These family members are aware of my passion for primitive and survival skills and indulged my passion for sharing them. They had stayed with my son and his family for a few days and on their last day I offered to do a little demo work. We started by handing out some soda bottle caps to use as whistles (see “Improvised Cavity Whistles“) and after making some awesome sounds we then proceeded to my passion of firecraft.

The easiest fire-by-friciton method in my opinion is the fire roll (see “… The Fire Roll Firecraft Method“) and so I demonstrated the set-up of materials and process. The humidity that day was heavy but after a few tries all of the adults had success! I explained that fire-by-friction doesn’t produce a flame right away but uses a live coal (or ember) that can be added to fine tinder to produce a flame. Creating that flame gives such a feeling of accomplishment and I watched their delight at their success!

We also practiced the optical fire method using a Fresnel lens and I demonstrated the flint and steel method (not ferro rods) using charcloth. In retrospect I should have shown the ferro method but they were already aware of it.

In the end, my niece and her husband had a good handle on the methods that we practiced and it struck me that these skills are not taught in mainstream education but need to be passed down from generation to generation. It was a delight to see the interest and participation of that day. Let’s take time to share our skills as there are uncertain days ahead and in an emergency scenario they can be invaluable!

It’s in me to share my passion of outdoor skills and knowledge with others and so I attended the church service the next day. Afterwards they fed the boys and men some grilled hot dogs and beverages and when we were finished we headed over to the pond. Various men brought gear to lend to those who didn’t have some. I decided to show the boys “hobo fishing with a soda can” I knew that the first line in the water usually gets the fish but I wanted to set up the young man in the photo first so that he could begin fishing before I made my first cast.

With that task completed I made a couple of casts and got a bite but while I handed in the line it broke and my lure was gone. I tied on another lure but without any further success. I could hear the men in the distance say “I guess that can rig sure costs less than a rod and reel but if it works, why not?”. The bait of the day was chicken livers, worms, and power bait. Out of the total group effort who fished that day only two fish were reeled in. the young fellow that I had helped to set up had two strong bites, one of which also broke his line. He was using the loaner pole from the library and the line was too light for the size of the fish. Lesson learned… bigger fish require bigger line.

I was prepared to demonstrate flint and steel firecraft at the end of the fishing session but a downpour of rain sent us all scurrying to our cars for cover. It just wasn’t going to happen that day, but there’s always the future. When folks get together for outdoor activities it’s alway fun to share my craft and help to teach and prepare the next generation basic skills for survival, not to mention it’s just fun!

At the beginning of each class we shared informal introductions and then I passed out slips of paper to each boy listing survival priorities, and discussed the “rule of threes”. I then demonstrated how to build a campfire that would would later serve to make charcloth for flint & steel firecraft. Each boy who attended the classes successfully achieved this fire method.

They also learned how to make a whistle out of acorn caps and soda bottle caps for signaling. We discussed cooking methods using unconventional tools such as cans and plastic bottles. I demonstrated how to use hand-sanitizer as fuel to cook an egg. They also learned about “Hobo” fishing and had the opportunity to cast a lure using a soda can instead of a conventional rod and reel. At the conclusion of the class I demonstrated a little flint knapping using glass from the bottom of a glass bottle.

I reflect on the days of my youth and value the folks who shared life-skills with me and hope that the information and demonstrations that I shared will be a benefit to the boys who attended my classes.

Some of the activities included blacksmithing, buggy rides, chicken processing, fire by friction, knife sharpening, spoon carving, salt making, shingle riving, all of which comprised only a fraction of the educational classes offered.

As usual, I provided demonstrations of primitive and survival skills. Many of these demos centered around the use of available resources that can turn typical “trash” into survival tools. I turned a coffee can into a suspended cooking pot, a soda bottle cap into a whistle, a soda can into a hobo fishing rig, a broken headlight into a fire starter, a hacksaw blade into a flint & steel striker, and bottle bottoms into a cutting blade and an arrowhead. I also demonstrated the traditional bow & spindle fire by friction method and shadow-stick directional navigation.

Turtle Island Preserve is a great environment to experience heritage skills and self-sustainable living skills. You can learn more about TIP at their website and keep up with their activities on their FaceBook page.

I am pleased to announce that I have written an eBook entitled “Fifty ways to make survival tools from trash and household items“. It is a valuable collection of survival tips, tricks and “how-tos” that can be viewable by eReader on your smart phone, tablet, or laptop. This format will allow you to learn these techniques at your leisure apart from dependance on WiFi or the internet.

To purchase your own copy CLICK HERE TO ORDER NOW

In the photo you can see my new friend “T.J.” who shares survival skills interest. He has just achieved his first successful ember using the bow and spindle kit that I made. In turn, he demonstrated the cobra stitch method of creating a wrist band that conveniently stores about 6 feet of parachute cord for emergency situations. This interaction of skills and experiences by visitors is what makes this experience so delightful. I extend my thanks to Ann for capturing this epic moment of firecraft and to all the visitors who have sent me their photos to share.

If you plan to attend this event, please drop by and say “hi”. In 2 weeks I’ll be attending another event “Daniel Boone Day” at the Wippoorwill Village. Check out my calendar for details.

(after this was published, I was photographed during a cooking demo… CLICK HERE to see the Winston Salem Journal Photo)

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 336-838-2818 or email afrazier@arlibrary.org.