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I'd end up with blunt scissors and a load of broken glass

My fabric scissors are good quality vintage ones but they wouldn't cut properly anymore. I'd tried whetstones, adjusting the screw and honing with my Spyderco Sharpmaker but despite slicing through paper or multiple layers of fabric with ease, cutting a single layer of fine cotton just wasn't...

Ha! It was Tequila beer... not mine but it shouldn't have been flammable

I'm obviously incompetent as it was still smoking this morning, despite overnight rain. I kicked a few lumps of charcoal back into the main fire area and poured half a beer on it that was left over from last night and the next time I looked, it had burst into flames

It was the right thing to do, it was the responsible thing to do, but pouring water on what had been such a happy, warming, lively fire that had fed us, kept us warm and entertained us tonight whilst we put the world to right (as much as 6 middle aged white straight men could do...) felt...

Took the top off it yesterday to see if it needed cleaning - the engineering is beautiful, all oiled bronze and steel. Gave it some oil anyway and it's running quieter and so smoothly. Wondering if I should sell my Singer 201K now...

It's partly a buzzword but it describes a certain look, which is difficult to accurately define. That toilet roll holder, for example. It's not an issue piece of kit (as far as I know) but it wouldn't look too out of plate attached to a military rucksack and doesn't look as if it will fall apart...

I suppose it's a trade off between making something lighter rather than more rugged. Perhaps a modern tour of duty isn't expected to be as long as it was in the past? Maybe the materials used are stronger? Don't know. I've never been in the forces but seeing some of the 50's canvas webbing...

Was looking for more info on my machine. There's an identical one on eBay for £165!!!! I only paid a tenner. So much for a budget option...

To me, tactical stuff is either black or in a muted shade, to be camouflaged. This makes it good for bushcraft if you don't like standing out in woodland. It also tends to be quite rugged and therefore heavy. Generally rectangular in shape (for bags) so you can organise them on a plate carrier...

Made another one with Mylar (emergency blanket) between the lining and the outer - it's much more flexible but I was disappointed when I tried it this evening in my local petrol station as it didn't block the contactless card

Thanks! It impressed me, considering the machine was only £10 (the lowest the auction house goes to)

Having fixed my vintage zig-zag sewing machine (see here) thought I'd see how capable it was. Loaded thread and bobbin with 40s/TKT40 bonded Nylon and grabbed an old seatbelt that I'd previously sewed on an industrial machine (with green thread). The new bar tacks are at the top of the...

I'd hang onto some of the window bits - useful for making wallets, map cases etc.

I bought a vintage sewing machine (Pinnock SewQueen) from an auction a couple of years ago. Paid virtually nothing for it and typically for machines of that era (1950's?) it's all metal. However, I'd struggled to sew with it, kept jamming up, so I haven't really used it a great deal (wanted it...

My experience has been very different - I find it great to burn. I have an almost unlimited supply of it as so many people won't burn it

Rubbish firewood? Leylandii is awesome. Let it season for 2 years until it's silver grey then it's terrific, especially the branches which are quite dense. Go and post your lies on Arbtalk and see how they react! :)

https://store.lawindustries.co.uk/product/l-i-ewok-pouch

The problem with selling them is having enough interest to justify the cost of becoming a maker on here. Athough I'm getting quicker, they're still quite time consuming to make so I'm never going to make a living from them. How much would you be willing to pay for one? An Ewok pouch is £9.99...

I'm gutted about that. Can't really remember what it looked like (and searching back through my photos, I can't find a picture of it). Since I made it, however, I've upgraded my sewing equipment, including making a nice flat table for my industrial cylinder arm machine which really helps