Lovely shot, Robert. This challenge has had more than it's fair share of eye-catching photos!
Second round of badges awarded including the GEC badges Congrats
Day 30
ICC #2 Fire ChallengeWell learned 2 things on this - 1) Case Trapper edges on the spine are rounded and SS? so very few sparks and 2) my IPhone camera is way to many megapixels. So had to crop some!Had to go to my GEC #44 Buffalo Jack - whole lot more sparks than my Trapper. The tinder was some of the chips of green wood from the whittling challenge which was “oh boy, ain’t nobody going to see this!” Still a little green but also just dry enough to catch on fire. Cotton ball that was pulled apart so it would catch easier. No problem of it catching fire. And one piece of fat wood. Definitely not camping but at home on the porch and 83 degrees so fire was small and in aluminum tray for containment.
Day 30 BI was curious to see if Huckleberry could pass Roberts strenuous jute string cutting test. I'm pleased to announce that ol'Huck passed with flying colors!
Day 30GEC 15 Huckelberry and 66 Calf RoperIt has been a great challenge everyone. I appreciate all of you and thank you for sharing all your knives, pics, comments and food.
I dug this set out of my fishing vest:(Image removed from quote.)I mounted a ferro rod in a bit of deer antler for a handle. The striker is a small bit of hardened O1 tool steel made by knife maker Scott Gossman. The edge of the striker is squared off and burnished so that there is a sharp corner and slight burr. (Or there was, a close examination shows that it has seen a bit of wear.) This little striker throws great sparks. The lanyard just keeps the striker with the ferro rod. It is long enough that the two can be used together with ease. I have a couple of others like this tucked away in packs and kits, etc.... I can dig some extras out later. But this way, if I have my ferro rod, I have a striker.
Thx Steve!!!
Day: 30 (bonus material)Before dinner, the Opinel had a chance to develop a bit more patina:(Image removed from quote.)And after, the Sodbuster got busy with some farm fresh produce:(Image removed from quote.)
While I'm chatting about fire....In my post yesterday, I noted that I needed to make some more char-cloth. This evening, while the grill was hot, I made a replacement batch. This is a pretty easy process; I imagine most of you know this already, but if anybody doesn't here is what I do:Take some scrap cotton cloth and cut it into small squares. It has to be 100% cotton. Thin cloth works best, but an old t-shirt can work, too. I put these in my char-cloth 'cooker', a little can, and close it up. You can see in the pic below there is a small hole in the lid of the can--this lets out smoke, but prevents actual combustion. Then the can gets place in or on a fire. The cloth turns into a charcoal fabric. (Charcoal is wood that has been cooked in the absence of oxygen until it gets carbonized.)After the can stops smoking, I let it cool. You can se the results in the photo below. I had this fail once when I got greedy and over packed the can. Now I fill the can halfway full and then cook it. This seems to work consistently--and I get a dozen or more pieces of char-cloth out of the deal. More than enough for a season of campfires. (Image removed from quote.)Char-cloth is good stuff. It catches a spark from any source easily and becomes a hot ember. With some tinder and a little blowing, you get fire. So even with a ferro rod, this stuff can be useful in damp conditions. And it's an old tradition.....
One more:
Robert that 8OT looks right at home.
Feeling "Scouty" bonus:(Image removed from quote.)(Image removed from quote.)(Image removed from quote.)
Good knives and pics!
Awesome pics Robert!
Barry and Ray, I'm glad you both liked my pipe. It is my favorite. It is Bacchus, the Roman god of drunken revelry and a favored subject of the artists that carve meerschaum pipes. He is always depicted with a crown of grape vines, the most striking thing about this pipe is the face looks like Jack Elam, an actor that appeared mostly in westerns. He died in 2003. I always liked him.
Day 30. Final Day. I stuck with the 110 that started my obsession with the pattern. It's seen skinning deer, and who knows what with my great-uncle. With me, everything from hard farm work, to kitchen work, to just general wandering around the Back 40-something, to ceremonial use as my primary family reunion carry when I'm at the old home place (which remains in the family; currently with a nephew); the trailer my great-uncle formerly resided in is on property right next to it; so I'm carrying the knife where it spent most of its life. Once I straightened out the edge on the heavily abused blade, it's held its edge really well. The 110 is mostly a work carry for me. I do carry the Shield quite often, seeing as it's pretty much the lightest big blade I have. Can't wait to get my existing 112 fixed, and maybe pickup a LT version. January's gonna be fun! The 112 I can pocket carry in the front pocket without a problem. It's just the blade on mine is a lost cause seeing as not only is it 50-60% worn, there's also a huge chip in it towards the tip. So, financial issues may have kept me from buying a GEC and thus switching over to the Buck challenge; but I've become even more a fan of a pattern I already like. Didn't carry the Selector once, which I'd planned to, but I will be picking up some blades. I do like that it is lightweight, better made than the LT, and has finger groves. I know Buck made a Bucklite version of the 110FG, but it is expensive.
Great pic Robert! Love that harmonica
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