The Firefly Emerges With A Hand Drill

Making a fire may be the most important survival skill one can possess.

I have seen people start fire with a many different techniques, the simplest being a lighter, but I wanted to test an idea I had using the hand drill from my survival pack.

So here I present to you, with pictures, the results of my test.

Here is the hand drill.

I collected tinder of milkweed silk, birch bark, dried pine needles and shredded soft wood.

The pine needles and shredded wood are in there.

Then I took a twig that was dried, strong enough and small enough to fit into the drill and used my knife to make a point on it, put it in the drill and tightened it in.

Try to find one that is fairly straight.

You can use your knife to make a slight indentation on your flat wood so that the tip of the twig doesn't dance around. Since I used a thin top piece and a thicker bottom piece of wood I stuck some tinder between the two pieces of wood before I started drilling.

Under this top thin wood strip is birch bark. Below that is milkweed silk, pine needles and some wood shavings. I had to push out the milkweed silk from near the drilling point as the silk would wrap around the  wooden stick and insulate it, keeping it from getting hot enough. I held the top piece of wood in place by placing my foot on the far end of it.

You can see how the drill heats the wood and the charred shavings around the beginning of the hole. What I didn't catch on camera is the smoke it made. The stick ended up boring a hole through the top layer and then down to the bottom layer. It did take a few times to get the kindling to finally spark, I spent about 20 minutes with this first attempt.

The birch bark really made the fire take off. It didn't give me any time to capture the smoking before igniting.

I did this test in my garage since it is a windy day and I didn't want to start fire to the neighborhood. After it started I dumped it on the bare garage floor, I sure hope my husband doesn't mind the scorch mark. Ooops! 

Here you can see the several indents on the larger board from moving the drill around. I am not sure which one actually sparked the fire. I am pretty sure that the wood shavings are what caught fire first and then the rest of the kindling made it burst. Be careful with the tip of the drill stick, it gets very hot and can burn you even if it doesn't look hot or is smoking.

An additional note on milkweed silk.

Milkweed silk will ignite almost like black powder, with a burst! Use extreme care when using it for tinder. It also has an insulation property that is said to be warmer than goose down. It was used for life jackets during WW2 as one pound can keep a 100 to 150 pound man afloat for a few hours.

Milkweed is vital to monarch butterflies, so if you are going to use some for kindling please take the seeds off the silk first and spread them where they can grow uninterrupted. I collect the seed pods before they open and release the seeds so that I can contain the seeds and plant them where I want them for the butterflies.

The stem of milkweed is a wonderful source for cordage. It makes a very strong twine when spun right.

The sappy milk is said to be a great remedy for poison ivy.

Kindling will vary on where you are. Get to know some of the native plants in your area so that you won't be drilling for nothing.

So in conclusion the hand drill; worked to start a fire, was fairly fast, was a bit of a lower arm workout, and can be used for more than just the purpose of drilling holes. I am very glad that I decided to get one for my survival pack.

If you have ever used a bow drill for starting a fire, this should be a piece of cake for you.

I hope this has been helpful to you. I find a campfire to be very cozy especially with some fish planked next to it and some camp bread slowly roast over it.

Thank you for stopping by.

Dee Dee

Make a Fishing Can

Being fairly poor and having four little children to raise, my parents did not have it within their budget to buy us all fishing poles, reels, tackle and bait, even though it would put food on the table.

My mother had learned many frugal things from my grandparents and one of those was how to make a fishing can.

She used smaller coffee cans to fit our little hands better, but I am using the larger #10 size cans as I have a surplus of those,

 and where she used an old wooden broom stick for the handle I am using a wooden rod from a closet.

You could even use a small branch for the handle.

When using a regular can opener, the point where the lid last separates usually leaves a sharp burr.

On a hard surface, like concrete, hammer that burr down.

If it still feels sharp use a metal file.

Then take a nail and make a hole near the edge. Pound this over a piece of scrap wood.

This also makes a sharp edge that will need to be pounded and filed.

There it is.

Measure the inside of the can and mark the wooden rod just less than the can so that it can be cut and nailed inside the can like this...

Now all that is left is to tie your fishing line through the hole on the edge and wrap the line around the can. Put your hook or lure on it and you are set to go fishing, that is after you get some bait. Worms, grubs and crickets are great for catching pan fish.

To cast out, hold the line close to the bait or float, toss out underhand and point the bottom of the can in the direction the bait is going, this makes some of the line around the can unravel. To reel in just wrap it around the can.

I keep the plastic lid for the can so that when I am traveling to my fishing location I can put the hook inside the can and span the lid on so the line doesn't unravel.

We caught many pan fish with these. They are good for dock, boat or river fishing where you don't need to cast far to catch fish. I have even brought in a decent sized Northern Pike with this. The fight can be tricky at times as a big fish can snap your line if there is too much tension.

Another plus to the fishing can is that you can transport it very easy by car or have a smaller one for your back pack. You can keep some of your gear inside it as well or small containers of worms or crickets for bait.

I have seen people use pop or beer cans to fish but they don't have a handle or the other advantages of  this fishing can.

Where I live children under 16 don't need a fishing license so this is a great way to get them outside and they are so happy when they catch fish!

Remember to teach them to keep only what you will eat, to respect other people fishing near by and never leave garbage in or around your fishing spot. Leave it cleaner than how you found it. That can help hide a good fishing spot as well.  If it doesn't look like anyone has been there some people think there may be a reason no one fishes there.

I hope you enjoyed this post and found it helpful.

If you do, please share it.

Thank you for stopping by.

Dee Dee

Pics to Ponder - Chain Link

Be advised, not all materials shown are what is needed for this project, but alternatives are shown just for representative purposes.

I am posting these pictures as a favor to those that wanted to see what I was talking about.

It's a HANDy little thing that can connect to large chains together. You may need to get a larger size if your "chain" is too big to fit in this link.

You can replace the yarn with rubber tubing and the denim with leather to make a field tourniquet to help control bleeding. The link can be placed over a feminine pad over the wound and the tubing wraps around the body part involved.

The pouch is to put the stick through to tighten or loosen so the tubing does not get damaged.

Nod your head now because you understand!

Thank you for stopping by. It's been a treat. I really enjoy our little visits.

Dee Dee

GOOD Tools!

My life has been a journey and not all of that path has been cozy.
Sometimes our own little realities bring us to a fork in the road and we must choose which path will be in our own best interest. I stopped for a moment at one of those forks and thought long and hard. How do I escape? Could I walk out that door with nothing and survive? I didn't think it was possible, but yet it had to be. People had been living with very little at the beginning of time and they kept going.
I needed to learn how to keep going.
So learn I did.
I bought a basic wilderness survival video and memorized it. Then I went to the library and read everything I could get my hands on regarding survival. I bought more survival videos and books. I secretly practiced what I had learned. Then I thought, "how can I make surviving a little more comfortable?" I had more learning to do.

I learned more knitting and crocheting stitches, how to make cordage, how to join wood for framing and furniture, to make a thatched roof, to make cooking utensils. Everything I could find on basic living skills, I tried to learn and memorize.

Knowledge is the most important tool you can have and with that, yes I can survive with just a knife, or less.

The first picture is what I always carry on me. A good folding knife, a magnesium fire starter and a flashlight.

The next picture is a mini kit, which I keep close by me in a water tight case to grab and go fast! It holds a whistle, mini flashlight, small fishing kit, knife sharpener, fire starter and a mini Swiss pocket knife.

The 3rd picture is some of what I carry in my GOOD (Get Out Of Dodge) AKA BOB (Bug Out Bag).
Snare wire, mini tools, fishing tackle, fixed blade knife, compass, pocket chain saw, sewing needles, small brass safety pins, hand drill (which can be used to start a friction fire), tri-fold shovel and work gloves. I forgot to show my safety glasses. I would love to add to this list of tools and I will as I can.

What I can tell you, with what I have and know, is that I will never have to go to a "shelter" that the government has set up and that's okay because they would never allow me in with my gear, and I could leave my home at a moments notice and I would be just fine.

I also keep some knitting needles and crochet hooks in my big bag as well because as clothing wears out, I'd like to be able to make more. This here would be a really nice and fairly complete set and it is very portable.

I really wish I had a set like that!

Knowledge is power, learn what you can now, and know that a man or a woman can survive on their own.

Thank you for stopping by, please feel free to comment or leave questions.
Dee Dee