Undead Forums of ZS

Prepping Tools and Gear Discussions (incl. reviews) => Miscellaneous Gear => Topic started by: Moab on January 31, 2023, 11:27:27 AM

Title: Pencil sharpener.
Post by: Moab on January 31, 2023, 11:27:27 AM
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CoFK38yAizQ/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

This is a great organization to follow.

He makes one good point about using a pencil sharpener for tinder. It gets you into inner dry wood if your in a wet climate. Other than a tea candle to literally dry out whatever your trying to catch on fire. This seems like solid advice. I had never considered before. 
Title: Re: Pencil sharpener.
Post by: EBuff75 on January 31, 2023, 11:56:42 AM
I've picked up some metal pencil sharpeners (sort of like this Staedtler (https://smile.amazon.com/Staedtler-Sharpener-Pencils-Colored-510/dp/B005DDJZVY)) to keep in my bags for tinder making.  They're small and don't weigh much, so they're easy to tuck in there until they're needed.
Title: Re: Pencil sharpener.
Post by: echo83 on January 31, 2023, 06:45:44 PM
Quote from: Moab on January 31, 2023, 11:27:27 AMhttps://www.instagram.com/reel/CoFK38yAizQ/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

This is a great organization to follow.

He makes one good point about using a pencil sharpener for tinder. It gets you into inner dry wood if your in a wet climate. Other than a tea candle to literally dry out whatever your trying to catch on fire. This seems like solid advice. I had never considered before.

What a cool idea! He beat me to it with the drill, too...that was pretty awesome. Finally, some prepping tips that my kids are already proficient with...
Title: Re: Pencil sharpener.
Post by: Anianna on January 31, 2023, 10:11:05 PM
Man, I thought this was going to be another of the creative pencil sharpening videos that have been going around the creator community lately, but here we have a legitimate pencil sharpener.  Crazy!

My favorite is one of the woodworkers I follow on Instagram built and entire jig to sharpen a pencil with is table saw. 
Title: Re: Pencil sharpener.
Post by: Brekar on February 01, 2023, 12:21:27 AM
I've always thought carrying a metal pencil sharpener with replaceable blades is a smart tinder backup. I also thought that in a pinch you could make SHTF arrows with a symmetrical tip with one of these tools as a last ditch effort.
Title: Re: Pencil sharpener.
Post by: 12_Gauge_Chimp on February 01, 2023, 12:30:53 AM
Quote from: Brekar on February 01, 2023, 12:21:27 AMI've always thought carrying a metal pencil sharpener with replaceable blades is a smart tinder backup. I also thought that in a pinch you could make SHTF arrows with a symmetrical tip with one of these tools as a last ditch effort.

Now you've got me thinking of SHTF arrows made using X-acto knife or scalpel blades.
Title: Re: Pencil sharpener.
Post by: Brekar on February 01, 2023, 12:50:28 AM
Quote from: 12_Gauge_Chimp on February 01, 2023, 12:30:53 AM
Quote from: Brekar on February 01, 2023, 12:21:27 AMI've always thought carrying a metal pencil sharpener with replaceable blades is a smart tinder backup. I also thought that in a pinch you could make SHTF arrows with a symmetrical tip with one of these tools as a last ditch effort.

Now you've got me thinking of SHTF arrows made using X-acto knife or scalpel blades.

Well as kids my little brother and myself used to make arrows and arrowheads out of anything laying around, i.e. sharpened branches with a knife, taking an old arrow we found at the lake and using a roofing nail as an arrowhead, hammering a metal soda bottle cap flat with a hammer then trimming it into shape with tin snips. They never worked, but damn it was fun to try.

I always figured that the pencil sharpener method might help in a situation where you need to make tinder and don't want to dull a knife because you have no reliable way to sharpen it. But hey, you might carry one and never need it, until the day you do. Kind of like a silcock key.
Title: Re: Pencil sharpener.
Post by: 12_Gauge_Chimp on February 01, 2023, 11:12:49 AM
Quote from: Brekar on February 01, 2023, 12:50:28 AM
Quote from: 12_Gauge_Chimp on February 01, 2023, 12:30:53 AM
Quote from: Brekar on February 01, 2023, 12:21:27 AMI've always thought carrying a metal pencil sharpener with replaceable blades is a smart tinder backup. I also thought that in a pinch you could make SHTF arrows with a symmetrical tip with one of these tools as a last ditch effort.

Now you've got me thinking of SHTF arrows made using X-acto knife or scalpel blades.

Well as kids my little brother and myself used to make arrows and arrowheads out of anything laying around, i.e. sharpened branches with a knife, taking an old arrow we found at the lake and using a roofing nail as an arrowhead, hammering a metal soda bottle cap flat with a hammer then trimming it into shape with tin snips. They never worked, but damn it was fun to try.

I always figured that the pencil sharpener method might help in a situation where you need to make tinder and don't want to dull a knife because you have no reliable way to sharpen it. But hey, you might carry one and never need it, until the day you do. Kind of like a silcock key.


That's true.

And one of the best things is that the sharpeners aren't even really that expensive so you can buy a bunch at a time and put one or two in each bug out bag.