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  1. Chance

    Windfall (sic) Kindling

    For anyone dealing with the aftermath of Arwen (after clearing the widow-makers): I thought that this was already a thing. Not taping underpants to the shoulder of an old felling axe, but supporting the blade upright to make it easier to injure yourself if you fall? Used with a mallet/baton...
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    Your time to fire(steel)?

    Background: I’ve just got my call-up papers as a reservist for the local paramilitary youth group, where post-lockdown training kicks off with “Firesteels”. I’m not 100% enthusiastic. Don’t get me wrong - I think firesteels are great, and they’ve saved me from embarrassment on several occasions...
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    Spoon-carving Course, Northeast Scotland

    Quote: "Dunnottar Bodgers Group are hosting a spoon carving course on Saturday 11th May. There is a spare place if you are interested, cost is £25 if we can get 10 attendees. Would you, or do you know someone who might be interested? Venue is Dunnottar Woods I think a either 0900 or 1000 start...
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    Christmas Decorations?

    I don't imagine that I'm the first to ask this question, but I didn't get any obvious hits from a search, so... I'd like some simple ideas for individual Christmas decorations, or gifts, that can be made by members of [an international youth organisation that doesn't allow the use of fixed...
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    Stuffing (Taxidermy)

    I've been asked if I know of anyone in the Northeast that can teach taxidermy. A friend of a friend is interested in stuffing/mounting a pheasant (stop sniggering, it's undignified).
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    Help with shelter ID?

    The nest of the grey-flecked elm-pollarder: I'm not sure how to classify it - wickiup, debris shelter? There's no trick photography involved: the structure is just as you see it, made up of snedded stems no thicker than a finger. It sits over the stone-lined hole that we cover with a...
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    Leatherman Premium? Sheath

    Is anyone able to explain the new(?) Leatherman premium sheaths? Are there photos anywhere on the Internet? I have just been given a birthday replacement for a confiscated (don't want to talk about it) Charge, and am struggling to reconcile what goes where. It appears as though the driver...
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    How to find North (and the Andromeda galaxy)

    To find the Andromeda galaxy (without a fancy iPhone app or a star-finding telescope), try these shed-bodged signposts: - Drive North from Ursa Major to Polaris. - From Polaris, drive via Cassiopeia to the square of Pegasus. - Follow the northern branch of Pegasus to the second junction, and...
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    Chilly Out - Question for the Arctic RMC

    I've recently been reading another manual with a section on snow shelters, which has the standard (?) 'make a trench for the cold air' advice. This will be pedantry, but I want to make sure that I understand what's meant. Although I've made a variety of snow shelters (kids are a great excuse)...
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    How round a butt ?

    Following on from my open question about how far to drop the point of a 'bushcraft' knife, and with a doff of the cap to the 'knife handle encyclopedia', I would like to canvas the opinion of the experts of the shape of their butts. Why is it angled / rounded / square / coffin-shaped ...
  11. Chance

    How drop a point ?

    I hope you'll excuse this post: I have done a search, and found the sticky, but may not have spent long enough to find this question the first time that it was asked. It's something that's bugged me from the first time I saw a "bushcraft" blade - why is the point generally dropped all the way...
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    Innovation in Bushcraft

    I'm only an occasional visitor to BCUK, and worried that I'm missing out on the best top tips. Inspired by a question asked of a famous TV bushcrafter at one of his recent talks, I'd like to ask the community: What are the recent innovations (if any) in Bushcraft ? This could be...
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    Local Knowledge

    We're planning a trip down the Dee. Any recommendations for a discreet wild (hammock) camp site ? If we can't do the Dee (the sentimental choice), the alternative suggestions are Loch Tay or the Spey. And, since I've broached the topic, I'd welcome any suggestions for wild camping in the...
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    Cheap Autumnal Dart Practice

    You're out for an Autumn walk, when you're struck by the desire to throw sharp things about. You're on the verge of a field, but there's not enough wood for an atlatl: what can you do ? One cut to chop a dock stalk diagonally at its base, a couple of flicks of the knife to trim all but the...
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    Awl for Leatherman

    Has anyone seen an awl for any of the replaceable-bit Leathermans (Leathermen) ? Or if not an awl, a tool for getting stones out of horses' hooves (that's what the pointy one with the hole is for, isn't it) ?
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    Submitting *.pdf or *.doc

    I've written a review in Word, and pdf'd it to reduce the file size (it has photos). What is the best (read 'simplest') way for me to submit it ?
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    Bull-roarers

    Anyone else had a shot at a bull-roarer (I got a couple of hits from "Search") ?. I was expecting a degree of tuning, having read about them in one of the SPT books; but within ½-hour of a plank of softwood, I had one working. A second one worked fine, too. I used a spinner shape (teardrop)...
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    Aberdeenshire Bushcraft Course ?

    I was chatting to a fellow at the weekend, at the Archaeolink open day, who mentioned a possibility of the Forestry Commission doing a two-day course for 'civilians'. If anyone has or hears more details, could you let us know ?
  19. Chance

    Sea Buckthorn

    A question for the tree experts. My lonely sea buckthorn fruits every year; although I had read that it needed a girl- / boy-friend to do so. Need I look further afield to find the other half, or can they self-fertilise (or whatever the word for tree sex is) ?
  20. Chance

    Shedbodgery (not suitable for hill-walkers)

    Shed·bodg'ery (n) : bushcraft practiced by enthusiasts without easy access to natural materials or natural skills. http://www.bushcraftuk.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=1712&cat=500&ppuser=3662 Having witnessed firsthand the handiwork of tribal elders McGlinchey and Mears, I would never...