IMPROVISING TOOLS AND WEAPONS
From the raw materials found in their surroundings, imaginative survivors should be able to make tools, weapons, utensils and even clothing, which will often serve much better than any commercially-made items.
Being able to fashion clothing and tools from the materials around you is a great bonus in a survival situation. Most of what you will make will be simple tools and weapons, but they will make your task of staying alive much easier. In addition, being able to make what you need will be a great morale-booster. If a tool or weapon breaks it can be a tremendous blow to your morale, but your optimism will return quickly if you know you can replace it with an improvised article. In a survival situation the number of things you can improvise is limited only by your imagination.
CLOTHING
If you are involved in an air crash, in the short term you should try to salvage as much as you can from the crash site, e.g. towels, tablecloths, curtains, cushions, and seat covers. Almost any type of fabric can be used for bedding, garments or shelter – be imaginative.
Insulation You can increase insulation by wearing layers of clothing (see What to Wear Chapter). Wear one sock on top of another. Put dry grass or moss between them. Leaves from deciduous trees (those which lose their leaves each autumn) make good insulation. The leaves should be placed between two layers of material and stuffed in cuffs and waist bands. Paper, feather, animal hair and down can also be used for insulation.
CATTAIL – THE WORLDWIDE INSULATOR
Cattail grows everywhere in the world with the exception of the forested regions of the far north. It is a marshland plant found along lakes, ponds and backwaters of rivers. The fuzz on the top of the stalks forms dead air and makes a down-like insulation when placed between two pieces of material.
BRITISH SAS TIPS:
CLOTHING TIPS
The uniforms of elite soldiers on extended operations can often wear thin. They are therefore taught how to improvise items of clothing.
Keeping out the wet Waterproofs can be fashioned from plastic bags or sheets. In addition, cut off large sections of birch bark; cut off the outer bark and insert the soft and pliable inner bark under the under-clothing – it will protect you from rain (you can also use other smooth barks that peel easily).
Rub animal fat into clothing, though not in conditions of extreme cold – the reduction in insulation is too great.
Footwear Shoe soles can be made from rubber tyres. Insert holes around the edges for thongs to tie them over wrapped feet or to sew onto fabric uppers (remember that several layers of wrapping are better on the feet than one).
Fashion a pair of moccasins from a piece of leather. Place your foot on the leather and cut out a piece 8cm (3in) bigger all round than the sole of your foot. Thong in and out around the edges and gather them over wrapped feet. Tie off the gathering thongs and weave another thong back and forth over the foot to make more secure.
TOOLS AND WEAPONS
Club Despite its simplicity, this is probably one of the most useful tools you can have in a survival situation. It is easy to make and can be replaced with minimum effort. Whatever environment you are in, try to make a club. It will be worth its weight in gold.
Fashion a club from a branch 5-6cm (2-2.5in) in diameter and around 75cm (2.5ft) long. It can be used for checking snares and deadfall traps, finishing off a trapped animal, and as a weapon for killing slow-moving game.
US ARMY TIPS:
MAKING A WEIGHTED CLUB
One of the most hi-tech armies in the world teaches its recruits how to make a primitive tool. A weighted club can be used for breaking and hammering or for killing small animals.
Wire saws Improvise a saw using a green sapling, or make a bucksaw if you feel more ambitious. You can use the wire saw in your survival tin for the cutting edge (see What to Carry Chapter).
Stone tools Flint, obsidian, quartz, chert and other glassy tools can be used by the survivor. Stones can make good hammers either used on their own or lashed to a handle. Glassy stones can be chipped and flaked to make a sharp edge. when chipping with another stone the blow should be at an angle of less than 90 degrees, otherwise the shock will be absorbed within the stone. It takes practice to make stone tools.
Bone tools If you have killed a large animal do not discard the carcass. Antlers and horns can be used for digging, gouging and hammering. You can use a knife to carve bone. for example, a shoulder blade can be split in half and then teeth cut along it – then you have a saw. Even the bones from small animals can be useful: ribs can be sharpened into points; other bones can be sharpened and the other end burnt through with hot wire to produce an eye – the result is a sturdy needle.
Bow and arrows Tension in unseasoned wood is short-lived – make several bows and change when the one you are using loses its spring. Yew is best but you may have to use other wood depending on the area you are in. The stave should be about 120cm (4ft) long. Shape it so it is 5cm (2in) wide at the centre and tapers to 1.5cm (5/8in) at the ends. Notch the ends 1.25cm (0.5in) in to take the string. Rub bow all over with oil or animal fat.
For the string, rawhide is best, though any string or coil will do. When strung the string should only be under slight tension: you provide the rest when you pull to shoot. Secure string to the bow using a round turn and two half hitches (see Ropes and Knots Chapter).
Arrows should be made from straight wood 60cm (2ft) long and 6mm (0.25in) wide. They should be as smooth and straight as possible. Notch one end 6mm (0.25in) deep to fit the bow string. Arrow flights can be made from feathers, paper, light cloth or leaves trimmed to shape. If you split a feather down the centre of the quill, leave 20mm (0.75in) of quill at each end of feather to tie to arrow. It is best to tie three flights equally spaced around the shaft. Arrow heads can be made of tin, flint, bone or the wood burnt black. Do not forget to put a notch in the end of each arrow to fit over your bowstring.
To shoot a bow, place an arrow in the bowstring and raise the centre of the bow to the level of your eyes. Hold the bow in the centre of the stave with your left hand (if you are right-handed) and rest the arrow on top of your hand. Keep this arm locked as you pull the bowstring back with your other hand. Keep the arrow at eye level while you are doing this. Line up the target with the arrow and release the string. Do not snatch at the string as you release it. If you are hunting, it helps to have several arrows with you. Try to carry them in some sort of quiver and try to keep them dry.
Cutlery Ladles and spoons can be carved from a large piece of wood where a branch attaches. The branch becomes the handle. Look for unusually shaped branches with shapes you can make use of. Where the outline of the object follows the grain, this helps to make it more water resistant. A simple fork can be shaped from a piece of stick.
Carving is an art in itself, but you should endeavour to learn it if you have the time. Not only will it provide you with useful items, it will also provide you with a way of passing idle time and will therefore keep up your morale, especially at night when you may be at a loose end.
Every wood has its unique carving qualities, and with practice you will learn which will best suit your purpose. Sycamore is soft and can be easily carved; beech is a hard wood that is unsuitable for beginners; hazel is a pliable, stringy wood that is easy to carve but tends to split easily; ash is hard to carve, but you should use it for tool handles, bows and other weapons; birch is a good carving wood but decays easily; yew is very hard and springy and makes fine bows, spoons and bowls.
When you are carving, always be aware of the danger of cutting yourself. Never carve towards yourself, when you are tired, with a dull knife, and never carve in a hurry.
Utensils Wood and bark can be useful aids in a survival situation. If you do not want to carve, you can still make utensils from trees and branches. You can use the inner layer of birch bark to construct storage containers or even temporary cooking vessels. The bark can be sewed or tied together.
Bamboo can be fashioned into cups and storage vessels. Cut a section just below a natural joint and then cut below the next joint up. The result is a cup you can drink from, though remember to smooth the edges to prevent splinters from getting into your lips and mouth.
A forked stick can be a major asset to your camp. Drive one into the ground at a 45-degree angle near a fire and rest a longer stick across it. With one end of the stick over the fire and the other driven into the ground and secured with rocks, you can suspend a pot over the fire. Better still, drive two forked sticks into the ground on each side of the fire, rest a straight stick over them and hang a pot from it over the fire.
Knives Improvised knives can be made from wood, bone, stone, metal or even glass. To make a knife from glass, simply split a stick, insert a piece of glass and lash securely. To fashion a knife from a piece of bone, sharpen one end (the leg bone of a deer or other medium-sized animal is best) and fashion a handle from the other end. Even the lids of opened tins of food can be driven into a piece of wood and turned into an improvised knife.
US ARMY TIPS:
MAKING A METAL KNIFE
A knife is a vital tool to have if you are a survivor. You should have one anyway, but if it breaks or you lose it, make another.
Spears Spears can help you catch fish and game. They can be quite simple, e.g. a stick with a sharpened point. However, this can break or dull easily. You can also improvise spear heads from antler or animal bone, flint or tin. You can split the end of the spear into three pieces and put in spacer blocks to keep them spread apart – this spear can be used to catch fish. Bone can also be used for this purpose
Fish hooks and lines Improvise fish hooks from pins, thorns, a bunch of thorns, nails, bones or wood. You can make a fish snare to trap large fish, such as pike, which often feed alongside weeds. Fix a noose line to the end of a pole or pass a line down the inside of a length of bamboo. To operate pass the noose over the fish from the tail end and pull it up slowly to trap it (for general advice on fishing see Food Chapter).
Rawhide This is an extremely useful material which can be made from any animal hide. It does take a while to process, but the end result is well worth it. Rawhide has many uses, including making lashings, ropes and sheaths for knives and tools.
The first step is to remove all the fat and muscle tissue from the hide (cut off the large pieces and scrape off the rest with a knife or flint). You must then remove the hair, which is done by applying a thick layer of wood ashes to the hair side. Sprinkle some water on the ashes after they have been put on the skin and then roll it up and store it in a cool place for a few days. When the hair begins to slip (you must constantly check to see when it is slipping), the hide should be unrolled and placed over a log. The hair can then be scraped off with a knife or flint.
When all the hair has been removed, you must wash the hide and stretch it inside a frame. Allow it to dry slowly in the shade. Rawhide is very hard when it is dry, but can be softened by soaking in water.
Catapult Select a strong Y-shaped branch and a piece of elastic material (a piece of inner-tube from a tyre is ideal), make a pouch for the centre of the elastic and thread or sew it into position. Tie the ends of each side of the branch. Use stones or small rocks as missiles: with practise you can become very accurate and deadly.
With a sling shot, swing the sling above your head and release one end of the thong to send the ammunition in the direction of the target. When you are using a catapult or sling shot against birds, use several stones at once.
Bola Wrap stones in material and knot each one with lengths of string 90cm (3ft) long. Tie all the lengths together. Hold at the joined end and then twirl around the head. When released the bola covers a wide area. It can be used against birds in flight or on animal’s legs, giving you a chance to close in for the kill when the animal is disabled.