Introduction: Survival Walking Stick
By jmcdonald23J.McDonaldKnives Custom Knives
About: I'm an automotive technician, hobby knifemaker, survivalist, and a redneck countryboy. I don't have too many instructables but when I come up with one I will post it up. If you have any questions about anyth… More About jmcdonald23 »
1. 1.5"x58-60" Solid Wood Pole or Unfinished Walking Stick (I bought a 5' length of 1.5" Pine Rod from Home Depot, sold by the foot)
2. 2-3 D-cell Maglight (preferably used and then send to a local repair center to get the O-rings replaced)
3. 20mm Diameter Compass
4. 20mm Thermometer
5. Paracord
6. 1 1/8" (28mm) Alpine Spike (also known as Metal Spike Ferrule)
7. Alpine Spike Rubber Tip
8. Zinc Coupler for Walking Cane
9. 1.25" Round Flat Mirror
10. Devcon 2 Ton Epoxy (30minute)
11. Survival Kit (fishing line, hooks, weights, bandaids, strike anywhere matches, kindling, magnesium stick, striker, etc)
12. 1.25"x10" Section of Bamboo with 1 Joint in it or clear Fuji Film canister
13. Peel and stick ruler for fishing rod
1. Hand Saw
2. Hammer
3. Drill Press or Hand Drill
4. Vise
5. Tape Measure
6. Drill Bits (1/4, 3/16, 5/16 long shank, 7/16, 3/4)
7. Sandpaper (50 grit and 320 grit)
8. Wood Finish (I used Urethane)
9. Black Matte or Olive Drab Matte Spray Paint (optional)
1. Fish Spear (1/4"x8" 303 Stainless Steel Rod, Spearfishing Spear Tip with 2 blades, 1/4-20 and 6mm x 0.75 Dies)
2. Snake Hook (1/4"x12" Steel Rod, 1/4-20 Die)
3. Drag/Grabbing Hook (1/4"x2 5/8" Eye Bolt)
Step 1:
Take your Maglight and remove the battery cap and rubber switch button cap. Take an allen wrench just small enough to fit inside the hole in the switch and you will find a screw at the bottom of it, unscrew it, depress the button, and slide the whole switch assembly out through the bottom of the flash light. It may require you to unscrew the head of the flash light and use a rod to push the assembly out. Next take your flash light body and cut it off right below the button. This is going to be your water proof container for your survival kit. Take off the battery cap and remove the spring and spare bulb. You should see a small circle in the exact center of the cap on the inside. Take your center punch and make a mark in the middle of that circle. Take a 3/16" drill bit and drill a hole in the cap, then take a 3/4" drill bit and drill out that hole again. I actually used a 3/4" paddle bit in my drill press and did it slowly but only use that as a last resort.
Step 2:
Measure 1.25"-1.5" down from the top of your stick and tape it off, this is to mark where you are going to epoxy on your container. Begin sanding it down evenly with the 50 grit sand paper until the container fits snuggly over it. Next take a 5/16" long shank drill bit and drill a hole lengthwise 7" into the stick, making sure to pull it out every few inches to clean off the bit so that you don't create too much friction and catch your stick on fire (only do this if you plan to make the fish spear.)
Step 3:
Measure down 1"-2" from where the bottom of the container will be and
make a mark, then measure down about 6"-7" below that and make another mark, if you want your grip to be longer then measure a bit more and make your mark there. This is to show where you will wrap the paracord for your handle grip. If you want you can take your 50 grit sandpaper and sand it down a little between the 2 marks to make a little shelf to keep your paracord grip from slipping down later on. If you are a shorter person you can cut the pole length down until the position is comfortable for you. Measure down about 2 inches below the bottom of the grip and make a mark. Take your 3/4" drill bit and drill a hole just deep enough to sink the thermometer flush on all sides.
Step 4:
From the bottom of your stick measure up about 4" and make a mark. Next
cut that 4" section off. Take a 7/16" drill bit and drill a 1" deep hole into the center of your stick on the bottom and on one end of the 4" section you cut off. Next taper the other end of the 4" section until the Alpine Spike fits snuggly over it.
Step 5:
Take your 320 grit sandpaper and sand down all the wood pieces until
they are smooth with no splinters. Next take your wood finish and apply it all the pieces of wood. While that is drying you can sand down your container to remove all the texturing and also sand down where you cut it off and taper it so that you have a smooth transition between it and the walking stick, then spray paint it. After the wood finish dries you can apply another coat of wood finish if you want. On mine I used 2 different wood stains (red oak and colonial maple) and did it as a two tone camo finish, you can do this as well if you want but keep in mind it took me 5-6 hours to tape off the stick, lay out the design and then cut out the design plus stain it. On the wood finish I would recommend doing 3 coats and do it according to the instructions on the label.
Step 6:
Once all coats of the wood finish are completely cured you can begin to
assemble all the parts. Take your container and measure 3/4" from where you cut it and drill 3 holes equally spaced out around the container to place small nails or screws, make sure the holes are just big enough to put the screws or nails through. Remove the cap from your container. Measure out a small amount of epoxy and mix it up thoroughly, then spread it around the sanded area that the container fits over. You may want to take the 50 grit sandpaper and rough up the inside of the container and the section on the walking stick to give it a firmer grip. Another trick is to take a 1/4" drill bit and drill a few holes about 1/4" deep to make some pockets for the epoxy, this is optional of course. After you apply the epoxy, slip the container back over the walking stick with a slight twisting action and hold it firmly in place for a few minutes. Take your mixing stick from the epoxy and use it to spread the epoxy around the joint and to remove any excess epoxy. Give the epoxy another few minutes to set up before hammering in your nails or screws. Be sure the nails or screws you use are not longer than 1/2" or they will protrude into the hole for the fish spear and you will not be able to put the spear into the hole. Set it some place where it won't get knocked around or fall to allow the epoxy to finish setting up. This should take a few hours to set up.
Step 7:
While the epoxy is finishing setting up, take the 4" section and apply
some epoxy to it and attach the Alpine Spike. Once again you can rough up the area where it will be epoxied to and the inside of the cone with the 50 grit sandpaper. After you place them together press them together firmly and hold it for a few minutes, then take your mixing stick and remove any excess epoxy and smooth out the epoxy around the joint. Let it set up for a few more minutes and then hammer in the supplied nails. If they protrude into the 7/16" hole you drilled then you can use a file after it cures to trim them down. Set that some place to allow the epoxy to finish setting up. This should take a few hours to set up. If you want to get rid of the shiny finish you can rough up the whole surface and spray paint it.
Step 8:
After the epoxy sets up for a few hours on both pieces take the coupler
apart and set the screw to the side, make sure not to lose it. Mix up a little more epoxy and place some in the 5/16" holes on the stick and the 4" section, then apply some epoxy onto the outside of the couplers. Place each one in the hole and tap them into it with a hammer, make sure they are flush with the wood. Wipe off the excess epoxy and place those to the side to allow them to set up.
Step 9:
Take the cap from the container and make sure the compass fits snuggly
into the hole. Mix up a small bit of epoxy and apply it to the outside edge of the compass and to the inside of the hole, then place the compass in the hole and make sure the compass sits flush into the cap. Allow it to set up for about 5 minutes and check it to make sure it hasn't moved. Mix up some more epoxy and apply it to the inside of the cap until the the whole backside of the compass is covered and it's nice and flat. Allow that about 5 hours to set up and firm up. Cut a piece of 1" dowel about 3/8"-1/2" long which is just long enough for the dowel to be flush with the inner lip on the cap, then mix up some more epoxy and place it on the inside of the cap on top of the other epoxy and place the dowel into the hole with a slight twisting action. Next apply some more epoxy to the dowel and a little to the inner lip of the cap and place the mirror into the cap and gently press down and twist it. Place it somewhere safe and allow it to fully cure. You can use the mirror as a signal mirror.
Step 10:
Now grab the stick and mix up a little bit of epoxy and apply it to the
inside of the hole for the thermometer and to the bottom and edge of the thermometer, then firmly place the thermometer into the hole and position it until its sitting the right way. Wipe off the excess epoxy and allow it about an hour to set up. After that you can then wrap your handle with the paracord. You can also start from the bottom so that you can take the excess and make a wrist strap at the top. As you can see with mine I made a seperate wirst strap using 14' 5" with a 13" loop that slips on and used the cobra stitch for the strap and I also wrapped about another 50ft of paracord below the thermometer and stopped just above the fishing rod ruler. After you are done set that to the side and allow the epoxy to cure. Here is a link on different ways of making a grip with paracord.
Step 11:
Take the foot section and insert the screw into the coupling. You can
apply some red locktite onto that section of the screw before screwing it all the way down. Now you can screw the foot onto the bottom of your walking stick. If you have any gaps you can sand down where you need to so that you can make it flush or find a 1.5" collar and epoxy it half way to the foot section so that it will hide the gap. If you choose to do that I would suggest roughing up the finish and spray painting it so that it isn't so shiny.
Step 12:
Now take a tape measure and measure from the bottom of the rubber foot
up to the top of the taper. Take your fishing rod ruler and starting with the beginning of the ruler cut off at the same measurement and throw that section out, then peel off the backing and apply the rest of your ruler lengthwise starting at the taper and make sure not to stretch it or your measurements will be off. If you wish to start the ruler from the top of the cone on the spike you can do that, just make sure to measure to there and cut your ruler with the new measurement. Double check your measurement with your tape measure to make sure you didn't stretch the fishing rod ruler.
Step 13:
(This step is only if you are using the fish spear, if not you can skip
this step or just use a Fuji Film clear canister and fits perfectly inside the D-cell mag tube) Now take the bamboo and make sure it fits snug into the container. If it doesn't fit be sure and sand it down until it does fit. Place the fish spear into the hole and then measure from the bottom of the container to the top of the fish spear to see how far it sticks up out of the hole and then add 1/4". Use that measurement to measure from the joint of the bamboo piece and make a mark, then cut it right there. Next part is where it gets tricky. Measure from the bottom of the container on the inside to the bottom of the threads and then subtract 1/2", then use that measurement to make a mark on the other end of the bamboo measuring from your last cut, then cut off that section. You can make a cap from a piece of foam or if you are crafty enough you can make one from a 1.25" wooden dowel and make it fit tight into bamboo and still have an overlapping cap. The capped section is where you place your survival kit. Now you can slide it into the container and screw down the cap. If the cap doesn't screw down all the way you can sand down the bamboo or the cap on the bamboo until you get the cap to screw down but you don't want to have it fit really tight or you risk the epoxy separating from the container and allow water and moisture to leak into the container. I suggest making it fit snug and then sanding it down just a little more to where it rattles slightly. For my survival kit I have some matches, bandaids, fish hooks, fish sinkers, and dryer lint in the film canister and in the rest of the tube I have the grab hook, fish spear, couple of razor knives, fishing line, and fire steel. All of it fits securely into the tube. And now you are done and have a survival walking stick!!
Step 14: Fish Spear
Clamp the 303 stainless steel rod into a good vise. Measure down 1"
from each end and make a mark, this is where your threads are going to stop. On one end thread the rod with the 1/4-20 die and on the other end thread it with the 6mm x 0.75 die, stopping when you get to the 1" mark. Make sure to use some cutting fluid to keep it from seizing up and making the cuts smoother and also backing it all the way off about every 1/4" to clean out the die. Now take your spearfishing spear tip and screw it onto the 6mm x 0.75 end and you can apply some red locktite to this as well if you prefer since you will most likely be grabbing it to unscrew it from your walking stick. Now you are ready to screw it into the end of your walking stick.
Step 15: Snake Hook
Clamp 2" of the 1/4"x12" rod into the vise. Now grab it and bend it 90
degrees. Next, measure 4" from the bend and make a mark; this is where the center of the U-shaped bend of your hook will be. Unclamp it from the vise and clamp in a 4" diameter pipe. Place your center mark at the top of the pipe and bend your U-shape into the hook. Now unclamp the pipe and place your hook back into the vise so that you can thread the end of it. Measure down 1" and make a mark, this is where your threads are going to stop. Now start threading the end with the 1/4-20 die until it reaches the 1" mark, making sure to completely back it all the way off every 1/4" to clean out the die. Be sure and use cutting fluid to keep it from seizing up and making the cuts smoother. If you wish you can grind down the end of the hook at about a 30 degree angle to allow it to slip under the snake easier. And now you have a snake hook that you can screw into the end of your walking stick. I do not encourage handling any snake unless you know what you are doing and know exactly what snake species you are dealing with and know if it's poisonous or not. If you know what you are doing you can use your snake hook to pick up a snake and also to pin down the head of the snake in order to pick it up with your hands or to cut off its head so that you can clean it and eat it.
Step 16: Grab/Drag Hook
Clamp the 1/4"x2 5/8" eyelet into the vise. Find where the end of the
eyelet is and make a mark about 3/8" from the end and cut it off right there. Now you have a hook that you can use to drag something, hook onto something you can't reach like when you are running rope over a branch that is too tall to reach by yourself or a branch for a snare or grabbing something out of the river so that you don't have to get your shoes and socks wet.