Pinoy Bushwhacker

CRKT Minimalist Wharncliffe

2017-12-05T10:41:00.001-08:00

I was thinking of a whittling knife that can be an EDC at the same time when I remember this CRKT Minimalist Wharncliffe I bought about 6 years ago. Its blade shape is like most straight blade carving knives although much wider. It performs well as a roughing knife but needs to be sharpened and honed more to do detail job.

I was able to rough out a bird without much difficulty.

It comes with a kydex sheath and a belt clip.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Twig Santa

2017-11-26T11:05:00.000-08:00

With Christmas just around the corner, I decided to whittle a Santa Claus.

This Santa is about 4 inches tall and 1 inch in diameter whittled from a twig I found during my early morning walk in the park.

Advanced Merry Christmas to everyone!

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Wooden Hearts

2017-10-14T11:49:00.000-07:00

Sleep was quite elusive last night so although it's not Valentine's Day, I opted to whittle a heart rather than stare at the ceiling till the wee hours of the morning

The stained heart I did a long time ago and serves as a model.

Whittled 3 more hearts before I finally doze off. Good night.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Duck's Legs

2017-09-29T11:19:00.000-07:00

After a couple of years, I finally gave legs to the duck I whittled.

I used a gauge 16 bronze wire I bought from the craft section at Walmart. I think the duck is happy.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Tagak

2016-07-10T07:13:00.000-07:00

Tagak is a Tagalog word for heron. It is a large fish-eating wading bird with long legs, a long S-shaped neck, and a long pointed bill. In my childhood town of San Jose, I often see them in swampy area usually perched at the back of carabaos that wallow in the muddy water. We have a saying in Tagalog when we want to describe the impossible "Pag puti ng uwak, pag itim ng tagak". Roughly translated it means, "When the crow turns white, when the heron turns black".

Would you believe a carving like this sells for $20+ at Etsy?

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Gift for Mother

2016-05-05T07:21:00.000-07:00

My mother has a place of her own. After living for a long time with my eldest brother, she finally moved out which made her sad. To cheer her up I made her a wooden birdie to decorate her shelf in the living room.

This birdie was whittled from a Weeping Willow using Mora 120.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Which Comes First?

2016-04-22T06:57:00.000-07:00

Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? One of the trick question I've been pondering about and seems to have no logical answer. Until modern science comes to the rescue:

"Prior to the first true chicken, there were non-chickens. The DNA changes came about in cells housed in the egg. So the egg came first. In July 2010, British scientists, using a supercomputer, claimed to have come up with the final and definitive answer."

There it is guys, the egg comes first.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Bison

2016-04-12T06:33:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago we went on a long road trip to North Dakota. I was awed by the vast empty spaces of the Great Plains that stretched as far as the eye can see. The Badlands that are exposed surfaces of stone and clay that erosion has shaped into striking formations was a sight to behold and the Red River Valley which is the remnant lake bed of the ancient Lake Agassiz were a few of the most famous spots we visited. It was also there that I fist saw a bison.

The American bison and the European bison (wisent) are the largest terrestrial animals in North America and Europe. Bison are good swimmers and can cross rivers over half a mile (800 meters) wide. They are nomadic grazers and travel in herds. The bulls leave the herds of females at two or three years of age, and join a male herd, which are generally smaller than female herds.

Here is my rendition of a bison done in basswood.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Making Fire - Acquired Skill

2016-03-17T06:39:00.000-07:00

Experience is the best teacher. Generally speaking this is true, especially if we talk about survival. That is why we are always advised to practice with our gears. Go into the woods and do some dirt time. And do it as often as you can.

Some of the stuff I know about survival like making fire for one, I learned out of necessity. As far as I can remember in 1957 there was no electricity in my hometown San Jose. There were no television sets then and the sole entertainment of people at night is going to a movie theater powered by an electric generator. Not everybody have transistor radio that run on batteries, in fact you would be considered rich if you have one.

Electric stoves are non existent too. There are some people who own kerosene stove but most cook their food using firewood. There was no garbage collection system in place either so people burn their garbage instead especially the leaves raked from the backyard. In the morning and at dusk you would see in the neighborhood heaps of leaves smoking under the fruit trees so it would blossom and bear fruit.

(Photo courtesy of Low-Tech Magazine)
I learned how to make fire at an early age by just watching people do so at first and then doing it by myself later. I learned how to stack the firewood the right way so it would easily catch fire using a match and only a piece of paper as tinder. I also learned how to blow or use ihip to make the fire bloom and how to arrange 3 stone cooking fire. I became adept at these skills by repetition since it is a part of my daily chore. Only around the 60's that the town was energized.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Cold Steel Mini Tuff Lite Plain

2016-02-25T05:22:00.000-08:00

I've read about this Cold Steel Mini Tuff Lite in blade forums being used to carve ball in a cage or ball in a ball and wondered if it is really is capable of what was claimed it can do. My friend who is fast becoming a blade addict bought one and showed it to me. I was hooked and bought one too.

I whittled a fox out of 1" x 1" basswood and the CS Mini Tuff Lite really can carve no doubt. But whether it can do ball in a cage or ball in a ball remains to be seen. I have to try it myself because I think the width of the blade can be difficult to use on tight corners specially when freeing the ball.

Blade Length: 2"
Blade Thickness: 2.5 mm
Overall Length:5"
Steel: Japanese AUS 8A Stainless
Weight:1.7 oz
Handle:3" Long Grivory
Pocket Clip: Stainless Pocket / Belt Clip

The fox which my grandson said looks like a pig.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Schrade 18OT Resurrected

2016-02-12T10:55:00.000-08:00

A friend gave me an old Schrade with a broken blade tip. It's a small knife but it has a liner lock which make it ideal for whittling small wood figures.

Right now it has 4 3/4" OAL length and is 2 3/4" closed.

After 10 minutes with a bastard file. Originally, it has a 2" blade now the blade length is 1 3/4".

And after 5 minutes with a carpenter's sharpening stone. It is sharp at this stage and would be sharp enough if this is just a utility knife but it is not quite sharp enough for wood work. It has to undergo honing with a finer grit stone and leather stropped. The knife must be cleaned too as you can see it is rusty.

You can buy a knife like this at Amazon (Old Timer 18OT Mighty Mite 2 3/4") for $13.25 and free shipping. But the new ones are made in China. It is not that I have issue with China made knives but this one is a vintage knife and made in the USA.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Arctic Blast

2016-01-21T19:57:00.001-08:00

We have been having single digit temperature these past few days with below zero wind chill.

This video was taken after the first significant snowfall of 2016. And precisely the reason why there is a need to winterize the car and include a means of staring a fire in the emergency kit.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

UTS Paraknife 4.0 with Fire Starter

2016-01-03T16:13:00.000-08:00

I found this knife while visiting the camping section of Walmart selling for $9.82. It was listed at Amazon for $16.18 so it was like $6.36 cheaper. Needless to say I bought it, although I already have a gazillion of these pointed toys.

I made 2 modifications on the knife. First, I didn't like the Katana style orange cord wrap so I just made a simple 550 cord wrap on the handle. I am thinking of using an olive drab colored 550 cord instead. Second, I removed the serrated edge. I've never been a fan of serrated edge especially for my wood working knives. But I know a serrated edge has its own merits.

This how the knife looks like after the modifications. The blade is 3mm thick made from 440 steel.

This is the original. I think the Katana style cord wrap looks much better but the snap button on the sheath won't close because the cord wrap is bulky. I think there's something wrong with the sheath I got. Well, what you get for what you pay.

P.S.
It comes with a ferro rod attached to a magnesium rod.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Tadpoles

2015-12-20T11:46:00.000-08:00

I remember my younger days in my hometown back in the Philippines when I was still in elementary. Our house is about half a kilometer away from the school and I used to walk that distance with my friends. Walking to school was never a tiresome task as adventure of some sort is always waiting along the way. Fruits are in abundance such as guava, cashew, duhat, camachile, siniguelas whatever is in season and the owner would not mind you taking some as long as you ask for permission first. Of course sometimes we don't ask permission and we would scamper as fast as we can when the owner comes out shouting invectives at us.

On our way home in the afternoon, my friends and I would stop by the town plaza and catch grasshoppers in the grassy area of the plaza or play at the monument of Rizal or Bonifacio. Come to think of it, all plazas I have been to always have a Rizal and Bonifacio monument.

Even the weather fails to dampen our spirit. During rainy days, we would play at the puddles that formed on the road splashing water at each other with our feet. Other times we would play with the tadpoles. There are lots of them in puddles during the rainy season. They look like a moving solid black mass when the puddles are drying up. Meron pa kayang butete sa mga probinsiya?

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Budget MTech Neck Knife

2015-12-14T13:01:00.000-08:00

I am a sucker for inexpensive knives. Generally, the price of a knife is directly proportional to its quality. It means that the more expensive knives have better quality than the low cost ones. But how much quality you need depends on what you're going to use the knife for. My knives are just for light duty task and therefore budget knives like the one below would suffice.

I bought this from BudK 3-4 years ago for $2. Currently, the knife is selling at eBay for $5.95. I replaced the shoelace lanyard with a beaded chain.

Smith and Wesson is selling the same knife for $10. OAL is 7". Blade length is 3" and made of unknown steel but is very sharp.

I made some modifications on the knife like filing the spine to a 90 degree angle so I can use it as ferro rod striker. I also smoothen out the aggressive jimping on the spine to make it more comfortable to hold.

The sheath has a built-in whistle which is pretty loud.

Definitely one of my favorite neck knife.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Happy Thanksgiving 2015!

2015-11-22T23:42:00.000-08:00

I went to work overnight on November 19 and during lunch we had chicken, coleslaw, mashed potato, pasta and apple pie for dessert courtesy of the store. Not so much shoppers came in during the Black Friday sale unlike the previous years where there is along line of shoppers who are really aggressive in getting the items they want. Maybe people do get tired of TVs and laptops and it's not every year you buy them anyway.

One thing I cay say is, the food this year is really good.

Happy Thanksgiving and keep safe. Don't drink too much.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Kylo Ren

2015-11-19T06:17:00.000-08:00

The latest request from my grandson is to make him a Kylo Ren wood figure. Being a doting grandfather that I am, I grabbed my whittling knife and a piece of basswood and went to work. And here's the result.

My grandson enjoyed playing with Kylo Ren. I had a lot of fun making it.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Primitive Fish Hook

2015-11-11T19:41:00.000-08:00

I've often seen this primitive fish hook in blogs and in YouTube but I never got to making it. One day when I was walking in the park I saw a tree with a lot of thorns. I don't know what kind of tree it was but I thought I can use the thorns to make a primitive fish hook. So I picked up a dead twig lying on the ground and brought it home.
I used the inner strands of 550 cord to tie the thorn down on the wood stem. The knot itself is easy to make once you learn how to do it.
Will it catch a fish? Maybe or maybe not, who knows, but I've some fun making it.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Jack-O-Lantern

2015-10-29T18:30:00.000-07:00

I thought it was easy to carve a pumpkin just like our local kalabasa. But the skin was so thick and hard my Schrade knife almost closed on my fingers while trying to carve a Jack-O-Lantern. The solution was to use the locking blade of my SAK Trekker to make a cut on the skin and finish it off with the saw blade. I cleaned the inside of the pumpkin with a spoon and left it on a newspaper to dry.

My grandson is fascinated with it and volunteered to light the candle.

P.S. Happy Halloween!

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Toy Airplane

2015-10-14T01:37:00.000-07:00

After carving my grandson a few battle tanks, he requested me to make him a wooden airplane. I should have made him a fighter plane like the F15 but for somehow I made a commercial plane instead.

The plane ready to for painting.

Maybe it's just me but this photo gives me the creeps. First, I painted the airplane black when it should have been white or silver. Second, it looks like a downed airplane. There's a third reason but I wouldn't mention it.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Altoids Mini Kit + Leatherman Squirt PS4

2015-06-14T06:40:00.000-07:00

Some people think Altoids kits (tin can kits) are useless or inadequate. I won't argue with that because a PSK should be tailored according to your needs, skills and environment. I won't go into the jungle without a machete and a big pack but for just a casual hike on a high volume traffic trail in the suburb, I just carry a mini kit. As always my kit contains somethings to make fire because the greatest threat if you get lost where I usually hike is hypothermia. Remember the rule of 3's - 3 hours of exposure to elements, you die.

Altoids Tin (small) - PJ coated cotton balls, Firesteel
Leatherman Squirt PS4.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Trail Watch Volunteer

2015-06-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

I am officially a Trail Watch Volunteer of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County.

The following are excerpts from the Forest Preserve Blog:

"At its core, the Trail Watch program is a group of volunteers that patrol the preserves and act as extra eyes and ears for the Forest Preserves Police, reporting suspicious or illegal activity with a phone call. But it’s also so much more than that—for both volunteers and preserve visitors."

Members of the program are outfitted with a neon green t-shirt, whistle, Trail Watch ID and maps and encouraged to use the preserves as much as possible.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Short Walk at Miami Woods

2015-05-27T14:14:00.000-07:00

The weather is fine at 68F (20C) and I went for a short walk in a Forest Preserve after an overnight shift. Had a cup of coffee and a Torta. Have a good one!

Nothing beats a cup of coffee in the early morning.

Sights and sounds of spring are all around.

A nice and quiet place to unwind after a hard night's work.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Gnome

2015-05-02T20:19:00.000-07:00

I am always fascinated with gnomes, elves and dwarfs, whatever you may call them. Although I don't know exactly how they differ from one another, I always visualize them with colorful clothes and pointed hats. We call them Duende or Nuno sa Punso in our local dialect. When I was young and would pee in the fields and it was already dark outside, I would say "Isbo, isbo, apo." first. It's just like warning the duendes that you are going to pee lest you may pee on them and they put a hex on you in retaliation.

Carved out of a willow twig.

Ready for painting.

Painted. Not bad, isn't it?

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.

Old Lighters

2015-03-28T02:19:00.000-07:00

Songs remind you of certain parts of your life. I remember times or events in the past when I hear a song associated with them. Just like songs, things also bring back memories. Let me tell you a short story. Long, long time ago, during the Vietnam war era the Americans came to my hometown in the island of Mindoro to participate in a joint military exercise called "Exercise Tulungan". I was told then that my hometown San Jose was chosen for Exercise Tulungan because the outline of its beaches are similar to that of Vietnam.

But it was not just a military exercise really, it was also a RR for the Americans. And the entrepreneurs knew about it. Beer houses and soda fountains sprung up like mushroom and even the famed Luisa and Sons came for the green bucks.

The Americans thirsty for good times was on spending spree. Soon their money was exhausted and they began selling their C-Rations composed mostly of canned goods and cigarettes. Cigarettes were being sold by the boxes, Viceroy, Pall Mall, Lucky Strike, Winston, Salem, Camel, to name the most popular ones.

My childhood friend and I, have a flourishing shoe shine business too. We would go out at night with our shoe boxes and shine shoes for $1 (P3.50 = $1.00). We usually earn about $3 each which at that time is a lot of money. The Americans were very generous too and would give us chocolates as tip which we would share as we walk our way home. And these old lighters emblazoned with Salem and Winston always remind me of that time in my life when I earned my first dollar.

That's all folks! Thanks for reading.