Want to know how to make your own DIY survival knife?
There is no survival tool more important than the knife. In most emergency situations even SHTF scenarios, the multipurpose cutting tool can help make life much easier. If you decide to bug out, you can use it to clear the area you have chosen to camp in.
The knife is handy in making stakes on which to tie down the tent as well as cut some rope for setting up the tent. After that, the knife can be used to chop some dried and dead branches to build a fire. Read on to learn how to make this DIY survival knife at home.
Dirt Cheap DIY Survival Knife
Materials Needed:
hack saw blade
marker
file or grinder
locking pliers (when using grinder)
work goggles (when using grinder)
some paracord for the handle
spray paint (optional)
For the full tutorial, click here.
Step 1. Mark the blade with the shape you like.
Tip: Use the toothline as the spine of the knife.
Step 2. Grind it to shape.
A bench grinder would make the work faster but if there is no power, you have to make do with a file. Take safety measures by wearing goggles and using locking pliers to keep your hand away from the grinder.
Step 3. Spray it with color (optional).
You can use just about any shade you like or whatever's available.
Step 4. Sharpen it.
Use the rough stone followed by the fine one until you reach the desired sharpness. You can test using cardboard.
Step 5. Wrap the tang with paracord.
Start with a loop before wrapping the tang.
Done!
Once the fire is going, you can open your canned food with the knife and start cooking over the flames. Then it's time to rest for the night, with the trusty knife close by in case animal or human attackers arrive to take your precious food.
When you get up in the morning, it is time to hunt, fish, or trap depending on your location. If you are good at throwing knives, you can try hunting game with your cutting instrument. When you've camped near a body of water, you can go fishing with the knife. You can also set up traps around your camp to catch game while you are away hunting. On a side note, traps are also useful for protecting your territory.
A knife is not only essential in surviving outdoors. If you have bugged in, the cutting tool can be handy in the kitchen. And it is always a good self-defense weapon, wherever you may go. In survival situations as well as in our daily lives, the knife is a great companion.
For awesome survival gear you can’t make at home, check out the Survival Life Store!
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on July 27, 2015, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
There is always an old vehicle in a junkyard. Find an old spring blade from the suspension. That metal saw blade you have can help you saw a piece of it. Then, just sharpen on a stone. ( granite is the best, but even soft soapstone will do the trick to sharpen). It takes a while but it is better and heavier than the saw blade. Which means you have a better tool to cut heavier limbs to create a stronger shelter. Keep the saw blade to cut through the bones of your kill. ( fish or animal). that spring blade is heavy enough for you to use as a lance to kill big animals, or anything big that comes after you.( snake to bison, and fishing also). The carbon content of the spring blade will last a long time, and can help you as a safe weapon, or life taking weapon. Learn how to fight with a BIG knife. That big knife will help you better to skin an animal, or even a salmon. Skinning is a very important thing to learn. ( musc glands on deer, and every ungulates). Bigger knife and knowledge will help you have food for many weeks. A 200 pounds deer in South Carolina will last you 5 weeks. A 650 pounds deer in Colorado will last you 8 to 10 months. ( if you lear to make pemmican, or smoke the meat after the kill). How to carry your survival supply is the most important, after the kill, and preparation for preservation. A travois will help you traverse many, many miles with no real hindrance. And you will have a ready shelter,( the travois), to hide under any weather, to keep dry. Add on the animal skin and, there you have a perfect housing, dry, and warm. All because of a big knife made with a suspension element. That tool can be 18 inches for knife length, 36 inches for a machete length, or even 48 inches for a lance to kill BIG game. Remember, a boar needs a LONG lance to kill, and a big knife to bleed. That food supply is available in most states of the union, and is better food than venison. ( fat content, you see: better to eat more fat to stay fit with less fat on your frame).