Death!
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 19,311
Likes: 97
From: Waterloo, Iowa
OK. Let me ask you a question. What do you think the odds of success would be, if someone were lost... maybe cold, tired.. hungry... And, they have never tried to start a fire with a bow drill before, but they sort of remember seeing somebody do it on Gilligan's Island?
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 18,838
Likes: 92
From: Manhattan Kansas
I would die in the first 15 minutes. I have a hard enough time starting wood on fire that is dry and covered in charcoal lighter fluid.
Lets not get crazy though.. I wouldn't take off to any part of the country without a reliable vehicle within walking distance, and with a working vehicle, there are lots of components to create fire.
Lets not get crazy though.. I wouldn't take off to any part of the country without a reliable vehicle within walking distance, and with a working vehicle, there are lots of components to create fire.
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 19,311
Likes: 97
From: Waterloo, Iowa
Sure I understand what you're saying. I made a bow drill years ago in my garage just for the hell of it and was soon impressed on how difficult it really was, there's a lot of details to follow to make it right. Have to use the right wood for example, no pine or resinous wood. Cottonwood works OK. It's a lot of work, I mean actually spinning the drill long enough. If everything is right, there will be lots of smoke, and a pile of superfine wood dust will be created and eventually start glowing. Then this pile must be carefully transferred to some kind of tinderbox and babied to produce flame. But lots of details to get right. The notch in the board has to be cut just so or it won't work, need a shoelace for the bow (or make yer own cord... good luck!) Mainly it taught me never go into the sticks without a Bic Lighter or two, and a backup method or two. Maybe once the technique is down it's a lot quicker I dunno.
Jack London wrote a short story a long time ago "To Build a Fire". I won't spoil it for you, but it didn't end well.
Jack London wrote a short story a long time ago "To Build a Fire". I won't spoil it for you, but it didn't end well.
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Fleet Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 20,790
Likes: 230
From: Newton America :-P
using hair for tinder seems to work very well and fortunately Im covered with it-- I never go anywhere without my bug out bag- and as most of these guys can attest to when I go camping I bring a ton of stuff that I "Might need" but in my opinion- skill beats stuff. I can hunt fish eat grubs and grass hoppers- there is allot to eat if you look- water is the tricky thing- it has to be clean. I can build a fire and use the charcoal to filter the water (with sand and straw) to get it reasonably clean
I just think it might be a personal challenge to try for a few weeks to a month.
I just think it might be a personal challenge to try for a few weeks to a month.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 18,838
Likes: 92
From: Manhattan Kansas
I once heard that water that is filtered through something like 15 feet of sand is typically fairly safe.
I once thought about purchasing a 15 foot piece of PVC with a small funnel on top, and fill it with sand and cap the other end with a tiny hole for the water to drip out of. Pour water in the top, and wait. Maybe would have to run it through twice, then boil the water.
I once thought about purchasing a 15 foot piece of PVC with a small funnel on top, and fill it with sand and cap the other end with a tiny hole for the water to drip out of. Pour water in the top, and wait. Maybe would have to run it through twice, then boil the water.
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 19,311
Likes: 97
From: Waterloo, Iowa
LOL I was always partial to Boothill, Arizona's Lester Moore's grave epitaph
"Here Lies Lester Moore. Four slugs from a .44 No Les No More."
"Here Lies Lester Moore. Four slugs from a .44 No Les No More."
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Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 18,838
Likes: 92
From: Manhattan Kansas
growing up, we had a pond about 1/4 mile from the farmhouse with a briggs and Stratton motor that pumped from a tiny well below the cattle pond dam. (issue number 1)
It filled a cistern about 200 feet from the house, which BTW was in the geographical center of the hog lot in the farmyard (issue number 2)
On occasion the water was very dark and murkey and smelled bad. That is when dad had to go fish the dead animals, raccoons, rats, mice, etc.. out of the water. (issue number 3)
The interesting thing about all of this, is the pond that the cattle drank out of, that the well was below, that got later pumped up the cistern, etc... etc.. is that this pond was filled by the runoff water from a field that got chemical sprayed a few times per year. (issue number 4)
I guess you could say I am lucky that I don't grow a third arm, or even worse, some other biological anomaly.
It filled a cistern about 200 feet from the house, which BTW was in the geographical center of the hog lot in the farmyard (issue number 2)
On occasion the water was very dark and murkey and smelled bad. That is when dad had to go fish the dead animals, raccoons, rats, mice, etc.. out of the water. (issue number 3)
The interesting thing about all of this, is the pond that the cattle drank out of, that the well was below, that got later pumped up the cistern, etc... etc.. is that this pond was filled by the runoff water from a field that got chemical sprayed a few times per year. (issue number 4)
I guess you could say I am lucky that I don't grow a third arm, or even worse, some other biological anomaly.
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Fleet Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 20,790
Likes: 230
From: Newton America :-P
Curt I think I am going to try and build a "filter" out of PVC pipe- fill it with river water- and see how it comes out? I have a tiny microscope around here somewhere
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 19,311
Likes: 97
From: Waterloo, Iowa
After filtering you should dose it with a disinfectant.
When I was in the .mil the old school way was add 2 iodine tablets to a quart of water. Rinse screw threads with treated water and wait half an hour. Tastes like $hi&. That is a whole lot of iodine.
Water that has already been filtered, doesn't need nearly as much disinfectant, because all the crud that the nasties hang out in, has been removed. Viruses are what you're concerned with, filtering will usually (hopefully) remove cysts like Giardia, but technically filtering is not effective at eradicating viruses.
When I was in the .mil the old school way was add 2 iodine tablets to a quart of water. Rinse screw threads with treated water and wait half an hour. Tastes like $hi&. That is a whole lot of iodine.
Water that has already been filtered, doesn't need nearly as much disinfectant, because all the crud that the nasties hang out in, has been removed. Viruses are what you're concerned with, filtering will usually (hopefully) remove cysts like Giardia, but technically filtering is not effective at eradicating viruses.
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 19,311
Likes: 97
From: Waterloo, Iowa
Right, but usually the whole point of filtering, is to avoid having to boil. Takes LOTS of fuel to bring water to a boil. And leaves ya with a hot drink, sometimes not what ya want.
Ceramic or drip clay filters have been around a long time, over a hundred years. I bought a Katadyn pocket filter in 1990 at the Seattle R.E.I. store with birthday money my grandma gave me. It was $225, they were used by Red Cross and everybody else, all around the world, and I did too.
There's lots of competitors out there now, but they have lots and lots of parts and fiddly bits to go wrong or get recalled. Katadyn also makes big 5 gallon units to drip through ceramic for cabin use.
Fired clay is excellent filter material, but it can build up critters over time is the problem. Same issue with using sand or carbon or anything else.
Ceramic or drip clay filters have been around a long time, over a hundred years. I bought a Katadyn pocket filter in 1990 at the Seattle R.E.I. store with birthday money my grandma gave me. It was $225, they were used by Red Cross and everybody else, all around the world, and I did too.
There's lots of competitors out there now, but they have lots and lots of parts and fiddly bits to go wrong or get recalled. Katadyn also makes big 5 gallon units to drip through ceramic for cabin use.
Fired clay is excellent filter material, but it can build up critters over time is the problem. Same issue with using sand or carbon or anything else.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 18,838
Likes: 92
From: Manhattan Kansas
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Fleet Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 20,790
Likes: 230
From: Newton America :-P
that's nice but I want more water then that at a time-- I was thinking of the same idea but on grander scale- 6" around 10ft pvc pipe- and basically the same thing as shown in the video- then put the water and run it through my still :-) and then use the satill for other stuff :-)