Knife Tricks

Knife Tricks

• Use graphite/pencil lead to remove rust from hard to reach places on a knife.
• Use a lanyard (preferably made of 550 cord) to secure your knife to a belt or other clothing. It will keep your knife within reach and it will help in case you drop your knife. A knife isn't any good if you can't get to it.
• Sand or loamy soil can make fantastic scrubber. Take a small amount of your chosen material and place it in the center of a piece of cloth. Wrap inside and start scrubbing. Great for cleaning a knife caked with burned food or char from a fire.
• Carry a pen style knife sharpener in your pocket and hone your knife after each use.
• Many all metal pocket knives can be boiled as a way to clean them. You can also just hold the blade of a bigger knife in boiling water to clean it.
• Sand can build up in knives so blow out sand after each use.

    Having a really good survival knife is a great thing to have. You want something that's comfortable for you to use, lightweight, and very sturdy. Don't limit yourself to just one. Have multiple ones in different areas among your survival gear. Keep one in your "bug out" bag, in your vehicle, and anywhere else you store things. Of course remember to keep away from younger children, and teach older children the proper way to use and care for a knife.

10 Essential Skills Necessary for Survival

10 Essential Skills Necessary for Survival

1. Medical Training
2. Disaster Training
3. Gardening Skills
4. Firearm Certification and Training
5. Canning and Food Preparation
6. Amateur Radio Classes
7. Sewing Classes
8. Outdoor Survival Skills
9. Candle and Soap Making
10. Hunting and Fishing Skills

     So far on my own mission to find out all I can about survival I have started working on this list. I Have already had experience with sewing and gardening. Even though my gardening skills were limited I have done my research and I am getting better. My husband has been trained in combat life saving skills so I've been working with him so I too will know the skills needed in case of an emergency. You can't just rely on 1 person to have all the skills needed. Everyone should know how to survive on their own if need be. I use to be terrified of guns.. I honestly wouldn't even touch one. I don't know where my fear came from but it was there. Since I've started my survival mission I went to the range with my husband and shot his .22 rifle and his AR-15. Once I got passed the initial scare of the super loud gun it wasn't so bad. Since that day I've shot more of his guns and he bought me my first pistol, but I'll get into that more later on. I haven't yet gotten in to hunting because I can't bring myself to shoot an animal, but I'm working to find a way around that. I think if and when the time comes for me to need to hunt to survive I will be able to feed my family. I have started fishing and so far this year I've caught 6 fish! Nothing super big, but the experience of something actually biting on your line is awesome! I will be continuing working on my list. I think I've made a good start with what I've accomplished so far. 

      This isn't all you need to know it's just a jumping off point.

Useful Plants

Useful Plants

Birch Trees:

• Treatment for poison ivy. (Small twigs can be boiled into a tea, cooled slightly, then applied to affected areas.)
• Tree taps. (In spring, birch can be tapped to get liquid for drinking or to be boiled into a syrup.)
• Fire starter. (Strips of birch bark are highly flammable and burn with a black smoke.)
• Tea. (A mild tea can be made from a hand full of leaves. One hand full per cup of water, or for a stronger tea the twigs can be boiled. 1-2 hand fulls per cup. The tea has a diuretic effect, and strong teas act as a sedative in times of stress, about 1/2 a cup per day.)
• Edible inner bark. (The inner bark can be dried in the sun and ground into a flour.)

Willow Bark:

• The bark contains a chemical called salicin that is similar to aspirin. (Possibly antioxidant, fever reducing, antiseptic, and immune boosting.)
• Good for headaches, lower back pain, osteoarthritis, menstrual cramps, fever, flu, bursitis, and tendonitis.
• For adults: administer as a tea. (Boil 1-2 tsp. of dried bark in 8oz of water and simmer for 10-15 mins., let steep for 1/2 hour, then drink 3-4 cups daily.
• Willow is NOT recommended for children under the age of 16 due to the dangers of Reye's Syndrome.

Pine Trees:

• Pine needle tea. (Provides Vitamin C. To make simply clean a few hand fulls of green pine needles, break into pieces, simmer 10 mins. or so, and let steep another few mins.)
• Edible Cambium. (The light colored inner bark of pines. It rests underneath the outer bark and just above the hard inner layer. Cut a square in the tree with a knife then peel away the layers. Peel or scrape into strips, then you can either fry or roast. Enjoy!)
• Pine nuts. (Pine nuts can be harvested in the fall and provide protein. The cones that contain them are sticky. Store cones in a sack and place in the sun for a few days so they will dry and open up. Rotate sacks daily. Can also be roasted by a fire or in an oven. Once dry they will open and reveal the pine nuts.

Medicinal Herbs:

• Echinacea. (Immunity boosting supplement. Can only be used for 10 days then you need to take a brake.)
• Chamomile. (Helps settle a upset stomach and calm nervousness. Also a sleep aid.)
• Peppermint. (Helps settle upset stomach and is a decongestant.)
• Ginger. (Motion sickness, nausea, and indigestion.)
• Garlic. (Antibacterial, antibiotic, anti-fungal, and anti-viral properties.)

This information is not intended for a substitution of medical advise. It is for use in a survival situation. Thanks for reading!