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spamel

Banned
Feb 15, 2005
6,833
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Silkstone, Blighty!
I may try for some sap this weekend, both my dad and younger brother are going away to play war, they both do reenactment of second world war units (Dad's a Gerry and Nick is the only bloke in his american airborne unit which means he is in charge!) so I will be stuck at home with Mum, and I think I may go out and try out the local flora and fauna!!
 

leon-b

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
May 31, 2006
3,390
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Who knows
i got a few pics but as my mate is borrowing my camera i had to use my phone, 2 mp is great for a phone but does not come close to my camera, i didnt look that much as i just had a quick ride through the woods on my bike but i couldnt see any birch, i will have to have a better look on foot another day
leon
 

leon-b

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
May 31, 2006
3,390
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Who knows
i saw some birch today and they look fairly big i will have a closer look soon and test to see if the sap is running
leon
 

leon-b

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
May 31, 2006
3,390
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Who knows
copied from my blog.

I decided that today I would take my bike and ride round the village looking for Birch to tap, after a short while of not finding a suitable one I thought why not go on a short bike ride. I headed along the sea wall and past the marshes, after riding about 2 miles I was regretting bringing any food lol, and after about 4 miles I decided I would stop, sit down by the small rivers that seperate the fields and listen to and watch the birds, there was mostly ducks and geese but I also saw lots of different marshland birds but my bird ID is not great so I couldnt tell you what they were lol. I managed to sneak up to a duck on the river and got very close to it.
I startled hundreds and hundreds of geese sitting in a field by accident and they flew over the top of me, what a noise they make.
it was a great day and I hope to do it again soon.

leon
 

leon-b

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
May 31, 2006
3,390
22
Who knows
i played with some tinder fungus last night, it was sent to me from another member on here, i roughed it up with my knife anf struck it with sparks, it went up fairly easily, but i didnt have any tinder in my house so i grabbed some tissue paper and ripped it up i then put the lit fungus in there and poured some sawdust on it, i held it tightly and blew soft at first and then getting harder as the ember grew, it grew massive but still no flame, after a long while of blowing and the garage being smoked out though i finally got a flame
leon
 

leon-b

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
May 31, 2006
3,390
22
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hi guys, i want to have a go at an overnighter using just minimal kit, what can i get away with ? no fires, i will be using a stove, i dont think i need a sleeping bag as it is getting warm and im thinking of taking a couple of wool blankets to use as bedding and to make a sort of shelter out of one
any ideas on how to make a shelter out of one ? A frame ?
leon
 

spamel

Banned
Feb 15, 2005
6,833
21
48
Silkstone, Blighty!
If the weather is anything like it is here, a few blankets would be perfect. It's a lovely sunny day at the moment and I'm gonna take my four year old for a walk in a minute!

When you set your camp, make a mattress from downed limbs. Use large straight branches at the bottom, arm thickness or so. If you use long sticks the length of your body, you can raise these up on two cross beams, just thicker spars laid at about shoulder and knee positions on the floor. This will give your matress a bit more spring and get you away from a damp floor, but they are not necessary. Of course, you need to keep laying these branches down side by side until the bed is wide enough for you.

Once you have the bottom layer sorted, place smaller twigs and sticks running across the bed. Build up a good layer, make sure none are sticking up. Once you have covered the bed with the sticks, place the soft top layer on. I suppose you could use bracken or grass for this but I have always used branches trimmed from a fir tree of some sort. There is always a downed fir tree in the woods, dunno why, but use this tree and get the nice green boughs off to lay on the top of your mattress.

Place the fir boughs into the sticks below so that they are almost stood up, then when they are in they fall down and lay across the sticks and create a nice surface of your bush mattress. Lay one blanket on top, lay on the mattress, place your other blanket on top doubled up if big enough and throw the left overs from the bottom blanket over the top aswell. You should stay lovely and warm!

If you do need a sheltaer above, I would simply take a poncho, if you are out and about you need basic kit and waterproofs should be part of that kit. The beauty of the poncho is that it can be your waterproofs and your shelter, and can be used with a few bits of wood and some string to make a pack to carry all of your kit in aswell! (Don't ask what you do with your kit when it rains though!!)
 

leon-b

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
May 31, 2006
3,390
22
Who knows
ok i will jut sleep like that with nothing overhead, i might try it out in the garden before i go out and try it. i break up on friday and have two week off so i will do it then
thanks leon
 

spamel

Banned
Feb 15, 2005
6,833
21
48
Silkstone, Blighty!
Take a tarp with you just in case. Just because you have it doesn't mean you need to use it. Besides, waking up in the middle of the night to gaze up at stars is something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime.

What tarp have you got Leon?
 

leon-b

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
May 31, 2006
3,390
22
Who knows
yes it sure is, ermm i have a couple of tarps, i have a rectangular camo one and a 3x3 tatonka
leon
 

leon-b

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
May 31, 2006
3,390
22
Who knows
I have been working on my pot hanger article, it is nearly finished, all i have left is to write up how to make a couple of pot hooks
ps - could i waterproof one of the woolen blankets ? would it have any benifits ?
leon
 

spamel

Banned
Feb 15, 2005
6,833
21
48
Silkstone, Blighty!
Sheeps wool contains lanolin which I believe makes it waterproof. Baby oil contains Lanolin, or so I am told, and could therefore help to waterproof a blanket. If you wash the blanket with a few capfuls of baby oil in the water, no soap, then the oils should impregnate the wool. Make sure you swill the blanket round good and proper to get an even application and dry it on the washing line.

So, you could wash it in the bath, or in a washing machine but make sure there isn't any soap residue from a previous wash. Of course, what I suggest could be utter rot, but it sounds plausible. One for the mythbusters?!!
 

leon-b

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
May 31, 2006
3,390
22
Who knows
thanks i might try it this friday in the garden, should be fun but it may take a while to get used to the itchyness
leon
 

spamel

Banned
Feb 15, 2005
6,833
21
48
Silkstone, Blighty!
I'd only use a capful or two. If you are worried about itchyness, get one of those soft woollen picnic blankets, the tartan ones, and use it as a liner. You can usually get them from petrol stations as people put them in the back of the car. They aren't itchy at all, they're nice and soft and quite warm considering how thin they are.
 

leon-b

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
May 31, 2006
3,390
22
Who knows
i already have one of them so i will use that as a liner, i think i should be quite warm
leon
 

leon-b

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
May 31, 2006
3,390
22
Who knows
hi, me and dad need help again, its my birthday in just over a week and me and my dad are probably going to buy a kayak, i am on a bit of a tight budget so canoe is out of the question really, we might get one each or a tandem, what do you think is best ? i would prefer two singles, do kayaks have storage, i mean enough to store camping gear for say a night or two ?, what material should i look for ?
i live at an esuary so i can paddle in either of the two rivers plus a resovoir that is close.
any help appreciated
leon
 

leon-b

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
May 31, 2006
3,390
22
Who knows
ive been putting a tiny pond in my garden
minipondandflowers.jpg

leon
 

leon-b

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
May 31, 2006
3,390
22
Who knows
After reading the post on Pablo's blog about journals I decided that I wanted one to write in everytime I went down the woods but as i wasnt going to town anytime soon i set about making one, and heres the end result. It has 53 blank pages, it has a cardboard cover wrapped in black leather, In the future when I get some i'm going to stick some more badges to it but at the moment it only has the BCUK one on there. The front is plain black but this is the back of it.
Journalimade.jpg

leon
 

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