Author Archives: Guest Writer

How to Sharpen Serrated Edge Knives-Serrated Knife Sharpening

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Today I thought I would talk about a little problem that many folks that carry and/or use knives in their homes seem to have all over the country. That little problem is serrated knives. We all own them in one form or another like a serrated survival pocket knife or serrated bread knife or even a serrated carving knife. There is an issue that arises for many people that own serrated knives. That issue is how to properly sharpen a serrated knife? The question of the ages for the modern knife owner. In this post, I am going to address this issue and when I am done with it you will know how to sharpen your serrated knives.

How to Sharpen Serrated Edge Knives

For the most part, your serrated kitchen or pocket knife will stay sharp longer than your straight edge pocket or kitchen knives will and they will even cut when the serrations are getting dull. As the scallops and teeth of a serrated knife get dull the quality of the cuts that you once got will slowly degrade into tearing, pulling and shredding of the item that you are cutting. When this tearing/shredding effect starts to happen then it is time to sharpen your knives.

For many people the chore of sharpening knives is time-consuming and for many, it is a daunting chore. The fact of the matter is that sharpening serrated knives for many is more problematic than sharpening standard straight edges. Proper care and maintenance of serrated knives will keep those scallops cutting cleanly for a long time. Have no doubt though; these serrated knives do need a greater level of experience to sharpen properly. Another thing to consider is that serrated knife blades take longer to sharpen than their plain edged counterparts.

As I said earlier serrated knives can and do stay sharper longer than plain edged knives and because of this it will take longer for a serrated blade to become dull, and this is even true for combination bladed pocket and kitchen knives. The “teeth” of a serrated blade “bite” or start the cutting process first and then the scallops of the blade follow through to complete the cut. The “teeth” take most of the cutting pressure and the scallops take the least amount of cutting pressure. Because the scallops take the least amount of cutting pressure they stay sharper longer.

Now let’s talk about how to sharpen your serrated knives. In order to do this, you will need to obtain the correct type of sharpener designed for sharpening these types of blades. There are many on the market made by many manufacturers that are specific to the chore. Some are good, and in my humble opinion, some are just plain old bad. Some of the types of serrated knife sharpeners are the “draw through” type. (I personally do not care for “draw” or “pull” through sharpeners)Then there are the sharpening rods that come both in standard and tapered versions and made of different materials from carbide to diamond coated. There are specialized serrated sharpening stones that are textured to accept the scallops of serrated knives. Many of the sharpening rods or sticks come in a triangular shape to work on the scallops between the teeth of the knife. The “rat tail” type of file or sharpener is tapered in order to naturally fit the diameter of the scallops of the blade. The one thing to keep in mind when wanting to sharpen serrated knives is that as with sharpening plain edges you will have to take the same considerations with serrated knife edges and that means that you will need to choose the correct sharpener and what materials you want that sharpener to be made of.

Many of the sharpeners that you would use to sharpen a serrated knife can be used to sharpen plain edged knives as well and you can get pocket-sized sharpeners for serrated knives and combo edged knives to carry with you for daily honing and sharpening of your daily carry knife.

When it is time to sharpen your knife whether it is a plain edge or a serrated edge one of the things to keep in mind is the angle that you will use to sharpen your knife. It does not make any difference what type of sharpener you use, keep the angle in mind. Most of the time when sharpening combo edged blades the serrated portion of the blade in the majority of cases will be of the same angle as the plain edged section of the blade. This means that when sharpening the serrated section of a combo edge it should be kept at the same angle as the plain edge section of the blade as well. Now there are many sharpeners out there that are referred to as “guided” sharpeners like the Lansky Sharpening Systems. This type of system will maintain the proper edge angle as you sharpen your knives and you can get stones or diamonds that are triangular in shape to sharpen your serrations at the correct angle with the Lansky System too!

Many people that I have met and many people that call themselves “professional knife sharpeners” for a living have sharpened serrated knives by either drawing the back/flat side of the knife across a bench stone, and in many cases I have seen them sharpened by drawing the back/flat side of the serrated knife across a sanding belt. This is not the correct way to sharpen this kind of knife. I order to sharpen the scalloped part of a serrated knife you can use the serrated sharpening stone or diamond from something like the Lansky System and work it into the scallops in a perpendicular movement to the cutting edge one scallop at a time. You can also do the same thing using one of the many diamond or ceramic files or tapered “rat tail” files and move them in the same perpendicular fashion to the cutting edge of the scallops.

Remember, you have to take your time and sharpen one scallop and one tooth at a time before moving to the next one. When you are done you should be able to feel a “burr” on the flat side of the knife. Many will tell you to lightly grind that burr off. I do not do this and I tell others not to do this. I have a small piece of 2X4 wood and I then lightly draw the serrated blade across a corner of the 2X4 to remove the burr this is also the way many people who sharpen Japanese kitchen knives do it as well. You can also take a hand held ceramic rod and start at the top of the rod and work your way down to remove the burr and polish the flat of the blade. When you “grind” you are removing metal and when you use a ceramic rod you are taking much, much less metal from the blade. I do it this way for the longevity of the blade.

Here is another way to sharpen a serrated knife really quick that I use all the time. Take corrugated sharpening steel and then take your serrated knife and start at the bottom of the steel at the handguard and take the very tip of the serrated knife and stroke the blade across and up the steel holding the blade at your chosen angle. Don’t just put the flat of the blade flat on the steel. Put the flat to the steel flat and then raise it up to your desired angle. If you know what 20 degrees looks like when sharpening on a flat stone then you should know what 20 degrees look like against the sharpening steel. Then after 10, 20, 30 reverse strokes up the steel the burr will be raised on the flat of the blade and I lop it off on the 2X4 and then a few strokes on the ceramic rod to polish the flat and I am good to go!

 

5 Essential Items to Take Hunting

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The first item that comes to mind for a hunting expedition is a riffle and a hunting vest, but what about all of the other needed essentials? It’s key to remember that you might be trekking out into the wilderness, and you might find yourself being there longer than expected. So, use this guide to remember the 5 important items that many hunters seem to forget.

Essential Hunting Items

1. Hunting Binoculars

One of the most often forgotten items is your hunting binoculars.

The most obvious reason is that without a pair of good quality binoculars, you might miss some animal at a distance. Forgetting your binoculars means that you may come back with less to show for, making for a less enjoyable hunting trip.

But, more importantly, you can use binoculars for navigation, to discern your path and spot sources of water, roads, and civilization at a distance.

Other Benefits to Bringing Binoculars

• Be able to decipher an animal from a rock or foliage (Also, so you know you aren’t shooting at a human!).

• See your terrain more clearly to prevent injuries or see signs of animals that the naked eye would not be able to see.

• Allows you to spot predators or wildlife you’d rather avoid.

Important Features on My Binoculars?

You don’t want binoculars that magnify too far or too near. It’s important to get the right set that matches the terrain you will be hunting in. Generally, in wooded terrain you’ll want something with less magnification, such as 8x and in open terrain you can go as high as 12x. You can go higher, but you’ll end up needing a stand or tripod.

2. Cold Weather Gear?

Staying warm while you are out hunting is crucial for any tracking expedition. Even if you have double checked the weather forecast. It is always safe to stay prepared for unexpected cold fronts. You should keep some cold weather gear in your daypack and take it with you, just in case.

If you get disoriented or injured, you might find yourself spending the night in the woods. It doesn’t matter if it’s the middle of the summer or not, it will feel cold when compared to the daytime highs. Also, you can get hypothermia even if it’s as warm as 70 degrees if you are wet and not clothed properly.

Which Cold Weather Gear Should I Bring?

You’ll want properly fitted boots so as not to reduce blood flow to your toes along with spare socks. You’ll also want:

• Clothing articles that are not made out of cotton as this material absorbs moisture and doesn’t insulate when wet.

• Keep your head warm with a hat or beanie while protecting your face with a face mask.

• Bring gloves that are not made out of cotton.

• Have spare, loosely fitting layers available to add or take away as temperatures change.

• Hand warmers that you can keep in your pockets.

3. Water Purifier

The fact is you can only carry so much water. If you are unexpectedly stuck in the wilderness for more than a day, you’ll need to find a water source. Since unpurified water can leave you sick, weak, and unable to walk your way out, you need to clean all contaminants from water.

The most obvious way to do this is by boiling your water. But, starting a fire is not always practical and in many places there may be a high danger of fire. So, the best option is to bring a water purifier.

What Can I Use a Water Purifier On?

With a water purifier at your disposal, you can obtain water from the environment around you. This includes water from a creek or any other wild body of water.

Various Types?

There are different types of water purifiers that you can purchase for your next trip. Each type will have pros and cons and you should weigh what you need vs their price and other features.

Here are a few types:

• Water filtration pump

• Squeeze or gravity flow system filters

• Tablets or drops

• Lifestraw

• Lightweight backcountry stove

4. A Compass

Although we tend to use GPS to get around these days, it still is important to carry another location device such as a compass. Hunters are frequently out in the middle of nowhere to find the best prey, putting themselves in risk of either their phone losing service, getting destroyed, or running out of battery.

There are a variety of compasses based on how you plan to use them and the difficulty of the terrain you will be in.

5. A Topographical Map

A topographical map is a detailed and accurate representation of two-dimensional features on the Earth’s surface that are natural and human-made. It will allow you to know the features of the surround area without being able to actually see them.

Why Bring it?

According to Real Tree, topographical maps are an essential when hunting out in an area that is less familiar. You can even use these maps to locate deer travel corridors.

More importantly, even if you get completely lost or disoriented, you can figure out where you are and navigate back to safety. There are plenty of stories of people who have got lost and died less than a mile from well worn trails, you don’t want to be one of them. So, bring a compass and a map.

How Can I Read One?

Topographical maps can be confusing to read without the proper training. You’ll want to spend some time learning the major and minor terrain features, how to convert from grid to magnetic north, and how to determine your exact location in a variety of ways.

What Else Do I Need?

Hunting expeditions lead one far away from civilization, making it a priority to pack properly. While there are probably 100 different things you might want to take, you have to balance between necessity and your ability to carry it.

Regardless of what you do or do not bring, make sure you have these 5 items.

5 Things You Should Know About Buying Food To Stockpile

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For most preppers, safety and food security is of paramount importance. Having your own food supply during an emergency or crisis situation will keep you and your family self-sufficient even during the toughest times. How do you build your own stockpile for survival?

foods list for off grid survival

Here are 5 things you should know about buying food to stockpile.

  1. What Is Your Goal?

Before buying food to stockpile, you will need to set your goal. How much stock do you intend to buy? How long do you want the supplies to last? Ideally, your food and water supply should sustain you for at least 72 hours but for peace of mind during an emergency, go beyond the bare minimum.

Start by writing a list of foodstuff that can sustain you and your family for three days. Once you have achieved that goal, keep building until you have enough supplies to last a few months.

  1. Decide On A Stockpile Budget

When buying food to stockpile, it is important to have a budget from the beginning. Determine how much you can afford and how much money you can spare from your weekly shopping to buy food to stockpile.

Make your budget conservative and reasonable. Avoid getting into debt. Know when to stop. There are times when you will have to pass up a great deal to avoid wasting money. Remember to go over your budget before you start shopping. You can always take advantage of store sales and product rebate offers.

foods list for off grid survival, food storage

  1. Invest In Nutritionally Dense Foods

Sometimes, consuming food from a stockpile can get tiring and boring. This is why you will need to invest in a stock that includes nutritionally dense and tasty foods. Consider your family’s taste and make a list of ingredients they will enjoy. Some of the foods to buy include; multivitamins, dried fruits, cereal, canned meat and chicken, nuts and peanut butter.

Don’t buy food items that your family doesn’t eat. Don’t buy food that will go bad before you eat it. Check all the expiry dates and preservatives used to ensure that your food is safe for consumption for the entire period you will need it.

  1. Prioritize On Water

Water is life. Without it, our bodies cannot survive for more than three days. Buy enough water. You should stockpile and safely store at least two weeks supply of water for every individual in your house.

Commercially bottled water is the best choice since it is safe and does not require sanitizing or disinfecting any further. However, it is advisable to consume or replace the water every six months.

foods list for off grid survival, jars and canning your own supply

  1. Prepare Space For Your Stockpile

Stockpiling on food and water will take up a lot of space in your pantry. Before you head out shopping, ensure that you clean and prepare the space. If you intend to store the food in the basement, ensure that your basement is cool and dry.

Remember, seepage, mice or mold can make your entire stock of food unsafe. You can invest in additional storage shelving or identical boxes that take up minimum space.

Conclusion

There you have it. 5 important things you should know about buying food to stockpile. To find out more on foods list for off grid survival go to simplyoffgrid.com for more information.  

Survival of the Ready – Preparation is Paramount

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Millions of people around the world have to face the trauma and consequences of an unforeseen disaster every year, and tens of thousands lose their lives.

You can rarely predict or avoid a disaster happening but you can often improve your odds of survival.

Ammo.com have put together a comprehensive guide for emergency preparation and looks at key reasons why you need to prepare for an emergency and what steps you can take to prepare.

The guide can show ready you are if disaster strikes.

 

The Top 3 Ways To Protect Your Loved Ones From Harm

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Protecting your loved ones

Danger can happen to anyone any day which is why it’s important to always be careful whenever we transact with other people and even go out of the safety of our home. We can’t control how people outside the home act, but we can, in our own ways do something to prevent harm from happening. Now that the world is becoming a more and more dangerous place, families put premium in ensuring their safety and protection by any means necessary. So many dreadful things can happen, not just physically, that threatens our quality of life. How do you protect you and your loved ones from a violent attack? A terrorist attack? Or maybe even a cyber-attack? This article will explore 3 ways you can do to protect your loved ones from harm, read on:

 

  1. Equip them

Today, there are a lot of non-lethal and legal self-defense weapons that can be easily concealed. Try looking for the best stun gun to suit your needs. Owning a mini taser or a stun gun is a great way to protect yourself without resorting to using lethal methods. Unlike using a gun, which can potentially cause permanent harm and even kill, stun guns won’t cause any serious harm to your assailant. Also, you don’t need to have perfect aim when using a stun gun, you can put your attacker to a halt just by tazing a part of their skin.

Another small and useful self-defense item is a pepper spray. It’s a handy thing to have especially for women and elderly living in a rough neighborhood. Pepper spray works by instantly inflaming the mucous membranes of the attacker’s eyes and nose, causing them to close their eyes and wince in pain at the sudden onslaught and the pungent smell. This immediate incapacitation allows you to run to safety and seek cover.

One last recommendation in the small and stealthy category that doesn’t require mad martial arts skills is a self-defense keychain, or a personal alarm. It’s small and can be carried anywhere. And in times of danger you can press it to let out a shrieking 130 decibels sound that will surely gather attention and turn your assailants around.

 

  1. Educate them

Aside from equipping your loved ones with all these small and fancy self-defense tools, it’s also important to educate them about violence, its prevalence, and how to react to them. It’s not enough than they can protect themselves, they must also know what to do next should any unfortunate thing happen their way.

Violent attacks can be traumatic for a lot of people, even if they’ve escaped it. Knowing how to deal with such incidents will help them cope better and live well. Surviving an assault, a robbery, or a mugging immediately causes shock to the victim. They can feel dazed and even detached from the environment for a while, some even experience denial. There’s a mix of feelings victims feel after the event, depends on how they react they can feel frightened, angry, and helpless. Yet some feel sad, ashamed, and guilty.

Keeping them safe

  1. Encourage them

It’s one thing to know how to protect yourself and it’s another to know how to react to attacks. But it’s also another to encourage awareness that as much as violence should be prevented, attacks are prevalent and you should be able to protect yourself. Encourage your loved ones to report any instance of violence they encounter, whether or not they’re directly involved. Cases of domestic violence, bullying, and sexual assaults should not be tolerated and should be handled by authorities.

Airbed vs Sleeping Bag – Which is Better for Outdoor Survival?

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Preppers who are just starting to learn about survival in the outdoors tend to compare the experience with camping, but besides the fact that you’ll have to live and sleep under the clear sky, the resemblance ends here.

Unlike camping, where you eat the food you brought from home, in a survival scenario you’ll be forced to hunt your own dinner. This is why, when you prepare the BOB, you must consider the type of hunting equipment to include.

You’ll also have to rationalize food supplies, learn how to use the environment in your favor, and last but not least, manage to be comfortable enough to catch some Zzz’s. When I describe the process this way, most new preppers get a bit anxious. And, while they’re quite OK with most of the processes, I get a lot of questions about sleeping outdoors and the equipment one should pack.

How to Sleep Outdoors and Be Comfortable

When you don’t have a car to serve as a temporary home, or even a tent to keep you warm during the night, how do you get by?

Well, first I want everyone to know that sleep is crucial in an SHTF scenario. If you’re sleep deprived, your mind will get fuzzy affect fast decision making, your hands may tremble while you’re trying to hunt, and you may lose focus during a life and death situation.

Now that everyone is up to speed, I must highlight the fact that the quality of sleep is just as important. This is why you should always try to improvise a bed that provides some cushioning and protects your body from humidity and low temperatures.

For this, the best equipment to have in your BOB is a sleeping bag and an insulating layer. For the insulating layer, you can use either an air bed or a self-inflating sleeping pad, but in my opinion, air beds are a bit more advantageous – learn more about it here.

But, if you’re forced to choose between the two, which one is more important?

Air Bed vs. Sleeping Bag

When you decide which elements go in your BOB, it’s important to understand their use on the long-term. So, I am not just going to tell you that the sleeping bag is more necessary; I am going to show it to you by comparing the two.

The sleeping bag is designed to cover your entire body and fit around you like a protective cover. I recommend getting a mummy type, so you’ll have protection around the head as well. Sleeping bags come with various levels of insulation but for an SHTF scenario, I recommend one that can be adjusted for all seasons. This type of bag has some inner lining that can be removed when it’s too hot outside, so you won’t sweat.

The main purpose of a sleeping bag is to keep you warm, but it won’t provide insulation from the ground or cushion the feel of a hard surface.

On the other hand, an air bed will do just that: provide insulation from the cold ground and cradle your body while supporting the spine. However, it doesn’t wrap around you, so it won’t provide protection from the cold night air or the humidity.

As you can see, if you have the possibility, it’s ideal to combine the two. But, when you can only take one, the sleeping bag wins. It’s lighter, more compact, and can be used in all sorts of situations. After all, you can always create a bed of leaves or tree branches – it won’t be as comfortable as an air bed, but it will provide insulation.

Add Some Paracord to Water Bottles or Make a Paracord Can Koozie

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[source]

Here are a couple of examples of adding paracord to water bottles.

A 25 foot length was used for the one in a ‘whipping’ pattern on the aluminum water bottle. And a 40 foot length was used in a woven pattern on the white stainless steel water bottle. Both started off with coiling the cord around the bottles, with the starting end just held in place with a rubber band and later tucked to finish.
The ‘whipping'(snaking) version, an example is seen in Geoffrey Budworth’s ‘The Complete Book of Knots‘, is easily zigzagged and looped around a couple of coils on each end of the paracord coiled wraps, and tucked to finish.
The woven version resembles ‘grafting’ type knot work, as seen in Stuart Grainger’s ‘Creative Ropecraft’, but is instead a single length of cord. After coiling the cord around the bottle, one end is then worked in an over/under pattern, back up then down, all the way around the bottle. For this pattern, I went under three coils, over three coils, but like ‘grafting’, you can vary the pattern to your own tastes
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I used a Perma-Lok Jumbo Lacing Needle to feed the paracord over/under as I worked, as well as a pair of hemostats/forceps.Here’s a woven paracord can koozie, done with a 25 foot length of cord. The weaving is just like that done on the water bottle, but with the vertical over/under part done closer together for a tighter weave before changing to half hitching on the bottom.
I didn’t have much paracord on hand to work with, so I reused some from the previous project. I would have made the can koozie a little bit taller and fully closed up the bottom, if I’d started with a 30 foot length, and a couple more feet for a cinch cord/drawstring with a cord lock for alternate use as a pouch. It still works alright as it is for holding a soda/beer can…

Top Tip:

For cleaning paracord on a water bottle, hat, or paracord bracelet, I use a little anti-bacterial liquid soap and an old soft bristle toothbrush to get the cord clean, then let air dry or I’ll sometimes take ’em in the shower with me to get everything done in one trip, lol… 🙂

Or,  I just throw my wrapped thermos/cup into the dishwasher. I’ve had it for about 5 months now and it hasn’t been a problem.

5 Earthquake Preparedness Tips for Business Owners

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Earthquakes are generally as a result of an instant release of energy into the earth ending in seismic waves. Earthquakes can not only happen anywhere but also anytime leading to injuries and losses. Have you ever asked yourself whether your business or employees will be safe if an earthquake occurs today? Are you ready for an emergency? If not then it’s time to get prepared. But how? Read through to learn the top 5 earthquake preparedness tips for business owners.

Are you prepared for an earthquake at work?

  • Identify potential problems

Do earthquakes usually occur in your area? Are they a threat that you have to deal with? You need to determine whether earthquakes are common and confirm whether they are a risk to your business. Start by preparing for the things that are likely to affect your business and organize yourself from there.

 

  • Prepare an earthquake survival kit

If a strong earthquake occurs today, you are likely to miss electricity, water, internet, sewage services and gas among other things. When you don’t have enough time, an emergency survival kit can provide you fast with important emergency supplies. A disaster survival kit may contain things such as water, food, flashlight, batteries, medications, multipurpose tools, and a map of the area.

 

  • Come up with a response plan

Work together with your workers so that you know what to do during and after an earthquake. You need to know who will be responsible for what and when. Regularly check the plan and ensure that you practice the safety actions. Check with those who are disabled and see whether there are plans in place for them. Also know what you will do if damages have affected your store, building or factory. Make sure you have an evacuation plan, emergency exits, and office earthquake kits. Do not forget about establishing a telephone line that workers can call in case of an emergency.

Prepare your business for an earthquake

  • Protect your financial data

What would happen to your business financial data if your store or office were damaged by an earthquake? What about other sensitive business information and customers’ data. If you want to protect your company’s records, you need to have an internal and external data backup site. Instead of storing your data in a computer hard drive use a company’s server and let your employees know. In addition to this, get a data compromise coverage from your company’s insurance. This will significantly help you with the legal and financial burden in case any information is stolen, lost or accidentally released.

 

  • Create a business continuity plan

How long will your business continue to run in case an earthquake occurs? For instance, if you are dealing with goods and services you may still continue to get orders even if your main store is closed. A business continuity plan involves knowing how to communicate with your suppliers and customers, how to take care of orders, and how to retrieve your company’s lost data.

 

These are the top 5 tips to help you prepare for an earthquake. Since natural disaster such as an earthquake can occur anytime, the success of any business will depend on how quickly it’s able to recover. Enough preparedness will allow your company to continue to run efficiently.

Leona is part of the content and community team at Specialty Fuel Services – providers of emergency fuel continuation services, in locations affected by catastrophic events.



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