Let's Commit To Something Else

After another tiresome evening of work, Mike and I have come to the conclusion that the fire bow is an unfeasible method of making fire. After making and then breaking several more bows, we decided to try to prove the concept of our efforts. We found a bit of wood that was the same type as our spindle stick. After a brief bit of work I was able to fit it into a 3/8" electric drill and smooth it out. We tried using two different base boards - neither produced a serviceable coal.

We did yield our first invention in the process though - we have grown relatively proficient at making rope out of plant stuff. We have a lot of projects upcoming that require the use of twine. We will be using commercially made sisal as a substitute to our home-made goods.

Our next course of action is to build a fire piston. This is a traditional fire-building tool used by Pacific islanders. More on that project as we get there.

Fire HARD!

Once again we attempted fire. Inventing fire is hard. Really hard.

It's not that I expected it to be easy, hundreds of former military guys make lots of money telling accountants, and weekend warriors how to make fire from twigs, sticks, and magnifying glass lenses in outdoorsy experience camps and survival seminars. Even their demonstrations don't work out well sometimes, and they have the luxury of modern fire starting equipment.

Still, I had thought that two resourceful guys with plenty of internets behind them would surely sort out a fire bow or some kind of flint spark by now. If Unk'nuk could figure it out thousands of years ago just by messing around with sticks, you'd think two fairly handy people who already know what to do could execute such a seemingly simple task. Right now our only major accomplishment is the creation of Gross-Rope: the rope that's covered in gross.

We did get much closer. Mark fashioned a much more solid and smooth stick using some stone tools, we put way more curve in our bow and just started producing smoke when our old dried bark string let go. The rest of our time was spent making a new string and trying various other bows. The challenge now seems to be in getting the proportions right for keeping the string in good tension without compromising the bow. I have high hopes that we will see some success soon, but if we don't were going to have to hit the store and get us some flint I think. Until we make fire there isn't much we can do.

Until then we are just following in the shambling footsteps of Unk'nuk.

First Try At Fire

Yesterday Mike and I got together as a team for the first time. Our objective was to build a fire. We took thin strips of bark from young branches of the basswood tree and weaved them into a rope. We weaved 3 strips together into twine, then 3 twines together into the cord for the fire bow. We found a stick to use as the spindle, a flattish bit of wood for the base, and a rock for the top of the spindle. We then made a little fire bundle out of dried bits of bark and dead leaves.

We were not successful in creating fire. Our problems centered around the spindle stick. The first was too thin and snapped. The second was too brittle and snapped. For the third we used a green stick, it frayed at the end and didn't do much to produce heat. The fourth was not straight enough and was difficult to spin.

The spindle and base got hot a few times, we're on the right track but we haven't succeeded yet. Saturday we'll give it another go.

The First Tool

Mike Z and I had an instant message exchange the other day and outlined the early tasks we want to get done for the challenge. He is coming to my house in a little over an hour. Impatience got the best of me and I built this saw today.
I started with a deer skull I found out in some hunting grounds a few months ago. I smashed it on a rock to split it in half. I then used the tooth section of half-skull to saw through a small branch on one of my basswood trees. I stripped the bark off and braided it to use as twine. I cut a slightly larger branch for the handle. I used the braided bark twine to bind the tooth section to the handle. I tested it out - it was bound pretty tight but it had some up-and-down movement. I used some more strips of bark to loop over the top and secure it better.

The cutting stroke is too wide to saw directly through branches, but you can make a good wedge-shaped score around a branch and then snap it off. I feel like a cave-man when I hold it.

When Mike comes over we'll make the other half into another saw, along with some other small bone tools.

Tables & Buckets

A couple things that need sayin'-

You do not need to work on the ground (unless you want to) - feel free to use a table when you need to. You don't need to build the table too.

You also may use buckets, totes, shelves and other containers to store your projects and/or materials. No need to dig a pit to hide your projects in, or leave them scattered on the ground for someone to step on or trip over.

Clarification Regarding Supplies

In the fictitious land of immersion for this challenge, you find your team amongst the rock-strewn lands of a distant place. You can recognize that there is an abundance of metal ores around, along with abundant wood, clay, and coal. There is nothing beyond its primal state here. You are permitted to procure any materials in the form they are extracted from the ground, and base metals in scrap form. This permits copper, tin, lead, aluminum, nickel, iron, zinc, etc. Materials such as brass or bronze are not permitted until you have alloyed the metal yourself using base metals. You can purchase boxes or bags of clay. You cannot purchase processed materials such as grog, coke, or charcoal until you have produced them by yourself.

Up until the late 19th century aluminum was scarce. The process currently used was not invented until 1886. The material is far more commonplace today than the earlier white metal, tin; this is why I am including it in the challenge.

Measurement

After giving it further thought, each team will be allocated the following references;

a 1" gage block

a 60 and a 90 degree angle reference

a 1lb weight

Teams may choose to use metric standards at their option. These standards will be used to build any other measuring devices the teams can devise

Third Team Announced - The Challenge Begins!

Mike R and Kathy will comprise the 3rd team, so the challenge begins! The challenge will conclude August 13th, 2011. All other interested participants are encouraged to contact me to join up!

Coconuts

If early television re-runs have taught me anything in my 31 very long years of life, it's that you can pretty much make anything you want, so long as you've got Coconuts. I speak of course about Gilligan's Island. For those of you who live under a rock, or were sperm in your father's testicles when the Berlin Wall fell, the show's premis is as follows. A group of people are stranded on a deserted tropical Island in the pacific. But that doesn't stop them from enjoying the finer points of modern 1960's life thanks to "The Professor", a nameless academic with the ungodly power of science! whitch he used to turn coconuts into such things as cups, bowls, and a radio. Sounds Impossible sure, and to be fair he also had the help of a plentifull forest of bamboo, but I cant help but feel as if this challenge would be far more sucesfull if we did it in Hawaii. I'm just sayn' is all.

The "Professor" shown here with his coconut neuclear reactor from an early lost episode of the show.

One More Ruling

As requested by Pat, who has not confirmed or denied that he is joining the challenge.

Modern protective equipment of all sorts is encouraged. This includes goggles, gloves, leather aprons, whatever you need to be safe.

2nd Team

The second team of Jeff and Todd has been added. We'll begin when we get one more team or August 29th, whichever comes first.

Rulings!

Okay a couple of rulings, as requested by Todd, who has not confirmed or denied that he is joining.

You cannot use scrap metal in the form it was found. For example, you cannot use a scrap section of railroad tie as an anvil. The metal must be made to molten, then poured or cast.

You can use organic or mineral materials as found. If you find a vein of pure copper ore you can pound or shape it any way you like without first melting it down. You can also use found organic and mineral materials as found too; if you happen upon a deer skeleton (whether you killed it or found it) you can use the bones, teeth, etc as you see fit. You can also purchase materials as they come out of the ground, though they cannot be processed. As an example you can buy coal but not coke.

Also - this is not an exercise in chopping firewood. You can use whatever scraps of wood you want as firewood or to make charcoal. If you're using the wood to make a tool or in some other way as part of a project you must chop it up yourself. Burn scrap 2x4's, but that lathe spindle can't be made from a dowel rod that you bought.

On the subject of making tools and buying improved versions; you cannot exceed 3x the weight of the original item, and your purchased tool cannot have any features your home-built tool does not. For example; if you cast a 1-pound copper hammer you can purchase up to a 3-pound hammer for your team use, but it cannot have a claw if yours didn't. Another example; if you build a 10-pound anvil out of brass you cannot buy a steel anvil, and you cannot buy an anvil with a hardy hole if yours didn't have one.

Starting Date & First Team

I would like to have 3 teams at the beginning of this challenge. I am not planning to wait forever though - if by Sunday, August 29th there are not 3 teams the challenge will begin anyways. Teams are welcome to join any time after the start date.

Don't be shy, all you peoples out there! You don't need to be from our area to join, or have any previous tool or machine building experience. Post a comment or send an email and join up today!

Mike Z has contacted me and asked me to team up. I agreed, so team one is set! Think you can compete? I dare ya...

Rules of the Tool Builder's Challenge

The tool builder challenge will take place over the span of 1 year. Teams entering the challenge will consist of 2 persons. Do not select a partner that you cannot meet with, this is a team activity. This challenge will have a winner, as voted on by the participants.

You begin the challenge with nothing. No modern tools of any kind - not a hammer, not a match, nothing. The objective is to see how advanced you can build tools in the 1 year span.

The first stage is found items only. You can comb the beach for smooth pebbles, rub sticks together to start a fire, make twine out of tree bark, whatever. Metal scrap can be used, but it cannot be used in the form you find it. It must be made completely molten before you use it to build anything. You do not get the use of any tools at all, not even in a supporting role (such as using a band saw to aid in building a casting pattern.)

Once you have built a fire you may use matches to start a fire from that point forward (no accelerants though.) Once you have created an item you can use any reproduction of it made of like materials. If you build a copper hammer you can go out and buy a copper hammer. The idea is that given a long enough time you can refine the copper hammer into a better tool, but you built that first one on your own.

Participants can also build duplicate items and trade them to other teams. The other team can use that item ONLY - they cannot buy a like item as they didn't build one themselves.

Once a team begins to build precision tools they will be allowed the use of one set of calipers, either dial or vernier, as a reference only.