Today I was on an urban hike and collected plant materials on the way. I picked up an unusual looking pine cone. The tree was massive and full of cones but I only found one on the ground.

So on the left is a regular, typical pine cone and on the right is the cone I picked up today. After checking the  web I was able to determine that the cone is from a tree commonly called Atlas Cedar (non native?). It is a very dense cone much heavier than the dried out pine cone. It has lots of sap on the end and I can probably guess that it'll burn very well. -R

Currently I am actively seeking blacksmithing tools. I need tongs, a cross peen hammer and something like an anvil to beat on. I have a forge that can be modified to operate well enough to get started. I also am collecting scrap metal. I have a few railroad spikes and rebar pieces and have searching the internet for basic beginner projects.

                                       This photo shows a forge that is similar to the one I own.

• http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/yhst-17797617870419/tentstakes.pdf  
• http://www.incandescent-iron.com/smithingtips.html  projects for beginners
• http://artofmanliness.com/2011/07/14/blacksmithing-primer/   good article
• http://blacksmithsupplies.net/category/blacksmith-tools  this site seemed to have a lot of useful info.

I will update with more later. -R

D.I.Y. Tent Stove

Today I set out to experiment and create a small tent stove using a metal container.

Supplies you will need: Tin snips, hammer, pliers, nail, four bolts, socket wrench, empty cans, high-heat duct tape, or high-heat glue, safety glasses, leather work gloves, and a file.

• Step one: Empty out your container as best you can and get rid of all the plastic. I chose to use a food grade metal container. *Galvanized steel should not be burned.

•  Step 2: Cut a big opening for feeding the fire. Use the pliers and the file to curl down sharp edges.

•  Step 3: Punch Air holes. (I added more later). I didn't take a photo, but I put four bolts in the bottom for feet.

•  Step 4: Take stove outdoors to burn off pollutants. The chimney is not attached yet.

•  The fire was not receiving enough oxygen so I punched four more holes on the both sides towards the bottom.

•  After I added more holes the fire was much better. It is top heavy, however I think I can solve that by adding some side supports. This project took about 3 hours.

• In a small space it gave off adequate heat. The temperature was in the 30's here in the Pacific Northwest. For the test run I burned this little stove in a well ventilated shed. I will update as I improve the stove and/or make a bigger one.

Overall this was a fun project. -R