Combination Wood - Alcohol Stove

Now that winter is just a week away, I find it hard to gather dried twigs to fuel my wood stove. I like to drink coffee when I'm out on the trail. Well, it's actually a trail and a park because there is a picnic grove too. I don't go deep into the woods really. After I come out from work on a night shift, I just take a short walk on the trail and then prepare my coffee. So I modified my hobo stove to accomodate my DIY alcohol stove to boil water.


To be able to use my alcohol stove, I just punch 4 holes on the hobo stove and inserted 2 wires which will serve as a platform for the acohol stove. This way the hobo stove will act as a wind screen at the same time.


This is how it works. The alcohol stove is already fired up but you can't see the flames. I used heet for fuel and the flame is not visible. You will note the condensation forming on the lower portion of my space saver cup. The outside temperature is 34F when I made this test.


It took 12 minutes for bubbles to form on the water. I didn't get a rolling boil maybe because it was also too windy that day. Anyway, the water was hot enough for a good cup of coffee. And yes, I had to refill the alcohol stove too.


Result is not really bad. Maybe I would make a taller alcohol stove so there would be no need for fuel refill. I was also thinking of a way to use solid fuels like esbit solid fuel for example. That would be my next project I guess.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Amazing Alcohol Stove

I made this alcohol stove based on a design I found on the Internet. I have a hobo stove which uses wood as fuel. But sometimes early in the morning when the surrounding is damp, it's hard to find dry twigs.




It's made from a cat food can and has a total of 32 holes. I used a paper punch to make the holes.


It uses denatured alcohol or heet as fuel. It takes 2 - 3 minutes to boil a cup of water.


A very convenient way to boil water when dry wood is not available. Light and easy to carry too.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Walking Stick

I've browsed several blogs about making a walking stick and since I've been hiking a few trails with my wife, I decided to make one. It's not that I need a walking stick to aide me in walking but since I have a knowledge of Arnis, a Filipino art of stick fighting, I thought it would come handy for self-defense not only against bad people but also against slithering cratures you might encounter along the path. So here's my rather futile attempt to make one.




I removed the bark with a machete.


Then, I carve a wood spirit on the handle.


I made several wood spirit around the handle then I left the stick to dry in the sunlight.


After a while I get back to the walking stick and I found several cracks on it.

Then I remember on one of the blog I read, it says not to dry the stick directly under the sun but just leave it under a shade.

Oh well, lesson learned. I guess, I'll continue and finish this project despite the cracks. I'll polish it with a sandpaper and probably put a lanyard hole on the handle and also put a stick pic on the other end of the stick for my camera. And then coat the stick with linseed oil. I'll take pictures and post it to keep you updated.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Water Container

Whenever I go biking or hiking I always see to it that I have enough water. Most of the time I carry about 1.5 liter of water for a 10 mile bike.


I carry 1 liter water bottle in my backpack.


And 1/2 liter water bottle in my bike.

I cannot overstress the importance of drinking water during strenous activities because of the danger of dehydration. Dehydration can occur when the amount of water leaving the body is greater than the amount of water being taken in. Dehydration when left untreated can result in heat stroke and that is a more deadly situation.

So always carry sufficient water. You don't have to buy expensive and fancy bottle containers, you can make one. Here's how.


Materials: bottle carrier, duct tape, plastic bottle (any size you want).


Remove the label from the bottle.


Wrap 2 layers of duct tape around the bottle to make it stronger.


Then attach a water bottle carrier that can be purchased from Walmart. If you do not have a bottle carrier you can improvise by tying a cord on the neck bottle with a loop for attachment to your belt.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Disposable Lighter Sparklite

I always carry a Bic lighter in my fire kit. For me, its an easier way of making fire compared with using a match or a firesteel. But what will you do when your lighter fuel is gone? Convert your disposable lighter into a sparklite.



Here's how to do it.


Remove the child-proof metal shield, chimney and plastic cam in that order using a long-nosed pliers. Be careful not to pop the striker wheel out or you might lose the spring and flint.


The child-proof metal shield, chimney and plastic cam removed. At this point the lighter can already be used as a sparker. But if you want to go on and remove the inner parts you can do so.


First, remove the striker wheel carefully, again taking care not to lose the flint and spring.


Then remove all the metal parts that you can see except the flint and spring chamber. This is how it should look like after the metals parts have been removed.


Here comes the tricky part. Replace the spring, flint and striker wheel and you're done. You've got a sparklite.


The photo shows the sparklite throwing a lot of sparks. All you need now is a suitable tinder and you'll be able to light a fire. By suitable tinder I mean, petroleoun jelly coated cotton balls, charcloth, bird's nest, dryer lint, fatwood dust etc. It's an efficient means of making fire and could cost you nothing. Most of my sparklites are made from lighters I found while walking in the park.

Slingshot

When I was young, I hunt birds using a slingshot. In our country a slingshot is every young boy's treasured possession. Using round pebbles picked up from the riverbanks, I would hunt pugo (quail)and bato-bato (pigeon) in the forest the whole day

Slingshot is easy to make yet it is a very versatile hunting weapon. For projectiles, you can use pebbles for small animals and arrow for fish.


To make a slingshot, you will need a twig with a forked branch.


Remove the bark and shape the frame so it would be comfortable to grip in your hands.




For the elastic material, I used 8 rubber bands that I knotted together, 4 rubber bands each strip, since I don't have surgical tubing or latex sheet.


The fully-assembled slingshot. The pocket for the projectile is usually made out of leather but in this one I used a nylon mesh. The elastic material is attached to the frame and pocket with strips of rubber bands.

That's all folks! Happy hunting.

Machete Sheath

My 12" machete came with a carboard sheath and after a while it began to disintegrate so I ordered a canvass sheath online and you know what? They sent me the 14" sheath instead. I called the company and informed them about the mistake. They don't carry the 12" sheath anymore and luckily I got a refund.

So I decided to make a sheath myself out of a thick carton box and duck tape.




I cut the carton about 17" in lenght to accomodate the 12" blade plus 1" allowance and 4" for the belt loop.


I inserted the machete on the sheath to test if it fits.


Then wrap a duct tape around the sheath.


I folded the belt loop and tied a rubber band to hold it in place.


The rubber band does not only hold the fold in the belt loop but it also keep the blade in the sheath by friction. I would tack some staples in the sheath and belt loop as soon as I have my gun tacker working.

Simple but functional.

Thats all folks! Thanks for reading.

Hose Sheath

After putting a handle on my craft saw, I made a sheath for it using a water hose. I found the hose in the trash and I thought it would be a good sheath for my saw.




I just cut the hose to the right length using a knife.


The sheath fits the saw very well. The saw won't fall even if you shake the sheath vigorously.


You have to press the sheath at the top opening to insert or withdraw the saw. A very good child-proof feature.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Kid's Stuff - Part II

My daughter saw the spikketrollets and ask me to make bigger ones.


Luckily, I still have a bigger branch left over from rehandling my saw.


I made 2 spikketrollets, a father and a mother.




Here they are, a family.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Kid's Stuff

I got this project from www.spikk.no and its a good woodcarving practice for children. Children who want to do this must seek guidance from adults on the proper use of knives. Use protection like gloves and always be very careful.

This is all about making a spikketrollets or simply troll. I've got lots of them. I enjoy making them and I hope you will too.


Materials and Tools:
1. tree branch - must be fresh else it will not be easy to whittle and the bark might separate from the wood in the process of making the troll.
2. knife
3. sharpie - for drawing the eyes and mouth.
4. oil-based paint or watercolor
5. brush


First, make the hat. The hat is just like Santa Claus' except that it is standing and not floppy. It just like sharpening a pencil.


Then make the face. The face is flat and is made by removing the bark and a little wood. Remove also the bark at the back and at the sides of the face. Using a saw, cut the troll to the desired height.


Paint the hat with oil-based paint or water color.


Draw the eyes and mouth using a pentel pen or sharpie.


The 2 new member of my spikketrollets collection.


My other spikketrollets. Happy woodcarving everybody!

P.S.
You can hang them on your Christmas Tree.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.