Ready Letter

July 2014
Volume IV, Issue 7
From the Desk Of : Above Average Joe

Senior Editor Of The Ready Letter
Dear Leaders,
Thank you for joining me for this months issue of The Ready Letter!
I want you to imagine what many of us would consider a worst-case scenario
Think about this:
It has been days since TSHTF
You are now in the aftermath and help is not on the way
Youre home has burnt to the ground and your BOL is inaccessible. All of your hard work and provisions
have turned to dust. You my friend are officially S.O.L.
So many of us spend the majority of our time focusing on the things we have available to survive a
disaster but things can be taken or destroyed.
Far too few of us focus on the skills and knowledge that ensure survival under all circumstance.
When TSHTF your survival will fully depend on your ability to Adapt, Innovate, and Overcome!
Read this months issue from top to bottom and learn more than a dozen Survival Hacks that just might
save your life.
No matter what happens to your supplies, there is always hope... for the ready.
And, remember, only the informed are ready.
-Above Average Joe
Survivallife.com/members
1
2014 The Ready Letter
Improvise...Innovate...Survive...
Introducion
In an ideal world, we would have every survival tool
available to us when needed. Unfortunately, we
may only have a fraction of what we need during an
emergency. Or worse yetwe could have nothing at all.
Imagine having no supplies and being stuck in the
middle of the forest.
How would you cook your food?
How would you find and/or catch food to eat?
How would you stay warm, build a shelter or build a
fire?
How would you defend yourself for others if the
situation warranted self-defense tactics?
No matter what happened to your supplies, there is

always hope. We have compiled a list of techniques
and tactics specifically designed for situations where
you may have nothing useful available. No tent, no
fire, no food and no fresh water, just for example.
Although this may seem bleak, there are tons of ways
to improvise survival gear that can be as effective as
the gear in your typical bug-out bag.
This months issue will show you how to create new
survival supplies out of items you may already have
on your person or that are usually easy to source in
the field.
While it would be impossible to explain every
possible improvisational tactic out there. Our goal is
that this issue opens your eyes to the possibility of
looking at common items as survival tools with only
slight modification. That said, we have compiled a
pretty cool list of techniques that could mean the
difference between life and death.
And even if youre not in a life or death situation
these techniques still have a coolness factor that will
have all of your friends calling you MacGyver.
The most important survival asset in your arsenal
is knowledge. The more familiar you become with
looking at common items and how they could be used
as survival aids, the better your chances of surviving
any situation become.
Many of us spend too much time stocking up and not

enough preparing for the unexpected.
This month well explain practical survival skills using
materials that probably arent in your bug-out bag to
begin with.
Fire and Light
In any survival situation, fire should always be a

priority. Fire is used to cook food, purify water and as
a source of light and heat in the evening. If you plan
on working on survival-related projects at night, you
might also need a light source to work with.
We want to teach you how to survive even if all the

planning and prepping you have done goes down the
tubes due to an unforeseen event. Maybe a fire destroys
your supplies or maybe an intruder sneaks off into the
night with your bug-out bag while youre sleeping.
Why it happened is secondary to how you react to it.
July 2014
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Starting a fire isnt all that difficult especially if you

have matches or a lighter handy but it may not always
be a good idea. If youre concerned about other people
discovering your location, for instance, a conventional
fire for cooking may not be the best option.
Likewise, if you find yourself in an area that is very
dry, the chances of starting a wildfire could trump the
benefits derived from a campfire.
Practice these alternative ways to cook food, purify
water and create usable light. Youll be glad you did.
Toilet Paper Heater

For this project, youll need:

Coffee can
Roll of toilet paper
Rubbing alcohol

Can of vegetable shortening (Crisco or generic

brand)
Piece of string
Matches or a lighter
This project is super simple.

Take a piece of string and
push it into the can of vegetable
shortening and light the wick.
Just like a conventional candle,
the shortening prevents the
wick from burning out and this
design can be reused every night
when in a survival situation to provide a discrete light
source for reading, making supplies or anything else
you can think of.
Mint Tin Stove
Start by kneading the

toilet paper roll to loosen
the cardboard tube in the
middle. Remove the tube and
discard. Now, make sure the
roll is collapsed in the middle
(where the tube used to be)
so there is no space in the center.
When you find out the fuel used for this miniature
stove you might rethink what you use for fertilizer
in your garden. Although small, this tin stove can
effectively cook just about any type of food quickly.
Stuff the roll into the coffee can and liberally pour
rubbing alcohol inside.
Allow the toilet paper to fully soak up the alcohol and
carefully light the paper. When the alcohol is used up,
the toilet paper will start to turn brown. Simply blow
out the fire and re-soak the paper with alcohol to use
this heater again and again.
Mint tin (Altoids or similar)

Miracle-Gro
Aluminum screen
This type of heater puts out a decent amount of heat

and hardly produces any smoke at all while the alcohol
is burning. It can be used in a pinch to cook small
amounts of food or boil small amounts of water as well.
Start by taking the empty mint tin and filling it with

a few tablespoons of Miracle-Gro. Next, cut a small
piece of aluminum screen to fit over the top of the tin.
When lit, the Miracle-Gro
burns very well. In fact,
just a couple tablespoons
should burn for about
10 minutes and gets hot
enough to boil a quart of
water.
Shortening Candle
Pine Pitch Torch
Although you probably wont be cooking anything using

a candle, a shortening candle is a great way to provide
additional light after the sun goes down and this type of
candle will burn for weeks when constructed properly.
In case you arent aware of the many survival-related

uses for pine pitch (the thick, sticky stuff found in
knots and gouges in the tree), it is an extremely useful
substance.
July 2014
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It can be used to waterproof clothing and tents and it

burns very well.
to work on a project.
Not only can you use pine pitch to make a torch, you
could also use it in the miniature stove mentioned
above if Miracle-Gro isnt around.
A milk jug lamp solves this problem by even

dispersing the light of your flashlight in all directions
making it an excellent way to light up a campsite at
night.
A stick (for the torch handle)

Pine pitch
Locate a pine tree and look for pitch near knots and
gouges in the tree trunk. Pitch is thick and sticky, so
collect it using a nearby stick. If you have a container
to store the pitch, gather as much as you can for later
use.
Now find a thick green branch to use as the base of
the torch. Cut the branch to the proper length and
use a knife or improvised tool (such as a sharp rock)
to remove excess smaller branches from the torch
handle.
Again using your knife or improvised cutting tool,
split the head of the torch handle. Ideally, make to
deep cuts in a cross pattern.
Now wedge a small branch or rock in the bottom of
the slits to create an opening at the top. Pack pitch in
this opening and light.
If youre fortunate enough to have something to carry
additional pitch, this torch can be used for hours by
simply refilling the opening with pitch when it goes
out.
This low profile light source is great for working
around camp at night or even traveling under the
cover of darkness.
Milk Jug Lamp

If you are lucky enough to have a flashlight with you,
creating light isnt as much of a problem (at least
until you run out of batteries).
As we all know, however, flashlights only shine light
in a single direction.
This is great when you are traveling at night but not
as convenient when you are trying to light up an area
Milk jug
Flashlight
Duct tape
Start by filling the milk jug with water. The water is

what diffuses light and makes the lamp glow evenly in
all directions. Now turn on the flashlight and position
it in the opening of the milk jug so the light shines
into the water and secure the flashlight with ample
amounts of duct tape.
Very simple, but a very effective way to light up
a small area reasonably well without holding a
flashlight in your mouth while youre working on
another survival project.
Soda Can Fire Starter

Up to this point, it has been assumed you have a
lighter or matches to start these improvised stoves
and light sources, but what if you dont? Maybe your
matches got wet and you dont have a magnesium fire
starter with you.
Fortunately, the bottom of a soda can works very well
as a parabolic fire starter.

Aluminum soda can

Chocolate or toothpaste
Small tinder ball
Its unfortunate to admit, but the reality is that people

litter everywhere.
Whether its a bonfire party in the woods or someone
throwing trash out of the car window, there is a high
probability you can find an aluminum can.
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Once you have found a can the next step is to polish

the bottom. A chocolate bar works well as does
toothpaste. Any mildly abrasive semi-solid substance
can be used, but chocolate and toothpaste are usually
readily available and definitely work well (although
polishing could take up to 60 minutes). Steel wool (if
available) cuts the polishing time in half.
The goal is the polish the bottom of the can until
it has nearly a mirror finish. It should be slightly
distorted but you will know when its done when you
can see your teeth and/or the whites of your eyes.
Ohby the waydont be tempted to eat
the chocolate after because it contains high
concentrations of aluminum that can be harmful
to your health. Its not deadly after a single dose
but over the long term you could suffer serious side
effects.
Once the can is polished properly, it needs to be
oriented toward the sun. Failure to do this properly
could mean that the entire project fails. The easiest
way to accomplish this is to hold the top of the can
against your chest while facing the sun.
The can shouldnt cast a shadow on your shirt if it
does move the can until there is no shadow to ensure
maximum sunlight concentration.
Take a small piece of black paper (or other dark
material) and move it back and forth until you find
the focal point of light created by the can.
The spot where the light converges into a small point
is where the tinder should be held until it begins to
smoke.
Using a thing stick with a split in the top (similar to
the Pine Pitch Torch) to hold the tinder in front of
the focal point, it should only take a few seconds for
the tinder to begin smoking. Make sure the tinder is
fully ignited before carefully transferring it to a larger
tinder bundle.
Blow gently on this bundle to ignite and begin
building a fire by gradually adding larger and larger
pieces of wood (or other combustible material) as
needed.
Prison Lighter
To use an aluminum can as a fire starter, intense
sunlight is required. If sunlight isnt available, you
can start a fire using a piece of wire and a battery.
Known as a prison lighter because its a popular way
to light cigarettes in prison, this makeshift lighter can
be made from nearly any battery and a thing piece of
wire.
Cell phone batteries work very well as they usually
hold a significant charge, but even AAA batteries can
be used once or twice.
Battery

Thing piece of copper wire

Tinder bundle or other
combustible material
The key to success with this project is being fast. The
thin piece of wire will only get hot enough to start a
fire for a few seconds before it breaks or the battery
loses its power. This means having a tinder bundle
ready when using this lighter
because youre only going to have
one shot at this.
Touch the wire to the positive and
negative terminals of the battery.
The wire should become red hot
almost instantly.
Touch the wire to the tinder bundle (or better yet
have it inside the tinder bundle already) and blow
gently to coax ignition.
There are other ways to start fire and cook food using
improvised tools and techniques but these tactics
are proven to work well and the materials are readily
accessible in most survival situations.
Cell Phones Arent

Just For Calling People
Lets face it in a survival situation (especially a
long-term disaster scenario) cell phones are useless.
July 2014
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When your life is on the line you probably arent

going to be worried about updating your Facebook
status and eventually the cellular networks will fail
anyway.
Cutting Tools
So far we have discussed a few improvised survival
tools that require cutting of wood or other materials.
Sure, you could use a rock with a sharp edge but if
you cant find one its relatively easy to make one
from cell phone parts.

Fortunately, there are so many other ways to use your

cell phone in a survival situation that we decided to
devote an entire chapter to explaining some of the
things you can do with that electronic paperweight in
your pocket.
Useful Parts
Before explaining specific uses, lets review the parts
of the phone (once taken apart) that have uses far
beyond what they were originally intended to do.

Speaker
LCD screen
Metal sheet (used to shield circuit board and as a
mount)
Wire
Circuit board
Battery
Depending on the exact phone model, there could
be other useful materials inside as well but every
modern phone has the parts listed above and when
collected represent a bunch of survival gear you never
knew you had.
Lighter
We talked about making a prison lighter in the
previous chapter so we wont rehash the process here.
Just remember that a small piece of copper wire and
the battery from your cell phone can be used to start a
fire quickly and easily.
Circuit board
Metal shield or mount
Smooth rock
Take the circuit board and slide it over the rock to

sharpen the edge. This should be done the same way
as you would normally sharpen a knife using an angle
around 23 for best results.
You can do something similar with the metal mount
if you need a blade thats a little more robust or you
can bend the metal mount to work as a handle for the
sharpened circuit board.
Although made out of plastic, the circuit board is
rather strong because it is full of embedded metal
parts and wires.
When properly sharpened you should have no
problem using it to notch wood or cut fabric, thin
plastic and other materials.
Signal Mirror
The LCD screens used in modern cell phones are
highly reflective when not powered on. If there is any
chance you could be rescued but are worried that
rescue crews wont be able to find you, its easy to
make a signal mirror using the LCD from the phone.
The highly reflective material will reflect sunlight and
make it much easier for rescue personnel to find you.
Even if rescue isnt an option, this mirror could also
be used to signal other members of your group while
hunting or trying to avoid detection.
To signal using the LCD, hold the screen in front of
your face just below your eyes with one hand and
make a peace sign with the other hand in front of
the screen.
6
Align the recue vehicle or person you want to signal

between your fingers and make sure reflected light is
hitting your fingers. This ensures the reflected light
goes in the right direction.
Compass
Knowing what direction you are traveling during a
survival situation is imperative. During the day you
can use the sun to navigate and at night the stars
work well. Unless, of course, cloud cover prevents
proper navigation.

Circuit board
Metal mount
Stick (the straighter the better)
Cordage (covered in the next chapter)
To catch food on land, you can make an arrow or

dagger using the circuit board. Just like the cutting
tools mentioned previously, sharpen the circuit board
into an arrowhead shape.
Cut a notch in the end of the stick (this becomes the

arrow body) and secure the circuit board arrowhead
to the body using cordage. Using more cordage and
another stick you could make a reasonably effective
bow or you could try throwing the arrow like a dagger
too.
A small piece of the metal mount can be broken off,

sharpened slightly and used as a fishing hook. Tie
cordage around the fish hook and bait the lure with
a live worm or another insect.
Fortunately, using a few parts from a cell phone,

you can make a reasonably accurate and effective
compass.
Speaker
Steel wire
A leaf
A puddle (or a bowl of water)
Start by removing the magnet from the speaker (be

careful because it is small). Make sure the steel wire
is straight and rub the magnet across one end of the
wire.
Although just rubbing the magnet on the wire should
do the trick, carefully rubbing the magnet in only
one direction is the most effective way to impart
temporary magnetism to the wire.
This fishing setup can be thrown into the water and

pulled back in by hand.
These are just a few examples of useful things your
cell phone can do during a survival situation.
Once you realize that the parts inside the phone are
more valuable than the phone itself in a survival
situation there are endless possibilities and none of
them involve texting or tweeting.
Gently place the wire on a leaf floating in a puddle or

in a bowl of water. Both the wire and the leaf will turn
so that the end of the wire you rubbed is pointing
north.
This is a simple but effective way of figuring out
magnetic north when you have no other way to
navigate.
Catching Food
The parts in your cell phone can also be used to catch
food both in the water and on the ground.
July 2014
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Cordage
Wire is another excellent option when improvising

cordage. Wire has the added benefit of memory. In
other words, it tends to stay in the shape you form it so
it can be used to make hooks, hangers, supports and
stabilizers as well as cordage.
Wire is especially good when used as a snare to trap
animals because of its high tensile strength.
By stripping the rubber insulation off wire and looping
small sections into snares, you can easily trap enough
animals to feed yourself and your family during a
survival situation.
There are very few things that a good quality rope

cant be used for in a survival situation. Rope is used
for everything from creating animal snares to lashing
a wooden frame structure together but you probably
wont have decent rope at your disposal in many
survival situations.
Now, lets look at some alternative ways to make
cordage using natural materials or other items that
are easily sourced in most environments.
You can use practically any type of wire and the good
news is that wire is all around us. Abandoned cars,
appliances and homes are just few places you can
expect to find wire in a pinch.
Depending on the intended use of the wire, you may
decide to leave the insulation on but you can also
peel it off using a knife or improvised cutting tool (a
sharpened circuit board would work well for this).
Natural Sources of Cordage
If you find yourself in a situation where no man-made

cordage sources are readily available you can also make
Before getting into making cordage from materials we your own cordage using natural materials.
find, its worth pointing out that there is a pretty good
chance you already have some useful rope or cordage Any strong, flexible fiber can be used to make decent
cordage. One of the best places to look is the dried
on your person.
inner bark of most species of trees.
Common Sources of Cordage
Shoelaces, for instance, can be used for lots of

survival-related tasks including animal snares, fishing For best results, look for trees with dead bark and
carefully pull off long sections of the cambium layer
line and lashing together sticks to make shelter or
(located between the wood and the outer bark).
repair broken tools.
If for some reason you dont have shoelaces (or you
have already used them for something else) you
might have additional cordage in the hood of your
sweatshirt or jacket or the drawstring of your shorts.
If no dead trees are available you can also use the

cambium layer of living trees. The only difference is
you need to allow time for the fibrous material to dry
before winding it into cordage.
Other materials that can be used to make natural

Dental floss is another good source of cordage. It is
obviously best suited to extremely light duty tasks but cordage include the dried inner stalks of most plants
and even dried grass.
it can be made stronger by twisting multiple strands
together like you would any other material.
Although most plants and trees can be used to make
cordage, the table below represents some of the best
Cordage made from dental floss can be used as
choices and these should be chosen whenever available.
fishing line, thread, hanging gear from a backpack
and even to make sutures in the event of injury.
8
Trees
Stalks
Rootlets Leaves
Basswood
Elm
Cherry
Walnut
Cedar
CottonWood
Maple
Aspen
Hickory
Oak
Ash
Velvet leaf
Milkweed
Stinging nettle
Dogbane
Firew
Hemp
Evening primrose
Pine
Cattail
Cedar
Yucca
Tamarack Bulrush
Juniper
Yucca
Spruce
Sage
Twisting Material into Cordage

Most of the materials listed above are simply not
strong enough to support much (if any) weight as
they are. To make real cordage, multiple strands
of the material need to be twisted together like a
rope. Fortunately, this is easy to do and the finished
product is much stronger than any individual strand
of the material.
Simple Wrap
In addition to the options listed in the table, sweet

grass, greenbrier and cord grass also work well.
If you have successfully hunted an animal or are
lucky enough to come across a carcass, you can use
sinew to make exceptionally strong cordage.
In fact, animal sinew is so strong that a strand about
the thickness of carpet fiber can usually support the
weight of an adult.
The longest continuous strands of sinew are found
along the backbone of vertebrate animals but smaller
portions are located in the joints and these can be
spliced together to form longer pieces.
If sinew is moistened before wrapping, it shrinks and
becomes hard when drying. This makes sinew one of
the best choices for lashing together a survival shelter
or another semi-permanent structure.
Rawhide also works well for cordage once properly
cured. You can create rawhide by skinning an animal,
stretching out the hide and allowing it dry in the sun
until it becomes brittle. Once dry, you can work the
hide to get rid of the stiffness.
Not only does rawhide cut into strips work well for
cordage, but an entire animal hide converted to
rawhide makes an excellent natural tarp for a survival
shelter.
You can also harvest the hair from large animals such
as horses, moose and deer to make cordage (although
making long lengths of cordage this way could take a
lot of splicing).
For situations where tensile strength is not extremely

important you can get by with a simple wrap. Start by
holding onto the ends of the fibers and twisting them
all in one direction against your leg.
Make repeated strokes to get a god twist and then
take the middle of the strand in your teeth while
bringing the two ends together. Now let go of the
cordage with your teeth and the cord will twist
around itself naturally as the individual fibers try to
untangle themselves.
Again, this technique works well for cordage not
expected to hold extreme amounts of weight although
the finished product is still much stronger than the
individual strands.
Reverse Wrap
When tensile strength is important such as when
making cordage to repel down a cliff you should use
a reverse wrapping technique. While this technique
takes a lot longer than the simple wrap, the finished
product is exponentially stronger than either the
individual fibers that make up the cordage or the
same material made using a simple wrap.
To perform a reverse wrap, start by twisting the fibers
in the middle until they kink. Hold this kink between
the thumb and index finger of one hand and twist the
bottom strand toward you and wrap it once around
the other with your other hand.
Hold this newly formed wrap in your first hand while
twisting the new bottom strand toward you and
wrapping it around the other. Continue this process
for the entire length of the cord and tie a knot at the
end to secure it.
July 2014
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The illustration below explains how this should be

done.
Survival Knife Using a

Reciprocating Saw Blade
Life during a survival situation is much easier when

you have a good knife. Everything from making a
shelter to field dressing an animal requires some sort
of sharp cutting tool and making a survival knife out
of an old saw or reciprocating saw blade is one of the
easiest ways to do this in the field.
Never underestimate the importance of quality
cordage in any survival situation. From trapping food
to making shelter, cordage could be the one thing
that saves your life above all else in a situation where
supplies are limited or non-existent.
Knives
We talked briefly about making cutting edges from
cell phone parts in Chapter Two, but what if you need
something more robust? There are thousands of
ways to make improvised knives that can be used for
cutting and even for self-defense.
Lets take a look at a couple of ways to this as well
as some improvised sharpening methods that work
surprisingly well.
A saw blade (hacksaw, wood saw or reciprocating

saw blades all work well
A file
Cordage (for the handle)
Saw blades are usually pretty easy to find. You might

get lucky and find one lying on the ground or you
might have to sneak into someones garage to find
one, but either way it should be too difficult.
If you cant find a saw blade for some reason, any
hardened piece of steel would also work. It just so
happens that saw blades are the perfect thickness and
they have already been tempered.
You are also going to need a file to complete this
project. This could be a little harder to find in a true
survival situation. Although it would take a really
long time, an abrasive rock would also work if no file
is available.
10
Since this is strictly a survival knife, we wont worry

about making it look super nice but you might
be surprised by how well some of these knives
come. Just do a Google search some of the look
professional.
Lawn Mower Blade Machete
Anyway, the idea is to use the file to shape the knife

into the desired shape. The other nice thing about
using an old saw blade is that you can keep the saw
tooth edge on top of the blade to cut through tree
limbs and the like.
Shape the knife as well as you can into the desired
shape. It usually helps if you trace the design onto the
blade before you start filing.
This knife should be a full hilt design (the blade runs
all the way through the handle) so remember to
leave enough room on the blade to accommodate the
handle.
In fact, since this project uses wrapped cordage as a
handle, essentially the hilt is the handle.
Once the knife is shaped properly, the edge needs
to be set. Initially, this can be done with the file
although you are going to want something finer to
really get the knife sharp later (we cover that below).
Just as you would sharpen a knife regularly, set the
knife edge at a 20 - 25 angle against the file and
gently work the edge into shape.
Be careful not to cut too much material off or leave
any flat spots as it will be nearly impossible to
actually get the edge sharp.
To sharpen the knife in a survival situation, the end
of this chapter teaches a few different ways to go
about doing this.
Now wrap the hilt of the knife using cordage. This is
an easy way to make a durable handle that provides a
good grip. Paracord is best choice if available but any
of the natural cordage choices discussed earlier will
also work.
Survival knives are great because they are small,

portable and easily concealed. But what if you need
something bigger? Whether for cutting up firewood,
bushwhacking or self-defense, a machete is definitely
a good choice.
Just like the survival knives mentioned above, a
machete can be made out of any piece of hardened
steel. Obviously, its just a lot bigger. Where can you
easily find a piece of hardened steel large enough to
make a machete?
A lawn mower blade.

Lawn mower blade
File

Cordage (for the handle)
This project is the same as the survival knife but on a
much larger scale. Also, lawn mower blades are a lot
thicker than the saw blades used previously so plan
on spending quite a bit of time filing this blade to
shape.
The good news is that a machete doesnt have to
be perfect as the cutting power comes from the
sharpness of the blade and the weight of the tool. To
keep construction time to a minimum, dont worry
too much about filing down the top side and dont
even worry about making a nice point at the end.
The lawn mower blade should already have a decent
cutting edge but it should be sharpened using the
same 20 - 25 angle as any other knife.
July 2014
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You can even make the blade edge a bit thicker if you
want as this will make it more effective for chopping
branches off trees for firewood and other tasks you
might normally use an axe for.
That said, it still needs to be sharp enough to cut
through brush or to use as a weapon should the need
to defend yourself arise.
Just as you would sharpen a knife at home, maintain

a consistent angle on both sides until you feel the
edge getting sharper.s
To make the machete easier to hold, you should also

use the file to make a recessed area where the cordage
handle will ultimately be. This little recess helps
to protect your hand from brush as you swing the
machete and makes it much easier to hold this large
piece of metal in your hand.
Car Windows
Once the edge is sharpened and recess for the handle

filed away, neatly wrap Paracord or other cordage
around the handle sufficiently that you can grip the
machete firmly and swing it confidently.
Although creating a machete from a lawn mower
blade can be a lot of work, it is an extremely useful
tool to have during practically any survival situation.
Sharpening Your Knife without a

Sharpening Stone
You might be surprised to learn that there are quite
a few ways to effectively sharpen your knife in the
field without a purposebuilt sharpening stone.
Whether you already have
a knife or you make one
using materials on hand,
these tips can keep that
edge reasonably sharp in
the middle of nowhere.
Ceramic Coffee Mugs
Just so you know, any ceramic cookware or

dinnerware has this same unglazed ring including
plates and bowls.
Much like the unglazed portion of the ceramic coffee

cup, the top of car window glass is rough and works
very similar to a ceramic sharpening rod. If you
find a car, roll down the window about halfway and
carefully work the knife edge back and forth until the
blade gets sharp again.
While this method doesnt work as well as the
ceramic cup trick, it still works reasonably well and
can keep your knife sharp when no other options are
available.
River Stones
Before commercial sharpening stones came on the
market, people used river stones that have been
polished by rushing water. If you can locate two
reasonably flat river stones you can sharpen your
knife easily.
Get the stone wet and rub them together for a few
minutes to create a fine powder between the two.
Now take the flatter of the two stones and run your
blade back and forth across it just like you would if
you were using an water or oil stone.
Make sure to keep the stone wet while using this
method so you dont clog the pores of the stone or
damage the blade.
Cardboard
If you can locate or happen to have a ceramic coffee

mug you already have an excellent knife sharpening
tool at your disposal.
Most of these mugs are glazed on the inside and
outside but the very bottom of the mug is left
unglazed so the mug doesnt stick to the kiln after
firing. This unglazed ring on the bottom is perfect
for sharpening a knife and with practice is nearly as
effective as a modern ceramic sharpening stone.
Believe it or not, cardboard can be used to sharpen

a knife in a pinch. Cardboard is actually rather gritty
and contains small particles that can be used to
sharpen a blade although it does take a long time.
This is more akin to stropping your knife than actual
sharpening, but it can keep an edge sharp longer
than normal just by folding up some cardboard and
running the edge back and forth.
12
Belt
Your belt can also be used to strop a knife edge and
keep it sharp without much effort. The easiest way
to accomplish this is to remove your belt, cover one
side in mud (if possible) and stand on one end while
holding the other end tight with your non-sharpening
hand.
Strop the knife on the muddy side of the belt until it
starts to get sharp and then finish by stropping for
about half as long on the clean side of the belt.
Keeping all these sharpening tips in mind, there
should be no reason why you ever have a dull knife
bladeever.
Other Miscellaneous
Improvisation
Techniques
We have devoted previous chapters to specific topics
that are important during most (if not all) survival
situations. We do have a few more tricks up our
sleeve but they didnt fit into any of the topics already
covered so we threw them here instead.
Now fill the space between the two pots with wet sand
and cover the top with a wet washcloth, bandana or
other piece of fabric.
Place food inside the small pot. As the water in the
sand evaporates it takes the heat with it and cools the
smaller pot.
Believe it or not, this type of refrigerator can keep
food from spoiling for up to three weeks as long as
water is added to the sand regularly.
Simple Water Distiller

There are quite a few ways to purify water for
consumption in a survival situation but many of them
require filters or chemicals that you may not have
available. Sureyou can boil water but that only kills
biological contaminants and does nothing to remove
sediment like dirt or even salt found in ocean water.
Fortunately, there is a solution. Known as a solar still,
this project doesnt require a lot of materials and can
purify water from biological contamination as well as
sediment. These things work so well that you could
even add urine to the basin and get fresh water from
it while leaving urea and other toxins in the bottom.

DIY Refrigerator
What if you have leftover food from a meal and are
uncertain about where the next meal might come
from? You could throw away the extra food and
hope for the best or you could create a non-electric
refrigerator to keep food cold until you do eat it.
These evaporative coolers are still used regularly in
some parts of the world and can be made with just a
few simple items.
A small pebble, marble or other weight of similar

size
Small bowl (the top of this bowl must be below
the top of the large bowl when placed inside it)
Large bowl
Plastic shrink wrap
Start by adding the water to be purified to the big

bowl. Now add the small bowl making sure not to get
any contaminated liquid inside the small bowl. Place
the plastic wrap over the top of the large bowl and
seal the sides well.
Place the marble or pebble in the center of the plastic
wrap to create a drip point directly above the small
bowl. Carefully place the still in direct sunlight.
Sand

Small pot

Large pot
Washcloth
Start by placing the smaller pot inside the larger one.
As sunlight enters the plastic wrap and becomes

trapped the temperature inside the bowl heats up
causing water to evaporate and collect on the inside
of the plastic wrap.
July 2014
13
As it cools and turns into liquid again, it drips into

the smaller bowl where it is collected and later
consumed.
As long as you can fill the gap between the smaller

battery and the terminal the device should work
without a problem.
If bowls are not available, you can also dig a hole

in the ground and place a leak-proof collection
container (such as a canteen) in the middle. The
hole is then covered with plastic wrap or clear plastic
sheeting for a similar effect.
DIY Char Cloth
Alternative Uses for Trash Bags

While trash bags may seem like pretty mundane
items when it comes to survival, they have quite a few
alternative uses if necessary.
For instance, trash bags can be used as emergency
blankets if nothing else is available. Although it may
not keep you warm in outright freezing temperatures,
the plastic helps contain your body heat surprisingly
well.
Trash bags can also be used as rain ponchos. Poke a
hole for your head in the bottom of the bag and let it
rest on your shoulders. If caught in a rainstorm you
can quickly succumb to hypothermia in cool climates
so staying warm and dry should always be a priority.
Finally, trash bags can also be used in lieu of tarp
to create temporary shelters. When combined with
cordage (either natural or man-made), a trash bag
can keep the rain away and break the wind to make
sleeping at least somewhat more enjoyable.
Making a Battery Converter

Have you ever needed to replace batteries on
something in your home only to realize that you dont
have the correct size? Under normal circumstances,
its easy to run to the store and grab the correct size,
but what about in a survival situation?
Lets say your weather radio dies and it needs AA
batteries but all you have is AAA batteries. If you have
some aluminum foil available, youre in luck.
Simply ball up aluminum foil and stuff it in the
battery slot where the negative terminal normally
goes.
Char cloth is an excellent source of tinder because it

has a very low ignition point and holds a spark for
a long time compared to more traditional tinder
sources. Char cloth is basically a swatch of vegetable
fiber (i.e. cotton) that has been converted into a slow
burning fuel in a process known as pyrolysis.

A small aluminum can (tuna cans work well but

other cans can also be used effectively)
A can opener (preferably the kind the takes the
entire lid off from the sides)
Nail or small screwdriver
Cotton fabric (cotton balls work really well but
100% cotton t-shirt scraps also work)
Open the can and make sure all the contents are
cleaned out. Place between 4 8 cotton balls or four
circular pieces of cotton fabric inside the can. Replace
the lid. Assuming you used a lid lifting can opener
the top should fit on very snuggly. If you are forced
to use the other kind of can opener you may have to
work a little harder to get a snug fit.
Once secured, flip the can over and punch a small
hole in the center of the lid using a nail, screw or
small screwdriver. The idea is to burn the cotton with
very little oxygen so the only ventilation should be the
small hole punched in one side of the can.
With the container complete, the next step is to cook
it in a fire for a few minutes. As the container heats
up you should see gas venting from the small hole in
the can. This gas is a combination of hydrogen and
methane gas and as these gasses are cooked out the
fiber becomes carbonized (this is pyrolysis).
Sometimes during this process the gases will ignite.
This is perfectly normal.
You will know when the process is complete because
gases will no longer vent through the hole and any
flame created by the vented gases will go out.
14
Its important to pull the can out of the fire as soon as the gases stop venting or you could negatively impact the
performance of the char cloth.
Carefully (using gloves if possible) remove the can from the fire and cover the hole with aluminum foil to
prevent air from getting sucked back into the container.
Let the can cool for at least five minutes before handling. Once cool, open the can to check the finished product.
The cotton should be completely black. If there are portions that are only brown or still colored the original
color then you pulled the can too early.
When done correctly, a single spark can ignite a piece of char cloth and the spark can last upwards of two
minutes plenty of time to set up a tinder bundle and get a fire started (even in moist conditions).
Char cloth is easy to make in the field and can be stored for future use during a survival scenario.
Conclusion
Be smart and practice the content youve just read. Preparation is great, but being able to adapt is even better.
None of us know when or how a disaster will occur. We dont know where we will be when it goes down or what
gear (if any) will be available. All we can do is understand the basic concepts of survival and use the materials
and resources at our disposal to make the gear we need.
It really is that simple.
Make sure to practice the steps and share them with your loved ones.
Always be ready.
And, remember, only the informed are ready.

-Above Average Joe
July 2014
15
Free Tool Of The Month:
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www.survivallife.com/improvise
40 Days and 40 Nights
Always Be Prepared For A Disaster!
We never know if we are going to have any advance warning if and when disaster were to strike.
You have to always be ready to go at a moments notice, and may not have time to pack a bag. The best
thing to have on hand is a pre-packed Stowbag for when you need to leave in a hurry, or can not return home to collect your things.
To find out more on what you absolutely must have in your Stowbag, click the link below:
www.survivallife.com/stowbag
Let Us Know What You Think!

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what you think about each issue of
Lamplighter and the information
we provide. Please send us all of
your feedback at:
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Coming Up In Future Issues...

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16
July 2014

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July 2014

Volume IV, Issue 7

From the Desk Of : Above Average Joe

And, remember, only the informed are ready.

-Above Average Joe

No matter what happened to your supplies, there is

Many of us spend too much time stocking up and not

Fire and Light

In any survival situation, fire should always be a

We want to teach you how to survive even if all the

Starting a fire isnt all that difficult especially if you

Toilet Paper Heater

For this project, youll need:

Can of vegetable shortening (Crisco or generic

This project is super simple.

Mint Tin Stove

Start by kneading the

Mint tin (Altoids or similar)

This type of heater puts out a decent amount of heat

Start by taking the empty mint tin and filling it with

Pine Pitch Torch

Although you probably wont be cooking anything using

In case you arent aware of the many survival-related

It can be used to waterproof clothing and tents and it

A milk jug lamp solves this problem by even

For this project, youll need:

For this project, youll need:

A stick (for the torch handle)

Milk Jug Lamp

Start by filling the milk jug with water. The water is

Soda Can Fire Starter

Aluminum soda can

Its unfortunate to admit, but the reality is that people

Once you have found a can the next step is to polish

Cell Phones Arent

When your life is on the line you probably arent

Fortunately, there are so many other ways to use your

Take the circuit board and slide it over the rock to

Align the recue vehicle or person you want to signal

For this project, youll need:

To catch food on land, you can make an arrow or

For this project, youll need:

Cut a notch in the end of the stick (this becomes the

A small piece of the metal mount can be broken off,

Fortunately, using a few parts from a cell phone,

Start by removing the magnet from the speaker (be

This fishing setup can be thrown into the water and

Gently place the wire on a leaf floating in a puddle or

Wire is another excellent option when improvising

There are very few things that a good quality rope

Natural Sources of Cordage

If you find yourself in a situation where no man-made

Common Sources of Cordage

Shoelaces, for instance, can be used for lots of

If no dead trees are available you can also use the

Other materials that can be used to make natural

Twisting Material into Cordage

In addition to the options listed in the table, sweet

For situations where tensile strength is not extremely

The illustration below explains how this should be

Survival Knife Using a

Life during a survival situation is much easier when

A saw blade (hacksaw, wood saw or reciprocating

Saw blades are usually pretty easy to find. You might