Hand Tools

TOOLS:

Before humans discovered metals and learned to work them, tools were made from stone-especially flint, obsidian, quartz, chertz and other glassy rocks, bone and other natural objects. Stones can make efficient hammers, alone or lashed on to a handle if a shape that can be easily secured. The glassy stones can be knapped (chipped and flaked) to make a sharp edge; some other kinds of stone, such as slate, can also produce a knife edge, though they may not have the strength to be used for percussive blows.

The best start for a stone implement is a split cobble, perhaps from a stream bed, or split by a blow from another smooth, hard pebble, so that a flat face is produced. The blow should be at an angle of less than 90 degrees or the shock will be absorbed within the pebble.

Once the split is made, other layers can be broken off. Flakes can be removed around the edge of the flat face by hitting edge-on with another stone. Delicate work can be produced by hitting and pressing with a softer tool such as deer's antler. If a flat face is produced end-on blows can make thin blades. Making stone implements is not a skill that can be quickly acquired and you may have to be very persistent.

Bones can be used as tools-antlers and horns make USEFUL digging implements gougers and hammers. They can also be cut with stone tools or ground with coarse stones. You may have the advantage over the prehistoric tool-makers, whose skills you are copying, of having a knife or other metal implement to help you to carve bone.
Some woods, such as the Mulga tree of Australia, used by the Aborigines for spears, are hard enough to make effective blades for hunting and cutting.

STONE TOOLS:

One technique for producing an axe-head: First the stone is split and the edges partly shaped. Then a platform is created on one side from which a series of flakes can be struck vertically down. The final shaping can then be done.
Hit with a softer stones, and hit and press small flakes away with a piece of antler or hard wood. It may take a lot of patience to acquire tool making skills but even practice flakes may be USEFUL as scrapers, for cutting edges & as arrowheads.

BONE TOOLS:

A shoulder blade provides a good shape for an effective saw. First it should be split in half, then teeth can be cut along it with a knife. A small bone scraper could also be made, the edge ground sharp. Ribs are good bones for shaping into points .

BONE NEEDLE:

Choose a suitably bone or flake of bone and sharpen to a point. Burn an eye with a piece of hot wire, or lacking that, scrape with a knife point or piece of flint. DON'T heat the knife in the fire.

FITTING A STONE AXE-HEAD:

Select a hardwood handle. Tie a band of cord around it about 23cm (9in) from one end.
Split the end down as far as this band (use your knife and a wedge or the piece of flint you have made for the axe-head).
Insert the flint and tie the end to secure. This mounting will split wood but will not be very effective for chopping it.

KNIFE:

If the axe is essential to survival, so is the knife. Here again there is no bargaining, you have to pay for quality, one of the best knife all around on the market is the old Swiss knife but do take the one with a magnifying glass type its more USEFUL.

SHARPNESS IS THE KEY TO THE USE: FOR ALL TOOLS, AXE OR KNIFE !:

AVOID however to give too much a sharpness to the edge for it would dull out faster. NEVER let rust start on any tool it is the end of it all! Oil your saw after use and rap it with paper to hang. For rust kills the sharpness eating away as acid would.

PICK-SHOVEL ARMY STYLE:

Lately they have come up with the best one pliable, with saw blade, hammer, but they are hard to find, so check old army store. Its purpose as weapon of survival are too numerous to list.

#POINTES# AND NAILS:

Planting a #pointe# without precaution nearly ALWAYS will split the wood at its end. So to AVOID this just tap the #pointe# with a hammer before hammering it in. This way the #pointe# will smash the wooden fibre rather than spreading them apart and your wood will not split at the end. If the wood is very delicate then you should drill a hole into it before using the #pointe# or nail. If you MUST nail a long point in hard wood grease it first. Just like you should do the same with screws using soap before screwing them in the wood, they go in like a charm when soapy.

BENDING NAILS:

Better use a longer nail then too short, however if you don't do it correctly the nail will be a constant DANGER to rip hands or pants. So in order to AVOID those scratches, place a big nail as you see in fig C near the nail to bend then hammer it down as the result shows in D fig 51 this way no scratches and lot stronger.

NAIL IT RIGHT:

In fig 52 the nails are put side by side neatly, but a strong push or strength on F will make it come apart. To AVOID this; nail them oblique against one another, this will hold fine.

PULLING NAIL OFF:

Using your hammer is fine but if the nail is too strong then put a piece of wood underneath the hammer will do the trick. If this does not work then use a crow bar to do the job best.

CAULK THE JOINTS:

This means to fill in the gap so that the water does not come in.
An easy way to do this is by melting down with the use of a sand bath a mixture of resin and tar, this product is then put while hot using a wooden or steel spatula then let it harden. The sand bath is any container made of steel filled with sand in which is tucked the mastic pot. The whole thing is put over a good fire with a lid. See photo

AXES:

A fire axe is part of the equipment of any boat or plane, but an axe-head, to be fitted to an improvised handle, is a USEFUL additional piece of equipment for anyone to carry. One of about 500-750gr (1-1 1/2 lb) is ideal. Use your knife to fashion a handle when it is needed.

AXE HANDLE:

Any straight, knot-free hardwood is suitable-ash and hickory are ideal. In the Tropics the flukes of Buttress tree are excellent: slightly curved, straight-grained and easy to work. Cut two notches into the fluke of a buttress, spaced to the desired length. Hit along the side of fluke close to the cuts. It will split away at their depth.

FITTING THE HEAD:

Whittle the handle into shape with one end cut to fit the hole in the axe-head, cutting a notch in that end.
Make a wedge to fit the notch. With the head in place drive in the notch then soak the axe the axe in the water overnight to tighten the head on the shaft.

ALWAYS CHECK AXE-HEADS FOR TIGHTNESS BEFORE USING THEM!

SHARPENING AN AXE:

An axe with a blunt edge becomes NO MORE THAN an inefficient hammer so keep it sharp, it will save energy. A file is best for getting rid of burrs, and a whetstone for imparting the sharp edge.

A file is a one way tool-it works when pushed not pulled. Prop axe-head between a log and a peg.

ALWAYS try to sharpen inwards from cutting edge to AVOID producing burrs. Use a file or rougher stone first to remove rocks and burrs.

Then finish with a smoother stone, using a circular motion. Don't drag the stone off the cutting edge. Push ON the blade. Turn the axe over. Repeat the process circling in the opposite direction.