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Soap-making, for the non-chemist.
Feb. 15th, 2012 09:15 pmMaking your own soap is nice. You know what is in it (go read the label on the soap in your bathroom...), and it give the "I did it myself" good feeling. Also makes good gifts for unsuspecting friends and relations.
You will be using concentrated lye (NaOH). Safety glasses mandatory, clothes that do not mind having holes in, PVC/latex gloves are good.
If you get any in the eye rinse in water (gentle, preferably body temperature, until ambulance arrives. I mean it. WEAR SAFETY GLASSES!
If you get minor amounts of lye on your skin rinse well. Clothes? Rinse and the damage will be less (removing soaked clothes is a *very* good idea). Major spills? Wait in the shower for the ambulance.
The chemistry, in case you care.
( Read more... )
Safety
You will be using concentrated lye (NaOH). Safety glasses mandatory, clothes that do not mind having holes in, PVC/latex gloves are good.
If you get any in the eye rinse in water (gentle, preferably body temperature, until ambulance arrives. I mean it. WEAR SAFETY GLASSES!
If you get minor amounts of lye on your skin rinse well. Clothes? Rinse and the damage will be less (removing soaked clothes is a *very* good idea). Major spills? Wait in the shower for the ambulance.
The chemistry, in case you care.
( Read more... )
Kitchen knife storage
Feb. 12th, 2012 12:38 pmAt home the answer is generally easy; a knife-block or a magnetic strip on the wall. But when transporting them? You can buy an expensive bag, which may or may not actually keep them from cutting things. There is another solution. Make a scabbard from wood.
Then you can pack them anywhere where they won't be rattled around too much.
And they are quite easy to make.
Done! Any decorations -- chip carving, paint, etc -- are totally optional, but if you want to you can let your imgination run wild. If one wanted one could add a simple catch.
Then you can pack them anywhere where they won't be rattled around too much.
And they are quite easy to make.
- Take thin pine boards (i.e. cheap), and draw an outline of the blade,
- Use a chisel to remove wood inside the lines (I also use a router plane to clean it out, but that is not nessesary).
- Check often, to make sure that your knife fits, and use a ruler to make sure the hollowed out space is deep enoght (place the knife in the hollow: does the ruler clear the blade?).
- Cut out with about 4-6 mm clearance around the hollow
- Glue to another piece of the same pine board
- Cut, carve, rasp, plane, even sand if you must, until you have a nice scabbard.
- If you want symmetry you can thin down the piece that wasn't hollowed out, but it is not strictly nessesary for function.
Done! Any decorations -- chip carving, paint, etc -- are totally optional, but if you want to you can let your imgination run wild. If one wanted one could add a simple catch.
Survival in the boreal forest
Feb. 3rd, 2012 06:57 pmLes Stroud is perhaps better known as Survivorman. Here are two of his early survival movies, where he does a week in summer in northern Ontario, and then a week in winter in the same area. He really manages to show that it is possible if you know what you are doing, but that it is not trivial.
First summer:
Then winter:
Fire, the difficulty in actually finding food, the importance of shelter, and in winter the vital importance of fire. Also note that he brings a bit more kit in winter, even if it is pretty bare bones even then.
First summer:
Then winter:
Fire, the difficulty in actually finding food, the importance of shelter, and in winter the vital importance of fire. Also note that he brings a bit more kit in winter, even if it is pretty bare bones even then.
Northern life and material culture
Feb. 2nd, 2012 07:15 pmInuit group in northern Canada, filmed in the 1960's.
http://www.nfb.ca/explore-all-directors/quentin-brown
Makes me wish I knew the language, but they are lovely even without
http://www.nfb.ca/explore-all-directors/quentin-brown
Makes me wish I knew the language, but they are lovely even without
Spreaders and "teaspoons"
Jan. 31st, 2012 05:33 pm
Two simple, easy and useful woodcarving items.
The first is fairly standard Scandinavian style spreaders, for putting butter (etc) on bread. The key point in making them functional is the angle of the edge to the handle; about 45 degrees, or a little bit less. That way your hand is well clear of the bread as you work. The straight handle one is oldest, and proves that even with a simple handle the proper blade makes for a nice utensil. The more bulbous handle on the two top ones are nicer in the hand, though. All three are made from birch, carved green.
The second row is what I call "teaspoons", and I use them for loose leaf tea; I keep one in each tin of tea, and thus always have a spoon for transferring it from tin to filter. Again, carved from green birch.
Addendum: a nice lady in Scotland told me a better name would be a caddy spoon.
The lesson here is that it is quite simple to make items that one can use every day, and thus put craft into ones daily life.
A winter trail
Jan. 29th, 2012 08:38 amA trail that is easy walking in summer. Now, it is covered in deep snow, and the birches all bend down with a heavy load of snow.
Sometimes there was a curtain of snow and birch. Yes, the trail is right there...
This is when one really loves the hood of the anorak, or all -- ok, much of it -- of the snow will end up inside your collar.
On the way back it was easier going:
Sometimes there was a curtain of snow and birch. Yes, the trail is right there...
This is when one really loves the hood of the anorak, or all -- ok, much of it -- of the snow will end up inside your collar.
On the way back it was easier going:
Snowshoes and a dog
Jan. 21st, 2012 03:40 pmI recently bought a pair of snowshoes from Jarrod Stonedahl, and finally got a change to test them.
First problem was no lampwick, but an old polyester strap came in handy for the bindings:
There is really no need for the ends to be tied around the ankles, but I do not want to cut them before I know for certain that I have the proper sizing.
Me and the dog went up on the ridge, to test them in forest and on slopes.
The dog tried to tell me that Alaskan malamutes were not actually intended for snowy countries, but for sleeping on couches...
Ok, it was a bit of work for her...
I persisted, and was rewarded.
First problem was no lampwick, but an old polyester strap came in handy for the bindings:
There is really no need for the ends to be tied around the ankles, but I do not want to cut them before I know for certain that I have the proper sizing.
Me and the dog went up on the ridge, to test them in forest and on slopes.
The dog tried to tell me that Alaskan malamutes were not actually intended for snowy countries, but for sleeping on couches...
Ok, it was a bit of work for her...
I persisted, and was rewarded.
Out for a quick trip
Jan. 8th, 2012 08:14 amI finally had some time to go out into the woods. The snow was ok (about 30 cm in the open, 10 in among the trees), the temperature quite varied (-30 C at one point, about 0 C at another).
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
Back in the olden days spoons were kept in a holder on the wall, called a "skedholk" (litterally something like "spoon-nest"). Often decorated with e.g. chip carving. I decided to play with this theme, mostly since I have no good place to keep them at the moment.
The body is too wide for the spoons (i.e. if left to their own devices they'll fall down inside), but it has an interior divider, so that should work fine in practice.
I added a couple of carved pegs below, since I also need somewhere to hang kitchen towels. Pegs for hanging stuff is interesting. Properly made they slope outwards, and then have a distinct "hook" end to stop things falling off. The slope means that things will tend to hang away from the wall. The kind of old style small details that you find in stuff made by someone who had to use the things they made for years to come, and lost to modern "design".
The body is too wide for the spoons (i.e. if left to their own devices they'll fall down inside), but it has an interior divider, so that should work fine in practice.
I added a couple of carved pegs below, since I also need somewhere to hang kitchen towels. Pegs for hanging stuff is interesting. Properly made they slope outwards, and then have a distinct "hook" end to stop things falling off. The slope means that things will tend to hang away from the wall. The kind of old style small details that you find in stuff made by someone who had to use the things they made for years to come, and lost to modern "design".
Relic fish, autumn colors, and more
Sep. 7th, 2011 07:36 pmI was out hiking a bit today.
A small pond on the way up. One can really see that fall is fairly well progressed here, with almost no leaves left on the birches. Almost all the bilberries are gone, but there was plenty of crowberries (Empetrum nigrum) to be found above the tree-line.
This lake (Fiskhålsgraven) is interesting. It dates back to the last glaciation, and there are unique dwarf char (Salvelinus alpinus) in there. The char is only about 10 cm long.
There was also a fairly neat canyon a bit further away. One can really see the work of frost in there...
A small pond on the way up. One can really see that fall is fairly well progressed here, with almost no leaves left on the birches. Almost all the bilberries are gone, but there was plenty of crowberries (Empetrum nigrum) to be found above the tree-line.
This lake (Fiskhålsgraven) is interesting. It dates back to the last glaciation, and there are unique dwarf char (Salvelinus alpinus) in there. The char is only about 10 cm long.
There was also a fairly neat canyon a bit further away. One can really see the work of frost in there...
Winter tea
Jul. 20th, 2011 08:52 amAround here rosebay willowherb (Epilobium angustifolium) and meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) is more than ready to harvest for tea, as is nettle (Urtica diocia). I usually simply gather a large armfull of whole plants, and hang them in a shady, dry and well ventilated place. After a week or three they are dry, and I can collect them and store.
Someone suggested that the willowherb would benefit from being rolled and fremented just like regular tea. I will try this if I get the time.
Someone suggested that the willowherb would benefit from being rolled and fremented just like regular tea. I will try this if I get the time.
There has been some talk lately in the Internet about hitting back as a
solution to bullying. This booth makes me happy (people care) and angry
(if it was that simple, do you seriously think it would such a big
problem?). So I wrote a rant.
Bullying is not just about hitting people, it is about always finding
insults written on your locker, chewing gum in the lock, and your boots
filled with snow. It is about no one ever wanting to work with you in a
group. It is about always being the butt of the jokes, practical and
otherwise. It is about people telling others that you did [embarrassing
thing] when you did not. It is about talking about that you are smelly,
ugly or stupid. It is about being scared about going to the toilet if
anyone see you go in there. It is about being scared every single recess
in school, it is about always being the one who they throw spitballs at.
It is about knowing all the hiding spots in your school, about depending
on them in order to get some peace. It is about people laughing at every
mistake you make, and belittling your achievements. It is about not
wanting to go into the changing room for gym class because you know
what will happen.
It is the same basic tactics the net.trolls and flamers use, but in real
life. It is about telling everyone in school on Facebook that X is
stupid, ugly or has an uncool taste in music. And friending everyone in
the class but them. And not sitting down at the same table in the
cafeteria as they sit at (unless it is to harass them).
It is not solved by hitting people, not even for all the ones that are
able to do it. If it was that simple a school could eradicate bullying
in a fortnight, and 90% of the teachers would advice the victims to do
so. I can cite studies that report the same tendency; being bullied is
a predictor for being a bully (you learn by experience and observation
that that is what you do if you are in a position of strength, and that
given the choice between being bullied and being a bully the decision is
trivial).
Fixing bullying is hard. It is about teaching children (and adults,
one does not turn into driven snow at 18) that certain types of
behaviours are unacceptable, it is about showing the victims that they
have the support of the leaders (be it the bosses or the teachers), it
is about being willing to tell the bullies that you are no longer
welcome in this school, your school commute is now an hour longer, and
that the other core mates will be going to other schools. As of
Monday. It is about telling the "star" football player that he is not
allowed to compete, or even train with the team. It is about somehow
teaching the manipulative ones that it is NOT OK to always gossip
negatively about certain others. It is HARD.
Trust me, in good schools the teachers are fairly well aware of much the
bullying that takes place, but do not have the tools to combat it. It is
frustrating seeing someone always being scared and nervous, and
at the same time not having the time and resources to stop it. I would
be happy to work overtime, even unpaid overtime, if it would help, but
there simply is no way I could be there every moment of the school day
(and these days also filter the emails, texts and FB messages that the
victim gets). I patrol the "dark" corners where the bullies know that
the teachers seldom go, I make a detour to be nearby every time student
X is approaching student Y, I tell Y to tell me when things happen, I
tell X to leave Y alone, but I can not prevent all the bullying from
happening.
solution to bullying. This booth makes me happy (people care) and angry
(if it was that simple, do you seriously think it would such a big
problem?). So I wrote a rant.
Bullying is not just about hitting people, it is about always finding
insults written on your locker, chewing gum in the lock, and your boots
filled with snow. It is about no one ever wanting to work with you in a
group. It is about always being the butt of the jokes, practical and
otherwise. It is about people telling others that you did [embarrassing
thing] when you did not. It is about talking about that you are smelly,
ugly or stupid. It is about being scared about going to the toilet if
anyone see you go in there. It is about being scared every single recess
in school, it is about always being the one who they throw spitballs at.
It is about knowing all the hiding spots in your school, about depending
on them in order to get some peace. It is about people laughing at every
mistake you make, and belittling your achievements. It is about not
wanting to go into the changing room for gym class because you know
what will happen.
It is the same basic tactics the net.trolls and flamers use, but in real
life. It is about telling everyone in school on Facebook that X is
stupid, ugly or has an uncool taste in music. And friending everyone in
the class but them. And not sitting down at the same table in the
cafeteria as they sit at (unless it is to harass them).
It is not solved by hitting people, not even for all the ones that are
able to do it. If it was that simple a school could eradicate bullying
in a fortnight, and 90% of the teachers would advice the victims to do
so. I can cite studies that report the same tendency; being bullied is
a predictor for being a bully (you learn by experience and observation
that that is what you do if you are in a position of strength, and that
given the choice between being bullied and being a bully the decision is
trivial).
Fixing bullying is hard. It is about teaching children (and adults,
one does not turn into driven snow at 18) that certain types of
behaviours are unacceptable, it is about showing the victims that they
have the support of the leaders (be it the bosses or the teachers), it
is about being willing to tell the bullies that you are no longer
welcome in this school, your school commute is now an hour longer, and
that the other core mates will be going to other schools. As of
Monday. It is about telling the "star" football player that he is not
allowed to compete, or even train with the team. It is about somehow
teaching the manipulative ones that it is NOT OK to always gossip
negatively about certain others. It is HARD.
Trust me, in good schools the teachers are fairly well aware of much the
bullying that takes place, but do not have the tools to combat it. It is
frustrating seeing someone always being scared and nervous, and
at the same time not having the time and resources to stop it. I would
be happy to work overtime, even unpaid overtime, if it would help, but
there simply is no way I could be there every moment of the school day
(and these days also filter the emails, texts and FB messages that the
victim gets). I patrol the "dark" corners where the bullies know that
the teachers seldom go, I make a detour to be nearby every time student
X is approaching student Y, I tell Y to tell me when things happen, I
tell X to leave Y alone, but I can not prevent all the bullying from
happening.
With apologies to Wm. Shakespeare
Nov. 16th, 2010 07:13 amTo wear, or not to wear; that is the question:
Whether 'this nobler in the body to suffer
The chills and winds of icy weather,
Or to wear wool against the winters cold,
And by preparing end it? To huddle, to freeze;
No more; and by a garment to say we end
The goose bumped skin and thousand shivers
That cold flesh is heir to, 'tis a comfort
Devoutly to be wish'd.
Whether 'this nobler in the body to suffer
The chills and winds of icy weather,
Or to wear wool against the winters cold,
And by preparing end it? To huddle, to freeze;
No more; and by a garment to say we end
The goose bumped skin and thousand shivers
That cold flesh is heir to, 'tis a comfort
Devoutly to be wish'd.
Leverpastej
Oct. 21st, 2010 10:15 amThat is, a pate, but smoother and of more everyday nature.
500g moose liver
150 g fat (i.e. slab of pig "blubber")
130 g wheat flour
1 small yellow onion
0.45 l heavy cream (40%)
1 tbs sugar
salt
pepper
ginger
The liver was soaked overnight in water. The onion and fat was diced, as was the liver. All was run through a grinder twice. Flour and cream was added, the the whole mess stirred thoroughly. Spices as added, quite a bit of the pepper and ginger, trace amounts of salt (less than 1 tsp).
Baked in the greased tin in a bain marie at 175-200 C (wood-stove oven), for almost 2 hours (clean stick test plus a few minutes to make sure).
500g moose liver
150 g fat (i.e. slab of pig "blubber")
130 g wheat flour
1 small yellow onion
0.45 l heavy cream (40%)
1 tbs sugar
salt
pepper
ginger
The liver was soaked overnight in water. The onion and fat was diced, as was the liver. All was run through a grinder twice. Flour and cream was added, the the whole mess stirred thoroughly. Spices as added, quite a bit of the pepper and ginger, trace amounts of salt (less than 1 tsp).
Baked in the greased tin in a bain marie at 175-200 C (wood-stove oven), for almost 2 hours (clean stick test plus a few minutes to make sure).
Another shrink-pot
May. 30th, 2010 08:12 pmThis one was a bit more advanced than the first one (still learning...); painted, and with a carving.
The lid is friction fit, but this one has a "cutout" for the part that fits inside the body of the pot. The body is alder, the lid is birch. The paint in pigment in milk (filmjölk), and the lid is oiled with linseed oil. "Te" is tea in Swedish, btw.
The lid is friction fit, but this one has a "cutout" for the part that fits inside the body of the pot. The body is alder, the lid is birch. The paint in pigment in milk (filmjölk), and the lid is oiled with linseed oil. "Te" is tea in Swedish, btw.
Shrink-pot
Apr. 17th, 2010 02:13 pmA few days ago I decided to experiment with shink-pots (krympburker). So far I like the technique and the end result.
( How I did it )
( How I did it )
Tattúínárdœla saga
Apr. 15th, 2010 06:40 pmThis is awesome: someone is writing the Saga that was supposedly the source for that George Lucas used when he wrote Star Wars. Anakinn himingangari, Víga-Óbívan, Þúsundár Fálkinn, Dauðastjarna...
http://tattuinardoelasaga.wordpress.com/
http://tattuinardoelasaga.wordpress.com/
Sock dryer
Feb. 23rd, 2010 06:41 amThis is a home-made version of the crappy plastic ones you sometimes see in Sweden. You get 16 clothespins, that can be suspended in some suitable spot (in my case over a woodstove) to dry socks, wet mittens, cloth sanitary pads, underwear, etc. And it breaks down for storage!
Not very complex to make in its basic form, but could be elaborated by turning, fancy wood and nice finish. But it takes about 30 minutes to make the basic model, and then it gives years of good service, preventing you from making a fancier replacement.
( large phone camera pictures and instructions )
How to make
Not very complex to make in its basic form, but could be elaborated by turning, fancy wood and nice finish. But it takes about 30 minutes to make the basic model, and then it gives years of good service, preventing you from making a fancier replacement.
( large phone camera pictures and instructions )
Moose bolognese
Nov. 23rd, 2009 07:34 pm500 g minced moose
1 large onion, chopped finely
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped finely
1/2 celeriac, chopped finely
200g bacon, diced
400 g crushed tomatoes (1 can)
2-300 ml stock
pepper
ground nutmeg
balsamic vinegar (1-3 tbs)
thyme
bay leaves (2-3)
soy (1-2 tbs)
olive oil
1 large onion, chopped finely
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped finely
1/2 celeriac, chopped finely
200g bacon, diced
400 g crushed tomatoes (1 can)
2-300 ml stock
pepper
ground nutmeg
balsamic vinegar (1-3 tbs)
thyme
bay leaves (2-3)
soy (1-2 tbs)
olive oil
- Add a little olive oil to a heavy pot, allwo to get warm and add bacon, onion, carrot, garlic, and celeriac. Allow to sweat for 5-10 minutes at low heat under a lid.
- Add minced moose, increase heat and brown.
- Add tomatoes, stock and spices.
- Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 2-5 hours.
