Can we have a " i know i'm an idiot but... " thread?

[gregorach]

I think the short answer to that one is "very carefully"...

 

[AndyW]

Glad I'm not the only "just practising" on a bag of kindling rather than something found in the woods

 

[dwardo]

Dont get me wrong im still rubbsih at this but i find roatating the stick a tiny bit one direction then back the other after each cut/curl helps.... Seems to not make the base of the curl allways the same place .......a bit lol

 

[fred gordon]

I know I'm an idiot but why should people want to pay hundreds of pounds for a bushcraft knife when most people seem to rave about the Mora which costs about ten quid?

 

[Zodiak]

I know I'm an idiot but why do people (like me ) spend £50 on a set of waterstones to get an edge sharp enough to shave with when my Grandad could manage the same on his razor using only an oil stone which costs £8 and a leather belt?

 

[Zodiak]

I know I'm an idiot but my wife wants to know why I have a miltary trangia, a crusader cup and burner, 2 swiss army volcano stoves, a hi-gear meths burner and pot set, a small camping gaz stove and misc pots but am so happy to have just bought a second hand Trangia model 25 on e-bay for £20 inc P&P?

 

[Knife-man]

I know I'm an idiot but why do people (like me ) spend £50 on a set of waterstones to get an edge sharp enough to shave with when my Grandad could manage the same on his razor using only an oil stone which costs £8 and a leather belt?

Because the razor never got that blunt, it only had to shave hairs of his face which meant he could use a very fine stone which didn't remove much steel but gave a scary scary sharp edge.

Your knife is completely the opposite It gets alot blunter which means you have more steel to remove ... you could do it with just one fine stone but obviously it would take quite some time.

I'm a maker and I manage a shaving sharp edge with just one stone and a leather strop Although I usually polish my edges further with very very fine W&D when I'm making/sharpening Razors.

 

[dommyracer]

Ok heres one, I know Im an idiot but how do you make feather sticks without cutting all the shavings off. Every time I try to make one I get a few good bits and then cut them all of by accident .

Re: the featherstick question, another useful tip I was shown is that you shouldn't shave along the flat part of the stick. Its hard to explain, but I'll try.

You start with a round branch and split it into 4 bits (either with axe or battoning)

To start your feather stick, shave down the pointed side.
This will then leave you with a flat side and two 'pointed' sides.
Shave the two pointed sides, you willl have more points - now shave these.

Obviously a sharp knife is key, shaving with a straight arm etc.

Also by angling the knife you can get the curls to curl more or less tightly, dependent on how flat against the stick you have the blade.

But the most useful tip I can give is to shave the pointy bits and not the flat bits.

 

[xylaria]

I know im stupid but:

how come people say its TOO cold to snow but its snows in
Alaska and its 30 below dont figure???????????????

Mr Xylaria here, hello all
The saying is quoted either early morning or late evening as the sun is setting. snow cloud is a low grey blanket of cloud that covers the sky, blanket being the key word here. This sweeps over the land and maintain a steady air temperature for the fall and cover of snow . If the sky is clear or very patchy the air temp would change and the temperature would rapidly drop as the earth loses heat to the atmosphere. This heat loss is the cause of the saying as people feel this drop in temperature. When the snow cloud bank sweeps over the land the cloud acts as a blanket and prevents this sudden drop of temperature this slows the drop(and can increase the temp slightly in some cases) the snow then falls and melts as it does lowering the temp enough for the air and the earth to cool enough for the snow to settle < in the u.k. at any least>. In alaska etc the temperature gradient is still the same as are the effects on the temp due to cloud cover but the locals (who are used to the average temperatures) would still quote the old sayings .......hope this enlightens not confuses..

The old sayings are old for a reason. True wisdom is rarely lost just misunderstood.

 

[Rod]

Re: the featherstick question, another useful tip I was shown is that you shouldn't shave along the flat part of the stick. Its hard to explain, but I'll try.

You start with a round branch and split it into 4 bits (either with axe or battoning)

To start your feather stick, shave down the pointed side.
This will then leave you with a flat side and two 'pointed' sides.
Shave the two pointed sides, you willl have more points - now shave these.

Obviously a sharp knife is key, shaving with a straight arm etc.

Also by angling the knife you can get the curls to curl more or less tightly, dependent on how flat against the stick you have the blade.
But the most useful tip I can give is to shave the pointy bits and not the flat bits.

Also use the curved part of your knife blade to make the curls. Alternating the blade tip down to the ground/ up to the sky with each cut will spread the curls out to left and right of the centre line. This will help make a better bunch of curls also.

Jason Sears: Bucks Bushcraft Man of Action

 

[jasons]

thats me on a good hair day

 

[Bisamratte]

I know I'm a idiot but......












I have learnt allot from this thread

:You_Rock_

 

[chrisanson]

Mr Xylaria here, hello all
The saying is quoted either early morning or late evening as the sun is setting. snow cloud is a low grey blanket of cloud that covers the sky, blanket being the key word here. This sweeps over the land and maintain a steady air temperature for the fall and cover of snow . If the sky is clear or very patchy the air temp would change and the temperature would rapidly drop as the earth loses heat to the atmosphere. This heat loss is the cause of the saying as people feel this drop in temperature. When the snow cloud bank sweeps over the land the cloud acts as a blanket and prevents this sudden drop of temperature this slows the drop(and can increase the temp slightly in some cases) the snow then falls and melts as it does lowering the temp enough for the air and the earth to cool enough for the snow to settle < in the u.k. at any least>. In alaska etc the temperature gradient is still the same as are the effects on the temp due to cloud cover but the locals (who are used to the average temperatures) would still quote the old sayings .......hope this enlightens not confuses..

The old sayings are old for a reason. True wisdom is rarely lost just misunderstood.

Thanks for that Mr Xylaria ,
I find things like this very interesting and think you are right.
Old sayings have much more to them than many give them credit for or completely dismiss them out of hand as old wives tails! (something else one might learn from?). I think this dismissal has much to do with modern life and the need for most people to have a clean scientific solution. I think that is a bit sad when you think how long folk got on with nothing more than sayings and old wives tails!!
Chris

 

[Thrym]

is it ok to eat squirrel meat (grey)(England)
i read somewhere that you must freeze it first is this true?

 

[Wayland]

Squirrrel is OK to eat but there's not much meat on one.

I've never frozen one, just gut, skin, cook and eat.

 

[Thrym]

cool thanks for the advices il have to try and catch my self one does anyone know if the wire noose on a branch trick actually works it seems so simple

 

[WhichDoctor]

Thanks for the feather stick advice :You_Rock_ , and at least im not the only person having that trouble

 

[oops56]

This is my shop of stoves not very good video you get the idea make new one in the spring

 

[Mikey P]

If I only have one knife, and it cost under a tenner, can I still be a bushcrafter?

 

[gregorach]

cool thanks for the advices il have to try and catch my self one does anyone know if the wire noose on a branch trick actually works it seems so simple

I'm pretty sure it works, if you place it right. What I'm very unsure of is whether it's legal. I suspect not...