Bushcraft Club thread

Crapbag · 14-11-2008 9:56am

Just to let you know we are currently organising a winter meet at the end of the month (29th/30th) Unfortunately an open invite isnt possible on this one as we may be restricted on the location. However this could change so watch this space

Crapbag · 01-03-2009 11:59pm

Its been a while since I update the thread. Thankfully its not due to inactivity in the club. We got out this weekend to a place called Mount Nugent in Co. Cavan (not Meath as I said before) thanks to a very generous couple who allowed us to use their magnificent woodland. We arrived on the Saturday and set up camp. In total we had 7 on site but only 3 able to stay. There was alot on this weekend (including the match and the bike show) so I wasnt surprised that not many stayed. Our sincere thanks to the landowners and the people who helped me arrange it by getting me in contact with them.

Neolithic with his mini bow drill set. Proving the idea that the size of the set doesnt matter. Although it was the butt end of some jokes :-)

Irishlostboy in his favorite position, bed! We almost need to carve a throwing stick to get him out.

We cleaned up the fire so well, we actually couldnt find it ourselves afterwards. 'You're pointing in the wrong place T!'

We identified what looked like tinder fungus but there are a few that look similar, so we're gonna dry it and test it out.

All together it was an excellent weekend. We are hoping to run many more coming into the summer. We got 3 new members from the weekend so If you are interested, pm me here or contact us by email thebushcraftclub@gmail.com

Evil Phil · 02-03-2009 12:17am

Sorry I couldn't make it down boys, but I had things on this weekend. TBH I'm getting married in May and I doubt I'll make it to any meets before them but I'll be along for sure after that.

Crapbag · 02-03-2009 12:35am

No problem Phil. Good luck getting hitched.

IPNA · 02-03-2009 8:52am

Hey Crapbag,
Great to see the lads getting out. The location looks spectacular. It looks like a mixed forest. How was the bird activity?

preacherman · 02-03-2009 5:40pm

Looks like a good weekend was had by all. I would have liked to make it myself. Looks like ye just missed the next cold spell too. The cold weather is due back this week.

Andrew

Crapbag · 02-03-2009 7:13pm

IPNA wrote: »

Hey Crapbag,
Great to see the lads getting out. The location looks spectacular. It looks like a mixed forest. How was the bird activity?

Lots of activity, I was up for the chorus and was listening out for alarm calls as we travelled through. The area had great variety. Beech, birch, oak, hazel, pine and even some redwood, it was amazing. It took a while to identify most of them given the time of year. The rodidendrum was thick but it still hadnt taken hold fully. We did have to dodge some sneaky archers though. We were fairly alert so it was ok but it was the only negative on the weekend.

Crapbag · 02-03-2009 11:21pm

Brilliant,

That stuff is definitely tinder fungus. Brought out the bow drill set this evening and gave it a go. Instead of blowing the ember into the fungus, I simply let it burn in, it spread like mad when it go into it. I then cut some of the ember out into a nest egg and it went up easily enough. The fungus would give you that all important second attempt if you get it wrong at any stage. When the fire was up, I simply put a bit of water to the fungus and it went out. Good for another few times

Next test is to see if the fire steel and good old flint and steel will catch from it. Cant seem to find them though :-/

Also next time we meet up, im gonna set an ember in the fungus, wrap it in some leaves to reduce the oxygen and see if it lasts the car journey to the meet spot. If so, how much of the fungus was consumed? If not how long did it last before it went out?

Also, lads you'll be pleased to hear. I have made some of my magic charcloth for the next out (with special ingredient) ;-)

irishlostboy · 04-03-2009 12:04am

Crapbag wrote: »

(with special ingredient) ;-)

lmao. you can keep it.

i have two fungi. one tony and yourself found (cheers for the lump.) and another that although looked quite similar when fresh, seems to be drying very pale, and does not have the same fire properties as the dark one. dark one is the business. will not take from my flint and steel, but will from an ember. maybe ground into a powder it may take from a spark? will have to experiment. next thing to make. mortar and petsel, og bushcraft style.

Crapbag · 12-04-2009 8:49pm

Hi Guys,

Well we just had a great weekend in Cavan. We headed up on the Friday afternoon to get set up early to have all Saturday to play around. We made good use of the time. We got lots done including a ground oven, chair making, glue making, knife making, tracking and some edible food identification. All together it was a hugely constructive weekend and personally I learned loads.

My first task was to construct a chair, with having back trouble at present I needed it. It held up very well and last all weekend. In fact I stashed it for next time we went out there, it worked that well.

Our mission this weekend was to successfully cook a lamb joint in a ground over without getting food poisoning. We built the ground oven and prepared the fire for the stones. The stones had to be white hot and quite large to retain the heat for any length of time. (Avoid shale porous stones that contain natural fissures. These tend to crack and spit)

Next we set about making some pine resin glue. This worked quite well, we extracted the resin and added to fat and used charcoal as a temper.

The end result wasnt bad but might have done with a little less fat as it took a while to set.

I wanted to make a knife out of natural material this weekend. My initial experiment was with antler. I heard antler was tough to break. Guess what, it was and it made it difficult to work with. Burning through it would have made more sense but I needed the shards to work with.

Instead I decided to use the bone from the roast as it broke more cleanly and gave me what I wanted, a nice flake. Its tough to sharpen though. The antler can be used for flint napping now anyway

We made the ground oven and the roast was a great success. Im not a big fan of lamb but this was the best lamb I had ever had. The meat was nicely done and very moist. Big hit with everybody

We had the roast with a wild garlic stew and primrose tea (all collected locally)

We got more done than I could put in a post really.Some of the other stuff we did included, collecting birch poly pore, tinder fungus, rabbit tracking and more. It was a fantastic weekend and I hope all our weekends are this educational and worthwhile.

irishlostboy · 14-04-2009 5:34pm

was a great trip out. much thanks everyone. hopefully it will keep going so well for the summer. here are some more pics of the trip out. thanks to Donal, Shane and Keara. cant wait to get out with you all again soon.

cooking dinner

an irish kebab. lol.

keira carving.

there were loads of frogs.

the location is beautiful.

pork on the hoof.

was a relaxing time.

Evil Phil · 14-04-2009 6:58pm

Always good to see frogs. We're you allowed to eat the saddlebacks? :P

irishlostboy · 14-04-2009 8:45pm

Evil Phil wrote: »

Always good to see frogs. We're you allowed to eat the saddlebacks? :P

lol. the size of them, it would take an army to get through one. when you see one of these full grown pigs you can see why they are such a staple food. they are huge eating/plowing machines. as it was donal had more than enough lamb left over to make sandwiches for his lunch for a while, and i carried out half the food i brought in with me, but was still eating non-stop. good food, good sleep, good people. toughing it out in the wild is such a chore :cool:

ya i love frogs. great sign life as they are delicate. there were of course also tics. i hate tics.

meathmannn · 17-04-2009 2:18pm

Fair play to you folks.
Have to comment on the photos, stones around the fire!!

I know it's the done thing in scouting groups etc., but from my training overseas with people like John Ryder (Ray Mears school etc) they've been steering clear of it for the last 15 years or so.

Apart from the safety end of things (stones can shatter depending on type + if they contain moisture), the teaching for a long time has been to clear the ground and debris around it and not to use stones therefore stones don't get fire marked, looks bad etc. leave no trace ethic etc. etc.

Otherwise fair play to all, keep up the good work, learn and pass on the skills.

As someone wisely said Survival is surviving, bushcraft is surviving comfortably!!

Crapbag · 17-04-2009 5:10pm

meathmannn wrote: »

Fair play to you folks.
Have to comment on the photos, stones around the fire!!

I know it's the done thing in scouting groups etc., but from my training overseas with people like John Ryder (Ray Mears school etc) they've been steering clear of it for the last 15 years or so.

Apart from the safety end of things (stones can shatter depending on type + if they contain moisture), the teaching for a long time has been to clear the ground and debris around it and not to use stones therefore stones don't get fire marked, looks bad etc. leave no trace ethic etc. etc.

Otherwise fair play to all, keep up the good work, learn and pass on the skills.

As someone wisely said Survival is surviving, bushcraft is surviving comfortably!!

You have a point. If you check some of our early trips, we dont always use stones. There are different reasons for using stones this weekend. Firstly, the stones were identified as granite, which can take alot of heat. Secondly, we were using the stones in a ground oven so they needed to be very hot. Lastly, the ground in the area was very easily damaged by heat, due to the peat content. The stones helped us limit the damage as we placed them under the fire also. I have had fire crack stones and am aware there are dangers. If we mark any stones, we normally remove them from the area.

Im not a fan of using stones to be honest and likewise was never taught to use them. However there are certain practicalities behind using them that I cant argue against. All I would say about it is, that it depends on the situation.

meathmannn · 18-04-2009 12:35pm

true and wise words crapbag.

Have you tried making a sauna using hot stones yet?
I have some photos I must dig out... basically an igloo shaped structure covered in lots of ferns...or cheat and use overlapping ponchos.
Pit in the centre, and this is filled with hot stones. Everyone gets in wearing shorts and one person is designated to pour cold water on the stones.... hey presto sauna/steam room.

Crapbag · 18-04-2009 12:41pm

Thanks

Yes I have been lucky enough to do a sweat lodge (sauna) recently. We did one in castleward with Anthonio, just before christmas. It was excellent. We had to run through the woods half naked as it was raining. It definitely is something we could try on a weekend. I noticed that the uptake on that activity can be limited though. For different reasons. It is something I think everyone should try once

neolithic · 18-04-2009 10:03pm

Maybe its just that some people are afraid to go into dark confined spaces with a load of scarey hairy men.

Evil Phil · 19-04-2009 7:02pm

neolithic wrote: »

Maybe its just that some people are afraid to go into dark confined spaces with a load of scarey hairy men.

That probably has something to do with it.

I'm interested in the traditional aspect of the sweat lodge in Ireland but amn't having much look finding stuff online. Can anyone help out? Really my interest is in terms of initiation and other rituals but any and all information is welcome.

neolithic · 20-04-2009 10:38pm

Try , The Indian Tipi It's History, Construction, And Use by Reginald and Glady's Laubin. It's about Americian Indian Tipi's but it also has a chapter on the Sweat Lodge . I have to say that I have not read the complete book yet but the discription of the sweat lodge is good.
Tony.

irishlostboy · 20-04-2009 11:20pm

one thing to note. ireland has its own history of sweat lodges going back a long long way, seperate from the native american model of sweat lodges. unfortunately actual information regarding them is sketchy at best (the joys of a culture which didn't write stuff down). some people look at the native american methods and practices as an alternitive, and some dont even realise that we had our own take on it historically, so thats why i mention it.

IPNA · 25-04-2009 11:36am

There is a group of lads in Ballybunion in North Kerry who made a ceremonial sweat lodge from stone and wood. They eventually want to make it totally from stone like a beehive hut.
If you go back far enough in the history of all people, you will usually find a reference to a sweat lodge ceremony. I would suggest for people to try it once anyway. You really feel alive at the end of it.
The last one I did up in BallyB we had a priest in as well. He offered some of his own magic to the ceremony. It was one of the most profound sweats I have been in.
There is something to hearing the sound of Gaelic while sweating with the stones of Kerry.......

irishlostboy · 27-04-2009 5:08pm

IPNA wrote: »

They eventually want to make it totally from stone like a beehive hut.

there are several still existing sweat lodges built in this style in my local area of sligo, if you know where to look. usually right by a fast flowing stream.

Evil Phil · 27-04-2009 5:47pm

IPNA wrote: »

There is a group of lads in Ballybunion in North Kerry who made a ceremonial sweat lodge from stone and wood. They eventually want to make it totally from stone like a beehive hut.
If you go back far enough in the history of all people, you will usually find a reference to a sweat lodge ceremony. I would suggest for people to try it once anyway. You really feel alive at the end of it.
The last one I did up in BallyB we had a priest in as well. He offered some of his own magic to the ceremony. It was one of the most profound sweats I have been in.
There is something to hearing the sound of Gaelic while sweating with the stones of Kerry.......

How do I get in touch with them?

IPNA · 27-04-2009 10:06pm

Evil Phil,

PM me for that.....

Crapbag · 10-05-2009 1:43pm

Best wishes to you and all your Res students for the summer Aebhric.

The club is hoping to have a gathering on the 24th/25th of this month for those interested. Please keep an eye on our website for details and add yourself to the mailing list

IPNA · 10-05-2009 2:04pm

Crapbag wrote: »

Best wishes to you and all your Res students for the summer Aebhric.

Thank you for your well wishes. We look forward to an exciting summer. We hope to see you there for 2010. You are first on the list.

How about coming down for the Solstice free weekend with the lads?

Crapbag · 10-05-2009 10:03pm

IPNA wrote: »

Thank you for your well wishes. We look forward to an exciting summer. We hope to see you there for 2010. You are first on the list.

How about coming down for the Solstice free weekend with the lads?

That definitely sounds like a plan. Looks like I may be religated back to office work until my back has time to heal, so ill be taking every opportunity to get out. Thats if I can find the work I suppose :-/ Thanks for the invite, its already in my calender

Crapbag · 25-05-2009 2:19pm

Well we had another great weekend in Cavan. The more I use the area the more I love it. The weather had threatened how much we'd get done but luckily it only rained on the Saturday morning. Still we would be able to do a good bit even with the rain. First task was to get the steak and start to jerky it over the fire. It took most of the day for them to dry but they were great. Smoked and salted, they were much tastier than any I had done in the oven

I brought down some bannock mix. Although a bit doughy to touch, they turned out very tasty.

I wanted to experiment with purifying water. So we gathered some of the most stagnant filthy water we could find. I used a sock, some moss, charcoal, stones and grass to make a filter.

It worked quite well, to make it perfect, just use 2 sock filters. The water came out alot better than it went in, almost completely clear with only small bits of charcoal showing, which would be ok to boil id say. Tony got working on making a primitive bowl

Using embers from the fire, he got a perfectly shaped bowl. He then heated some stones up to boil the water. The granite worked very well, though the quick immersion in the water caused them to crack. Thankfully Granite doesnt seem to spit with it cracks. It didnt take too many stones to get it to a rolling boil

So with your socks and a fire, you can manage to purify even extremely dirty water :-)

Myself and Jim work on a Debris hut while Tony work on the bowl. I always like building these, although they are a bit of work. Here Jim tries it out for size

We touched on other such useful areas like; Bluebell glue, more foraging, water collection from a tarp, fire management, cordage and an Elder straw. Unfortunately the camera ran out early, so not everything was documented. Although a quite relaxed weekend, we got alot done and the weather turned out to be great

IPNA · 26-05-2009 9:58pm

Great to see these pics. It looks like a wonderful area for working on skills. The debris hut looks great. I am glad that the weather cooperated.

Nice work lads....

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