this later), a windshield, the burner in its own protective drawstring bag, a frying pan/lid and a net bag to pack everything in when the stove is being transported.
How to Tap Birch Sap
I’ve been asked to do a tutorial with photos on the method I use to tap birch trees for their sap.
Some of the pictures are a bit poor quality as I couldn’t get the camera to focus where I wanted it to.