Nessmuking Around

Thanks for another entertaining and informative post that included great pics.......except for those red globs on your potatoes :barf:
 
Too funny,
There is almost always ketchup on my taters. But Ironically, this is the first time I have used A-1 on my Steak.

Honestly, I am not sure if it added or took away. Hard to beat a good piece of steak with just salt and pepper.
But I thought I'd give it a go.

The spare steak went for steak and eggs the next morning. And a Philly style steak and cheese for lunch.
 
Thanks everyone for the kind words.
I really enjoyed doing this one.

I am truly pleased everyone enjoyed it.

I love looking back at how those that came before me did things. Lot of knowledge there for the picking.
 
Part 2,

Well it's been a week and the evil ones remain at large. Although, all indications are, they are moving further away instead of closer. Personally I think they are In TJ, sipping Margaritas by now.

Since this was so well received . I thought I would add to it.

When you think about what Nessmuk and his pals carried. It seems way under prepared for woods life. At least by our standards. He may have roamed from camp to camp. Relying on the good nature of others. I actually know a few guys like that.

But be it Nessmuk himself or his well intentioned targets. Some one had to do the work. Those guys relied more on their knowledge than their gear. Many folks had the skills. Most just didn't get famous.

I think Nessmuk's gear stood out for two reasons. He wrote about it, and it was a little more unique than run-of-the-mill woods tools.

For this installment, I will introduce three more high tech survival tools that Nessmuk most likely carried. These remain in use today with many elite teams, and have stood the test of time.

To keep everyone's attention, I'll share some of Nessmuk's Secret Squirrel stuff.
I can't prove it. But I'm pretty sure he came out of Langley. He just knew too much and was too well equipped with those cutting edge tools to be just a camper.


Here they are. These very items may have formed the basis for Nessmuk's Bug Out Bag, INCH Bag, or as he probably called it his Pack. People back then were a lot less dramatic. Instead of making up fancy names. They just did stuff.


You need to understand, these are not just nails and a pencil. This is a Quill "Finest Quality" 2.5F (The F stands for Forest). The nails are coded #10 Bright Common, to throw civilians off the track. High tech stuff.


This is one of the most sophisticated communication devices known to mankind.
It surely originated from Black Ops. It works in any language. You can use to leave messages that will last for years. It needs no batteries. Doesn't depend on the grid to function. It is also a calculator and an emergency fire starter. That's just the tip of the iceberg.



While we certainly have better steels available to us today. I would venture to guess. They had better hand saws and saw blades available to them. Because they did everything by hand.

Old axes and saws still command high prices because they just plain work better than the new stuff. For this jaunt I will use a modern saw blade. Because it was what I had hanging in the shed.



Nessmuk was a lot like us. When he needed something he went to the convenience store. The same as we do. Perhaps his looked more like this though.


The first thing I noticed in this store was "No Surveillance" how cool is that?
For all the stuff in the store, I was surprised there weren't more people. It had a nice open airy feel to it too. I purchased a small sapling from the multi-use department.
They let you cut it yourself like those Christmas tree farms.


My hatchet made quick work of it. Although in a pinch I could have easily batoned Mr. Sears' knife through it. Here it is at the checkout.



I pruned off what I didn't want. And left it to dry for future kindling.



The more I gravitate to the woods and away from Madison Avenue. The more value I see in planning ahead. Even in the simplest things like hanging kindling in trees so it's high and dry for use down the road.

Folks today talk about how wasteful those old folks were. Personally, I don't think that was the case. Not the real woodsman anyways. Maybe the tourists that arrived to act like woodsman for the summer were.

I think the true woodsman valued their environment, much like I do. I believe a lot of that image most likely came from folks trying to sell you more environmentally friendly gizmos. That in reality do way more damage to the environment when you look at the big picture. But I digress.

The bugs were fierce again today. All manner of them too. From ones so small you could barely see them. To horse flys the size of baby birds. So, I moved myself and my tools to the edge of the woods after obtaining my raw materials.



I have often wondered if Nessmuk carried more than his fabled three tool set up. And if he did what else might have come in handy for him?

Living here, the first thing that comes to mind is some type of saw. Maybe we don't hear about that, because his was as common as everyone else's. Or maybe he never carried one. Choosing instead to rely on the generosity of others.

Or perhaps along the Langley theme. He was a tad more stealthy about it. Choosing in to carry it more discretely. The saw blade above could easily be stashed in a pack or pack basket. It weighs next to nothing. Especially if you factor in the comfort it provides in camp.

Or if you want to get even more Secret Squirrel, you could easily friction tape or tie it inside your belt. I have come to see my belt as part of my woods system. I think it is way underrated. Will I tie my saw blade to it. Maybe, maybe not.

But I have no problem rubbing in some black and green compound on the inside. Giving me a field serviceable way to sharpen my tools. With almost zero weight or space penalty.

Suddenly, my belt is a three part strop system, black(corse) green(fine) bare leather(extra fine) and know one even knows it's there. Plus it works without electricity and it holds my pants up.


I took my sapling, which is now more of a stick. And set out to construct a saw. It is amazing how well a sharp knife will cross baton through green wood.


I used my hatchet as a measuring tool, it is roughly fifteen inches long. And used my Quill #2.5 to make some marks. Some day I should break down and actually scribe the handle with 1/4 inch measuring increments. Giving me a one foot ruler again with zero weigh or space penalty. But for now, it is too pretty. If I was living in the woods. It would already have them.



Just three quick cross baton cuts gives me my two uprights and one end of my cross brace.



Here is a shot of some of the center wood that finally pulls apart when you work your way around the the stick with the baton.


Next up we baton our knife into the bottom ends of our uprights. I recommend doing this before cutting all your other notches. Because if it splits out, all the other work is wasted. Do this gently, and just go in far enough so the saw blade will fit with the upright angled in slightly.



Once you get the two ends split for the saw blade. Make some measurements for the notches. You need six notches, three per side. Two at the bottom to hold the blade. Two for the cross brace, and two for the tensioner. Once you do the first side, just cheat and copy over to the second side.


These high tech survival tools are so cool. I just wish they weren't so expensive.
They really are as tough as nails,



And this pencil thingy, what an amazing tool. I bet some day in the distant future when the price comes down, everyone will own and use one. Ever try and mark a stick with a cell phone?



It begins to look like something, I stuck the blade in to get a rough idea of the cross bar length.



Everything cut but the final cross bar bevel,



With all the cuts made, notches in, and all the pieces ready. All that is left to do, is put it together.

Here is the one place where we may have an advantage over old Nessmuk and his friends. Para-cord, this stuff rocks. It is cheap, it lasts, and it works. Some of my old saws have metal turnbuckles for tensioning. They work great, but they are heavy and single purpose.


I imagine wet rawhide would work extremely well here too. I didn't have any or I might have tried it. Today it was Para-cord



It took me longer to set up the photography, than to build the saw. I tied this to Nessmuk. But I think everyone should have one or two of these in their packs, whatever they may call them. Add a saw to a knife/hatchet combo, and life suddenly makes sense.


It has been noted that all my threads include knives, fire, food, and beer. Why change now?

This was our Nessmuk Saw fire.


Nothing fancy in the food department. Just bourbon and brown sugar bratwursts on the grill.



With some uprated hot dog rolls.



Sometimes simple just plain works for me,



Cook, eat, rinse, repeat,



I agree with Mr. Nessmuk, this woods living can be grueling!
 
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I bought a "Nessmuk" combo. Should be Coming in the mail tomorrow. If it stops raining I may just get to do my own Muking around before work gets busy again.
 
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Rex G said:
Regarding the escaped convicts, I would love the opportunity to end the "escaped" part. As a peace officer, I am quite tired of many aspects of my chosen career, but the prospect of ending the careers of killers never loses its appeal. The smell of wood-smoke and food cooking might be the perfect trap to catch a couple of hungry felons out in the woods. ;)
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We certainly need more people that think like you!

I'm definitely not a Sears admirer, but these are very nice tools! I'm going to look into them. I especially like the point on the Nessmuk, most have very blunt (if that's the right word) points, but that one is really nice!
 
Thanks for your posts! I'm in the "Muckster's" home stomping grounds here. I don't think the people here think as highly of him as the rest of the country. However, he does contribute richly to the woodsman heritage. Ever try his bug dope recipe??!? Stuff is like wood stain to get scrubbed off.:D

Edit: spelling
 
Great story. I appreciate the time you have taken to post this. I have attached my Nessmuk trio. I need to get out there and use 'em.

 
LostViking said:
It has been noted that all my threads include knives, fire, food, and beer. Why change now?
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Indeed.

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Echoing earlier sentiments, thanks for the entertaining and informative thread! Really enjoying it. :)
 
Was drinking beer and eating with a knife while looking up at he Reaves axe. Ouch! Takes way to long. Would sure like to play with one though.
 
My Reeves came to me via the secondary market.

They pop up every once in a while. It was priced right and almost new. Just some loose stitching on the sheath.
I couldn't type "I'll Take It" fast enough.

I have not regretted the pruchase one bit.
 
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