I set up a blacksmith shop, do a walkabout in the area, use the raft, catch fish and eat some of the dried fish from part 1. Open the full video description for more information.

This is part 3 and the long version - here is the short version    • Bushcraft trip - making blacksmith sh...  

All episodes can you see here    • Highlights from a summer spend alone ...  

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Date: 01-08-2019 to 02-08-2019

Day: 20°C (68°F)
Night: 10°C (50°F)

Location: Sapmi - the land of the Sami people in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Clean and remote classic northern wilderness. Fresh water rivers. Pine, spruce and birch forrest. Mountains, bears, wolves, eagles, reindeers etc. No wildlife is giving campers problems. I can't give you any information about my location, only that I am somewhere in Sapmi. You need to be the owner or get the owners permission if you want to do the same.

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Consuming: Water, berries and fish (cranberry, blueberry, smoked and air dried perch).

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A few questions:

1. Is the blacksmithing tools homemade?
Yes - video on the channel about how I make tongs and how I made the anvil and the hammer. No video yet on how I make bellows, but it is a future video. If you want similar do I recommend you make it your self - but it is also an option to find secondhand or pay for custom work (I don't sell anything). Example can similar anvil be found online if you google "stake anvil" or "stump anvil" or "viking anvil" or similar.

2. Can you give a few points about the blacksmith shop set up?
Yes. The stones closest to the fire will need replacements once in a while. The branch used as rope on the anvil stump helps prevent it wood from spritting. Used a tree as a stump because it was convenient - the tree was located just right and dying (small trees so close to big tress always strougle). The wooden pegs keeps the bellows from moving and is easy to remove and use agin or replace. The goal is to keep the fire narrow so the air you blow don't need to travel far and the sides open so the forge fit long work pieces - but before you start forging can you move around the stones to custom fit the task. Make sure the bellows don't touch the fire, you don't wan't to heat up the steel tubes. Try to make it a habit always to use both bellows. Let one blow air and one suck air at the same time. The constant blow of air makes it harder for the other tube to suck in hot air and burn or dry the leather. Ideally does only the valve take in air and not the tube. Constant blow of air also just makes the forge more efficient.


3. Is the water safe to drink?
Yes. Almost all water in Sapmi can you drink straight from the source. Especially all on remote locations. It comes from the near by mountains - rain or snow/ice melting.

4. What fish did you catch?
Trout.

5. Why use a stick and not a paddle for the raft?
A stick from the tipi was the easy solution and more ideal for pushing agains the bottom of the river... In the areas where the river is too deep will a paddle work beter - but just using a stick isn't too bad.

6. How did you dry the fish?
Hung them up in the tipi as raw with nothing added, no salt or anything (show it in part 1) and left them where for about two weeks. Whenever I visit the camp did I light a fire inside the tipi for adding some smoke taste and soften the bones - but most of the time was I not in the camp and the fish did just dry in the air. The air in Sapmi is in general dry and it makes air drying meat really easy.

7. Was it "chaga" you used to carry fire?
Yes. A fungus called "Chaga". I use it in other videos for making tea. In this case do I use it for transporting fire.The chaga was collected near by the tipi and was only dried a few hours next to the campfire. If you want to transport fire like this do I recommend bringing along a few spare pieces so you can replace it doing the travel. One piece lasted in this case about 30 minutes. If it starts glowing too much can you just scrape some of the glowing part away.

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Some of the gear used:
1. Pants = Klattermusen Gere 2.0 Regular
2. Boots = Redback original
3. Backpack = M39 swedish military

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Video gear: Canon EOS RP, Canon 50 1.8, Røde videomicpro+, Zoom h2n, iMovie.

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