Not a make so much but I processed some wood for the outdoor fireplace with an Opinel folding saw, an ESEE Gibson axe, a Hardcore Hammers Hatchet, and an ESEE 3. I took this opportunity to teach my youngest how to do this and to use these tools so maybe what I made was a fledgling bushcrafter???
Instant coffee (big tin of it was on sale) sachets for the Scout Rig and L.R.R.P.R. webbing rigs so much cheaper than store bought instant sachets
Was making a black locust axe helve and found a big beetle track - so now it's a walking stick. Then I decided to convert a hoof rasp into a bolo and ended up closer to a Sirupate-style KLO. Still removes honeysuckle, so I'm not mad.
Used some kool aid Mylar bags to seal coffee last week. Cut it down to slightly bigger than ketchup sized packs and sealed char cloth in it.
Extra long Hooch cord - gutted paracord, two micro clips, soaked with silicone dry film lubricant. Weighs almost nothing
Bought $100 CAD worth of JigAloo silicone dry film lubricant spray and soaked (literally) all my webbing gear, pack/rucks, tarps, outdoor fleeces /wool sweaters, hiking pants etc this stuff is bleeding edge technology. Esp with fleece, wool, down , etc - it coats every fiber and allows for rapid release of moisture / water when you shake the garments. min webbing / rucks / clothes it lubricated the zippers, prevents dirt/forest chaff etc from sticking. As well the threads don't wear out / chafe / rub , due to how slippery they are. webbing rigs / packs / rucks pockets & pouches when the dry film lubricant is sprayed on and IN them, allows for friction free insertion of canteens etc. anything soaked / sprayed with this dry film technology , glides over rocks, fallen trees, etc without snagging from stiction like untreated gear and for you firearms / shooter / hunting folks.... If you spray your ammunition , inside of your mags, your actions on your firearms , with this spray, you'll get faster feeds, no jamming or sticking and much much cleaner weapons.
I added shockcord to the ultralight back pouch on the L.R.R.P.R. webbing harness..... hoping to compress the pouch flatter against the upper back. it did compress it nicely, uniformly, EXCEPT with a puffy insulation hoody inside, the back of the harness webbing (sits against the back) deformed into a round shape, causing discomfort while wearing the rig But, no big deal, trail and error, learn from mistakes and keep testing gear
A friend of mine is an avid Salmon fisherman and asked me to carve a Coho for him. It took some time, but I completed it today. The carving was done using a MORA 511 Basic.
Boiled up some wood stain from Red Alder bark. This is the second batch of this I have made, it seems to work fairly well. The first batch was for tomahawk handles a few years ago. Basically strip the bark off of red alder and boil it in water for a few hours. Then I strain out the bark and reduce it down to a thin syrupy consistency. I also, for this project strained it through several coffee filters to remove the solids. I think I had about 2 gallon to start and ended up with maybe a cup of stain. The application is a bit finicky as there is a lot of resin in the liquid that will not penetrate the wood. I found that warming up the wood and the stain helps, apply multiple coats of stain and also spray or mix with denatured alcohol if needed to thin out the resin and allow the woodgrain to absorb it. When it starts to dry I use a heat gun to melt in and dry the resin. Buff it out with a clean cloth and let it dry for a few days to reduce the tacky feeling. For the hawk handles I then just maintained like all my others with an axe wax or butcher block conditioner as needed. Pretty thin to start. Strain it and boil more, transfer to smaller pot when needed After about 6 hours of reducing A picture of some applied to the project, a nice golden honey color and it has an almost sweet cinnamon or caramel smell.
Glued a large cut down cork piece into a @5col bank line tube- other end of cork is the stopper. Waterproof storage (lots) inside plus bank line on the outside. I like to maximize space on my gear - utilize every possible empty space. The core of the cordage tube was wasted space. Now it’s usable waterproof storage space - and it meets my criteria of trying to get every piece of gear to be multi-use this storage save could be utilized for a fishing kit, matches / tnder storage etc
I converted 1/2" square steel stock into 30 tent stakes. then traded 8 of them for another 40' of steel so I can make 24 more. (and a couple stake pullers)
Used up some apples & bananas - chunked the apples and sliced the bananas. bunch of kale & spinach chopped up. Wash, then blanch in boiling water for 10 seconds. Drain well, spread onto tray. These kale/spinach flakes will be used with instant noodles in my hiking food kits, to add healthy fiber, minerals, vitamins and flavour Time to dehydrate - the apples / bananas will get portioned into vacuum sealer bags with raisins , dried nuts etc , for RTES (Ready To Eat Snacks) for my webbing rigs. Also picking up a big bag of frozen cranberries and blueberries later today for dehydration. The spinach/ kale veggie flakes will be added to instant noodles been eyeing this professional stainless steel 12 tray dehydrator for a while now - will have to wait until the work $$ picks up though also made a gaffer tape rig - got tired of trying to find various rolls of tape in the house - now they are all together and easy to find / use
8 cups of raw spinach & kale , dehydrated down to 1 cup Time to gussy up some instant noodles for the trail Vacuum seal portions of spinach & kale take a pack of noodles - separate out the seasoning packets Crush the noodles (they rehydrate way faster) Add the seasoning packets and dehydrated spinach & kale packet into a Mylar vacuum pouch , fill with the noodles Vacuum seal and you got a durable meal pouch - instant noodles loaded with nutritious veggies
Repurpose and reuse… you can get these heavy heavy duty water carrying vessels from a Fazolis drive thru. Lemonade or sweet tea or you could ask for an unused one maybe? I drink the tea or lemonade, wash out and allow to dry, then folds up to be tucked away and forgot in a backpack pocket til u need it. You could even store your water purifier pills inside til needed. Has a built in carry handle and tight fitting screw on lid. 2 on a 4 feet length of paracord and you could wear around your neck and travel a great distance on that water even in desert country. These milk shake straws came from a drive thru (Freddys) and allow double the storage for the straw. Souped up petroleum cotton balls. Larger meds that don’t fit regular straws, like the imodium ad that you should have to lockup your bowels to save you from the dehydration diarrhea that you could be subjected to in a survival situation. These great rubber bands that holds the container folded are on your produce in the grocery. They have many uses, never throw them away! Swiss Army knife for some eye candy