PLASTIC BAG TOOL SHEATH
Scrap plastic grocery bags can be repurposed into durable plastic sheets that can be molded, folded, and sewn into a variety of different pouches, including tool sheaths. Start by cutting the front and back panels from 10–20 plastic bags and lay them flat on top of each other in a pile. It helps to cut out similar rectangular shapes and just throw away the sides, handles, and bottoms. Sandwich this pile of plastic bag sheets between 2 flat rocks. I use large, flat paver stones. Finally, place these stones on the coals of a fire to heat up. As the stones heat, the plastic sheeting welds together into one solid piece of durable plastic that can then be folded and stitched into a very suitable knife sheath. I’ve also used one of these welded plastic bag chunks as an improvised cutting board with great success. Note: You can use a home iron to weld the sheets together. Set to medium heat and place a piece of craft paper on top of and below the stack of sheets.
PLASTIC BOTTLE REPLACEMENT KNIFE HANDLE
This hack involves using plastic high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bottles to make one of the best knife handles I’ve ever seen. HDPE plastic is marked by a number 2 inside of the recycle sign. Be sure to use bottles/caps labeled with HDPE or with the 2 as its resin identification code because the fumes from other bottles can make you sick.
First, find a metal tube that is about the diameter that you want your knife handle. Cut up the plastic so that the pieces will fit inside of the tube. Fill it full and place near the fire (or in the oven at 350°F) until the plastic melts. Continue to melt pieces until the tube is full. Once the tube is full and the plastic is still in a soft state, press it down using a wooden dowel or plunger to compress out all the air bubbles. Finally, press the knife handle into the tube and let the plastic cool. HDPE shrinks as it cools, allowing you to remove it from the tube when finished. Now, simply carve or file the handle to the shape you want.
IMPROVISED NEEDLE AWL
A sail maker’s needle is a good item to keep in survival kits. These are large, thick needles that can be used to make repairs on durable goods such as packs, shoes, canvas pants, and leather items. Sometimes, however, you need an awl to punch through especially thick materials. A good sail needle can be reworked into a great awl by hammering the point 1⁄2" into a solid wood handle that you can carve from any hardwood limb. The eye of the needle can now be filed down to a sharp point with a smooth stone or file. The result is a sharp needle with a hole at the tip, which is exactly what an awl is. Thread the eye, push the needle and thread through the materials, and begin your lockstitch pattern.
SKI KNIFE
Ski pole grips are very comfortable, rugged, and durable. They also handle extreme conditions very well. These are all desirable attributes for a knife or tool handle. The process is simple: Slide the handle from the ski pole and fill it with epoxy (it could also be pine resin epoxy made with charcoal—see the Charcoal Epoxy hack in this chapter) and insert the knife or tool. When cured, you’ve now got a knife or tool with a handle better than most. You can find nice quality rat-tail tang blades (Mora blades are my favorite) online for very affordable prices, and this also makes a fun weekend knife project. You can also use old bicycle handle grips.
CHARCOAL EPOXY
If the need for a strong glue arises and no modern options exist, hack your own using crushed charcoal and pine sap. Start by sourcing pine sap from the pine tree. Often you can find this sap in the form of dried clusters on the exterior of the tree. Look for wounds the tree may have suffered and collect the sap that oozes forth there. Next, melt the pine sap over the heat of a fire in a small metal container or in a depression on a hot rock. While the sap is melting, crush black charcoal from the fire pit (the black chunks, not white ash) into a fine powder. Mix the powdered charcoal into the melted pine sap—1 part charcoal to 3 parts pine sap. As this sticky mixture cools it will harden into a very strong natural epoxy that can be used as a glue substitute. The leftover dried glue in the metal tin can be reheated later to be made pliable once again and used indefinitely.
CORDAGE HACKS
2-LITER CORDAGE
I saw a video one time about how 2-liter bottles could be recycled to make rope that was ultimately woven into baskets. The process used fancy equipment and electric motors. After seeing it I was determined to figure out a hack way of making cordage from a 2-liter bottle, using only limited tools. After many failed attempts I finally figured out that I could make a few choice cuts in a sapling stump (see diagram) and could then feed a 2-liter bottle through this improvised jig. The result is that I can strip the bottle into cordage that is strong, rot-resistant, and moisture-resistant. To see the full effect of this amazing hack, watch the skills video here: www.willowhavenoutdoor.com/two-liter-bottle-cordage.
DOG TREAT CORDAGE
Primitive man used rawhide for all kinds of bindings. It was excellent for securing axe and adze heads. Other uses included sewing, bowstrings, shoe bindings, knife sheaths, arrow quivers, shields, drums, furniture, and baskets. Rawhide can also be boiled down to make an excellent glue and is still an ingredient in many modern glues today. Working with rawhide takes practice, but it’s not a material that’s readily available . . . to a nonhacker. To a creative “hack-minded” survivalist, rawhide practice material is in almost every single grocery store in the form of dog chews and bones. Soak these rawhide chew toys in water until soft and then cut them into cordage or bindings for primitive skills practice. This is a hack that few people consider.
BOTTLE CAP PULLEY
HDPE plastic bottle caps (marked by a number 2 inside of the recycle symbol) can be found all over the place. You can fuse 2 of them to make a very impressive little gear pulley, paired with paracord.
Start by taking 2 equal-sized bottle caps and heat the flat tops until they are gooey enough to be fused together. Placing them upside down on a hot rock for a few minutes should be plenty to do the trick. Press them together and let them cool. The top edge of each cap is slightly rounded, which creates an indented seam around the middle of the fused caps. This will act as your pulley channel. Drill or carve a hole through the middle of the caps to inset an axle, climbing carabiner, or rope loop, and you’ve got a perfectly functional gear pulley to hoist large game for dressing or send a 5-gallon bucket into a well or over a cliff for water. Using little pulleys like this you can also create some unique cooking cranes.
SHOPPING BAG ROPE
Usable rope can be twisted and woven from practically any thin, fibrous material, including plastic shopping bags, ribbons, hair, and plant fibers. In fact, the Incans built grass and natural-fiber bridges that spanned massive rivers and gorges. These bridges supported the weight not only of people but of wheeled carts and livestock. Like most survival skills, the devil is in the details when it comes to improvised cordage. The process of twisting, pinching, and weaving natural (or manmade) fibers into cordage is called the reverse wrap, and this is a hack invented not by myself, but by primitive man many thousands of years ago. I have filmed a video to teach you this skilclass="underline" www.willowhavenoutdoor.com/reverse-wrap-video.