How To Build Projects

Here I’ll be postin some plans an ideas, should be a variety a stuff, check back from time ta time.

Soap Molds

Here be some soap molds what I built:

I made up two 3 pound boxes, one 4 pound an one 5 pound box.  Still need ta make the 6 pound box.

There simply made outa some left over 3/4 inch plywood an screwed tagether with a finish screw.  Works out well they be nice an sturdy.

Inside box dimensions be:

3 pound

10 inchs long x 3  1/2 inchs wide x 2  3/4 inchs tall

4 pound

13 inchs long x 3  1/2 inchs wide x 2  3/4 inchs tall

5 pound

16 inchs long x 3  1/2 inchs wide x 2  3/4 inchs tall

Bear in mind these be inside dimensions so yall gotta allow fer the thickness a yer wood.  I used 3/4 inch stock so my sides an ends were cut ta 3  1/2 inchs tall ta allow fer the 3/4 in thick bottom.

Also made a soap cutter:

It also be made outa 3/4 inch plywood an use a putty knife ta cut the soap with.

Inside dimensions be:

16 inchs long x 4 inchs wide x 3  3/4 inchs tall.  Slot be cut 1 inch from the stop block.  Makes a rite nice size bar.

I looked these molds an cutters up online, woulda been well over $100 plus shippin fer this stuff.  I spent less en $5 on the whole works, some leftover plywood an a bit a time.  The cutter knife they sell be a flat bladed knife sorta like a dough scraper what bakers use, nearly $15 an I think I paid $3.50 fer the putty knife an it do the job just fine.

How ta Make Char Cloth

Gonna show yall how ta make char cloth what be used with a flint an steel er a fire steel ta make fire with.

First we need some all cotton cloth, I use a old pair a denim bibs fer my char cloth, bit stronger that way.

Now cut inta 2 inch squares.

Put 12 pieces a cloth in a clean soup can, cover the top with a double layer a heavy duty aluminum foil an poke a small hole in the foil ta let the gasses out.

Put the can onta a fire er in my case I use a electric burner, the process done starts when smoke comes out the hole in the foil.  Let this cook till the smoke stops er the smoke won’t support a flame no more.

Ya can tell it be done when it nice an black, if it be a bit brown ya need ta cook it some more.  Char cloth be brittle so ya do have ta be some carefull with it.  This type works well with a flint an steel an a firesteel.

Ta use it, I take a piece an hold it either below er above (personal choice an what works best fer ya) my flint an strike with the steel.  The sparks will catch on the char cloth an it will begin ta glow.  Then add it ta yer tinder bundle an lightly blow it till ya get a flame.

Tinder Stick

Another good fire starter be a tinder stick an there easy ta make to.  It requires a piece a metal tube, I used 1/4 inch by 4 inch piece a brass an put a piece a 7/32 all cotton sash cord in it.  Tie a end in the cord ta keep it from pullin through.  I char the end ta make it easier ta light.  Here be what it look like.

The storage tube be made outa a piece a 1 inch pvc pipe an two threaded caps, keep it clean an dry.  Whole thing cost bout 5 bucks ta make.

Blow Gun

I got this idear from Dave Canterbury, one a the fellers from Dual Survival.  On YouTube he shows how ta build what he calls the poor mans blow gun.  Decided it might be fun ta try it so we gave it awhirl.

Start out with two pieces a grey 1/2 inch pvc water pipe with threads on each end an 24 inchs long.  Then get a adapter what be 1/2 inch an got male threads on one end an a female end what glues on (this makes the mouth piece).  Yall will need a coupler to.  I bought a schedule 40 coupler cause it was smaller an cheaper then the greay ones.

The adapter won’t fit tight on the pipe, so I added a couple winds a electrical tape an drove the fittin onta the end a the pipe.  Screw the coupler on good an tight ta the pipe with the adapter then screw the second piece a pipe inta the coupler.  Ya now got a 4 foot long blow gun.

Darts – The darts be made outa yeller wire nuts with a hole drilled in the center an 5 inch long chunks a bamboo sckewers glued inta them.  They won’t be perfectly straight, but if yer carefull will work perty well.  The size a the hole ya drill will depend on the size a them skewers ya buy.  I used gorilla glue ta glue the skewers inta the wire nuts.  Now, I tried out the wire nuts I got in that 1/2 inch adapter I bought, found they fit real nice in there, just somethin ta think bout when buyin stuff.

The whole works looks bought like this:

Just usin the wire nuts I can shoot them through a newspaper at 15 feet.  When the bamboo darts er dry I’ll try them out on some foamboard.

Figure this will be a fun toy an with a bit a practice a feller could prolly take a rabbit, squirrel er birds with it.  A snare might be better suited but that be antoher build!

Rocket Stove

Don’t remember where I found this, would like ta give em credit, but I don’t.  Whoever yall are thanks.

A rocket stove is a wood stove what uses little fuel but does a amazin job a cookin.  I haven’t built this one yet, I built one usin bricks an works very well.  This one be a bit more permanant an I plan on makin one a these this summer.  So here be the rocket stove:

Ok, that be perty small print!  Let me see what we can do here:

Rocket Stove

The rocket stove design is a very versatile design that can be improvised with a variety of different materials.  The heart of the stove is an elbow-shaped, insulated combustion chamber.  The fuel, in the form of sticks or narrow pieces of wood (or even tightly rolled-up paper, if that’s all you have), is fed into the fire on the shelf, as shown.  The air enters into the fire underneath the shelf.  Because the combustion chamber is insulated, the fire can get very hot, an burn ver efficiently.

*Insulation around the fire keeps the fire burning hot (above 600°C or 1100°F), which is more efficient.

*Insulation around the chimney increases the draf, which provides a constant supply of air.

*Wood burns at the tip, an wood is shoved into the fire, controlling the burn rate and reducing smoke.

*The air/fuel mixture is controlled, since to much air will only cool the fire.

*A skirt around the pot maximizes heat contact and transfer into the food.

* Cooking occurs directly on top of the chimney for efficient heat transfer.  This is possible because the stove burns at high temperatures and is nearly smokeless.

To build a rocet stove, you will need a larger housing containers, such as a coffee can.  Make a hole to put the fuel in through.  For the elbow-shaped chamber you can use stovepipe, scrap metal, or a pair of cans put one into the other.  An improvised can chamber will last for about 3 months.  Plastering the inside with castable firebrick will improve the lifespan.  A taller chimney will be more smokeless.  Howeverl a shorter chimney will let the flame touch the bottom of the pot, an transfer heat more efficiently to the food.  Place the elbow joint inside of the larger container.  You may need to place a brick or other material underneath to help keep the placement.  Then fill the space between the elbow an the housing with fireproof insulation.  This insulation could include wood ash, vermiculite, perlite, pumice rock, dead coral or air trapping layers of aluminum foil.  You will need to make a shelf for the fuel wood to put in the elbow joint.  You can pound a metal can flat, and cut it to fit.  You may want to make a wire grill to place on top of the housing, to rest the pot on.  Adding a metal skirt will also help the heat transfer tremendously, because it will force the hot gases to rub against more of the pot, as shown.  The skirt should be about 1 cm from the pot.

Starting a rocket stove is a little bit different from starting an open fire.  Try putting your tinder on the shelf, ingniting it, and then pushing the fuel in.

The rocket stove is an improvement over the three stone fire but it is only one part of the equation.  In order to really save fuel wood we must maximize the heat transfer to the pot.  This picture show a thin piece of metal (a skirt) wrapped around the pot.  Shis skirt forces the hot flue gases to rub against the bottom an the sides of the pots.  The gap between the pot and the skirt should be about 1cm (assuming you are using an average-sized pot).  In our tests, this simple heat exchanger (an old coffee can works well!) almost doubles the efficiency of the rocket stove.

This elbow is then placed inside of a container that is filled with insulation. The container can be made from almost any material.  We have used 5-gallon drums, brick, clay, cement.  For insulation we suggest using wood ash or perlite, or pumice.

Don not use massive things such as earth, sand or cement.  These will rob heat from the stove and reduce your combustion efficiency.  For optimal use we recommend a 9″ chimney and a 4″ fuel feed magazine.

Patrol Table Plans

I got this off a Scoutin page somewhere, should be a great project durin winter an have ready for summer!

BUILD A SMOKE GENERATOR

Wanna do some lower temperature smokes fer say sausage, bacon er hams?  Well build a smoke generator!

I’m buildin a dedicated smoker out of a refrigerator.  It will be used fer sausage, bacon an hams.  I’ll post some instructions on that when the project is finished.

Now fer the smoke generator.  These are available on the web, but sell fer upta $100.  Ya can build one cheaper if ya have any do it yerself skills at all an a few power tools.

Start out by purchasin 2 aluminum post caps, these fit 2 3/8 post an measure 2 1/2 inchs OD.  Next take the caps ta yer local muffler shop, ask them to cut ya a piece a pipe (2 1/2 inch in my case) 12″ – 16″ long an swag (expand) the ends ta fit yer caps.  Mine cost 10 bucks.  Make sure the pipe ya get is NOT GALVANIZED!  That would be very bad.  Mine is aluminized but does not contain any galvanizin products.

Pick up some 1/2″ black iron pipe, 1/2″ black iron union an what my local done it ta yerself store calls a stop plate an a 1/2″ electrical conduit nut.  The black iron pipe you will need will vary with the thickness a the walls of yer smoker.  I added a shut off valve ta my generator but it’s not necessarry.  So, I have a 2 1/2″ long nipple, the 1/2″ full flow valve, a 1/2″ close nipple an my 1/2″ union mounted on the generator.  The other end a the union will mount to a 1/2″ nipple that goes through the wall a the smoker an inta the stop plate.

I’ll post some update pics when it’s all mounted up.

Now, drill a 3/4 inch hole in the tubin under the swagged end, 1/2″ black pipe will thread inta that hole reasonably tight.  You then install a 1/2″ conduit nut on the back side a the black pipe.

This will help secure the black iron pipe in the generator.

Next you simply add in a valve (if yer usin one) an then the black iron union.  Mount the termination plate inside yer smoker with the appropriate length a black iron nipple screwed inta it.  The nipple should stick outside the wall a yer smoker about the length a the threads.  Screw the other end a the union onta this.  You can now connect the two tagether.

The top cap is drilled fer a simple handle, a cabinet knob will work fine.  The bottom cap will be drilled an threaded fer a air fittin that will accept hose from an aquarium pump.  The bottom cap is inserted inta the generator an both are drilled an threaded to accept a 1/4″ thumb screw to secure the cap.

We then need ta bend some none galvanized screen (hardware cloth) to fit up inside the generator.  This is where the chips an pellets will rest.  I’ll post some pics of that next weekend when I get it built.

So check back.  As I finish up the project I’ll post some more about buildin it an how ta use it.  Thanks fer lookin!

In the next couple days I’ll post the finish a this project folks.  Took a bit a tinkerin an a couple small changes, but it’s gonna work perty good I think.

So check back with us!

OK, lets see what we can add ta this:

The flash makes that a bit bright, but that is what I finally used fer the screen in the bottom a the generator.  I cut a piece of sheet metal so it fits tight inside the swagged bottom end a the tube, I drilled it with a 1/4 inch bit.

This show’s the bottom cap with the fittin fer the airline comin from the aquarium pump.  I also drill three 1/4 inch holes in the cap to allow a bit more airflow.

This shows the smoke generator mounted upta my fridge conversion what is fer sausage, bacon an ham smokin.

This one shows the air pump mounted on the back a the control box.

This be bout how much smoke ya wan’t goin in the generator when ya put all the caps on it.

This is a manifold I added on the inside a my fridge conversion.  This is bout the average amount a smoke I like fer the sausage an such.

This is the exact amount a smoke ya wanna see comin out the stack!

Here’s a batch a all beef sausage smoked usin the generator an my fridge conversion.  I get a great mahogany color with this set up.

Summer Sausage done in the fridge smoker usin the smoke generator.

Beef Sausage an a nice little ham ready ta smoke.

As a side not yall, this setup (fridge smoker/smoke generator) will do a bang up job on smokin cheese as well.  The low temps I can get with this unit (60° when it’s less then that) is great cause it won’t melt the cheese!

Fire Steel!

Some times when were out huntin, fishin, campin er just walkin round, the need comes up ta have a fire ta cook dinner on er dry out some wet clothes.  I carry what they call a fire steel.  When ya scrape it ya get a shower a very hot sparks.  Alittle dry tinder an some kindlein an it ain’t long a ya got a fire.  I’d seen one like this on the internet, though it be perty neat till I seen the price!

Wern’t no way I was payin what they wanted!  I bought a blank fire steel from www.firesteel.com fer bout 4.50 an a 1.40 fer the scraper.  Took a piece a fatwood an drilled a 5/16 hole bout 3/4 inch deep in the end then put some gorilla glue on the steel an set er in the hole.

Braided up a lanyard fer the striker an another with a clip fer the left over piece a fat wood.  Now if ya need a fire, ya shave off a few bits a fatwood an then slide the striker down the steel to get yer sparks.  Soon yall have a nice toasty fire.  Total cost on this was bout 7 dollars.  If memory serves, they wanted 20 dollars fer the ready made one an it didn’t come with lanyards er the spare piece a fatwood!