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How To: Start a fire with the hand drill

John Campbell instructs the audience on using the hand drill method of starting a friction fires. First, you can use a piece of cottonwood as your fire-board (in his opinion, cottonwood is the best). You need to carve a small round hole about a quarter of an inch away from the edge on the fire-board. Then, you get the spindle going (take a sturdy stick and rub between your hands, scraping the stick across the board). This helps you create a good indention, where you can carve a deep notch int...

How To: Prepare a survival kit

This video shows you how to make a survival kit: i.e. which things to gather together to make a survival kit. This one fits in the palm of your hand. For this kit, you will need the following: a small cloth bag. It can be used to filter sediment out of water. It can also be used to make a patch in clothing.

How To: Make a Spartan spear from scratch at home

To make your very own Spartan Spear, like in the movie 300, you just have to follow a few short, easy instructions. Start off by taking a broom stick, and cutting off the end. Make sure your broom stick is empty inside. Then take a hammer and flatten the last few inches of it, hammering it into a point or a flat blade at the end. Cut off part of the tip at an angle on either side, then open it back up with pliers. A few inches below the opening, take your pliers and press in on the broom stic...

How To: Make a wooden spear from scratch

Making a wooden spear requires a between medium and small thick stick, a rectangular piece of board, a hatchet and a wood clipper. The branches off the stick is removed and thrown away. The stick is clipped at the smaller end. It is then placed on the board and the larger end is cut off with the hatchet, while the stick rotates in a circular motion on the board to remove the outer skin. Closer attention is paid the shaping and cutting of the point of that larger side to get it in formation. T...

How To: Start a fire using a firestarter

This video demonstrates how to make a fire without any matches using the Swedish Firesteel magnesium fire starter. You need to have some good tinder, such as dryer lint or a cotton ball. To make it burn longer, you can use petroleum jelly. He puts some Vaseline on the cotton ball. He demonstrates the fire starter by putting one metal part on the dryer lint and scraping the other part on it. A spark lights the dryer lint and it burns quickly. He demonstrates again with the cotton ball soaked i...

How To: Use a can to boil water while camping

Two cans are shown to demonstrate how they can be used to boil water. The first can has a hole cut out of the bottom and one for the top. The second can is cut at the top like a cup and the bottom left whole. Its placed on top of the first can. Cotton balls and petroleum jelly are inside of the bottom can, then lit with a match. Several sticks are used as kindling to keep the fire going. After about five minutes the heat of the flame on the bottom of the top cup causes the water up top to boil.

How To: Put out a fire with a standard foam extinguisher

WhatHappensNow talks with Edina Minnesota Fire Marshall Tom Jenson who explains how to properly use a fire extinguisher. During the video Tom briefly offers a helpful tip, suggesting to remember the P.A.S.S. acronym when it comes to using a fire extinguisher. P stands for pull, your first step having to pull the pin that holds the extinguishers lever in place. The letter A stands for aim, the second step having you aim the nozzle of the extinguisher at the fire. The third letter S stands for ...

How To: Do a bow drill friction-fire method to start a fire

This video demonstrates how to build a fire with a bow drill. Your bow should be slightly curved. It should be the length of your arm. It can be fashioned from a tree limb and rawhide cord. You can use any number of types of cord. You will need a top rock. You will need a board. The board must be dry and dead. You will need a spindle. It should be the same type of wood as your board. You will also need a tinder bundle.

How To: Prepare snares

This video illustrate us how to prepare snares. Here are the following steps:Step 1:Take a wooden block and drill a hole in the corner of the block.Step 2: Now take a metallic wire and make a loop out of the metallic wire .Step 3: Now bind this loop with a binder and hook the loop to the wooden board.Step 4: Leave out some cable free and this loop gets tighter a the trapped animal tries to move. the more force applied the tighter the loops get.Step 5: Now place the snare along the fence or th...

How To: Choose and place a fire extinguisher

Bob and Leslie of the Washington Township Fire Department demonstrate how to choose the right fire extinguisher for your home. Fire extinguishers come in a large range of sizes so be sure to choose one that you can easily handle. If it’s too heavy you won’t be able to use it properly. Fire extinguishers are labeled according to the type of fire they are used on. A is for ordinary combustibles such as wood or paper; B is for flammable liquids such as gas, grease or oil; and C is for electrical...

How To: Make a coal burned container

John Campbell shows you how to make an all natural bowl with spout using hot coals to burn the desired shape into a block of wood. First you'll need to make a straw from a cattail stock by burning through the center with a hot coat hanger. John next demonstrates how to use this straw and some hot coals placed on the wood to burn the shape of a bowl and spout into the block. Finally, John uses a stone to sand the bowl down and remove the charcoal leaving a clean wooden container. The final res...

How To: Make fire without matches using acetone and magnesium

In this how-to video, you will learn how to make fire without using any matches. You will need Manganese heptoxide and acetone to do this experiment. You will also need a rod, pipette, and glass beaker. Please exercise caution before doing this experiment, as it involves fire. Place the Manganese heptoxide in the glass beaker. Using a pipette, place a few drops of acetone around it. Now, place a drop on top. Be careful, as the Manganese heptoxide will ignite as soon as the drop hits the mater...

How To: Prepare yourself and your home for a hurricane

Hurricanes can occur any time with out any warning. So it is prudent to prepare you self for disaster recovery in case of any hurricane. To protect your self from hurricane by staying at home or to flee from a hurricane you will need some items ready. The main thing is water. So arrange for one gallon of fresh water for one person per day. It is good to store water sufficient for one week. So store enough quantity of water for all the persons in the home sufficient for one week. Make sure tha...

How To: Start a fire with steel wool & a 9vt battery

This video shows the viewer how to start a fire using a steel wool and a 9 volt battery. This is done by first selecting a charge battery and clean steel wool. The gently rub the battery terminals across the steel wool and blow gently. The wool should glow and become superheated. This happens because the battery is short circuiting and the very thin steel wool is being melted by the high current. Once the steel wool is hot it can be used to ignite small pieces of flammable material such as ki...

How To: Purify muddy river water

In this video, we learn how to purify muddy river water. First, take a bucket of dirty river water straight from the river. This will be in a 2-5 gallon bucket. Now, add 1 packet of water Purifier per every 2 gallons. Stir this in for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Once the powder has been in the water for a full 5 minutes, it will purify the water and the dirt will all go to the bottom of the bucket! This is being used in Haiti where an earthquake destroyed the homes of many people who now ...

How To: Tie a double bowline knot step by step

In this Disaster Preparation video tutorial you will learn how to tie a double bowline knot step by step. Robert Segundo, knot tying expert, presents this video. This knot is stronger than the regular bowline knot. When you put a knot on a rope, its strength reduces. This knot will retain about 70-75 % of the original strength of the rope. For this knot you will need a piece of rope or twine. Start off by putting a loop on the rope and then put a double loop. Then take the working end of the ...

How To: Make a quick bow in the wilderness

John Campbell, from azbushman, demonstrates how to make a quick bow and arrow in the wilderness by collecting natural materials and constructing them with cord. He starts by finding seep willow (also called coyote willow) that grows in clumps near rivers. He cuts ten willow sticks and ranges their lengths from about five feet down to about one foot, each a couple of inches shorter than the next.

How To: Use a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher

In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to use a fire extinguisher. The fire extinguisher contains carbon dioxide. Begin by pulling the pin on the top of the fire extinguisher. The will unlock the lever. Now lift up the nozzle and aim the fire extinguisher at the fire. Then squeeze the lever to release the extinguisher agent. As you are spraying the extinguisher, use a sweeping motion to move it back and forth until the fire is completely out. This video will benefit those viewers who do no...

How To: Find & recognize pine resin

In this how-to video, you will learn how to find pine resin on your trees. This is very difficult to find at first, but with the right knowledge, it can be very easy. First, look closely into the tree's bark. Look for an area where there was once a branch. In the center, there will be a material there. This material should be the pine resin. You can dig it out without damaging the tree with a sharp stick or knife. This is how the tree protects itself from damage. It produces pine resin to fil...

How To: Tie a loop in the end of a rope with a bowline knot

This video describes and shows you how to tie a loop in the end of a rope with a bowline knot. A bowline knot is used in rigging by the ground rigger to create a point for the up rigger to have a point to pull up. This is how you create a bowline knot. First you must create a loop in the middle of the knot. With the free end, come up through the loop, then you go around the standing end of the rope and then you move it back through the loop. You pull the knot tight. That is how you create a b...

How To: Use pitch tinder

John Campbell shows us how to use pitch wood to create a fire. This is a good method to use when you have dead pine trees available. Pitch wood can be found in the first three to six inches of a branch of the dead pine tree. This area is covered with pine resin. You want to pick a branch on the dead tree, then cut this branch off from the main trunk. The area closest to the trunk should be soaked with the resin. Next, split the branch in half. Using one half, scrape off a bit of the tinder us...

How To: Make a homemade compass for outdoor survival

If you an outdoors man or maybe your planning on going to the woods for a camping trip, then watch this video and use the tutorial to learn how to make your own compass. A compass is a great tool to have in the wilderness and can always lead you in which ever direction you want to go. For this home made compass all you are going to need is a magnet, a cup of water, a piece of foil, and a needle. All you want to do to make this compass is put the piece of foil on top of the water and then put ...

How To: Locate water in a dry desert water bed

When trying to locate water in a dry desert look around to see if there are any disingenuous trees since these trees are usually near lakes and falls. Once you have located one find a low spot or a damp area near the tree. Using a stick or another tool available dig a hole into the area until you find water. Make sure to keep the edges of the hole your digging nice and round so that the hole won't fall in on it self. When you've found water it should flow into the hole. The water is usable so...

How To: Make a spear for hunting in the wild

This is a method for making a native American free point spear using a bamboo stick, bamboo strips and some commonly found items. First take a sea shell and make a hole in it. Make the hole using a pointed stone and pierce an opening in the shell. Make the hole such that the shell fits the bamboo. Now the bamboo has to be split in half and for this you have to find a common stone which has a sharp edge on one side to split the bamboo. This is a common stone found anywhere. Now you have to tak...

How To: Boil water without pots or pans

This video illustrate how to boil water without pots or pans. Here are the following steps:Step 1: You need fire, water and any plastic container with lid.Step 2: Now take water and fill it in the bottle so that there is no air present in the bottle.Step 3: Now put on the fire and put the seal bottle on fire with a distance of around 12 inch.Step 4: Now let the heat warm up the bottle and be careful while handling the bottle.Step 5: After the water has heated up, bubbles will appear in the bo...

How To: Make a primitive spear in the wild with only a knife

If you are in the wild and have nothing to do, just to play around with your knife , then you should surely watch this video. First, you have to find a knife. After that you must find a good branch or piece of wood that's the same size as a spear. After that you must take the branch or piece of wood and sharpen one of the ends. Then , you must put the sharpened end in the fire so it begins to turn black. After that cut it again and this time cut it so it will be sharp enough to cut. It can se...

How To: Make a compass with household items

This video illustrates us how to make a compass with household items. This process is done by following steps,Step 1Take a needle and rub it to a magnet at least 10 times.Step 2Take a cup and pour water in it.Step 3Now attach the rubbed needle with a paper with the help of a tape.Step 4Put the needle in the cup and place a cellophane paper on the cup and tape it.step 5See the direction to which the needle is pointing and mark it north.Step 6Mark the opposite direction South.Step 7Mark the Eas...

How To: Prepare for a hurricane or typhoon

This video on typhoon preparedness comes from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, where typhoons are common. The key to surviving a typhoon or other disaster is preparation. Stock up on enough food and supplies to last your family for about a week. Routinely check expiration dates on food, water and batteries and rotate your stock. Be sure window screens are in place and in good condition in the event the power is off for several days.

How To: Use an ABC fire extinguisher

Bob and Jeremy of the Washington Township Fire Department demonstrate P.A.S.S., which is an acronym to help people remember how to operate a fire extinguisher - Pull/Aim/Squeeze/Sweep. Pull the pin, Aim the nozzle at the base of the fire, Squeeze the handle down, Sweep from side to side at the base of the fire.

How To: Use a trash bag to supplement water in the desert

This video is about how to supplement water in the desert using a trash bag. You find a tree that is edible and not poisonous and you open the trash bag and place it over a few of the branches with leaves and seal the opening off. Then you take a little cord and tie off the corner of the bag and find something heavy to weigh the branch down. You want to make sure the corner of the bag is down so that all of the water will run down to that corner. When you feel some water in the bag you can cu...

How To: Tie a Plank Hitch bushcraft knot

The video is about creating a plank hitch making use of string and a couple of logs. The video begins with placing a piece of string in a particular pattern on the ground and then placing wood logs on top of it. The string is tied around the logs using a particular knot. The string is pulled tight around the logs and before tying the knot one piece of string is looped twice around the other piece. After the first knot the same process is repeated for the second knot. The video is extremely us...

How To: Purify water 3 different ways

Purify water 3 different waysThere are three water purification methods demonstrated: Chlor floc tablets, 2% tincture of iodine and a MSR hand filter.Gather water into your plastic bottle. Add one chlor floc tablet to one liter of water. Close the top and shake the bottle for one minute. Wait seven to ten minutes. The floculation agent in the tablet takes the dirt out of the water so that it can be separated. Strain the water using a bandana over the cup to trap all loose sediment. The water ...

How To: Make a fishing spear for use in the wild

This video shows you how to make a fishing spear for catching fish or small wildlife in survival situation.To start, you need a sapling about 5 feet long and a knife. Make a raw sharpening of the stick. Then split the log at the tip for a length of 6-8 inches. To split, put the knife on the middle of the sapling, near the tip, and press hard against it. Once it is split, find a twig with the width of a pencil and push it inside the split, making the two halves of the stick form a gap between ...

How To: Operate a hand-held fire extinguisher

In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to use a fire extinguisher. When operating a fire extinguisher, the instructions can be easily remembered by the letters PASS. P stands for pulling the pin at the top and break the elastic or wire band. A stands for aiming the nozzle or hose towards the fire. S stands for squeeze the handle to release the extinguisher agent. The final S stands for sweeping the nozzle back and forth until the fire is out. This video will benefit those viewers who do no...

How To: Start a fire without a lighter

In this how-to video, some children demonstrate one of the techniques for starting a fire when you don't have a lighter, matches, lighter fluid, or anything like that. Here we see how to start a fire using just a 9 volt battery and some steel wool. TO start a fire using just a 9 volt battery and steel wool, you simply rub the steel wool with the 9 volt battery. When you see some sparks, it will ignite into a fire. Then you can get a fire going! It's that simple. And that's hw you can make a f...

How To: Make a bow drill

There are various tools to be made and a number of items to be used during a disaster. One can utilize the wood logs for firewood. A bow drill can be made by just crafting the ends of a long wooden stick into necks so that plastic wires can be notched and it can be used made into a bow. Any stone with holes can be used as a notch. This notch holds the end of the bow drill. The wire of the bow drill can be wrapped in a stick and then vigorous forward and backward movement of the bow drill arou...

How To: Make char cloth with found materials

In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to make a char cloth. The materials required for this process are: cloth, container and tinder. The cloth must be made of any woven, cotton material. Begin by placing the cloth into a container. The container should be a metal material. Then close the container and make a while on top to allow the smoke and flames to escape. Leave the container in some fire and wait for it to finish. Then take it to cool and take out the cloth. Now strike some spark o...