Chap 10
02/06/05

STUDENT HANDOUT
FIELD EXPEDIENT TOOLS, WEAPONS, AND EQUIPMENT

TERMINAL LEARNING OBJECTIVE
In a survival situation, and given a survival kit, construct field expedient implements, in accordance with the references. (Chap 10 )

ENABLING LEARNING OBJECTIVES

(1) Without the aid of references, list in writing the resources used to construct field expedient tools , in accordance with the references. (Chap 10 a)

(2) Without the aid of references, list in writing the methods for lashing a handle to a field expedient tool, in accordance with the references. (Chap 10 b)

(3) Without the aid of references, list in writing the types of clubs, in accordance with the references. (Chap 10 c)

(4) Without the aid of references, construct a club, in accordance with the references. (Chap 10 d)

(5) Without the aid of references, construct a bowl, in accordance with the references. (Chap 10 e)

OUTLINE

1. RESOURCES (Chap 10 a) The materials used to make all field expedient tools, weapons, and equipment will fall into one of the five categories.

a. Stone.

b. Bone.

c. Wood.

d. Metal.

e. Other materials.

f. Stone. Stone will make an excellent striking, puncturing or chopping tool, but will not hold a fine edge. Some stones, such as chert, flint, or obsidian can have very fine edges.

(1) Chipping & Flaking. To make a sharp-edge piece of stone, a chipping tool and flaking tool is needed. A chipping tool is a light, blunt-edged tool used to break off small pieces of stone. A flaking tool is a pointed tool used to break off thin, flattened pieces of stone. You can make a chipping tool from wood, bone, or metal, and a flaking tool from bone, antler tines, or soft iron.

(2) Weapon heads. Certain stones will shatter under pressure when force is delivered upon it. When selecting a stone, test its hardness prior to use.

g. Bone. Bone has many uses. Hooks, shaft tips, scrapers, awls, sockets and handles are just a few ideas.

(1) Raw Bone. Raw bone must be shattered with a heavy object, such as a rock.

(2) Shaping & Sharpening. From the pieces of shattered bone, select a suitable pointed splinter. You can further shape and sharpen this splinter by rubbing it on a rough surfaced rock or metal file (i.e., from your multi-purpose knife).

h. Wood. Wood uses are unlimited. A knife blade can shape the wood into any desired shape.

(1) Types. Wood is classified into two general categories: hard and soft. Hardwood is preferred for all survival uses. To test the wood strength, press your fingernail into the grain of the wood. If a print is visible, the wood is generally soft.

(2) Sharpening. All wood points are sharpened to the side of the shaft. Wood is weakest at the center and will not hold a point.

(3) Fire hardening. Wood that is unseasoned or “green” wood should be fire hardened prior to use. To test this wood, gently scrape the bark with your thumbnail. If moisture or a greenish tint appears, it is considered green. Fire harden it by holding the point of the instrument a few inches above a bed of hot coals while slowly rotating it. Gradually the wood will begin to hiss and steam. Fire hardening makes the cells swell and the sap thicken, which makes the wood more resistant to abrasion and concussion. Avoid charring the wood. Fire harden only the tip until light brown.

(4) Coal burning. It is very difficult to carve depressions in wood. A depression in wood can be made by a process called coal-burning. Using a pair of thongs, place a hot coal over the area you want to hollow out, then blow on the embers with a thin, steady stream of air to keep them glowing. If available, use a thin reed or length of hollow bone to direct the stream of air. After the coals have burned down, scrape out the charred wood with a knife or sharp rock. Repeat this process with fresh sets of coals until the depression is at the desired depth.

i. Metal. Metal is the best material to make field expedient edged weapons. When properly designed, metal can fulfill a knife's three uses: puncture, slice or chop, and cut. First, select a suitable piece of metal, one that most resembles the desired end product. Depending on the size and original shape, you can obtain a point and cutting edge by rubbing the metal on a rough surfaced stone or metal file. If the metal is soft enough, you can hammer out one edge while the metal is cold. Use a suitable flat, hard surface as an anvil and a harder object of stone or metal as a hammer to hammer out the edge.

j. Other materials. Other materials are those items that can be found or may be on your body which can be used in the construction of field expedient tools.

(1) Load bearing equipment clips. The sliding retaining clip can be removed and sharpened to a point.

(2) Plastic. Plastic, Plexiglas, and glass from an aircraft can be shaped and sharpened into a point. Plastic can also be melted as a adhesive.

(3) Parachute cord. Parachute cord has unlimited uses for construction of field expedient tools.

(4) Pine pitch glue. Pine pitch glue, when properly made is like an epoxy. Locate and remove pitch from a pine tree. The highest quality pitch to use is fresh sap. The older (dry and hard) sap will work, but not as well. Melt the pitch on an elevated platform, such as a smooth rock. The pitch will run down the platform. Using a 6-8 inch stick, coat the stick in the pool of pitch until it resembles a large wooden match. To use the pitch stick as glue, light the pitch end of the stick, allowing it to drip on the area to be glued. Once sufficiently coated with pitch, sprinkle the activator over the pitch. An activator is finely ground egg shell or fire wood ash.

2. CLUBS. (Chap 10 c) Clubs are held and not thrown. As a field expedient weapon, the club does not protect you from enemy soldiers. It can, however, extend your area of defense beyond your fingertips. It also serves to increase the force of a blow without injuring yourself. There are two types of clubs: simple and weighted.

a. Simple club. A simple club is a staff or branch. It must be short enough for you to swing easily, but long and strong enough to damage whatever you hit. Its diameter should fit comfortably in the palm, but not be so thin as to break easily upon impact.

b. Weighted club. A weighted club is any simple club with a weight on one end. The weight may be a natural weight, such as a knot on the wood, or something added, such as a stone lashed to the club. If adding a weight to the club, construction is as follows:

(1) Find a stone that has a shape which will allow you to lash it securely to the club. A stone with a slight hourglass shape works well. If a suitably shaped stone cannot be found, you must fashion a groove or channel into the stone by a technique known as pecking. By repeatedly rapping the club stone with a smaller hard stone, you can get the desired shape.(2) Find a piece of wood that is the right length. Hardwood is the best, if available. The length should feel comfortable in relation to the weight of the stone.(3) (Chap 10 b) Lash the stone to the handle. There are two techniques for attaching the stone to the handle: forked and wrapped.

WRAPPED

3. SURVIVAL STICKS. There are four types of survival sticks which are useful in a survival situation.

a. Digging stick. Finding an edible root is fairly easy, but most roots grow deep, and digging them out can be difficult unless one is prepared with a few good techniques. Skillfully applied, a simple device called the digging stick saves time and energy that is otherwise expended scrapping and grubbing with flat stones and fingers, which could lead to infection.

(1) Find a hardwood stick that is three feet long, one inch in diameter, and is straight as possible.

(2) Remove the bark from the stick.

(3) Form the tip of the stick into a chisel shape.

(4) Fire harden the chisel if using green wood.


DIGGING STICKS

b. Noose stick. A noose stick is useful for strangling and controlling improperly snared animals that are still alive.

(1) Find a pole as long as you can effectively handle.

(2) Attach a noose of wire or stiff cord at the small end.

(3) To catch an animal, slip the noose over the neck and pull it tight.

c. Sling shot. A Y-shaped stick can easily be made into a sling shot. A sling shot is an extremely effective and accurate weapon.

(1) Locate a hardwood, Y-shaped piece of stick.

(2) From your survival kit, attach the sling shot rubber and pouch.

d. Throwing stick. One of the simplest weapons for survival is the throwing stick. As a tool, the throwing stick can be used to knock dead branches out of a tree that would normally be too high to reach. The dead branches can then be used as firewood.

(1) Find a stick straight as possible, 2.5-3 feet long, and 1.5-2 inches in diameter.

(2) Remove the bark from the stick.

(3) Taper each end of the stick.

(4) Fire harden the entire stick if using green wood.

(5) There are two methods of employing the throwing stick. When in forested area, the best method is to use an overhand throwing motion. In an open area, you can increase the killing radius by using a sidearm throwing motion.

4. Cordage. Before making cordage, there are a few simple tests that can be done to determine the material's suitability. First, pull on a length of the material to test for strength. Next, twist it between your fingers and roll the fibers together. If it withstands this handling and does not snap apart, tie an overhand knot with the fibers and gently tighten. if the knot does not break, the material is usable.

a. Suitable cordage can be made from Iris leaves, Yucca, or Stinging Nettle stalks.

5. EXPEDIENT PACKS. The horseshoe pack is simple to make, use, and relatively comfortable to carry over one shoulder.

a. Lay available square-shaped material, such as a poncho or tarp flat on the ground.

b. Lay items on one edge of the material. Place those items frequently used (i.e., canteens) on the outside. Pad the hard items.

c. Roll the material (with the items) towards the opposite edge and tie both ends securely.

d. Tie extra lines along the length of the bundle.

e. Fold bundle in half and secure a long piece of rope to the apex of the fold.

f. Attach pack to your body.

6. UTENSILS. Utensils are used for cooking, eating, and storing food.

a. Bowl or Container. Bowls and containers can serve to carry and store food. They can be made from bone and wood. To make them out of wood:

(1) Locate or split a piece of wood.

(2) Coal burn to the desired depth.


COAL BURNED BOWLS

b. Spork. A spork is a useful tool to eat with. With a knife, carve a piece of wood into the desired shape.


SPORK

c. Tongs. Thongs aid to move hot items, such as coal embers.

(1) Cut a piece of green sapling.

(2) Split the sapling in half and shave off the bark. Flatten both ends of each section.

(3) Fire harden each half.


TONGS

Reference:

1. FM 21-76, Survival, 1992.

2. Chris Janowski, A Manual that could save your life, 1989.

3. Tom Brown, Field Guide to Wilderness Survival, 1983.