Essential System #6 – Fire
...riously flammable. With your dryer lint fire starters and some waterproof matches, you’ll be ready for any situation. See this 2011 post for a picture....
Search Results for: label/tools/2011/04/making-it
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Primitive Grain Storage Technique
When thinking about technology, I like to play with the idea of what is the absolute minimum you need to get the job done. This may be because I’m not very handy at building things, but yet have survivalist tendencies. So while I’m pretty sure I’ll never actually have any need for these skills, it’s fun to think about how I’d get by in a DIY world. So I was delighted when I ran across this minimalist grain storage technique on the BBC documentary...
Planting a Mini-Orchard
Ignore the bucket in this illustration! See update below. Update 3/13/2011: I met Brad Lancaster last night and he told me that he and Art Ludwig no longer use the upside down bucket described in this post. The reason is that detergents can build up in the hole. In my experience the bucket was also an unnecessary step. While I have a clay soil, the hillside drains fairly well. A properly sized mulch basin should suffice to allow greywater to infi...
A Primitive Bow Workshop
...and dirty bow. These bows aren’t bowyers’ masterpieces. They are survival tools, and their effectiveness is not about their long-range accuracy, but on the skills of the hunter. Native hunters used their tracking and stalking skills to get very, very close to the game before they shot. The next step was to begin shaping the wood with axes and knives. That’s about as far as we got in a few hours. My piece of wood was still too wet to shape, so it’...
Joshua Tree Earthen Oven Class
...a hands-on class. Attendees will have the opportunity to get dirty and use tools and equipment typical of adobe construction and earthen finishing. Due to the course format, enrollment will be limited to 10 individuals. In the unlikely event of inclement weather, instruction will occur indoors. Instructors: Kurt Gardella teaches adobe construction at Northern New Mexico College, is Director of Education for Adobe in Action, and is certified as an...