The Nessmuk Challenge

[Nix]

I don't know anything about bears and i have never seen one but i think the black ones can be shooed off, the brown ones, you're in deep trouble, might as well flap your arms and run away screaming.

The black bears tend to be fairly straightforward to drive away--unless they have a food item they are working on. However, they've been known to circle around and try to sneak up people. They 'stalk' their prey. So I stayed vigilant. Until I fell asleep in my wrapper..... 

Brown bears are just aggressive. They will be very defensive around food or startled. Their policy is "the best defense is a good offense." So be wary. But never run away from a predator--that can trigger a 'prey response' where you look like food. And they can move amazingly quickly!  (I had a grizzly fly past me once....stunning to have a big animal fly right by at such speed.)

With Grizzlies, it's generally best to back off slowly. If they attack, it's best to play dead. They generally lose interest once you don't seem like a threat anymore. 

[Borg]

  Probably because i never grew up around them but i would not have slept a wink and every noise i heard would have been a bear, but yes a forest isn't quiet, if i go out with my torch and shine it round the woods there will be 20 sets of eyes reflecting back at me, none of them will scare me but we don't have bears and wolves, lovely animals i would love to see them but i think i'll stick to watching them on TV 

[RF52]

Read this the other day, not fun to be on the receiving end of a bear attack.

https://www.backpacker.com/survival/survival-story-surviving-a-grizzly-attack-in-glacier-national-park


https://www.backpacker.com/survival/the-most-popular-survival-stories-from-backpacker?utm_campaign=BPK%20-%20Backpacker%20Basecamp&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=95719969&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--y2TgpfKqRheimSo5j9RjbYXb0J7b3twhVR4YABcrVvn_dTB6I1CVxeSopNNdWR2t4bEJ72RdJXHr46-ksSY0Vr6esHQ&utm_content=95719969&utm_source=hs_email#gid=ci0232f45bd0002502&pid=bp0617surv_toddorr0948_gn

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[Nix]

Probably because i never grew up around them but i would not have slept a wink and every noise i heard would have been a bear, but yes a forest isn't quiet, if i go out with my torch and shine it round the woods there will be 20 sets of eyes reflecting back at me, none of them will scare me but we don't have bears and wolves, lovely animals i would love to see them but i think i'll stick to watching them on TV 

The area I was in is home to Elk and Deer. Which draws in Black and Brown bears, Wolves, Coyotes, and Mountain Lions. Honestly, I was more worried about a dead tree falling on me than any of the wildlife. And the thought crossed my mind that it was still fire season.....    I was also worried that chipmunks might try to shimmy down to my food bag, chew through that and eat the packet of nuts I had saved for a possible snack. Mice and Chipmunks are probably the biggest hazards to the camper.....all joking aside....

Still....what can you do?   

Ol' Nix needs his beauty sleep....

[Nix]

https://www.backpacker.com/survival/survival-story-surviving-a-grizzly-attack-in-glacier-national-park

Some good advice there!

[RF52]

I thought so too
We don't have grizzlys here, but we do have brown bears (not were I live but in the Scandinavian countrys) which are a bit more relaxed than grizzlys if I got it right, would still get scared if one were roaming next to my camp though.

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[Nix]

I sometimes carry a pistol with me in the woods because of the bears and wolves. Maybe for lion, too. I used to think lions were really skittish, but I've heard enough stories of aggressive lions that some sort of defensive measure seems prudent. Although, I've only glimpsed one once! (Mrs Nix saw a lion in our backyard a few years ago...  )

This time I felt I was carrying enough stuff and figured the pepper spray would be 'good enough'.  When I saw that bear....especially when it didn't run away from the sound of my voice...a little voice in my head said, "maybe you should have brought that pistol after all....."

Maybe. But maybe we don't need to worry as much as our imaginations lead us to do sometimes.

 

[Borg]

Read this the other day, not fun to be on the receiving end of a bear attack.

https://www.backpacker.com/survival/survival-story-surviving-a-grizzly-attack-in-glacier-national-park


https://www.backpacker.com/survival/the-most-popular-survival-stories-from-backpacker?utm_campaign=BPK%20-%20Backpacker%20Basecamp&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=95719969&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--y2TgpfKqRheimSo5j9RjbYXb0J7b3twhVR4YABcrVvn_dTB6I1CVxeSopNNdWR2t4bEJ72RdJXHr46-ksSY0Vr6esHQ&utm_content=95719969&utm_source=hs_email#gid=ci0232f45bd0002502&pid=bp0617surv_toddorr0948_gn

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Interesting 

The area I was in is home to Elk and Deer. Which draws in Black and Brown bears, Wolves, Coyotes, and Mountain Lions. Honestly, I was more worried about a dead tree falling on me than any of the wildlife. And the thought crossed my mind that it was still fire season.....    I was also worried that chipmunks might try to shimmy down to my food bag, chew through that and eat the packet of nuts I had saved for a possible snack. Mice and Chipmunks are probably the biggest hazards to the camper.....all joking aside....

Still....what can you do?   

Ol' Nix needs his beauty sleep....

I remember once i was having lunch in the woods in the middle of nowhere, this mouse appeared, went into my bag and made off with a Kit-Kat, took him 5 seconds, was funny to watch him drag it away, i think they know what's in your bag

[Nix]

They are the Ninjas of the animal world......  Word.

[SteveC]

 

[David]

Day 24

[Nix]

    

[Alan K.]

Interesting 

I remember once i was having lunch in the woods in the middle of nowhere, this mouse appeared, went into my bag and made off with a Kit-Kat, took him 5 seconds, was funny to watch him drag it away, i think they know what's in your bag

They only go for the good stuff.

[David]

They only go for the good stuff.

 

[cody6268]

Day 24. Quite a bit of stuff done today, and it's just around the house stuff.

Tried to review PowerPoints I'd printed off to review for a test. I try to save paper and ink, so I try to shove four slides to a page. Unfortunately, sometimes, it's hard to read. While this is big enough to both save paper and ink, and have most stuff be visible, the tables, in some cases, are really small. And having a cheap HP inkjet all-in-one printer doesn't help.

KIMG2243 by cody6268, on Flickr

Carefully opened somewhat stuck hood while doing some dusting with the toothpick.

KIMG2244 by cody6268, on Flickr

Cut fingernails.

KIMG2249 by cody6268, on Flickr

Mail call. Several pieces I'd bought over the course of Dec-May from a diecast collector friend in North Dakota arrived today, as he sent me the total out earlier this week (one of the models, the Russian fire truck, was from yet another collector in Russia, and was forwarded to me by him as he did a trade with the collector in Russia; and it took four months to arrive from halfway across the globe). The guy has collected basically anything and everything in small scale from cross the globe, and even co-authored a couple of books, but he recently has just focused on emergency vehicles, and I've bought a lot of his stuff over the years.

KIMG2310 by cody6268, on Flickr

The two Corgi and the Moni System Skoda are just a few of them. I organized what I'd got today into a Flickr album:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmQXDdNZ

[Aloha]

Such a wonderful challenge.  Great pics everyone.  Really enjoying all the mucking around y'all are doing. 

[RF52]

Day 25:

Rebar made quick work of a fanbelt
Serrated blade is growing on me

[ReamerPunch]

Day 25

A second attempt at the bowdrill.
I tried to fix my many mistakes.
The bearing block is now a Y branch. I carved off the knots and edges that would be in my palm, and it is unbelievably comfortable. The hole has been driven in the approximate middle, and the forked end makes it very stable in my hand.
The spindle has been carved to fit the bearing block perfectly. It is locked in there.
The spindle has also been carved to a blunt point, like a glass breaker, to stay in the hearth board divot. And it does.

With the set ready, I gave the spindle a few spins in the hearth board to make it seat nicely. Then, I carved off the burned end of the spindle, to get a fresh surface, and I cut the notch for the ember. I also carved a little off the bottom of the notch, to allow for some airflow and had something under the notch to catch the ember, and I had my bird's nest ready. 

I got some smoke, but it was mainly from the bearing block. It was too much of a perfect fit, and had way too much friction. Back to the drawing board.

[RF52]

Another good project RP

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[comis]

Day 25



JG5 attended mail duty.

Alan, here's a comparison of short fixed blades I have, and the Lou Humphrey and Erapuu are new.


From top to down:
Modded Mora with shorten blade
ESEE JG5
Becker BK24 (like this, but the handle is 1/2-1" too short)
TM Hunt Skelemagua(awesome grip, and very useful knife)
Mora Junior
Erapuu Taskupuukko
Lou Humphrey Tarpon


New Humphrey I got, really like the ergo, fit and finish is quite decent, 95% on par with Bark River.



Erapuu is also new, I love the idea of slim, small fixed blade good for pocket carry.  The sheath/cap with lanyard attachment reminds me of Japanese design.


This is Mora Junior.  One of the most overlooked knife, since people think it's for kids.  But the ~4in handle still offers pretty good grip if you want to hammer fist it, and I like the little guard on it, so I could easily draw it in and out without paying much attention.

[old Lefty]

Day 16:
Tis the Nessmuk so SwissChamp doing work that would’ve otherwise fallen to the Beretta Hammer multitool (needed for some gentle nailing):



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[comis]

Interesting 

I remember once i was having lunch in the woods in the middle of nowhere, this mouse appeared, went into my bag and made off with a Kit-Kat, took him 5 seconds, was funny to watch him drag it away, i think they know what's in your bag

That's wild!  Lucky he didn't snatch the wallet while he was it, that'd totally freak me out.

I sometimes carry a pistol with me in the woods because of the bears and wolves. Maybe for lion, too. I used to think lions were really skittish, but I've heard enough stories of aggressive lions that some sort of defensive measure seems prudent. Although, I've only glimpsed one once! (Mrs Nix saw a lion in our backyard a few years ago...  )

This time I felt I was carrying enough stuff and figured the pepper spray would be 'good enough'.  When I saw that bear....especially when it didn't run away from the sound of my voice...a little voice in my head said, "maybe you should have brought that pistol after all....."

Maybe. But maybe we don't need to worry as much as our imaginations lead us to do sometimes.

 

I am sure you definitely know that (IIRC) statically, spray does work better than gun(afterall it covers widler area) and probably a better choice especially around other people.  But if I were you, encountering a bear alone in close quarter, I bet I too would have second guess the choice as well.

Agree with the rodent or any four legged critters, one thing I sure don't want when camping is a whole herd of them trying to chew thru the tent to get to my goodies at night.  That's why hanging or storing food off site is so important.

Day 25

A second attempt at the bowdrill.
I tried to fix my many mistakes.
The bearing block is now a Y branch. I carved off the knots and edges that would be in my palm, and it is unbelievably comfortable. The hole has been driven in the approximate middle, and the forked end makes it very stable in my hand.
The spindle has been carved to fit the bearing block perfectly. It is locked in there.
The spindle has also been carved to a blunt point, like a glass breaker, to stay in the hearth board divot. And it does.

With the set ready, I gave the spindle a few spins in the hearth board to make it seat nicely. Then, I carved off the burned end of the spindle, to get a fresh surface, and I cut the notch for the ember. I also carved a little off the bottom of the notch, to allow for some airflow and had something under the notch to catch the ember, and I had my bird's nest ready. 

I got some smoke, but it was mainly from the bearing block. It was too much of a perfect fit, and had way too much friction. Back to the drawing board.

(Image removed from quote.)
(Image removed from quote.)

Looking great!  You probably know this--I have seen people installing a large bearing into their knife handle to make the spindle spin easier, maybe that could be of help? 

[ReamerPunch]

Looking great!  You probably know this--I have seen people installing a large bearing into their knife handle to make the spindle spin easier, maybe that could be of help? 

I've seen that mod before. I have a fidget spinner somewhere. 
I'll try something with my bearing block first.
I  won't modify my Mora. Why turn that into a bearing block? It already has a ferro rod on it.

[Nix]

[Aloha]

 

[Nix]

Alan, here's a comparison of short fixed blades I have, and the Lou Humphrey and Erapuu are new.

...

Erapuu is also new, I love the idea of slim, small fixed blade good for pocket carry.  The sheath/cap with lanyard attachment reminds me of Japanese design.

....

Nice collection! 

I really like that Erapuu!  Great design and concept.  It would be interesting to do a Fixed-blade challenge with that one!  (Send it over and I'll save you the trouble of having to do the challenge yourself...... )

[cody6268]

(Image removed from quote.)
This is Mora Junior.  One of the most overlooked knife, since people think it's for kids.  But the ~4in handle still offers pretty good grip if you want to hammer fist it, and I like the little guard on it, so I could easily draw it in and out without paying much attention.

I have an older version from KJ Eriksson, which has a pointed blade, double guard,  and a Boy Scout on the leather with metal tip reinforcement sheath. Laminated steel too. It has green plastic handles that are apparently so old, it's a type that shrinks with age (guessing 1950s?).  It's just big enough (unlike a lot of neck-type knives with wide, but poorly shaped and too thick of a spine for 2" and under blades) without being too big. And, small enough that in its sheath, it will still fit in a pocket. I am getting it rehandled, and a new retention strap put on the sheath.

I like how that one just has a single guard.

[Nix]

I got some smoke, but it was mainly from the bearing block. It was too much of a perfect fit, and had way too much friction. Back to the drawing board.

I put a little oil or grease (a smear of Chapstick, once) on the spindle (bearing block end) to reduce friction there. Not sure how much of a difference that actually makes. But it makes sense to me.... 

I think you are right, though: you don't need a lot of friction at the bearing block.

[Alan K.]

Nice selection of smaller knives Comis. I hope you like the Humphrey because it does look very comfortable.
What about a reverse bow drill?  If you develop a coal in the bearing block instead of in the hearth board you have still successfully made a coal, and that is the point of the exercise isn't it?

[comis]

I've seen that mod before. I have a fidget spinner somewhere. 
I'll try something with my bearing block first.
I  won't modify my Mora. Why turn that into a bearing block? It already has a ferro rod on it.

   That's true!  I personally don't mind a smooth metal divot in a plastic mora handle, bearing does look kinda weird.

Nice collection! 

I really like that Erapuu!  Great design and concept.  It would be interesting to do a Fixed-blade challenge with that one!  (Send it over and I'll save you the trouble of having to do the challenge yourself...... )

Wait...am I smelling a Fixie Challenge happening sometime next year? 

I have an older version from KJ Eriksson, which has a pointed blade, double guard,  and a Boy Scout on the leather with metal tip reinforcement sheath. Laminated steel too. It has green plastic handles that are apparently so old, it's a type that shrinks with age (guessing 1950s?).  It's just big enough (unlike a lot of neck-type knives with wide, but poorly shaped and too thick of a spine for 2" and under blades) without being too big. And, small enough that in its sheath, it will still fit in a pocket. I am getting it rehandled, and a new retention strap put on the sheath.

I like how that one just has a single guard.

Mora also is making the exact same knife you'd mention, I think they called it a boy scout knife.  That's a pretty good suggestion!