What did you buy today?

Keith_Beef

Native
Sep 9, 2003
1,399
282
55
Yvelines, north-west of Paris, France.
Took delivery of four mixed fibre blankets (mostly wool, maybe 90%) from Varusteleka, and a four-man tent at work on Monday.
I carried home two of the blankets yesterday in my daysack, and the other two blankets and the tent in my 100L rucksack yesterday.

Those blankets are somewhat bigger and heavier than I expected, and they have a slightly oily smell to them.
 

crosslandkelly

Full Member
Jun 9, 2009
26,499
2,400
67
North West London
Took delivery of four mixed fibre blankets (mostly wool, maybe 90%) from Varusteleka, and a four-man tent at work on Monday.
I carried home two of the blankets yesterday in my daysack, and the other two blankets and the tent in my 100L rucksack yesterday.

Those blankets are somewhat bigger and heavier than I expected, and they have a slightly oily smell to them.

I wonderif the oily smell is lanolin from the high content wool?
 

Keith_Beef

Native
Sep 9, 2003
1,399
282
55
Yvelines, north-west of Paris, France.
I wonder if the oily smell is lanolin from the high content wool?

I was wondering the same, that the lanolin had deliberately been left in the wool before spinning and weaving, but then again, wouldn't that play havoc with wool processing machinery that has been designed for well-washed wool? I don't know a great deal about the details of industrial wool processing, but I would imagine that most of the lanolin is washed out either before or after carding.

So then I thought that perhaps the lanolin had been added back after cutting and edging the blankets; Varusteleka described these as "disaster [relief] blankets", so maybe adding lanolin is a way to give the cloth some ability to shed water.

ETA: I measure one of them tonight: approximately 210cm × 152cm.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: crosslandkelly

GuestD

Need to contact Admin...
Feb 10, 2019
1,445
700
Wel, I gave away my o!d one, and realised I'd made a mistake, so I got another,
large.IMG_20190525_121448235.jpg.0e43a12014da38d58afa52b10b29d4b1.jpg

Marbles Camp Cleaver. Cost £12 odds, razor sharp, pretty basic, but for £12 ?
It can do all I require, split logs, cut branches, etc, etc, certainly more versatile for me than a small axe, plus it goes in my pack, out of sight. The edge does chip, but it's easily dressed out. I had my last one for years, and it became an everyday tool.
 

Tengu

Full Member
Jan 10, 2006
13,011
1,638
51
Wiltshire
A whole library on canals.

I hope one day to be able to explore the Inland waterways...no time or money...yet.

and a box of feathers.

(You are looking at me and saying `but you already have feathers...your own feathers.`)

These are mixed ones, for hats.

(Mine are too big for that and drab brown anyhow)
 
  • Like
Reactions: santaman2000

Klenchblaize

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 25, 2005
2,610
135
66
Greensand Ridge
I need to find a better rehab clinic as the one I'm using sure ain't working!

I've been looking at the below knife for at least 3 years and today had the chance to handle it. Its so much smaller than I imagined which is great for what I will use it for. Build quality is superb but that's not readily determinable in my rubbish picture:

MMPtUka.jpg


As an aside have you noticed how damn hard it is to photograph a knife and even more so when shiny?

K
 
  • Like
Reactions: santaman2000

Billy-o

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 19, 2018
2,039
1,027
Canada
I went to the Filson shop downtown to look and see if they had a tote bag there. They did. It is great. I did not buy it. Quite proud of this act of restraint.

Luckily it is the wrong time of year for them to have all their jackets and other stuff out and displayed in the shop. God knows what might have happened then. :)
 
Last edited:

Tengu

Full Member
Jan 10, 2006
13,011
1,638
51
Wiltshire
Thats a nice knife. You showed a lot of restraint

I am trying to work out how to get the £3 I spent on books back from that haul.

I got;

Box of assorted feathers
Big wooden bowl
Brass backed bellows (need fixing...I need time to do that)

Plus there is the worry as to how to store them....
 
  • Like
Reactions: santaman2000

Tengu

Full Member
Jan 10, 2006
13,011
1,638
51
Wiltshire
Yes, a Broads yacht.

One that goes to sea and the Cut.

You can keep your narrowminded boat...

I have nine books now.
 

jpmorgan88

New Member
May 28, 2019
4
1
46
USA
Picked this anvil up this weekend. Really hoping that someone can help me identify this. The guy I bought it from was selling it for a friend and didn't know much about it, said it was a 175 lb. The feet look like they were added on and the hole in the body is different than any I see on the net. Please help!!
UAFLJvt
FCBFNb
TQcB0ex
 

bobnewboy

Native
Jul 2, 2014
1,318
870
West Somerset
A whole Jacob sheep fleece ready to card and spin... now all I need are some carders!

My missus, who uses raw wool for felting pictures, uses a pair of dog brushes - the kind intended for grooming short haired dogs - to card and blend wool of different textures and colours. They seem to work well and are cheap compared to the ‘proper’ carding brushes :)
 

Laurence Milton

Settler
Apr 7, 2016
605
174
suffolk
If you have Teazels……………….
then wheezles may certainly ensue,
Which develop into pheezles and sneezles………...
(or something?)

( sorry, too much Christopher Robin!!)
 

BCUK Shop

We have a a number of knives, T-Shirts and other items for sale.

SHOP HERE