As per the header, What new basic or essenial skills do you intend to try and pick up this year? Do you believe its right to consyantly seek to improve your chances of survival by not just stockpiling kit and hiding in the woods, what skills do you think are important for YOU and YOUR family in the next 12 months?
Growing things. Gardening.
Continuing the gardening,... but we both are actively looking for a First Aid course locally to bring us up to date.
We might have to wait a while though, there are lots of courses run in this area, but its often more in the winter than the summer,... but we will get one done
To be able to ride a motorbike. Been meaning to do this for ages, but stuff keeps getting in the way.
making arrow points from flint or metal or glass just scrap bits I can find
(24 June 2013, 12:23)Barneyboy Wrote: [ -> ]making arrow points from flint or metal or glass just scrap bits I can find
Check out bike spokes if you want to make it a bit easier for yourself. As long as you have a strong pair of pliars, you can make some awesome stuff.
Personal recommendation, three 2 inch sections, sharpened on concrete, then stuck to a shaft with 3x1inch notches at the top, so that the 2 inch sections are buried by 1 inch and protruding by 1 inch. This is a similar system to what Polynesians use for spear fishing. Not huge penetration, but you'll you damage and it's good for a fish. To make barbs, just gently knotch the side of the spoke, or bend all the tips a little.
I did this in the Cook Islands years back with 3 masonry screws we had for our shelter, on a thin shift I was using as a spear. worked really well.
(24 June 2013, 12:23)Barneyboy Wrote: [ -> ]making arrow points from flint or metal or glass just scrap bits I can find
Theres a good picture on google IIRC of someone who made an arrowhead out of a piece of PCB printed circuit board.
Digging the bottom of our garden up starting yesterday...moved the shed(emptied it first) onto hard standing last wk end , wife has purchased 2 apple trees,,fig tree,strawberry and blueberry(3 diff app) ones ....and 50 diff packets of seeds...the norm I expect....need to finish removing a shed load of soil...get a man with a grabber thing to remove it...for a fee !! and start getting some good soil from somewhere and getting it okay to start planting it etc...total newbie and not at all green fingered !!! but giving it a go !
Learn more about gardening and animal husbandry.