Lauri Blades and Handlines

Ben's Backwoods stocks a series of Scandinavian blades by a company called Lauri. According to the description, these blades are high carbon, hardened to approx 59rc, and with unpolished blades. Like many puukko styles I see, they feature a very small secondary grind right at the edge. Razor sharp is absolutely right though.

The first model, below, is the basic 3". The intention was to shape the handle on this on to look like the rough template to the right. I wanted to use some of the Mora style shape to give it light finger grooves, a palm swell, but a flat, angled pommel. After receiving the blade, I was struck by how long the tang was on the 3" model. At nearly 5 inches, the tang seems too long for the blade, and lends itself to a pretty massive handle. That obstacle forced me to change the design slightly but still keep most of the features I was going for. All in all, the handle came out sizable, but not enormous. The wood is Leopardwood, matching the handline.You can clearly see the leopard pattern on the flat sides of the handle, a very distinct design.

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The second model here is the 3.7", a slightly longer blade and slightly shorter stick tang, though still full length. The proportions on this version seem more logical and very comfortable. The wood of choice for this one was Bird's Eye Maple for the ends, matching the handline, and Zebrawood for the center.

Functionally, I still lean to the side of full width and length tangs for hard use. Aesthetically, I think stick tang knives win hand's down for visual appeal. I would confidently use a stick tang for just about anything I use a knife for. But for things like heavy batoning... this just wouldn't be my choice. And putting a handle on a stick tang knife is no difficult task, just a slow one! Unlike working with the relatively simple geometry of a full tang handle, stick tangs do require a bit more three dimensional planning, which has been a challenge for me.

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Stacked Leather Ring and Mini Hobo Handlines

Since May, I've been as happy as I can be fishing with a handline. In the past weeks, I've stumbled upon a new way of rigging my bait, weight, and float that lets me cast every bit as far as I could with a lightweight rod. So in my quest for even more convenient fishing gear, I've made a couple "mini handlines."

Both are 3" long and 1" diameter.

Small? Absolutely! Useful? Umm... not too sure. My thought was to have something that could literally be tucked in a pocket, and these definitely could be that. But I have my doubts whether a rig this small would be very friendly to use often. Maybe they would be good for a little survival kit? I'm going to try them out just to see. At the very least, with these I might finally be able to catch a fish larger than my handline itself :)

Another experimental project from this weekend was the stacked leather ring. I've played around with making wood rings a few times in the past, and I have a LOT of small leather pieces that get thrown away. I hate wasting it, so I tried putting a number of layers together, and using the same method as a wood ring, putting together a stacked leather ring. The layers are epoxied together and then the whole ring was soaked in super glue to make it sandable, smooth, and hard. I'm not sure what kind of durability I'm going to see from it, hopefully the super glue soaked in far enough to make the leather last.

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Making Charcloth

This is a fantastic video from Survival Common Sense describing the making of charcloth. Detailed and easy.

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Are You Guys Serious?

My office seems to have an unusually high number of people interested in preparing for the "zombie apocalypse." Most of them (but not quite all) use this term merely as a funny way of referring to being prepared and more self reliant. One of our co-workers overheard the discussion, and skeptically posed the question "Do you guys really think anything is ever going to happen?"

Zombies, no, I don't.

But a major, life changing event? I am completely sure.

How could it not? Has any civilization or culture survived since man began? Every culture, every powerful nation in history has risen to fall. So thinking historically and statistically, there is no evidence that a people group can persist in being the most powerful, the most progressive, and the most consuming, indefinitely. Even just thinking logically, the same seems apparent to me. And in the big scheme of things, data suggests the earth has already survived what, six extinction level events? And those were all prior to man's dabbling in nuclear power, biological warfare, genetic manipulation! It is a certainty that either another near extinction event will occur on this planet, or an extinction event itself will. It's got to be one or the other eventually. Zooming in a bit from a global disaster, local catastrophic events, either natural or political, begin to seem almost commonplace.

It's just odd to me to think that there are people have never given a serious thought to that aspect of the future. We prepare for our futures through retirement, health insurance, preventative vehicle maintenance, even wills, all with the understanding that bad things absolutely happen, and they can happen very unexpectedly.

Creek Stewart of Willow Haven says it well, "It's not IF, it's When!"

2 Peter 3:4 

They will say... 

"all things are continuing 

as they were from the beginning of creation."

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Sevylor Tahiti Inflatable Kayak

I am looking at getting an inflatable kayak to use for floating/fishing the Etowah. The logistics of an inflatable seem so much easier to manage since is collapses into such a compact package. But, I've never owned an inflatable boat or any kind and am looking for some input.

Any thoughts on inflatable kayaks/canoes in general? Would I be so fortunate to have a SurvivaLogic visitor familiar with this specific model? Since I am not planning on running any real rapids or crossing an ocean, I hope something like this would be sufficient for the slow moving waters near me.

I'd appreciate any input, suggestions, or expertise!
Thanks,
Corey

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Fish Basket Trap

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Sheath Eyelet Placement and Paracord Attachment

I've had several questions just recently about this topic, so this evening, I wanted to share a couple of the different configurations that I like when using paracord and eyelets to attach a sheath to my belt, pack, or whatever. These are by no means the only four methods that exist, these are just the ones I've come up with while messing around with my own knives. If you have a different configuration you use, I'd really be interested to see it! One of the reasons I like using eyelets over beltloops on a sheath is the flexibility in the way it can be attached - upright, inverted, angled, vertical, or horizontal. They're also handy for attaching other components like a firesteel loop, and they can allow the sheath to be a bit more compact and streamlined for tucking in a pocket. Finally, they allow a sheath to be completely ambidextrous, which as a lefty, is important to me.

To start, the two types of sheaths I typically see are shown to the right. The first, a basic leather fold-over sheath with 4-8 eyelets running down one side. You'll see this same design made from kydex. The second sheath type is the more tactical variety, usually made from two pieces of kydex and with eyelets running down both sides of the sheath, offering extra attachment points. As for the cord lock in the pic, you can use it in place of knots where shown below. Makes it easier to attach and remove from the belt, but I trust knots more. Finally, a note on the pink paracord. It's for demo purposes. Visibility in the pictures, guys, visibility!! Don't even ask me why I have pink paracord on hand :)

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Self Reliance Illustrated - Issue 9

SRI just released the digital version of their latest issue! If you're a print subscriber, you're probably ahead of me and have had it in your hands for a few days already. If not, wander over to Self Reliance Illustrated and download the issue ($2). I'd also point your attention to the Bearings article by Brian Andrews of Off The Map Knives. Great stuff, as usual, and Brian is as articulate and educated on his chosen topic as ever.

Check out electronic back issues as well as Issue 9 here

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Mora Knife - Leopardwood Handle with Leather Spacers

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Euharlee Catfish

Caught by the padre, best fish of the day! 

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Rapala Filet Knife - Bubinga Handle with Leather Spacers

Featuring the best use I've found yet for a penny...

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New Schools Added

This morning, a couple of new survival schools were added to the state survival school directory. If you're in Pennsylvania or Montana, be sure to check out True North and Rocky Mountain Response respectively.

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Etowah Indian Mounds - Cartersville, Georgia

This weekend, Jeannie, the boys, and I braved the summer heat to visit the nearby Etowah Indian Mounds. Jeannie, who grew up here, hadn't visited the site since she was in elementary school. When we first met and she told me about the place, I jokingly convinced her there was a high probability she was carrying a curse for walking on an Indian burial ground. I mean, that's got to be bad luck, right? But sure enough, they do let you walk around, even on the mounds themselves. I guess I was thinking more Jeremiah Johnson type burial grounds...

The mounds pre-date the arrival of the Cherokee in the region, and I was certainly surprised to hear from the guide there that De Soto "discovered" the site when he was exploring in 1540. There was also a display in the museum of the various items uncovered during the excavation of the funeral mound. Items found included rock from California to shark teeth from the gulf, demonstrating the breadth of trade going on even in that early time. It doesn't seem enough credit is often given to the sophistication of the culture and abilities of pre-European Americans. I certainly found it all quite impressive!

Recreation of a general period hut

Inside the hut

The primary mound - site of the chief's home

View of the secondary mound from the primary

Happy Jack at the top of the chief's mound

The view is kind of ironic... and sad

Descending the secondary mound steps

Jack, Jeannie, and Zane

You can't quite see it in this pic, but this section of the Etowah butts up along the south edge of the site.  About 100 yards upriver, there is an ancient fish wier, a common site along rivers in this area.

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Edible Plants of the Southeast: Sheep Sorrel

Officially known as Rumex acetosella L., sheep sorrel is related to one of my more frequently ingested wild edibles, Curly Dock. If you've tasted sheep sorrel before, you probably remember the distinct, sour taste that goes with it. As is true with most of the wild edibles I know, this plant is considered a nuisance weed and is actively controlled in lawns and greenspaces. Left alone, this plant grows well almost everywhere down here. Looking at the USDA maps, the only counties near me that they show as containing sheep sorrel are Bartow, and Floyd county to the west. Updating this info is probably not very high on their to-do list, but I have certainly found this plant growing in Cherokee county and in the counties containing the Cohutta Wilderness. 

The shape of the sheep sorrel leaf is very distinct. You'll hear many people describe it as 'arrow-head shaped' and for good reason - it looks like an arrowhead! The leaf itself is elongated and has two lobes near where the leaf connects to the stem. The lobes are part of the single leaf, not separate from it.  This is an important distinction between it and other plants that are inedible. Quick note, sheep sorrel leaves should always be sour. If they are not, you are not eating sheep sorrel and you'd best spit it out!

Even if you haven't been looking closely, you may still recognize sheep sorrel as a common site growing along the road and in fields. It produces small reddish blooms that give the tops of the plants a red hue from afar. Getting closer, you'll see the plant is green, and the red color is from the flowers. 

A good portion of this plant is edible, but mainly the leaf is what you're after. The stems and toasted seeds are edible too, just not as pleasant to chew. 

As far as nutrition goes, sheep sorrel contains vitamin C, antioxidants, and minerals. It is also considered a medicinal plant and is used for herbal easing for numerous conditions. 

Along with dandelion, curly dock, and pokeweed, sheep sorrel is the most common of the wild edibles I see growing in my area. 

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A Little H&R Handi Rifle Work

The stock that came with my H&R Handi Rifle was the typical Monte Carlo style with the raised comb for scope use. Since the barrels I have for it are 20ga and 30-30, I've been on the hunt for a low-comb stock that'll let me get low enough to actually use the iron sights instead. A couple stocks have popped up here and there, but they're actually kind of pricey when considering it's for a $250 long gun. So I took the standard (walnut?) stock off mine, and despite it's begging, took the circular saw to it. I know, it sounds extreme, and maybe it was a little, but I promise there was no alcohol involved in the idea, and it came out better than it could have. Not perfect, but better than it could have!

I ended up taking the comb off entirely, leveling it off from the receiver all of the way back to the recoil pad. Since the saw was already running, I also converted it to a straight stock style by removing the palm-swelled pistol grip. There was quite a bit of sanding to do to round out both of those areas and smooth the transition back into the stock shape. A couple coats of boiled linseed oil and top coats of poly, and it's back in business in plenty of time for squirrel season!

The old stock shape

Leaner and meaner!

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Jack Mountain Bushcraft Books

Tim Smith of Jack Mountain Buschcraft is making several of their books available as free downloads this week. Be sure to check them out here: Bushcraft Books.

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Bartow County, Georgia Outdoors

Those of us who live in Bartow County, Georgia are blessed to be surrounded by some of the most convenient, affordable, beautiful, and diverse outdoor adventure opportunities in the southeast. Whether you are enthusiastic about hiking, camping, hunting, practicing bushcraft, backpacking, fishing, cycling, or wildlife photography, In fact, Bartow offers just about everything short of coastal sports. Oh, and the snowmobiling options available to us Georgia residents are pretty pitiful too! 

So for those of you here that are new to the outdoors, or like I was not long ago, not too familiar with the area in general, here are a few places to start:

 

• Red Top Mountain State Park – Red Top Mountain gets it’s name from the red dirt, made so by the high content of oxidized iron in the soil here. Red Top alone offers nearly every outdoor activity you could want, from hiking one of the six wooded trails crossing the park, to navigating their map and compass challenge course, or kayaking the many narrow coves along the shore of the park. The park also offers plenty of opportunity for fishing with convenient parking, paved trails near the lodge, and several boat launches. It also features a somewhat recent addition of the Iron Hill Trail, a 4 mile mountain biking/hiking trail. On good weather weekends, you can expect to have plenty of company along any of the trails. Red Top’s proximity to Cartersville and Acworth, lake activities, and cheap $5.00 parking fee makes it a popular place for sure!
• Lake Allatoona – Although Red Top does border the lake, Allatoona stretches from it’s westernmost point near Cartersville all the way to it’s eastern border, near Canton in Cherokee county. Lake Allatoona is primarily fed by the Etowah River- the upper Etowah flowing southwest, feeding the lake, and the lower draining from it to the west. During the summer, the lake offers opportunities for boating, jet skiing, fishing, and anything else the water is good for! A western alternative to Lake Lanier, Allatoona is a very busy, popular lake in the area. If you’re canoeing or kayaking on it, you’ll want to stay alert and probably out of the main waterways. There is no shortage of power craft on most summer weekends. That said, I’ve had numerous occasions to kayak and canoe this lake and nearly everyone on the lake has been courteous and given plenty of room to my undersized, arm-powered vessel. The fishing is good as well, and there are plenty of bass, catfish, and crappie populating this lake.
• Pine Log WMA – This may be the best kept outdoor secret in Bartow. Unless you’re an avid outdoorsman or a native, chances are good that you’ve never even heard of this wildlife management area. As I understand it, the WMA is privately owned, but leased and managed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Considering it’s just a few minutes east of the city of White, it is remarkably remote and offers you the best chance in the county to enjoy a little solitude in public woods. A bit busier during peak hunting and fishing seasons, I have never had any trouble finding a remote spot there. Stamp Creek offers more great fishing, the trails are perfect for mountain biking or hiking, and there are plenty of spots to make camp or just spend the day. Pine Log is definitely on the primitive side as far as Bartow outdoor attractions go. There are plenty of deer, turkey, hog, and coyote, and even the occasional bear, though I’ve not run into any there.One thing to note, the maps made available by the DNR aren't the best. Take a look at MyTopo.com if you want something a bit more useful for navigation.
• Cooper’s Furnace and Pine Mountain – Moving even closer to Cartersville, both Cooper’s Furnace and the Pine Mountain trail system offer hiking within 10 minutes of the city. Cooper’s Furnace being the easier of the trails, it’s a great wander for the casual hiker and offers very rewarding scenery and history. Pine Mountain offers more varied terrain and some excellent views as well, with a bit more of a strenuous grade. Cartersville organizes scheduled night hikes at Pine Mountain, giving visitors the occasional chance to see some of the critters you don’t run into during the day. If you’ve never hiked at night, it’s an exciting way to add an extra element to the woods and can make a great date. The woods look very different at night!

If you’ve been to all of these place and exhausted everything they have to offer, here are a few more local suggestions to entertain the outdoorsman in you:

·        Kayaking the Etowah with Euharlee Creek Outfitters

·        Sight in your rifle at Adairsville Sporting Range

·        Check out the supposedly haunted trails of AllatoonaPass

·        Visit the Booth Museum for the next Southeastern Cowboy Gathering

·        Learn flintknapping and skills of the past at the Etowah Indian Mounds

·        Pick up some new wilderness survival skills with the Southeast School of Survival

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