Here, as an introduction, you will learn how to make a survival bracelet from 550 paracord using one of the simplest, but most effective, knotting patterns known as the Cobra or Solomon. The idea is that this provides a convenient way of carrying 8-12 feet of very handy cord that can be used in all manner of survival situations as lashing, bow string, tourniquet, washing line or 101 other uses. Buckles are available with whistles and flints and I have even seen flexible saws woven into the core of bracelets making them even more invaluable in a tricky situation. If you get the bug then you can then progress to other projects as diverse as watch straps and dog collars or mesh bags to handle wraps.

Materials

All materials are easily and cheaply available on the internet from UK suppliers. Paracord is usually sold in multiples of 100 feet but some companies supply shorter lengths. Buckles come in plain or survival style that incorporates a whistle and firelighting flint and are available in several sizes. We used 25mm buckles for our bracelet. Bracelet buckles are slightly curved so it is easy to tell which is the top and bottom. Alternatively, you can create bracelets without a buckle using a knot and loop design which is covered briefly towards the end of the article.

This project is easily completed weaving in your hand but if you want to take on some more complex designs you might find it worthwhile buying or making a simple jig

You will need
8-12ft (210mm – 360cm)550 paracord
25mm plastic buckles

Tools
Scissors
Lighter
Pliers
Weaving jig (optional)

Method

First cut the paracord to length. For this project you will need about a foot (30cm) of cord for every inch (2.5cm) of weave but this will vary with design and width for other projects – add an extra 6 inches (15cm) for luck as it’s better to have too much than too little. Measure your wrist and then add an inch (2.5cm) or so to account for the thickness of the cord in the finished bracelet. This is only a guide and may need some experimentation and adjustment according to your needs.

Melt the cut ends of the cord with a lighter (using the bottom of the flame and trying not to set the cord alight) and pinch with piers to seal and flatten the ends. The melted nylon is very hot so be careful not to let it touch your skin – see pics below.

Find the centre of the cord and push a loop up through the female end of the buckle, pull it through until you can reach through the loop and pull the ends of the cord up through it. Tighten to attach it to the buckle.

Attach the female end of the buckle using a simple cow’s hitch knot

Keeping the cords aligned feed the flattened ends down through the top of the male end of the buckle. Slide the buckle down to adjust the length as required as shown below. The measurement should be taken from the end of the female end to the ridge halfway down the male end – do not include the length of the prongs as these reside inside the buckle when fastened.

You are now ready to weave.

For the purposes of this demo we are starting on the right but you can start either side. As with most weaving it is essentially repetition of a number of steps to achieve a consistent pattern.

Straighten everything up and then with the free right hand cord make a loop and pass the cord over the centre strands and under the left hand cord.

Take the free end of the left hand cord under the centre strands and up through the loop created originally by the right hand cord. As you pull tighter you will see you have captured the centre cords in a simple knot.

Carefully synch up the knot so that it tightens on to the buckle. This is the most difficult bit and it is easy to alter the length of the bracelet at this point so check when the first knot is tightened and adjust if necessary as it is impossible to do later without undoing the weave completely.

Now repeat on the other side

Create a loop with the left hand cord with the free end going over the centre cords and under the right hand cord. Bring the right hand one under the centre strands and up through the loop, synch up and repeat for the length of the bracelet keeping the knots tight throughout.

The Cobra weave pattern emerges as you continue knotting

The video here demonstrates the Cobra weave knot more clearly

When you get to the end and there is no more room for knots turn the bracelet over and cut the spare ends of cord leaving approximately 3-4mm on each. Bend the end of the bracelet back on itself to help the cut ends stand proud of the rest of the weave. These ends can then be singed carefully with a lighter and moulded flat with a blade or similar implement while they are soft.

The neatly finished ends of the paracord

Despite being very effective the Solomon or Cobra weave is considered a basic technique. There are, of course, many different – some very much more complicated – patterns you can experiment with and there are many resources both on the internet and in print that will be invaluable as you progress.

(left to right) Cobra or Solomon, Fishtail and Jawbone patterns

Alternative fastening can be created with a Celtic knot and loop

Try searching ‘boredparacord’ on YouTube or for Paracord Outdoor Gear Projects: Simple Instructions for Survival Bracelets and Other DIY Projects in your favourite bookshop.

You can of course simple string up a length of pipe that has had no heat treatment or flattening and still produce a perfectly usable bow but heating and moulding give better characteristics and more pleasing aesthetics.

Note: PVC pipe will become very hot so you will need to use a suitable cloth or heat mat to protect your hands when manipulating them when softened. You also need to be careful not to over heat and burn the pipe as this will cause weak spots and can release dangerous fumes. Always heat pipe in a well ventilated area.

For best results a simple flattening jig can be made from a 4ft plank of 4” x 1” wood with spacers attached at one end as shown in the picture below. The spacers should be 1/4 inch less than the diameter of your pipe.

A flattening jig helps achieve a consistent taper on your pipes

This tutorial is for a simple, 64 inch, recurve bow but the possibilities are endless and shape and length are open to experimentation. There is a glossary at the end of the article if you are not familiar with any of the terminology.

Materials

• 64 inch length of 3/4 inch or 1 inch PVC pipe (Schedule 40 or Class E are best)
• Bow string either bought (I recommend that you buy bow string especially if you are a novice maker) or handmade from a suitable non-stretch material
• Hot melt glue or epoxy glue
• Flattening jig made from a plank of 4”x1” wood

Optional materials

Although you need nothing more than the pipe and string for the basic bow you may want to consider these additional items

• Primer and paint suitable for PVC to customise your bow
• Handle wrapping material – leather thong and 550 parachute cord are popular for this but you can use anything you want to make the handle more comfortable
• Self adhesive velcro (the loop side) to protect the arrow rest if you include one in your design

Tools

• Heat gun – the type commonly used for stripping wallpaper
• Hacksaw
• Flat File
• Rat tail or chainsaw file
• Permanent marker

Method

Cut your pipe to size (in this case 64 inches) and mark the centre point with a marker. Then mark a point 4 inches each side of the centre point – this is your handle area. Finish your measurements with a mark 6 inches in from each end which is where you will add in the recurve later.

Start heating one of the limbs with even strokes of the heat gun turning a quarter turn after each up and down stroke so you heat the whole circumference of the pipe. Be careful not to burn the pipe as this may cause it to fail when finished. You can check progress by squeezing the pipe but use a cloth or heat mat as it will be very hot. Softening can take up to 10 minutes.

When the pipe has softened uniformly and is easily manipulated transfer it to a flat surface and place the flattening jig over the limb with the spacer end lined up with the 4 inch from centre mark and pipe aligned so that the other end is completely flattened as shown below. Depending on the length of your limb you may need to rest the pipe on another piece of wood to allow for complete flattening at the end.

Flattening a heated bow limb in the jig

Apply pressure to the jig evenly along the length of the softened pipe which you can do with clamps or your own body weight. Keep the pressure on until the pipe becomes rigid in its new shape – no more than a couple of minutes. Remove the pipe and check for a nice even taper. Do the same to the other limb ensuring that it remains in line with the other side. Check for even taper on both sides and adjust by re-heating and re-flattening if there is a significant difference.

When cooled check that the limbs are bending at the same rate by holding the ends and pulling or pushing them down with the centre point supported. If one side is bending more than the other it is weaker so you can either re-heat it to make it thicker or make the other side thinner to even them out. It is not vital that they are absolutely perfect but get them as close as you can as it can affect performance and accuracy if it is too far out. The stronger limb will be the lower one so, when you are happy with the flex, mark your top and bottom limbs.

When cool you can heat the handle section in the same manner as you did for the limbs and when flexible flatten it in the opposite direction to the limbs to form at a comfortable grip shape. I used a block of wood the same length as the handle section to press from one side while the pipe is on a flat surface which often results in a pleasing off centre shape. This allows the arrow to be positioned close to the middle of the bow. You can manipulate this until you are happy – all the while keeping the limbs straight and level with each other. Don’t make the handle too thin as you want to retain rigidity in all directions at this point on the final bow. Note: For a right-handed archer (holding the bow in the left hand) the offset of the handle is on the left.

The handle is formed using a block of wood to flatten the pipe in the opposite direction to the bow limbs

Offset handle for a right-handed archer – top of bow is to the right

To form the recurved tips gently heat the 6 inch sections at the end of the limbs and bend them using a 7-8 inch diameter saucepan as a guide. Note: don’t heat the tips too much as they will spring back to their original round shape and be difficult to form. Ensure the end of the pipe remains fully flattened.

As you shape the recurves you will notice a slight dip form in the middle of the pipe which will make for a handy string guide when the bow is braced.

Forming the recurves – notice the dips created as the pipe is bent

You should have something looking similar to this at this stage

When cool you need to shape the tips. Draw a guide using the marker and cut the shape out using a hacksaw. You can refine the shape later using a file or sandpaper.

The tip roughly cut to the shape of the guide

When both tips are formed it is a good idea to secure them together using hot melt glue or epoxy. This is done by gently heating just the top flap of the tip and folding it back while you apply the glue. It can then be re-heated and squeezed together to form a neat seam as shown. There is potential to burn yourself on glue or plastic during this operation so use a cloth to protect your hands.

A glued tip adds more strength and is less likely to damage the string

Cut nocks at a 45 degree angle about 1inch from the tip making sure there are no sharp edges that could damage the string when it’s under pressure and you now have the basic bow complete.

Nocks are cut a 45 degree angle but can be adjust slightly when the string is fitted

I would suggest initially stringing the bow with bailer twine, pre-stretched parachute cord or other non-stretch material with loops at each end to achieve a brace height of around 6-7 inches. Normally for a recurve bow the string is around 4 inches shorter than the nock to nock measurement but with PVC bow construction it can be different so this is a worthwhile step to avoid wasting money on the wrong string length. For example, this project bow measures 62.5 inches nock to nock but a 60.5 inch string gave a perfect 6.5 inches of brace.

Use a temporary string to gauge the correct final string length

Note: While you can make your own strings I buy them ready made at the correct length as they are cheap, readily available and reliable.

The finished bow with correct string – slightly stiffer lower limb evident

You can now use your bow as it is but for comfort and usability I would suggest wrapping the handle with either leather thong or parachute cord and adding an arrow rest. I would also recommend painting or covering your bow to protect it from damage and ultra-violet rays which, over time, will make the PVC become brittle.

Bow with a leather handle, arrow rest and camo tape finish

A simple arrow rest can be made by flattening a 3.5 inch section of pipe and cutting a wedge from the flattened edge as shown below. This can then be heated, flattened and bent to the correct shape to fit your handle. Put a slight curve in the ledge so contact with the arrow is minimal. You can cover the ledge and the area of handle that will contact the arrow with velcro or leather to protect against wear.

Three stages of creating an arrow rest, the blank, the formed rest (note the curve on the ledge) and with velcro added

Before painting your bow sand it gently with a 240-400 grit paper to provide a key for the paint. Use a primer and paint suitable for a PVC surface. There are specialist paints that combine with the plastic for a very tough finish but they can be expensive so I use standard car spray paints to good effect. I have also used coloured or patterned duct tape as a covering which produced very pleasing results.

Choosing arrows

Of course you are going to need arrows to complete the kit. Again, while it is completely possible to make these yourself (this will be the subject of another tutorial) good quality, consistent, arrows are readily available at a reasonable price so for reliability and speed – as you are excited to use your new bow – these will be perfectly adequate until you have had chance to craft your own.

Selecting arrows can be quite technical but as a general rule buy arrows designed for a recurve bow approx 2 inches longer than the distance from the back of the handle to string when pulled back to your cheek – your draw length.

Note: Although more of a problem on wooden bows you should never fire your bow without an arrow (dry fire) as this may damage it.

That’s it, you are ready to go and shoot your bow.

This is a fairly short range test but even so you can see that it is pretty accurate achieving 5 out of 6 shots in the small head scoring zone on the first time of using. The bow is not painted yet but the tips are primed and the arrow rest is taped into its approximate final position for the purposed of this demo.

Bow safety

These bows can be powerful and quite capable of seriously injuring someone, including yourself, if not afforded the proper respect. If you are not familiar with shooting a bow I would suggest a short beginners’ course at your local archery club to learn proper techniques and safety procedures. The good thing about PVC bows is that, if you do over draw them, they don’t tend to fail catastrophically as wooden bows might.

Use a suitable target specifically designed for archery and when shooting make sure that, should you miss the target, the arrow will not be able to travel on into an area that could endanger passers-by or onto someone else’s property. Also make sure that no one can wander into your shooting range unexpectedly.

Please also note that bow hunting is not currently legal in the UK and you should not attempt to take quarry with your bow under any circumstances.

Glossary

Limbs – the upper and lower portion of the bow that are not the handle
Nocks – the grooves at the end of each limb that the string loops sit in
Recurve – a type of bow where the ends of the limbs curve forward (i.e. away from the archer as he holds the bow) to produce more power

A good way to test approximate brace height

Brace/brace height – the distance between the back of the handle and the string in the centre of the bow when the bow is strung. A good test for brace height is to rest your hand on the handle with your thumb up – mine measures approx 6.5 inches although obviously this will differ for your hand.

Materials

Coconut
Dried peas or beads
Handle material such as old paintbrush handle or a suitable stick

Tools

Strong glue – epoxy or hot melt are perfect
Wood saw or hacksaw
Drill with large enough bit for handle material although holes can be enlarged with a knife if necessary
Vice or suitable clamp

Optional tools

Hand rasp
Sandpaper
Buffing attachment for your drill

Method

Secure the coconut in a vice or clamp and drill a hole in the bottom. Empty the milk and save to drink or cook up your favourite Thai meal with later.

Keeping firmly secured, saw the nut in half around the middle. Rinse and remove the coconut flesh from the shell.

If you want to paint the shell later you will need to clean the ‘hair’ off the outside with a rasp or course sandpaper at this stage. You can go as far as you like with this and can achieve a very highly polished natural finish with a little work and a buffing attachment on your drill.

Glue the two halves of the shell back together with a strong glue. I find epoxy resin very good.

Beads give a much fuller and more pleasing sound than rice

When dry it’s time to add the noisy stuff. It pays to experiment with your rattle ingredients as I found rice produced a very muffled sound with lentils only slightly better. Dried peas were an improvement but the best effect I found was with plastic beads (shown above) I brought from a pound store. As the nut shell dries out properly smaller grains may become more effective but I wanted a quick bang (or rattle) for my buck.

Glue in your handle with epoxy or hot melt glue. Wood looks best but as I only had an old plastic pasting brush handle to hand I covered it with rustic looking braided gardening string which gave a very pleasing result.

This handmade string covered the cheap plastic handle wonderfully

Cover the join in the nut with glued-on string or other fabric of your choice and then paint or decorate as desired.

The maraca assembled and ready to decorate

All that’s left now is to break out the Miami Sound Machine albums and play along. Arrrriba!

Also in this series: Bamboo flute and bottle cap tambourine

Very simple to make with few tools, these handmade woodwinds can produce a great range of notes either by the use of holes in the body of the instrument or by use of a slide to produce a swanee whistle. The most complicated part of the project is adjusting holes to produce a pleasing scale and, more fundamentally, finding a suitable piece of bamboo.

An evenly shaped hole makes the project easier to assemble

You can make a whistle from practically any hollow pipe, including plastic tubing used for plumbing, but we have chosen natural bamboo for this project. You will need to source a cane that is slightly wider than the standard garden issue ones. It can in theory be as long as you like but it needs to be open at both ends so length may be dictated by the chamber size along your bamboo. About 12 inches long, 25-35mm diameter and as round as possible would be ideal.

I managed to source some of the right diameter from a kind donation following a request on Freecycle. The chamber length was a little short but, determined not to be beaten by this issue, I glued and extension on to my best section with epoxy – later to be covered by a leather carry strap – which seemed to work well.

Air split by the ‘blade’, formed by carving a notch, is what produces the sound

First thing you need to do is cut the notch which produces the edge that ’splits’ the air and produces the sound – this is known as the blade and the science explaining how it works can be found here. About 2cm from the top start cutting vertically downwards until the blade is just visible inside the tube. You then need to cut at an angle towards the newly made vertical cut forming a notch and creating the splitting edge.

To channel air over the splitting edge you now need to take a piece of dowel or stick of the right diameter to fit snuggly in the pipe and long enough to allow adjustment back and forth. Take a small sliver off the top to create a flat surface this can be done with a knife or by rubbing on sandpaper. Some makers suggest a slight upward curve to the end that faces the splitting edge is advantageous but I don’t think this is strictly necessary. When inserted this creates the air channel to direct air over the blade. You may need to adjust how far the plug goes in to the tube and the amount that you shave off the flat surface to get the best sound but it is worth spending the time doing this as it is fundamental to the sound of the instrument.

This is what you are trying to achieve with the plug

When you have achieved a good sound you can glue the plug in place, trim it flush and form the mouth piece with a knife or suitable saw.

Spend some time adjusting the close fitting plug to check you have achieve the best sound before gluing in position

The finished mouthpiece showing the windway and shaped plug

It is difficult to tune to an exact scale (I’m sure there are tutorials by those more technical than myself on the internet) but placing your fingers into a comfortable position on the instrument and marking the gaps is a good starting point. Shorter instruments, like mine, can use four holes, longer ones six. You can then drill small holes, cover them all with your fingers and starting at the bottom lift your fingers off as you blow to see how the scale sounds. Make the holes gradually bigger to adjust notes to a higher pitch – this is why you start with small holes as you can’t fill them in again.

My flute needed an extension so that the last hole wasn’t to close to the end of the finished flute

After you have achieved a good natural sounding scale of notes the instrument is finished and you can think about decorating it. You might prefer to leave it with a natural finish or let your imagination run wild and personalise as you like with paint, glued on materials, by carving into the wood or even with pyrography (wood burning). You could also add a leather handle or neck strap as I have here using some leather laces left over from my tambourine project.

Toot toot for now

Also in the series: Bottle cap tambourine and coconut shell maracas

The tambourine is a stalwart of the rhythm section and as popular today as it ever has been. This take on the instrument is a departure from the more iconic round shape that automatically comes to mind but is easy to make, can be decorated as simply or ostentatiously as you like, and sounds surprisingly authentic.

Materials

Suitable V-shaped stick from a fallen tree or branch
10-15 bottle caps
Thin garden wire
Optional decorative items such as paint, material, feathers and beads

Tools

Drill

Optional tools depending on finishing

Sand paper
Hammer and suitable nail
Pliers

Method

Find a stick from a fallen tree or branch that has an even V with enough material for a handle. The one in the picture is approximately 33cm long overall with a handle of around 19cm. Diameter of the handle is 18mm and the V section arms 12mm. Distance across the inner span of the V is 12cm. Avoid rotten or brittle wood as it needs to support a taught wire.

If you are going to paint your tambourine it is best to strip the bark back to the wood. Make  sure it’s dried out then sand down with medium grit paper to remove any remnants of bark, smooth the surface and ensure that there is a key for the paint.

The stick trimmed to size, sanded and ready for painting

Drill a small hole at the top of each arm of the V about 1 cm from the top. Ensure that the holes are horizontal so that the wire can be threaded through straight. You can also drill a slightly larger hole at the bottom of the handle if you’d like to add a carry cord or other decoration. Add a shallow countersink to each hole.

You can of course leave the stick in its natural form complete with bark coating but, if you want to add some colour, acrylic paint will produce a nice finish. I applied a watered down layer (much as you would on fresh plaster) to seal the surface and provide a stable base for the colour.

Finish with a coat of varnish to protect the painted design.

Cut enough wire to span the V when doubled up with some left over to secure it. You could just form a loop, feed it through the hole in one of the arms and then feed the cut ends through (see pic) but I fed the wire through a small metal bead before feeding the wire through the hole – this stops the wire cutting into the wood and/or the paint job.

Using beads helps to protect the painted surface of your tambourine

Make a small hole through the centre of each bottle cap with a drill or nail. Note: Drill through into some scrap wood to stop sharp burs forming. Flatten some of the caps and thread them onto the wire in random order and orientation.

Flattening some of caps helps produce a better sound

Finish off by threading the wire through the hole in the other arm of the V and securing either by wrapping around the arm and securing the wire around itself, as shown below, or by using another bead.

I also positioned and glued plastic beads on the inside of the V arms to protect them for collision with the caps and to hide the ends of the wire.

A leather grip and some feathers finishes the tambourine off nicely

At this point you can add other decorative elements you wish. I wound some leather thong down the handle to form a grip and added some feathers to produce a pleasing mash up of Aboriginal and Native American designs.

That’s it. The rhythm is in your hands…..

Also in this series: Bamboo flute and coconut shell maracas

What you need

2 old CDs
15mm rubber grommet
30cm long wooden dowl – one that fits tightly into the grommet
small screw-in hook

1. Take two CDs and align the central holes.

2. Push the grommet into the centre to hold the two disks together. You can glue them for extra strength but this is not really necessary if the grommet fits tightly.

3. Make a small pilot hole in one end of the dowl as a guide for the hook and screw it in.

4. Push the dowl into the grommet. You can have the CD either near the top (top whirl) or the bottom (bottom whirl) depending on your preference but the beauty of this design is that you can just slide it up and down and experiment with whichever you prefer.

The finished drop spindle in bottom whirl format

Before you start it is common practise to install a leader yarn (shown in the video) to the spindle in order to make it easier to attach your fibre and start off your yarn.

You will also need some fibre of course. There are many many sources for this but the most commonly used are wools from the various breeds of sheep, alpacas or the fur of angora rabbits. You can buy wool raw, in which case you will need to wash it and then card it (to align the fibres correctly) and create easy to use rolags, or ready to spin ‘tops’ such as these from World of Wool.

Carding coloured wool in preparation for spinning and a finished ‘rolag’

This video by Megan LaCore explains the technique used to spin yarn using a drop spindle. You can use the resultant yarn for weaving, tapestry and other crafts or, of course, ply the yarns together and knit with it. Have fun.

When we first got together we spent some time travelling around Europe in an old split screen camper van. Sometimes we stayed at campsites. Sometimes we parked up at the side of the road. We really enjoyed our travelling and the freedom of it but felt inspired to own our own plot of land to have as a base. Back then we had a very different view of how we would use the land. We saw it as route to a free and easy life where we wouldn’t have to ‘work for the man’.

It took us five years to find the right plot of land. We wanted somewhere that had good road access and was relatively level. We knew we wanted woodland as we both spent much of our childhoods playing in the woods. Our budget was tight and most of the land that we looked at was unsuitable, either under water or on such a slope it was virtually a cliff. We were living in Bristol and wanted land not too far from there. Devon was further than we would have ideally chosen but the woods we finally decided on ticked every other box and as we are just off the A361 it was easy to get to.

During the time we were looking ideas for the project evolved. We always knew that we would need some source of income. As we got a better understanding of planning permission, we knew we would have to run a business that required us to live on the land. Our woodland is young and in need of thinning for environmental reasons. This thinning is time consuming and produces small diameter wood of little or no commercial value. Charcoal was one of a number of ideas we had for products and it soon became apparent that it fulfilled our requirements perfectly because as well as requiring residence, charcoal making is the ideal way to turn this otherwise limited commodity into a high value product. We did not foresee ourselves making as much charcoal as we do but as soon as we started selling it we realised that we had found a niche in the market. Most barbecue charcoal used in the UK is poor quality, imported charcoal which often contains chemical additives. There is a growing number of people who want to buy ethically and sustainably produced products and no-one really wants to cook their food over an unknown cocktail of chemicals.

There is a resurgence of charcoal making in Britain. It is hard to tell how many charcoal makers their are due to the solitary nature of the vocation and most produce only a relatively small amount of charcoal as part of a woodland management plan.

We now manage another woodland which belongs to some friends of ours, but most of the wood for our charcoal comes from our woods. As you can use every part of the tree down to branches that are just over an inch thick for charcoal, you get the most from each tree you harvest. By managing the woodland sustainably the trees grow as fast as you harvest them. We use a number of forestry techniques including pollarding, coppicing and continuous cover forestry. High quality charcoal can only be made from deciduous trees, so although we have removed a lot of conifers, as these are of little use to us, there is also an environmental advantage as they shade out our crop of deciduous trees. Our artists charcoal is produced from coppiced willow cut on a two year rotation. This is crack willow and goat willow which both grow prolifically on our land and has no commercial value otherwise. We know our land intimately and although there is no written management plan, each area is managed as well as possible for environmental reasons. Devon Wildlife Trust described the result as “a mosaic of habitats”.

We have always been able to sell as much charcoal as we can produce and we now have to turn down new outlets so that we can keep up with demand. This is partly the reason that we are so keen to teach others how to make charcoal. The more people who make high quality charcoal the more the market for it will develop and expand. Many people, however, only want to make a small amount of charcoal for their own use. For this reason we are setting up a very basic small kiln made from an oil drum to demonstrate how it is done for this year’s charcoal courses.

We also love to teach people not only about making charcoal but also about food-smoking, foraging and various other aspects of our lifestyle. Because we are relatively new to all this, having only lived like this for five years, we can demonstrate that you do not have to be born into this lifestyle to live it. It has been a lot of hard work to set up this project but it is immensely rewarding and hopefully we can play a small part in inspiring others to follow their own visions of how they want to live their lives. We also occasionally host courses taught by interesting people who have skills to share and whom we feel are inspiring teachers.

We have always wanted to live a low impact lifestyle and this was the driving force behind the project. We never wanted to be entirely self-sufficient although we have always wanted to produce and forage much of our food. There is something about being close to the source of your food that makes you feel connected to the earth in the same way that producing a high quality cooking fuel from small bits of wood does. As a result the effect that your actions have on the earth seems more real. We also eat better than we ever have before. Our chickens forage much of their diet which makes their eggs and meat so much more flavoursome than anything that you can buy. We eat large quantities of mushrooms from ceps and chanterelle to beefsteak fungi and hedgehog fungi. Wild salad is abundant for most of the year and has that seasonal variation which enforces constant change in diet. Wild meat has the best flavour and is the most sustainable form of protein available. We regularly eat pigeon, venison and rabbit. We have also tried squirrel many times but unfortunately it is not that tasty. We are getting pigs soon and we’re very excited about this. We have been making our own bacon using locally produced pork for a couple of years now and we are really looking forward to tasting our own bacon from our own pigs.

The South West is a popular choice for many people who live a more self sufficient lifestyle. However, the very nature of self-sufficient setups is that they are scattered around, but we are lucky that our convenient position just off the North Devon Link Road means that our friends in the area who have similar projects often drop in when passing.

With the courses that we run we attract like-minded people which makes them an opportunity to share ideas. We also host networking events that enable people to share skills, ideas and resources and with more and more people looking to get involved in environmental projects this becomes an invaluable facet of these gatherings.

You can find our more about the Bulworthy Project by visiting its website here.

This tutorial is a step-by-step guide to making a bottle cap spinner. It’s not a new idea, people have been making them since the advent of the modern bottle cap itself, but the beauty is you can make them as simple or complex as you like and rustle one up from household materials in as little as 15 minutes.

Collect your materials

The most basic bottle cap lures need only a bottle cap (your local will have hundreds of these that they will happily let you have) a hook, traditionally a treble, something to join them together such as wire or split rings and some weight to help it sink. The weight can be anything from large shot to gravel as it will be hidden inside the cap in the finished article. You may also like to incorporate swivels to attach your line to and stop it twisting when retrieving a cast.

Design is limited only by your own imagination and you will soon be incorporating all manner of beads, spinner blades, head weights, googly eyes, feathers and fibres.

We will start with a simple, classic, design

Tools

Pliers (needle nose and normal)
Wire cutters,
Drill with 2mm bit for metal
Tin snips (if cutting your own blades)
Nail or similar for forming loops in the wire.

Assembly

First thing to do is make a loop in the top of a 15cm piece of wire. This can most easily be achieved by wrapping it around a thin round object such as a nail and then wrapping the end of the wire around itself (see pic). The wire should be approximately the same gauge as paperclip wire, any thicker and you will have trouble bending it and, if you use bought accessories you may struggle to get it through the standard drilled holes You can incorporate a swivel in the loop at this stage or clip one on later.

You now have your centre cord that you will slot everything else onto.

Although in its simplest form you don’t necessarily need one, adding a spinner blade will increase attractiveness and is well worth considering. This should be the first thing threaded onto your wire. You can buy them cheaply from tackle shops but you could just as easily cut one from a spare piece of thin sheet metal if you have some lying around. If you do cut your own make sure you take off any sharp edges with a file or wet and dry paper.

Slip the blade on first, either directly onto the wire or attached to a clevis (pic) which will help it spin more easily. Clevises are available from tackle shops or online and although you can fashion one from wire they are so cheap that the cost is worth it for the improved performance.

Close up of the spinner blade assembly showing the clevis

Add a bead next. Any colour is okay as fish will sometimes go for the most unlikely looking devices but if you want to keep it natural think about the colours you would find in your quarry’s natural diet, silver is always a good start with maybe orange if you wanted to mimic a roach for example.

Next is your bottle cap. Choose one that suits your design and bend it (again, using some thin bending aid such as a nail can help) almost in half. At each end flatten an area using needle nose pliers where you can drill holes opposite each other using your 2mm bit, see pic. Be very careful to hold the cap securely in a vice or with pliers when drilling to avoid accidents if the drill slips.

Slide your bottle cap onto the wire, pop some of your weight material into the cap and squeeze it shut. As well as helping to sink your lure the weight material may rattle about in the cap which will also add to its attractiveness. You may need to adjust the ends if they pop out slightly when you finish the bend. Add another bead and you are now ready to finish off with the hook.

You can attach the hook directly by slipping the eye of the hook over the wire and bending it round to finish as you started by creating an eye with the wire. However, this can be dangerous so we would recommend creating the eye in the wire first and then connecting the hook using a split ring as shown below.

It is safer to attach the hook using a split ring – it’s also easier to replace broken hooks this way

And there you have it, all ready to go.

Below you will see some more designs. One uses split rings at both end of the cap instead of the full length wire and another has feathers and floss whipped to the hook to add more interest and hopefully make it irresistible to our local pike, perch or a particularly hungry chub.

Send in pictures of your designs and of any fish you catch using them, we’d be interested to see which materials, colours and designs are working best.

Tight lines.

Update
….and just to prove they actually work here is a picture of a Jack pike I caught using the bait fish design shown at the top of the feature. First attempt came to nothing (it was mid-summer which is not a good time for pike) but this one was taken on my second attempt in mid-September. He’s small but nevertheless still very exciting to catch on homemade tackle. He was returned none the worse for wear straight after his photo shoot

A quilt is defined as three layers of fabric sandwiched together – a top, usually in a patchwork design, a layer of wadding for warmth and a backing. The layers are held together by stitching – a quilting stitch is a small running stitch, but there are other ways to attach the layers, including by cross stitch, by tying threads through, or by machining. The backing material is stretched out, the wadding placed on top and then the top added and secured before quilting.

Many people consider typical “English” patchwork to be worked over papers, a technique where templates are cut from suitable paper and the fabric is literally sewn to them. This keeps the fabric more stable and the paper is simply removed when the section or ‘block’ is finished. Hexagons are the most common shape for templates as they tessellate easily. Template sizes vary from very small and intricate to much larger but smaller will take much longer and can be discouraging for a beginner. You can make hexagons from firm paper using a compass – as many of us did to decorate school books. Sheets of hexagons, both even and elongated, can also be downloaded from online sites, ready to cut up. In addition, you can buy ready cut papers, but these do tend to work out expensive for anything bigger than a cushion.

Many native English quilts are “Wholecloth” – one piece of fabric, with a design made entirely from the stitching on the surface. Synonymous with County Durham, this technique is also found among Welsh quilts. The museums at Beamish and St Fagans both have good collections and Sandie Lush and Ferret also make stunning modern examples.

In the nineteenth century ‘Crazy’ quilts were popular among the wealthier sections of society. These allowed a lady to show off the silks and velvets used in her clothes as well as her skills as a needlewoman as they invariably carried a large amount of, frequently beautiful, embroidery on the pieces and along the joins. Of course, they were also evidence that she did not spend time doing household chores as they were extremely labour intensive.

In contrast, “American” quilts are deemed to be those based on a block design. This is a sweeping generalisation as this style of quilting was equally used in the UK. However, the blocks – section of quilt created from a combination of smaller shapes, notably squares and triangles, to form a pattern – are popular all over the world. They have wonderful names, recalling different aspects of life in earlier times and there are literally hundreds of them.

A quilt created with a selection of these blocks is called a sampler quilt and this will be many people’s first experience of quilting as they can be used to experiment with the patterns and learn different techniques while making one quilt.

A good starting point would be to find blocks that make up into 12 inch (30cm) squares. These will go together with sashing – a thinner strip of fabric – separating them. I use 2.5 – 3-inch usually, depending on the quilt. Simple ones are Churn Dash, Hole in the Barn Door, Railfence (from strips of fabric), or “four-patch” (four squares) or “nine-patch” (nine squares) joined to make a whole square. School maths really does serve a purpose. A lot of blocks using triangles are in the form of stars, such as Variable Star and Ohio Star (a great favourite with everyone). This is probably the most common place to start in quilting and is “real” patchwork.

Ohio Star (left) and Variable Star block patterns

Generally quilters work in cotton. It is easy to handle; for baby’s and children’s quilts it washes well and dries easily without noticeable shrinkage. Most people prefer cotton to polycotton blends as these fray more easily and are harder on your hands. Heavier weight fabrics like tweeds or cords are bulky. Where you buy your fabric will depend on what you like and the depth of your purse. It is possible to make delightful quilts with recycled (upcycled) shirts, using the fronts and backs rather than the sleeves which get more wear. There are a good array of shops and some market stalls which sell patchwork fabric – too many to list – and plenty of online sites. Patterns are available for every taste, pretty to bizarre and nursery to sophisticated. Try to buy enough for a whole project at one time, or take your fabric to match up when you shop as inconsistent colour can ruin careful work.

In the modern world gizmos and gadgets seem to be essential to the status of a craft. It is possible to spend large sums of money on tools that make life easier, but it is not necessary at the beginning. A really useful tool is a rotary cutter which requires a specifically designed board and plastic see-through ruler to go with it. This saves huge amounts of time and ensures greater accuracy in cutting. Other tools that I wouldn’t be without are two feet for my sewing machine; a quarter inch foot for sewing the pieces together and a walking foot for quilting by machine. Buy the right thread for the fabric – cotton with cotton, not polyester.

There are plenty of books on “how to” as well as numerous web sites and Youtube demonstrations. Local libraries can still be good starting places for these and the more popular craft magazines often carry basic instructions somewhere towards the back of each copy. Your local newsagent will have a selection.

For those of you who would like to learn more The Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles has a useful website. They have a regional organisation which holds regular meetings with guest speakers or demonstrations or hands on projects to do. They also have a Young Quilters section with projects suitable for young stitchers. The Guild is open to anyone with an interest in patchwork and quilting; it does not demand that members reach a certain standard before joining; some members have an interest in quilt history and make very few quilts themselves. Regional days are priced so that Guild members pay a more favourable rate than non-members. The Guild’s magazine, The Quilter, is not a “how to” magazine, but gives information about the Guild and the Quilt Museum in York.

Angela Rodda is co co-ordinator or region 7 (Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Northamptonshire) of the Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles

The origins of the stick or staff can be traced throughout the world as part of the culture and folklore of numerous societies and races but it’s not until their popularity burgeoned in the 18th and 19th centuries that it became a commercialised product. During this time both men and women in high society ‘wore’ sticks and canes as fashion accessories and as a statement of their position. More recently there has been a resurgence in their popularity with a particular emphasis on those with a country bias. This has been supported by an increasing number of large country shows and fairs where there is an ever increasing interest in sticks and the craft of making them. The majority of those making sticks now do so as a hobby with the desire to keep an ancient craft alive and pass on skills and knowledge to the wider public. These aims have been supported since 1984 by the British Stickmakers Guild both in this country and abroad.

Stickmaking materials can be as varied as an individual demands and one could almost write a book on this aspect alone, however, wood is the most widely used. Most types can be utilised in one way or another for stickmaking but I will confine myself to the most commonly used here. Traditionally hazel, ash, chestnut and blackthorn are the most popular for the shank – the straight piece of a stick not including any handle – as all these are relatively light, with the exception perhaps of blackthorn and are easily found. Holly is also popular but tends to be heavy and can require a lot more work to make it aesthetically pleasing.

I think it is important at this stage to differentiate between sticks that are made for country pursuits and working in the countryside and those used in more urban settings. The materials mentioned above are amongst those that would have been, and still are, available to anyone out in the countryside. Sticks at the height of the fashion era would have been made with more exotic materials such as ebony, rosewood and Malacca. These materials are still available but tend to be expensive and used for more decorative walking sticks and canes. Some adventurous stick makers use even more unusual materials such as Jersey cabbage stalk, elder tree, glass and even stretched and dried bull penis known as pizzle stick.

Traditional crook design fashioned from Yew

When we think of sticks in this country the most obvious one is probably the shepherd’s crook with its iconic ‘hook’ shape and associations with the country lifestyle. The crook usually has a head made from the horn of a ram – a traditional material going back hundreds of years – and these are still used today. Unfortunately, due to changes in sheep farming methods over the years, sourcing horns of sufficient size and quality is becoming more difficult so today many modern makers use imported black buffalo horn as a substitute.

Stick handle designs are limited only by the makers imagination

Wood is also popular for handles and again can range from relatively common species such as elm, yew, sycamore and ash, through to more exotic species like cocobola, ebony, walnut, amboynas and rosewood. Really no material is out of bounds for handles including precious metals, glass, porcelain or even amber. The jeweller Faberge was known for his sticks and handles and they command a high price when they come up for sale occasionally. One of the materials often found on older stick handles is ivory and this can come from a variety of sources whether it be elephant, walrus, hippopotamus or marine ivory. Raw ivory from elephants is virtually unobtainable legally nowadays and even old ivory cannot be re-worked or carved.

All of the common materials mentioned above can be used for a variety of applications and it is more often than not up to the person making or using the stick to decide what they want. As I have already mentioned, some woods are denser than others and therefore weigh more and this might be a factor to be considered. However a well balanced stick made from a denser wood may feel lighter in the hand than an unbalanced stick made from a lighter wood.

Shank woods can be relatively easily obtained from woodlands and hedgerows and sometimes even the garden. The important thing to remember is that if you intend to cut your own shanks then you need to get the permission of the landowner. It is generally accepted that the best time to cut shanks is during the winter months December – February but bear in mind that whenever you cut it it will be 12 months, while it dries or seasons, before you can use it. The rule of thumb is that you season wood for 12 months for every inch of thickness. If you can’t wait then help is at hand from a number of suppliers of ready seasoned shanks both on the internet and also at various game fairs and country fairs.

Woods for handles, both common and exotic, are available from suppliers of wood turning materials and also on the internet. Rams horn, buffalo and antler can be obtained through specialist stickmaking suppliers or again from some country and game fairs. However, it is very satisfying to make a stick from a shank you have cut yourself.

Handle featuring a trout carved from a Ram’s horn

All the common woods and horns mentioned in this article can be used in their raw state, that is they do not have to be finished with any particular products. However, in order to enhance the look of the materials you are using and to protect them from the elements they will benefit from a finish of some description. In the case of woods this might be the use of a good outdoor varnish or various oil finishes such as Danish oil, boiled Linseed oil, Tung oil and gun stock oil. You can also use various nut oils including walnut and hazel. Varnishes give a totally weatherproof finish whereas oils will require re-applying from time to time, they do however give a more natural look and feel. Antler and horn can be simply waxed, polished and buffed to a high gloss finish with a good quality polish. Note: Although some people do varnish horn and antler I personally think this is unnecessary.

There are numerous ways to make a stick depending on whether you are using wood, horn or antler. The simplest stick in many respects is a one piece stick that has the shank and handle all cut from the same branch. More often, however, a stick is made from two pieces the handle and the shank which are joined together and here I will explain briefly the process of making a two piece wooden stick with wooden handle – working horn is well beyond the brief of this article.

Having decided on the shank you want to use the fist thing you are probably going to want to do is straighten any slight bends in the wood. This can be done by heating the bend gently with a hot air gun, keep the air gun moving so as not to scorch the bark until the area is hot to the touch. You should now be able to carefully pull the shank in the opposite direction to the bend against your knee*. Repeat with all the bends or until you are satisfied with your shank. A piece of 8mm threaded bar (obtainable from most DIY stores) is used to join the shank to the handle so you need to drill a hole approximately 3 inches into the centre of the shank, making sure the hole is straight and does not go off at an angle.

Your handle shape profile can now be cut using a fret saw, coping saw or bandsaw. The grain of your wood should run along the top of the handle. Mark a centre line around the blank and always work to this line, redrawing it if necessary.

Stick handle partially shaped

You then need to round the corners of your handle until you have either a round cross section throughout or an egg shaped cross section on the handle and a round one where the handle will meet the shank.

Rough shaping of handle now completed

Try not to leave any flat spots as they will be uncomfortable to hold. Drill a similar hole in the handle to the one in the shank, although maybe not quite as deep. Cut a piece of 8mm threaded bar to the appropriate length to fit into the shank and the handle.

Handle and shank showing 8mm threaded bar ready for gluing

Dry fit everything together and ensure there is a good joint between the handle and shank. Adjust by filing each surface until you cannot see light between the joint. File a small flat along one side of the threaded bar. Mix up a two part epoxy adhesive eg. Araldite or similar, I use the rapid variety, and apply to the bar and the holes. Use enough adhesive so that it squeezes out between the joint , it can be cleaned off with a sharp knife before it is completely dry. Hold or clamp the two pieces together until they are set then leave for 24 hours to harden thoroughly.

Handle and shank glued together. Note: you would usually fix the handle to the shaft and finish the fitting before polishing

Finish the handle so that it fits neatly with the shank and sand it to the finish you require. Varnish, oil or wax as the feeling takes you. Add a ferrule if you want to, either metal or rubber and enjoy your stick. If you feel like having a go and want more information then I recommend a book by Andrew Jones and Clive George entitled Stick Making a Complete Course published by the Guild of Master Craftsman.

There are approximately 2000 members of the British Stickmakers Guild both in this country and abroad. There are also a number of local groups around the country that hold regular meetings and shows. As a member of the Guild members receive a quarterly magazine with information and articles from members relating to stick making and collecting. There are also numerous shows and competitions around the country with a UK Novice Stick Championship for those who are just getting started to the UK National Stick Championship. For more information go to thebsg.org.uk or you can contact your local group: Sticks in Bedfordshire, Dr Nick Murray, 01582 594546, or e-mail: Dr.nicol.murray@ntlworld.com

All the sticks used to illustrate this article (except Ram’s Horn Trout by D.Davies) are the work of David James who is also editor of The Stickmaker a quarterly magazine distributed to members of the British Stickmakers Guild

*If you have knee problems do not use this method and you should stop if you feel the slightest pain in your knee.