Rough Camping & Survival Tips

observe · Jan 20, 2023

observe · Jan 20, 2023

observe · Jan 20, 2023

observe · Jan 22, 2023

‘TUTORIAL’

[Willem Johannes Pretorius]

Make your own DIY 2l plastic bottle string cutter

[This is but only ONE method of many-many different types and methods of plastic bottle string cutters, there are many methods for using only your knife blade also—do the research...]

Whether you are out there Bush-crafting/Surviving or Rough-Camping, string/cordage/rope is one of the very important 5C’s that you can never have enough off.

[Shelter building, raft building, mending, traps setting, fishing line or even [in the extreme] by weaving 3-6 x 15-20mm strands into a strong rope to rescue, climb a mountain or tow a car etc. Etc.]

It is very good [essential] to be able to weave/make your own emergency rope from available plant material [tree bark or grass etc.], but, as you know, it is also very time consuming.

So why not think out of the box for an alternative rope making method that might just be an even beter idea?

You can during your hike [beach, picnic spot, camp?] be on the lookout and pick up discarded [pollution] 2l plastic bottles to make quicker, stronger and easier emergency string when SHTF!

I have cut a continuous 22m [+_72 ft.] 3-4 mm string out of a single 2l Coca-Cola bottle in about 2 minutes, AND then at different times and venues caught up to 7kg [15 lbs.] BABER–Catfish [Actinopterygii Siluriformes], a carnivores, fighting fish down here in Limpopo, with this strong ‘survival fishing line’!

You can even make this particular very light weight and easy bottle cutter project at home, and then just drop it in your BOB, or beter still EDC it in a cargo pants pocket.

[Practice first at home, though!]

1] For this project you will need;

· a Small piece of flat wooden board [+_ 3-6 inches long, ¾ inch thick and 1 inch in width], or use your own dimensions you are comfortable with.

· A sharp box cutter blade.

· 2 x wooden screws/Small nails [with washers - optional].

· A knife with a small saw blade.

· Sanding paper [optional].

2] Saw a small groove into the plank, the depth you want your string thickness to be [or 2, 3 different depths grooves-optional] eg. 5mm, 10 mm or strong 15 mm grooves---usually not more than 2 grooves per single box cutter blade.

3] Clean out the grooves, and smooth all the rough edges on your project with sanding paper.

4] Now screw the box cutter blade tight over the grooves, about 3 mm from the edge of the plank.

5] Mark your grooves depth with a marker pen to quickly find the correct thickness 2l bottle string you want to cut.[eg 3, 5, 8,10,15 mm]

6] Now take a 2l Coca Cola/Fanta/Sprite/Milk etc. Plastic bottle, and cut off the soft bottom-very straight and smooth! [Using scissors at home]

[TIP–only use 2l -2.5l Soda bottles with ‘softer’ plastic, as some mineral water bottles with ‘harder/stiffer’ plastic doesn’t work as well. Some smaller bottles can also be used, but they give much shorter string.]

7] With your knife/scissors, now just make a small cut in the bottle’s edge to give you a starting string [later on with experience, this will not be necessary anymore.]

8] Try to keep the bottle stable so it is not wobbling while you are cutting by pulling the string evenly straight back at 90 degrees.

[Not Up or Down, as it will then cut the string off.]

9] You can pull the string through the cutter with the bottle cap [the other side] either Up or Down—whichever way holding the cutter is more comfortable to you.[I prefer the cutter to be upside Down]

10] Your cut plastic string can in certain applications be gently fire hardened, like when fastening a shelter, or a fishing hook etc. to make it shrink a bit and then became nearly as strong as steel wire!

In a pinch, you can also cut a soft beer or soda can in the same way if you need that strong a string, though your blade will then quickly became blunt!

ENJOY this yet another skill/tool in your bush crafting/ survival/ camping tool-kit, while at the same time ridding the environment of 2l bottle trash!