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Survivaltek is going Blog!

Ken — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:50:00 +0000

Welcome to the new Survivaltek format! Please browse around and take a test drive through Survivaltek. This site is in transition, and the URL is temporary, but while your’re here, any feedback for broken links etc. will be most appreciated. I have added new pages that will be filled in by future blogs. Let me know what you think… I’ll be glad to hear from you!

TP (Toilet Paper) Heater

Ken — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 04:41:35 +0000

Now that the cold season has arrived, you may need heat in areas where there are no conventional heating systems or power. Many folks have found the “TP” (toilet paper) heater works real well, especially for initial heating or occasional heating to be more comfortable, or, in emergency situations, to stay alive. It’s really simple to make with only a few items. In the photo you’ll see what I use – an empty large tin can with cut-out lid, a roll of toilet paper, some isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol, and matches. Because of the can’s size, I removed the core of the TP, crushed the remaining hole closed, and slide the paper into the can all the way to the bottom. I pour the alcohol evenly over the top of the paper, then drop a lit match on top to ignite it. For safety measures I first place the can in a bowl on an open oven door or clear fireproof surface. I use the can lid to snuff out the flame when I want to extinguish it. These items can be carried as a kit in the back of your car for emergency situations. Always be careful with flammable liquids, and be sure to have adequate ventilation to avoid asphyxiation.

DIY Mini Survival Kit

Ken — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 20:59:07 +0000

Ken’s Do-It-Yourself Mini Survival Kit is totally flexible to your needs. The following list includes the elements and description of their uses.

Landyard – Attached to fishing license holder for wearing around neck. Can be disassembled for use as cordage for bow & spinel fire kit.
Snare Wire – Used for snaring small game – food aquisition.
Fishing Line – Used for fishing, binding, snare, etc.
Safety Pin – Used for binding, fishing, awl, etc.
Fishing Weight – Fishing equipment, plumb, etc.
Fishing Hooks – Fishing equipment.
Sewing Kit – Sewing repairs, suture major cuts, binding. Needle can be magnetized and floated on the plastic saucer or leaf on water which becomes a compass.
Fishing License Holder – Water proof container that holds the kit contents. Can also be used as a cup.
Aluminum Foil – Heavy duty grade prefered. Form into a cup for boiling water.
Paper – Two self-stick notepad sheets used as sheath for razor blade. Also used for notes if you have writing implement.
Razor Blade – Used for cutting. Can be magnetized by stropping down arm in one direction – the end being pulled will point north when blade is floated on plastic saucer of leaf.
Plastic Saucer – Made by cutting off bottom of disposable plactic cup. Used to float needle or razor blade to operate as a compass.
Inner Tube – A wedge cut from inner tube used as “fire-starter” to sustain initial flame for campfire building. Especially useful in damp conditions.
Steel Striker – Used to create spark with ferrocerium flint. Kit produced by Boy Scouts of America.
Flint-Ferrocerium Stick – To be struck with steel striker or sharp rocks to create sparks for fire starting. Cattail fluff is a terrific tinder to use with this method.
Bandages – For covering/binding wounds.
Fresnel Magnifying Lens – Used for making fires by solar method.
Signal Mirror – Effective signal over long distances by reflecting the suns rays. Best to practice before needing to use it.

Fire by Fire Piston

Ken — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 13:40:40 +0000

FIRE PISTON….the most amazing survival fire starting device! With a single push, tinder placed in the end of the piston is ignited by the heat of compression, instantly becoming a glowing ember with no more effort than lighting a match. As a survival device, one of the most compelling aspects of fire pistons is their ability to ignite a variety of natural tinders that can be collected in the woods and fields without special preparation. Some of these tinders having practical value for fire making include true tinder fungus, mullein pith, milkweed pod ovum, milkweed down, cattail fluff, poplar cotton, and wood punk. In addition, cotton charcloth, familiar to flint and steel fire makers works very well in the fire piston and can be made at home.

Survivaltek offers Coco Bolo Fire Pistons for sale for only $60.00. Contact us at info@survivaltek.com for more details.

Teepee camping outdoors

Ken — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 16:05:07 +0000

Teepee Camping

Temperatures are starting to get chilly, but the beauty of the outdoors remains. A week ago my son invited friends to a meteor shower camp-out up in the hills. Earlier in the day I set up a Lavuu which is a Sami version of a teepee. By nights end, everyone migrated there because, in a teepee, you can have a small campfire in the middle which gives warmth and beauty. If you sleep with a fire inside, bring a wool blanket to cover your bedding, especially if it is synthetic, so that errant sparks will not catch materials on fire as wool is resistant to sparks. You can find teepees online, or you can use painters canvas drop cloths to make your own. At night, one of the delights you can experience is when you have an oil lamp or campfire inside, and from the outside, the entire teepee has the appearance of a lampshade with a yellow flickering glow. Once you’ve slept in a teepee, your connection to the outdoors will wonderfully never be the same.

Fire by Fire Saw

Ken — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 00:52:12 +0000

Catagory – Friction The bamboo “Fire Saw” method uses a sharp edged piece of bamboo, a semi cylinder tray, two balls of bamboo shavings used as tinder, and a leaf to hold the tinder in place while sawing. The tray has a short 2″ trough cut lengthwise on the inside that almost pierces the outward skin. On the outside of the tray, a slight groove is cut perpedicular to the inside trough. Where they intersect, a small hole can be pierced. The sharp edged piece is anchored with the blade facing upward. The tray is held perpendicular to the blade with the outside groove facing down on the blade. The bamboo shavings are placed over the inside trough of the tray and held in place with the leaf while sliding the tray back and forth over the sharp edged piece. Alternatively, the apparatus can be inverted so that the tray is placed on the ground, covering the tinder bundle, and a sharpened bamboo blade can be born down from above.

Fire by Fire Pump

Ken — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 00:35:03 +0000

Catagory – Friction The fire pump is an assembly of a spindle, thong, cross piece handle, and flywheel. This tool is used with a fire board and spark tray. The middle of the thong is attached to the top of the spindle, and the ends are tied to the cross piece ends. To begin using the fire pump, one hand holds the cross piece horizontally, while the other hand grasps the spindle and winds the thong for several turns. Then press down on the cross piece which causes the spindle and flywheel to begin spinning. You will observe the cross piece handle rise and fall each time the spindle spins and counter spins, so keep pumping the handle to generate friction between the spindle and fire board.can be reduced by occasionally alternating the spindle angle slightly on the hearthboard socket.

Survivaltek – Fire by Hand Drill

Ken — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:00:00 +0000

Catagory – Friction The hand drill method uses a long spindle, hearthboard, and spark tray. Beginners will find it easier to attain success by using a thong fastened (mid thong) at the top, with a loop at each end to insert each thumb. This allows you to maintain constant downward pressure while spinning your hands at one level of the spindle. The time to create a live coal can be reduced by occasionally alternating the spindle angle slightly on the hearthboard socket.

DIY Flint & Steel Kit

Ken — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:00:00 +0000

Ken’s Do-It-Yourself Flint & Steel Kit is very inexpensive and easy to make. The following list includes the elements and description of their uses.

Metal Container – This “Altoid” mint candy tin is great. It houses the kit, and can be used to create char cloth.
Char Cloth – Carbonized cotton cloth used to catch a spark.
Cotton Cloth – Used to make char cloth. Carbonize indirectly, by placing inside tin while baking over coals, or carbonize directly by holding cloth in pliers while setting on fire, then snuffing it out with tin lid once cloth is totally black.
Candle – Used for light or damp tinder fire-starter.
Flint – Used with metal striker to create sparks. Any igneous, silicate based stone with a sharp edge will work.
Striker – Piece of hacksaw blade mounted edgewise into wood block.
Tinder – Jute string. Unravel string into fiber fuzz “birds nest”.

Process – Prepare the “birds nest” and tinder to recieve the flame that you will be making. Hold the stone with the sharp edge exposed. Place charcloth on top of the stone and flush with the sharp edge. Slightly fraying the edge of the char cloth will enhance the capability of it to catch the sparks. Hold the striker perpendicular and slightly above the stone and strike downward as if trying to slice the edge. The sparks will eventually catch on the char cloth as a bright orange glow. Blow on the spark to increase it’s size, then place the charcloth into the “birds nest”. Gently wrap the nest fiber around the spark, and hold the bundle slightly upward and blow vigerously. The fibers will begin to ignite, and a flame will ensue. Initially, it might be helpful to practice making sparks before you begin using the char cloth.

Alternate striking method for matchbook matches to create fire

Ken — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 03:31:04 +0000

I started exploring the idea that safety match-book matches might be lit if I treated them like fire-by-friction wood… that is, if I pre-heated the match by rubbing it slightly before I used a mild friction surface to strike on. It worked on the ceramic bottom of a cup, so I enthusiasticly showed my son who just plain struck it quickly and succeeded. I continued to explore this discovery and found other objects that worked, such as a medium surface sharpening stone, and a semi-glossy brick. Surprisingly, you can strike a match on a pane of glass too, but it can cause damage to the glass.