Self-made gear

Moine

Moine

Joined
Aug 15, 2003
Messages
494
Hi all,

As Muppet suggested it in the 50$ thread, I'm starting the "Self-made gear" thread. I think this topic has enough content to build-up into a whole forum, actually, but let's start here anyways :D

I'm sure many of you out there like to make your own gear. I'm talking weapons, shelters, backpacks, pouches, belts, knives, sleeping bags, stoves, sandals, cooking pots, whatever...

How about sharing the stuff?

Here's my first take... I posted it on the SRKW.com survival forum two days ago, but it fits in here as well. It's the "ParaSling", or paracord sling. It works great.

You basically attach a few strings to a branch or whatever, each string about 6-8 inches long. These are your verticals. Then, a last string comes in to make the horizontals. You pass it alternatively under and over each vertical string, and you end-up with a simple canvas-like braiding... and ultimately a nice sling basket.

Here's a (nice :barf: ) drawing:

fronde2.jpg


And here's the sling (lousy scan :grumpy: ):

fronde.jpg


I think this same braiding technique could be used to make anything from a belt pouch to a backpack (or even clothing, netting, etc.). It's super-tough (just do the maths: N strings X 550 pounds test...).

Cheers all,

David
 
heres my rucksack (just something i picked up at the camp n' pack store).19" tall 14" wide 7"deep 39" around. i have 2 seatbelt straps that go from top back, down and then up the front. 1 seatbelt going from the top of each side, and 2 straps that go around, one 1/3 of the way up, and the other at the 2/3 mark.

i have 2 seatbelt straps sewn to the shoulder straps, wich connect to ther 2/3 horizontal strap.

the only thing thats missing to make it so this rucksack could hold hundreds of pounds is that i need to find a way to connect seatbelt from the top to bottom on the shoulder straps... cuase right now, 1/2 of it is strapping, and the lower half is nylon web that is adjustable. that nylon webbing keeps it below the 150lb mark or so...

hell of a stitch job however. getting a sewing machine to the bottom of a 2 1/2 foot tobe of canvas thats stifferend by 5 vertical straps and 2 horizontal straps of seatbelt... it took around 45 minutes to stitch about 12 inches worth of fabric.
 
Seth,

Nice work... Lots of stitching indeed :D

I had a ruck exactly like that a few years ago. Mine was cotton canvas too, but OD. I added some paint to make it camo, and I put some spray on it to make it a little more rain proof. I also had reinforced it a little (I used a pretty similar method, but with basic nylon straps over the original stitches). I had also added some closed cell camping matt around the shoulder straps to pad them a little...

That ruck must must still be somewhere...

Cheers :D

David
 
Nice work. You guys are more talented than me. Some of the ugly, but functional things I make are billy cans, carved spoons and spatulas, a candle lantern, and I've tried a couple sheaths that were beyond ugly but protected the blade (and me).
 
I make a bit of archery gear myself- i.e. fletching arrows, making bowstrings, and a bunch of leather accessories like a quiver, string keeper, bracer, etc. Tons of fun, and it's all useful!

There's nothing more satisfying then putting to the test a well-made piece of equipment that you made yourself.
 
My efforts have been centered on archery related items as well. I havn't made a workable bow as yet, but I'm still working on it.

Here's one of my arrows. I started with a Martha Stewart bamboo tomato stake. They are as crooked as crooked can get. I used a propane torch to heat the bamboo and soften it so that I could straighten it. This part of the process took about 30 minutes. I kept overheating and breaking the bamboo, so most of the time was getting the temperature right so that I could straighten the shaft without breaking or weakening it. Once the shaft was straight, I hand sanded the nodes until they were as near to flush with the shaft as I could make them without breaching the skin. Then I used a tube cutter and cut the shaft a few inches from the node on the thick (bamboo naturally tapers) end of the shaft and used my leatherman pliers and a bit to drill into the soft center of the shaft. I then placed a small piece of hardwood dowel into the hole and cemented it into place to add structural strength to the point end. Then I used the tube cutter on the nock end and again drilled and placed another short piece of dowel in place and cemented. Then with a tapering tool, I tapered the point end and using another tapering tool, tapered the nock end. I then applied the nock and fletched the shaft. Then I applied some stain to the shaft, which didn't like taking it much, but it eventually dried. Then I applied a Magnus 2 blade broadhead completing the arrow. Here's the finished product.

071621.jpg
 
Very good work all of you!!

Longbow that is impressive. I too am an archer and in my experience have learned that the SLIGHTEST bend in an arrow shaft can destroy your accuracy! Great work!

I really need a digital camera. I love making homemade stuff and would like to show off some of mine!
 
Thanks Nick, I shot a hog, a turkey and a ground squirrel with that particular arrow and I finally lost it when it glanced off of a small unseen branch that layed between me and a nice buck. Ah well, it served me very well. :)
 
tknife said:
Nice work. You guys are more talented than me. Some of the ugly, but functional things I make are billy cans, carved spoons and spatulas, a candle lantern, and I've tried a couple sheaths that were beyond ugly but protected the blade (and me).
Click to expand...

Hey, I was looking for a billy can... or something to make one, actually ;)

Any hints on these?

Thanks,

David
 
Longbow,

Very, very nice arrow! :) Neat work, man!

Bamboo really is a great material. We have some growing here and there in France... but I guess it was imported...

It's usable for fletching, like you've shown so well, but also for atlatl's darts, spears (fishing or hunting, with or without metal tip)... Fire saws with dry bamboo works pretty well. They also procure water (just cut them, check if sap is not rotten, and drink). They float. They don't rot very much. The "cells" are watertight (you can use them to carry water... or make pipe bombs, or whatever...)

Bamboos even procure incredible stuff for removing ticks. You just break out a few fibers from a dry bamboo stick, and you have some kind of a sharpened, flat needle. You insert that under the tick and you can cut the little piece of skin they're attached onto without much pain. It requires some practice, but you soon can make neat little needles, tweezers and other tiny instruments from bamboo as well.

I love bamboo :D

Cheers,

David
 
Yeah, bamboo is great stuff. Have made atlatl darts, blowguns (cain), digging sticks, water troughs etc. Now, if it had some medicinal values that I knew about and could use, I'd plant some and drive my neighbors nuts. :D
 
Nice arrow! Here is my contrabution.

Its a 13" overall piece of steel. Shaped on a tabletop sander. The handle is purple heart wood and the sheath is leather. Since this one I have made and am making about 10 blades so far. This is my first and I think favorite of the lot......wicked chopper and I have the grind a little thinner near the grip so it does small work well too.
 
BLGoode,

Great chopper... Nice work!

Did you heat treat it yourself?

Cheers,

David
 
I didn't heat treat that one but I did heat treat the green handled one in this link......she is my second fav......
 
Moine, to make a billy can I usually use one of the big aluminum juice cans, can't remember how many ounces but it looks like it will hold about a liter. Not sure if they have them in your area but here in the states they are reall easy to find, I used some heavy wire and made a curved bail that fits around the can when in my pack
 
thanks ;) There fun and hard at the same time.....
 
Moine said:
Hey, I was looking for a billy can... or something to make one, actually ;)

Any hints on these?

Thanks,

David
Click to expand...
I use a 1 pound coffee can. You need to burn out the thin plastic coating on the inside by lighting a small fire inside of it. Then clean it out really good. Coating the outside with black exhaust paint helps too, but you don't have to do that. I like to use a really heavy duty wire coat hanger for the bail. I usually make a couple of them at a time. I like to store my Nalgene water bottle inside the billy can when travelling, it keeps the can from getting all bent up. But mine seem to last a good long while, unless I use it for digging :)
 
blgoode said:
I didn't heat treat that one but I did heat treat the green handled one in this link......she is my second fav......
Click to expand...

Very nice ! Neat temper line :)

Aren't you selling knives?

David
 
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