How to make a spear with a folding knife

ubuwalker31 said:
Well, I think a spear with a 3.5 to 4 inch blade would be effective to harvest smaller game and perhaps even a deer if I could get close.
Click to expand...

Save the knife and make a rabbit stick. For larger game, like deer, you're going to get hurt when the deer decides to fight back.



ubuwalker31 said:
Under normal survival circumstances
Click to expand...

This is a myth, like unicorns and great tasting light beer.


ubuwalker31 said:
My big fear would be that a bear or other predator would come along and see me as an easy meal...and that a spear would be a good deterrent against attack...assuming a nice stick was laying somewhere nearby.
Click to expand...

A spear would be a good deterrent, if it had a proper point and fully capable user at the other end. If Im heading into territory where bears are a serious threat (very few places in the lower 48 IMHO) Im packing a .357. I dont want to give the bear a utensil to eat me with:o
 
This topic has come up before, as far back as Homer's Odyssey. Marooned on an island, with sharp swords and knives, they still used fire hardened spears that they made. When Spartan's decide that's how to do it, you might want to follow the advice.
 
How do you fire harden the wood? I tried this while camping a few months back, but succeeded in igniting the end of the wood. Do you put it directly in the fire, in the hot/coals, for an amount of time? Is there an indicator to watch for? Some way to test that the wood has hardened?
 
Don't put in directly on the flame. You don't want it to burn.
The goal is to "bake" moisture out of the wood. I like to put it under the coals and check it once in a while.
 
You won't have to start over as often if you do the cordwrap before you do the splitting, to control how far the split propagates.
 
tabeeb762 said:
Don't put in directly on the flame. You don't want it to burn.
The goal is to "bake" moisture out of the wood. I like to put it under the coals and check it once in a while.
Click to expand...

I think it was pict one time who decribed how to create a fire hardened spear point by slowly charring the end in coals and periodically rubbing off the char on a rock, hardening the end and shaping the point at the same time. The end result was a darn good weapon and you didn't need a knife or any other tool to do it. Very slick.
 
My friend and I caught a frog a while back when camping out, and cooked it up. I made a spear similar to those pictured, but with longer, thinner spines. It worked well.

I agree-keep your knife in your pocket. If you happen to find animal remains out in the woods, don't forget that bone pieces are sharp and very hard. They would make fine spear points.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top