Scoutcraft DIY

In a previous post, I mounted my rope making machine to a trailer hitch for stability.  It still wiggled around during use, which made it a little harder for the Scouts to crank the handle to make rope.  I decided to fix that problem.  I did this by welding a bead onto three sides of the hitch, then filing it to fit tightly in the receiver. First I put the hitch into the receiver and wrapped some masking tape around it to mark the border. Then I ground off the paint where the welds will go, as well as a spot on the end for the ground clamp on the welder. Next I welded a bead onto the top and both sides of the hitch, about halfway between where it enters the receiver and the hole for the hitch pin.  The next step was using an angle grinder and then a file to get a tight fit.  When it started to get close, I would do 10 strokes with the file, test fit, then repeat. Then I cleaned up all the mess with a wire wheel. The last step is a coat o...

This post is a departure from my typical posts.  I'm not going to make anything this time.  I'm going to discuss the Coin Collecting merit badge and show you some helpful resources. The Coin Collecting merit badge is both fun and easy.  You can find the requirements at:   https://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Coin_Collecting The American Numismatic Association has a Coin Collecting merit badge page that has everything you need to know.   https://www.money.org/explore-the-world-of-money/scouts/hints-for-completing-the-boy-scout-badge-requirements Whitman Publishing makes a special coin collecting folder for the Coin Collecting Merit badge.  It looks like a merit badge pamphlet, but inside it holds the coins that you have to collect to meet the requirements. You can buy it on Amazon:   https://www.amazon.com/Scout-Merit-Badge-Collecting-Folder/dp/B00YSKD7YE/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=coin+collecting+merit+badge&qid=1569631941...

I have never been very good at sharpening an axe or a knife.  I just can't seem to hold the stone at a consistent angle.  It wasn't until I bought a Lansky precision knife sharpening kit, that I was finally able to put a really sharp edge on my knives.  The Lansky system is basically a jig that holds the stone at a consistent angle while you are sharpening your knife. Lansky Knife Sharpening System I decided to make a jig to do the same thing for an axe.  The first problem was figuring out what angle to go with.  I consulted the websites of two high-end Swedish axe makers:  Gransfors Bruk and Hults Bruk .  The former recommended an angle of 25-30 deg.  The latter recommended 20-25 deg.  I settled on 25 deg.  Keep in mind that I'm going for a carving axe or carpentry axe for rustic woodworking and general camp use.  There are different angles and profiles used for felling and splitting axes that I'm not going to go into. ...

Here is my recipe for Dutch oven pineapple upside down cake: Ingredients: 1 can of pineapple rings 1 jar Maraschino cherries 1 box of yellow cake mix 1 cup water 1/2 cup vegetable oil 3 eggs The last 3 ingredients may vary based on the instructions on your cake mix box.  Place the pineapple rings and Maraschino cherries on the bottom of the Dutch oven as shown. In a bowl, mix up the cake mix per the package instructions and pour the batter over the fruit.  Bake in the Dutch oven at 350 degrees for about 45 min.  For a standard 12" cast iron Dutch oven, that requires 8 charcoal briquets on the bottom and 17 on the top.  Since heat rises, you need less on the bottom than on the top.  Use a toothpick to check your cake when it's down.  The toothpick should come out clean.  If there is cake batter stuck on the toothpick, it's ready yet. I just burned some hardwood logs and shoveled some coals under and on top of my Dutch oven and let...

I had some short scraps of 3/8" manila rope lying around, so I put them to good use.  Using short splices, 3 rope rings were constructed.  A few posts ago I made a tent stake that now serves as a target for the rings.  How big you make the rings depends on how difficult you want the game to be. 

As I mentioned in my last post, I intend to try my hand at froissartage, the pioneering method used by Scouts in France.  Another tool I'm going to need is a mallet.  The Scotch eye auger from the previous post will come in handy for the project. First I'll need a few pieces of wood.  One is about 4" and diameter and 8" long for the head.  The other is about 1.5" in diameter and 24" long for the handle.  Also not shown is a 2" section of the 1.5" diameter piece that I will use to make a wedge to secure the handle. The next step is to drill a hole in the head piece with a 1" Scotch eye auger (see previous post on how to make this tool). Now it's time to fit the handle.  A 1" round tenon needs to be formed.  First whittle down the last 6" of the handle until the tip is just barely fits the hole in the head.  Now you need to make that cone shape into a cylinder.  Use your knife to score the circumfrence of the handle 5...

I recently became aware of two pioneering techniques that are used by Scouts in other countries. The first is  froissartage from France. This method uses wood joinery techniques, like dovetails, mortises, wood pegs, etc., rather than lashings. It gets its name from Michel Froissart, a French Scouter who came up with the technique in the 1930's.  The second is a method from Italy called CatDrill .  I'm not sure of the etymology of this word, so if anyone knows, please fill me in.  This one uses saplings with holes drilled in them with small amounts of cord and toggles to hold them together. Both techniques have something in common that is foreign to the pioneering methods we are used to in the US:  drilling holes.  After a little internet research, I discovered that the preferred tool for backwoods hole drilling is something called a Scotch eye auger.  It is basically a wood auger bit with an eye on the end that allows for insertion of a T handle....

Nuclear Science Merit Badge requirement 2b states:   Choose an element from the periodic table. Construct 3-D models for the atoms of three isotopes of this element, showing neutrons, protons, and electrons. Use the three models to explain the difference between atomic number and mass number and the difference between the atom and nuclear and quark structures of isotopes. For this project, my son chose carbon and made models of the 12 C, 13 C and 14 C isotopes.  12 C has 6 protons, 6 neutrons and 6 electrons.  13 C is the same except it has 7 neutrons.  14 C is also the same, except it has 8 neutrons.   For this project, you need styrofoam balls, toothpicks, bamboo skewers, 3 colors of paint and paint brushes.   Put a toothpick in each styrofoam ball to make it easier to paint.  Use an old box or piece of styrofoam to hold the painted balls.  It was hard to puncture the box with the toothpick, so ...

We just had a campout with a pioneering theme.  We made a monkey bridge and worked on the various skills required for the Pioneering Merit Badge.  I had the opportunity to put my rope maker into action.  I posted about the rope maker about 5 posts ago, but I have some more thoughts on the subject now that we have actually made rope numerous times. We were following the Pioneering Merit Badge pamphlet instructions for making a 6' rope from 60' of twine.  At first, I thought it would be a good idea to cut the twine into 60' sections prior to the rope making activity to save time.  These sections had a tendency to get tangled as we were unrolling them. Sisal twine is very hairy and difficult to untangle.  Also, we were using a tape measure to measure 6' from the hooks on the rope maker to the single hook to set up the rope maker.  This was kind of a pain.  I found that it was much easier to leave the twine in its original roll.  Pull ...