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Are there any wool spinners out there who use a box type Wool picker who could help me. I am constructing one at the moment and would appreciate information about the nail distribution from someone who has got one. I think I need to know the number of rows of nails, direction and angle also the...

I missed the first part of Bruce Parry's Tribe episode last night. I only saw it from when he was looking at a black tent. The tent material was like a see-through mesh but the tent owner insisted that it was still waterproof. Was I just dreaming? Wouldn't that be a superb tent to try out? I...

Does any one have a tried and tested recipe for Pickled Walnuts?.

There always seems to be a reflector oven mentioned in the cooking section of American outdoor books. And I have always been fascinated by the idea. So about 3 months aga I made one from wood and Aluminium foil. It was a great success. But ended up a bit burnt round the edges. The mark 2...

I have always thought that there are loads of plants that you can eat as greens but that they are not particularly interesting. However, over this winter I have read and made the Italian Greens recipe in Jamie Olivers` Italian cook book. Using cabbage,salad leaves, spinach, herbs in a garlic...

Looking at the access maps got me all excited. There are three bits of yellow marked access land near me. On closer inspection, two are Golf courses and one a field with crops. Reading the small print says that there is no right of access to this type of land. So why mark it as such?. I was...

It seems to me that the conventional wisdom is that the thicker the insulation layer the warmer you are, so you have a thicker sleeping bag for a colder environment. However it seems to me that furs and artifical furs and piles seem to give a degree of insulation greater than you would expect...

If you want to try to boil water using heated stones and are unsure about which stones to use then B&Q may hold the answer. A recent acquisition of both Japanese and Scottish Black decorative stoves I have found work well. I heated them up to red heat and plunged into cold water. The only ones...

When I moved into our present hopse I found a folding knife. It is marked 1147 Solingen at the base of the blade and c. lutters &cie with a lying lion on the other. As its below 3 inch in blade length and not a lock knife I believe it should be alright for an every day carry. So I had ago at...

Has anybody (in the UK as its where I live) made and used a Ray Jardine quilt? I would be interested in a brief review if possible. I was one click from ordering one for last years Christmas pressy but chickened out. It seems to me that the insulation in a sleeping bag under this 18 stone...

Unfortunately I didn't attend but I was interested in the Bow drill comp. Can anyone tell me who won and what sort of time was involved from start to flame?.

I went to a local show and found a Gypsy caravan with wooden Gypsy flowers on display. These are made from available wood, willow and elder examples seen and constructed exactly like feather sticks only the "feathers" are about 4 mill wide and less than a mill thick and when made long enough to...

Up until last week I was a helper with a Scout Troop. Having spoken to the DC I've now applied for an Explorer leader warrant. Although the DC thought perhaps I would like the post of DC Explorers, but I think thats too big a jump. When I finally get my warrant can anyone tell me if there is...

Making a fire with a piece of flint and a piece of steel is relatively easy using charcloth to catch the spark. I would like to consider the possibility that you are in a situation where you have no prepared tinders, you do however have a piece of suitable steel and a suitable stone of flint...

My brother has just given me a Norwegian poncho/shelter, does anyone have any more details on its use and history. I see there are diagrams printed on it to show how they could be joined together but I have only got the one. How was it used for one person only?.

I've just run a Wild Food Night for some Scouts. Here are my recipes if you want to use :- Nettle Soup. Ingredients: Oil/fat/butter.. One Onion chopped fine. One or Two Potatoes peeled and Chopped. Stock cube to taste. Two pints of Water. Four handfuls of nettles. Put a...

I do live in a town but next to my house is a small group of treees that are host to some woodpigeons.They are regularly disturbed by me or by dogs and their owners. Having heard the alarm calls of blackbirds, thrushes and robins etc. I found it odd that there appears to be no alarm call from...

I was very pleased with myself in following the movement of a dog through its tracks. I could see that the dog was stationary, then sped off, then stopped very suddenly, played around a bit then walked away. I also found the track of the knotted rope that was thrown for the dog and estimated the...

Has anyone done any tracking with their cubs/scouts/explorers? If so what aspect did you do?

Many years ago I had a postcard from the British Museum showing a picture of a flint and steel and char cloth with sulphur matches. The idea being that you can get a flame, direct from a coal. I have tried and it can simplify the ember/coal to flame process without all the tinder preparation...