If this is “the recovery”, what are things going to look like once economic conditions start to deteriorate again?  As you will see below, more than half of all households in some of our largest cities “are facing serious financial problems”, and Americans continue to file for unemployment benefits at a rate that the United States had never seen before prior to 2020.  When 695,000 workers filed for unemployment benefits during a single week in 1982, it established a record which stood for nearly 38 years.  But now we have been way above that old record for 25 weeks in a row.  On Thursday, we learned that another 884,000 Americans filed new claims for unemployment benefits last week…

Weekly jobless claims were worse than expected last week amid a plodding climb for the U.S. labor market from the damage inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Labor Department on Thursday reported 884,000 first-time filings for unemployment insurance, compared with 850,000 expected by economists surveyed by Dow Jones. The total was unchanged from the previous week.

Of course it is always important to look at the non-adjusted numbers, and according to those numbers we actually saw an increase over the previous week…

The Labor Department changed its methodology in how it seasonally adjusts the numbers, so the past two weeks’ totals are not directly comparable to the reports from earlier in the pandemic. Claims not adjusted for seasonal factors totaled 857,148, an increase of 20,140 from the previous week.

This is the second week in a row that the non-seasonally adjusted initial claims have risen.

That definitely wasn’t supposed to happen.

We are supposedly in a “recovery” right now, and things are supposed to be getting better.

But instead they appear to be getting worse.  According to Wolf Richter, continuing claims under all state and federal programs were way up last week…

Total continued claims for unemployment insurance (UI) under all state and federal programs rose by 380,000, to 29.6 million people (not seasonally adjusted), the highest since August 1, according to the Department of Labor this morning. This was the second weekly increase in a row, after the 2.2-million jump last week.

At any other time in American history, the numbers that were just reported would be considered “catastrophic”, but we have been getting these sorts of catastrophic numbers for so long that we have become desensitized to them.

But at least the unemployment numbers are not as bad as they were earlier this year, and other economic figures seem to have hit a bit of a plateau as well.

So for the moment there is relative calm, but it won’t last for very long.

If you feel like something really, really bad is about to happen, you are definitely not alone.  There are countless others that are also waiting for “the other shoe to drop”, and I believe that it could literally happen at any time.

But for now we wait.

I would encourage you to enjoy these remaining days of summer while you still can.  This weekend, put some burgers on the grill and enjoy some time with your family.  Unfortunately, there are many Americans that are under such financial stress that it is hard to enjoy much of anything right now.  In fact, one recent survey found that 50 percent or more of the households in some of our largest cities are currently facing “serious financial problems”…

There’s no question the coronavirus pandemic has forced many Americans into financial hardship, but a new NPR/Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation survey provided a clearer picture of the extent of the struggles in the United States’ four largest cities.

At least half of all households in those cities — 53 percent in New York City, 56 percent in Los Angeles, 50 percent in Chicago, and 63 percent in Houston — reported facing serious financial problems, including depleted savings, problems paying credit card bills, and affording medical bills.

How can that be possible if we are in the midst of a tremendous “recovery”?

Of course the truth is that we aren’t in any sort of a recovery, but at least things are a whole lot better than they will be after the upcoming election.

I had such an ominous feeling coming into 2020, and I shared this repeatedly with my readers, and now I have such an ominous feeling about the rest of 2020 and beyond.

In particular, I am extremely concerned about what will happen in November.  No matter who is ultimately declared the winner, the other side is going to be convinced that the election was stolen from them and that is likely to throw our nation into a state of chaos.

And we are already being told that we probably will not know the winner until long after election day.  That period of uncertainty is almost certainly going to spark more civil unrest, and I believe that faith in the integrity of our elections will be greatly shaken.

Before I end this article, there is one more thing that I wanted to mention that I found to be extremely interesting.  This year the Federal Reserve has been buying up mortgage bonds worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and according to Mish Shedlock the Fed now owns nearly a third of that entire market…

• The Fed has snapped up $1 trillion of mortgage bonds since March. It bought around $300 billion of the bonds in each of March and April, and since then has been buying about $100 billion a month.
• The Fed now owns almost a third of bonds backed by home loans in the U.S.
• Buying the securities has pushed mortgage rates lower, with the average 30-year rate falling to 2.91% as of last week from 3.3% in early February.
• Morgan Stanley analysts pointed out in late March that the buying was running at eight times the pace seen in prior episodes of Fed purchasing under programs known as quantitative easing.

No matter who wins the election, the direction of the Fed is not going to change.  They are going to continue to engage in exceedingly reckless manipulation of the markets, and that is going to have very serious long-term implications.

All around us, we can see our society being thrown into convulsions as all of our systems begin to fail.

I know that so many of you out there are feeling the exact same way that I am.

A sense of anticipation hangs in the air, and millions of people are waiting for the next big crisis to erupt.

***Michael’s new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.***

About the Author: My name is Michael Snyder and my brand new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available on Amazon.com.  By purchasing the book you help to support the work that my wife and I are doing, and by giving it to others you help to multiply the impact that we are having on people all over the globe.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  In addition to my new book, I have written four others that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned)  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.  During these very challenging times, people will need hope more than ever before, and it is our goal to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as we possibly can.

The post If You Feel Like Something Really, Really Bad Is About To Happen, You Are Definitely Not Alone appeared first on The Economic Collapse.

I like to think of myself as a minimalist but then I realize that is probably not the case considering all the stuff I carry …

Read moreBuild a Wallet Survival Kit: 10 Must-Have Essentials and How-To

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Written by Wild Bill on The Prepper Journal.

All of us at The Prepper Journal want to wish you and your families a safe holiday season. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.

The post Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah appeared first on The Prepper Journal.

The post THE ULTIMATE GOLD PORTFOLIO: GRAN COLOMBIA (TPRFF)! first appeared on SHTF Plan – When It Hits The Fan, Don't Say We Didn't Warn You.

Some people may want to stand out when it comes to their fashion sense. However, when there are dangerous protests or mass gathering, you’d want to blend in easily. Here’s how to become the Gray Man and do just that.

Becoming the Gray Man

For many years, I have been reading articles about becoming a Gray Man. You may have been wondering why people are preparing for something like this.

Now, we are looking at a profoundly serious situation where who you are and what you believe can really dictate your level of safety when you are in certain groups of people. Just imagine wearing a ruby red MAGA hat and walk through an Antifa or BLM protest at dusk. Things are going to get bad for you, quickly.

Blending in is quite simple if you have the right things on hand

Your Gray Man Kit 

While many people like the idea of dressing each day as an inconspicuous gray man, I enjoy wearing shirts and hats with emblems on them. I like being an individual. I think that is true about most Americans. Also, we don’t like the idea of people or situations being so messed up that we literally must regulate what we wear.

To mitigate this, you can create a simple grey man kit:

1. Hat

One of the quickest ways to jump into grey man status is to have a plain earth tone hat on. Something with a nice, curved brim that covers a bit of your face. These hats are cheap and easy to find. Start building your kit with one of these hats.

You can swap out another hat, disguise your hair, or even help disguise your gender if these things are necessary.

2. Shirt 

Americans wear their emotions, hobbies, and passions on their T-shirts. We are living through a time where this kind of expression can be dangerous if you find yourself in a mob or in an area where you are a standout. The fact is we cannot be sure about the level of safety across the nation anymore.

White, grey, and black tee shirts can be bought for cheap and rolled down very slowly. This is the second part of your grey man kit.

3. Jacket 

You should have at least one piece in your kit that allows you to go “gray” in the weather. A simple stasher jacket can go over your larger sweatshirt or winter coat and black you out in a crowd. If you are looking to disappear in a crowd you can do that easily by throwing on an olive-drab (OD) green or black stasher jacket.

This will also help you in the cold or rain.

4. Mask

There is one standout benefit in all this pandemic madness that adds to the grey man kit. Never before have we been able to walk around with half of our face covered.

Now, we are mandated to be covered up so take that into consideration and use it to your advantage. The mask can do a lot to shield who you are in a situation where you are trying to blend in with protesters.

5. Sunglasses

Since you have a mask and you can cover up the majority of your face, you might as well carry a pair of sunglasses in your kit, too! If you can imagine a hat with sunglasses and a face mask, you would be about as unrecognizable as can be.

6. Behavior 

While the things you wear can have a strong effect on becoming a Gray Man, how you behave is just as important to your mission. You must become the crowd or the town or city in which you are traveling. You must carry yourself like those around you.

If you are walking down a busy New York City street, you better not be the guy who is on a leisurely stroll or you will stand out like a sore thumb. Conversely, if you are taking an evening stroll down Bourbon Street in Louisiana, then you shouldn’t be moving at some breakneck pace.

How you behave as a Gray Man can often be one of the biggest means of blending in. Even someone who may not be dressed the part can certainly fit in by how they talk and act in the crowd.

Don’t Forget Your Purpose

Becoming the Gray Man requires thought. It is about a lot more than just the type of backpack you carry. If you are planning on entering a new area or a dangerous area and attempting to blend in, you should do your due diligence.

Do some research on where you are going and the types of people who live there. Be able to speak to local issues, events, and sports. Also, do some research on popular places that are around the area. It all pays off.

The final note on this subject is to not enjoy it too much! Get out of harm’s way as quickly as possible, no matter how good at being the Gray man you are!

Have you tried becoming a Gray Man before? Share with us your tips on how to seamlessly blend in a crowd in the comments section!

Up Next:

• Urban Survival Tactic: How To Become A Gray Man
• Art of Concealment | How To Make A Camouflage Suit
• How To Practice Leave No Trace Camping

While there are ways to make your own emergency food kit, it takes time, effort, and expertise. If you don’t know the right ways to …

Read moreBePrepared Emergency Food Survival Kit Review

The post BePrepared Emergency Food Survival Kit Review appeared first on Survival Cache.

We are not going to know the winner of the presidential election on the night of November 3rd.  Sadly, we almost certainly won’t know the winner the next day either.  In fact, it may be many weeks before a winner is formally declared.  Laws have been passed all over the country to make voting by mail much easier, and it is being very heavily promoted in many states.  It is being projected that at least 83 percent of all U.S. voters will be eligible to vote by mail in November, and that is an astounding number.  If all of those people actually did vote by mail, more than 190 million votes would go through our postal system.  But of course many people will continue to show up in person and vote the old-fashioned way.  We will get the results from those that vote in person on election day very rapidly like we normally do, but it may take a very long time before all of the mail-in votes are tallied.  As I will explain in this article, this has the potential to create some enormous problems.

It is being generally assumed by the political “experts” that Trump will do very well among those that show up in person to vote and that Biden will do very well among those that vote by mail.

If that assumption is true, some Democrats are warning that it could look like Trump will win the election based on the results that we are given on the night of November 3rd, but once all of the mail-in votes are counted Biden will actually be the true winner.

Specifically, this is a narrative that Democratic pollster Josh Mendelsohn is now pushing heavily.  According to a “scenario” modeled by his firm, the results on election night could show Trump winning 408 electoral votes…

“We are sounding an alarm and saying that this is a very real possibility, that the data is going to show on election night an incredible victory for Donald Trump,” HawkFish CEO Josh Mendelsohn said in an interview with Axios on HBO.

One scenario modeled by Mendelsohn’s polling firm even shows Trump prevailing in the Electoral College on election night, winning 408 electoral votes compared to just 130 for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

Could you imagine the euphoria of Trump supporters if this is what the numbers actually show on the night of November 3rd?

Everyone would be talking about a “Trump landslide” and there would be wild dancing in the streets in many red states.

But Mendelsohn is anticipating that only about 15 percent of all mail-in votes will be counted by election night, and he believes that once all of the mail-in votes are counted that Biden will be declared the true winner…

That scenario accounts for the idea that just 15 percent of mail-in votes will be counted by election night. In that event, the model suggests, Biden could prevail days later — if counting goes smoothly — by 334 electoral votes to 204 for Trump.

“When every legitimate vote is tallied and we get to that final day, which will be some day after Election Day, it will in fact show that what happened on election night was exactly that, a mirage,” Mendelsohn said.

I don’t even want to imagine the uproar that would be created if such a scenario actually played out.

Even if there was no vote fraud, and even if every single vote was counted accurately, tens of millions of people would still be absolutely convinced that the election was stolen from Trump.

And even Mendelsohn is admitting that the outcome he is projecting would “shake the losing side’s faith in the integrity of the election”.

Personally, I think that mail-in voting is such a bad idea no matter which party it favors.  It opens up so many opportunities for potential vote fraud, and the delay in getting the results is very bad for our nation.

I believe that we will see some precincts in some swing states with a voter participation rate of more than 100 percent this year.  In other words, I believe that in some precincts the number of votes cast will actually outnumber the true number of actual voters.

Let’s keep a close eye on the results as they come in throughout the month of November and see if I am actually correct.  In my opinion there is going to be quite a bit of monkey business going on with mail-in ballots, and President Trump has been greatly concerned about mail-in ballots as well.  In fact, on Wednesday he once again expressed his concern that the upcoming election could be rigged…

Wednesday: Trump retweeted an article from a conservative publication that raised questions about the impact of mail-in voting on the upcoming election and added his own editorial comment. “Rigged election?” he asked.

I have always believed that voters should be required to vote in person as much as possible and that paper ballots should always be used.  Those two measures alone would certainly not completely fix our system, but they would definitely go a long way toward restoring integrity to the voting process.

As it stands now, we are heading into a nightmare election.  We all know that it is exceedingly unlikely that Trump will concede on election night, and Hillary Clinton continues to insist that Joe Biden should not concede under any circumstances…

In a rare joint interview with American Urban Radio Washington Bureau Chief April Ryan, Hillary Clinton added to her demands that Democrat Joe Biden not concede on election night, and Bill Clinton suggested that Trump will reinforce the White House to keep officials from pulling him out on Inauguration Day.

“Do not concede under any circumstance because I believe the other side is going to cheat and sneak and try everything they possibly can,” said Hillary Clinton in the “#COVID Conversations” interview broadcast via Instagram.

So we are probably going to have to wait for weeks before every vote is finally counted.

And then if it is still very close, there will probably be legal challenges which will have to work their way through the courts.

If things are tight enough, we may not have a formal winner until some time in 2021.

No matter who ends up being victorious, I believe that the election of 2020 is going to be a nightmare for America.  It is likely that we will see vote fraud on a scale that we have never seen before, millions of those on the losing side will probably never accept the final result as legitimate, and the chaos caused by a contested outcome could result in even more violence in our streets.

We will see what happens, but right now I have a very, very bad feeling about what is going to happen in November.

***Michael’s new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.***

About the Author: My name is Michael Snyder and my brand new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available on Amazon.com.  By purchasing the book you help to support the work that my wife and I are doing, and by giving it to others you help to multiply the impact that we are having on people all over the globe.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  In addition to my new book, I have written four others that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned)  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.  During these very challenging times, people will need hope more than ever before, and it is our goal to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as we possibly can.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I am a Vortex Optics fan. When people ask my opinion on a rifle or pistol scope, the answer …

Read moreVortex Venom vs Viper Sights: Head to Head Comparison

The post Vortex Venom vs Viper Sights: Head to Head Comparison appeared first on Survival Cache.

It looks like we are headed for the most chaotic presidential election in modern U.S. history.  According to some estimates, somewhere around 40 percent of all U.S. voters will vote by mail this year.  That means that tens of millions of votes will be going through the postal system, and that has the potential to create all sorts of problems.  For one thing, it is going to take a lot of extra time to open those ballots and count them.  For states that allow mail-in votes to be counted in advance, that shouldn’t delay final results by too much, but in other states we are facing the possibility of a nightmare scenario.  There are certain states that are not allowed to start counting any ballots until the polls close on election day, and that includes key swing states such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania…

In several states not accustomed to high volumes of mail-in voting, including Rust Belt swing states Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, election officials cannot start counting ballots until voting ends on election night. Other swing states, such as Minnesota, allow absentee ballots to be postmarked up to Election Day.

So as we all watch the election results come in on the night of November 3rd, what we will be getting will only be partial results.

And at this point the mainstream media is assuming that the votes that are cast in person will heavily favor President Trump, and so they are warning us that there could be a “red mirage” scenario in which it appears that Trump is easily winning an election that he has actually lost.

Of course if Trump builds a huge lead on election night, he is likely to declare victory, and Facebook has already stated that they intend to “flag” any such attempt…

Facebook plans to flag any attempt by the Trump campaign to declare a premature victory in the presidential race on the platform, the company announced on Thursday.

The social media giant, which has come in for heavy criticism for failing to police foreign and domestic elections propaganda on its network, also said it would not accept any new political ads in the final week of the 2020 presidential race.

This is one of the reasons why I have always been strongly against mail-in voting.  Our nation is likely to be thrown into a state of chaos in November because it is going to take so long to count all the votes.  President Trump and his supporters will be absolutely convinced that they have won the election if they have a big lead on election night, and Joe Biden and his supporters will be absolutely convinced that they will be victorious once all of the mail-in votes are finally counted.  And then no matter what the final result is, about half the country will not be willing to accept it as legitimate.

This is going to be such a disaster, but nobody can do anything about it now.  All we can do is watch this slow-motion train wreck play out.

Biden supporters are already pointing to a recent poll which shows that Biden voters are far more likely to vote by mail than Trump supporters are…

Forty-seven percent of voters who plan to vote for Biden say they are likely to vote by mail, according to a USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll released Wednesday. That’s more than double the 21% of voters backing Trump who say they are likely to vote by mail. The poll found 56% of Republicans say they intend to vote on Election Day, compared with 26% of Democrats.

If all of the votes were counted and released at one time, this wouldn’t be so much of a problem.

But instead most of the results that we will get on election night will be from in-person voting, and most of the mail-in votes will be counted some time later.

At this point, everyone should be able to see that this is almost certainly not going to end well.

So many Trump voters prefer to vote the old-fashioned way, while many Democrats are very eager to vote by mail, and this has created a huge disparity in ballot requests in some of the most critical swing states.  Just check out these numbers…

In Pennsylvania – a state Trump won in 2016 but where polling shows him behind – nearly 900,000 Democrats have requested a mail ballot for the election, more than twice the 347,000 Republicans who have done so. In North Carolina, another state Trump won in 2016 but where he and Biden are in a close race, nearly 313,000 Democrats requested mail ballots compared with nearly 93,000 Republicans.

We are seeing similar numbers in other states, and this is one of the reasons why Joe Biden will not concede no matter how large Trump’s lead on election night is.

This thing could end up dragging out for an extended period of time, and that is extremely unfortunate.

And the truth is that we may never even know the true winner of the 2020 election.  Voting by mail opens up so many opportunities for fraud, and large numbers of ballots never even get delivered to the intended voters in the first place.  As Breitbart has reported, 17 percent of the ballots that were sent out to registered voters in Nevada for their primary in June came back as “undeliverable”…

Last month, the Trump campaign filed suit against Nevada for their universal mail-in voting plans that would allow votes submitted after election day to count for the election. More than 223,000 mail-in ballots sent to registered voters in Las Vegas, Nevada, for their June primary bounced as “undeliverable” — 17 percent of the total 1,325,934 mail-in ballots that were sent out in the county.

Over the next couple of months, tens of millions of ballots are going to be floating around out there, and many will end up in the hands of people that should not have them.  For example, Hulk Hogan says that one of his friends just received a ballot that was addressed to his dog…

Crazy stuff, a friend of mine just got a mail in ballot for his dog Nugget? Now even dogs can vote!

How does something like that happen?

Another thing to watch out for is “ballot harvesting”.  Democrats have become masters of this practice, and they used it with devastating effectiveness in California in 2018.  Now they are deploying this tactic all over the nation, and very alarming incidents of abuse are already being reported…

Furthermore, a citizen journalist reported that Democrats were harvesting mail-in ballots from nursing homes in Texas by fraudulently submitting ballot applications in bulk.

The journalist said that at least 32 applications supposedly from elderly voters were all submitted with the exact same handwriting, and were all submitted using the same pre-printed envelope with the same-style stamp.

In the end, we should all want a legitimate outcome.  The integrity of our elections is of paramount importance, and the will of the American people should be respected.

But I don’t think that any of us will ever be able to feel good about the outcome of this election no matter who ends up winning.

Needless to say, the losing side is likely to be absolutely enraged over an election that they feel has been stolen from them, and that is likely to make the current chaos in our streets even worse.

At this point, even the Washington Post is warning that this election is likely to end “catastrophically”…

Perspective: The election will likely spark violence — and a constitutional crisis.

In every scenario except a Biden landslide, our simulation ended catastrophically.

For once, I actually agree with the Washington Post.

I have a hard time trying to imagine how this election could possibly end well.

Right now, Trump and his supporters are convinced that Trump will win, and Biden and his supporters are convinced that Biden will win.

One side is going to be bitterly, bitterly disappointed, and they will almost certainly feel like the election was not won legitimately.

There is going to be so much anger, and when it explodes it is going to be very frightening to watch.

This is already such a dark chapter in American history, and this election is going to take things to an entirely new level.

Sadly, I believe that after November 2020 nothing in this country will ever be the same again.

***Michael’s new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.***

About the Author: My name is Michael Snyder and my brand new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available on Amazon.com.  By purchasing the book you help to support the work that my wife and I are doing, and by giving it to others you help to multiply the impact that we are having on people all over the globe.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  In addition to my new book, I have written four others that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned)  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.  During these very challenging times, people will need hope more than ever before, and it is our goal to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as we possibly can.

Knives are one of the staple tools any decently prepared person will keep with them at all times. You don’t have to be a Prepper or a Survivalist to understand the value of a knife in everyday life, and clip one to your waistband before you leave the house everyday.

But what if you found yourself in a situation without your knife? Or you were somehow left with only one knife, and you didn’t want to use it for a particularly messy task?

Knowing how to make primitive stone tools will come in handy if you ever find yourself in a long-term SHTF situation. You won’t be able to pop over to the hardware store for a new blade, and over time it’s easy to misplace or break the ones you have.

Making your own sharp tools isn’t hard, although it takes practice to perfect your technique. If you ever find yourself in need of a razor-sharp edge, you may be surprised how accessible they are to you. You don’t have to feel bad about using and disposing of these blades because you can always make more when you need them!

Choose the Right Kind of Rock

Not all rocks will easily splinter into the sharp edges that you’ll need; you’re most likely to find the right types next to a stream or river. Flint, chert, jasper, chalcedony, quartz, and obsidian all make for effective cutting tools.

If you’re not well-versed in identifying types of rocks (oh, you didn’t major in Geology?), look for:

• fine grained stones with a consistent texture
• rocks that have the highest pitch when tapped
• stones that do not have existing cracks or fissures

Still not sure? Start testing different rocks and see what results you get. Over time, you will recognize the ones that have become effective tools for you.

Cutting Stone Creation Techniques

When you are breaking rocks apart, keep in mind that they are extremely hard and unpredictable. You will want to protect your eyes and your skin to avoid potentially debilitating injuries.

Rock Bash

Rock Bashing is a very rudimentary way to create sharp flakes of rocks. Lay out your potential cutting tool rocks on the ground, and find a much larger, heavier rock (but you must be able to lift it above your head). Throw the large rock at the small rocks until they splinter, and check what kinds of pieces you have created.

Bipolar Percussion

 

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A post shared by Mickey (@wildfirebushcraft) on Mar 26, 2018 at 5:33pm PDT

This is the most effective way to break a stone into two useable pieces.

Find a large stone to act as the anvil under your potential cutting tool stone. Stand your subject stone up tall on the anvil rock, and strike it hard with a large hammer stone.

The hammer stone should be at least 5x bigger than the subject stone.

It should only take a few good strikes to create sharp pieces that are immediately useable.

Percussion Flaking

Flints, cherts, obsidians, and glass can all be flaked by striking their edges with your hammer stone.

This is a more controlled way to shape the edge into a flat spear. It is also more difficult, as most rocks are too brittle or too dense to flake.

There are few more universally necessary tools than a knife, and you should store several knives of varying lengths, as well as a sharpener to keep the blades razor-sharp. But if you find yourself in need of an effective cutting edge, you can fall back on these tried-and-true methods of creating your own.