He proceeded to remove the wrapper off the top of the wine bottle then took a steak knife and pressed it into the top of the cork. This particular cork was the newer plastic foam types but the natural corks would work the same. After embedding the knife about an inch deep he began to twist the knife slowly as he pulled the knife upward. In a sense the knife blade acted as a big screw driver that provided good torque for loosening the cork from the neck of the wine bottle. The area of contact between the knife blade and cork body provided enough friction to pull it upward. A steak knife might have a slight advantage as the serrated edge might add slight additional surface grip. After several twists of the blade the cork emerged to a point where it could be grasped by hand and removed.

I was so excited! I asked if I could give it a try on the other wine bottle. After a few attempts at setting the blade deep enough I too was successful and was delighted to have learned a new skill. On a subsequent day I tried this with my pocket knife and I learned two things; position the blade’s edge away from you for safety sake, and insert the blade with the flat side at a slight angle so that it is less likely to slip out and enhances the lifting capability.

Is this a life saving skill? Maybe. But it could certainly save the day when a corkscrew is forgotten or lost and is a great addition to your McGyver skills. If you want to learn more methods to open a wine bottle check out this link http://www.wikihow.com/Open-a-Wine-Bottle-Without-a-Corkscrew .

Sure enough, there was corrosion around the negative terminal. I didn’t have my usual automotive tools with me so I used my multi-tool to clean it off. In the process I discovered that the wire clamp connector was actually broken. After cleaning the parts I reattached it and attached the jumper cables to see if the car would start. All that could be heard was a “clicking” sound that is often associated with faulty connections. I was hoping to use a small hose clamp to surround the wire connection but none was to be found.

Then a thought struck me… maybe a vice-grip pliers could create a solid connection between the battery post and the broken wire connector. Fortunately that tool was available. I adjusted the width and clamped it over the connection. Because the vice-grip covered the terminal I placed the negative lead of the jumper cables onto an engine bolt for grounding then I had her try to start the car again. There was an immediate improvement and after a few seconds the engine started much to our delight and relief.

So why do I share this experience? So that if you find yourself in this predicament you will be aware of this connection approach. And on this topic of car/battery related problems you might enjoy my article “Emergency Battery Boost” [https://survivaltek.com/?p=1626] that explains a battery jump trick when a single pair of cables doesn’t quite do the job. These are just two more tools in your knowledge bank when you or someone you’re helping needs to get a vehicle started and can save the day in an emergency.

Ignition sources include sparks, flames, embers, and other sources of focused heat. A common “party trick” is to squeeze an orange rind right next to the flame of a lighter or matchstick. The airborne mist ignites with a “poof!” creating a larger momentary flame. I was curious to see if a flame could be created without using a pre-existing flame by using a spark instead. I often use empty flintwheel lighters to experiment with. The “flint” in the flintwheel lighter is actually ferrocerium which is an alloy of different metals that when struck or scraped will produce a very hot and long duration spark. It can ignite tinder that traditional flint and steel sets cannot. So, I remove the windscreen from the lighter and it becomes my spark source.

In this experiment the biggest challenge was coordinating the mist released by squeezing the rind with the spark produced by the flint wheel. At the end of the session I had a small blister on the lip of my “flicking” finger but it was well worth the price of success. My “proof of concept” worked. Although the flame is only brief, it could exceed the ignition potential of sparks alone.

So, for other firecraft enthusiasts, give this method a try to add another method to your list.

It was a rainy day so they had to use an umbrella to keep the tinder dry and they decided to run the engine to support their battery during the pencil heating process. The time from clamping the pencil to producing a flame took less than 1 1/2 minutes. They transported the initial flame over to the campfire ring where they proceeded to build their campfire for the day.

I am proud of their achievement and was delighted that they captured it by video using a cell phone for our enjoyment. Click on the photo to watch the video… it’s amazing!

Today’s typical handsaw has a hole at the top corner of the blade toe. This hole is provided to hang the saw on a nail or hook for vertical storage on a wall. This technique uses this hole as a point to fasten a cord or wire that in turn is fastened midway onto a stick or bar that is used as a two-handed handle for a second person. This allows the second person to “pull” the blade in rhythm with the “push” of the primary saw operator. When using this technique it is best to put the stronger person in the primary push position and the weaker person in the pull position, but laborers of equal strength can choose either side and switch occasionally to lessen fatigue.

So next time you find yourself in this sawing situation, remember this trick, draft a friend, and “git-er-done”.