Make a Razor Blade and Milk Carton Survival Knife
Everyone should have a good survival and pocket knife on hand in every bug-out-bag and survival kit. However, it’s also a good idea to have a backup knife in case these get lost or damaged. Let’s take a look at a very simple way that you can create an effective emergency knife with little more than a good blade and some plastic from a milk carton.
What You Need
You will need a good razor blade, milk carton, piece of cardboard, a pair of scissors, some paracord, a marker, some duct tape and super glue. You can use any kind of blade you want, from a sharp rhino knife to one that you’ve fashioned out of some scrap metal. However, for the sake of simplicity, we will work with your typical razor or box-cutter blade since they are readily available.
Making the Handle and Sheath
The first step is to fashion the plastic from your milk carton into a sheath that will hold the base of the blade. You will also want one to cover the business end of the blade so that you can store and transport the knife safely. Cut the plastic and cardboard into 3×5 inch pieces. Place the blade on top of one corner of the plastic.
Put half of the blade over the plastic and let the other half stick out from the edge. Draw a line on the plastic from top to bottom along the point where the back end of the blade rests on the plastic. Fold the plastic inward along this line and mark it off before unfolding it again. This will double the length of the plastic to be used as the base for the handle. Cut out this piece of plastic and set aside.
The next step is to place a piece of cardboard underneath the exposed part of the blade and allow it to slightly overlap the plastic. Draw a line on the cardboard from top to bottom just beyond the edge of the tip of the blade. Fold the cardboard back over itself in order to double its size, mark it off and cut as you did with the plastic. The finished product will be a piece of plastic and cardboard that will cover the entire blade on the top and bottom.
Fold the plastic in half and place the handle-end of the blade against the edge. Take a few drops of super glue and place them on top of the blade. Press the top half of the plastic against the blade and hold until the glue dries. Turn the blade over and repeat the process on the other side. The plastic should now be firmly attached to both sides of the blade-handle. If not, add some more glue to make the fitting more secure.
Building up the Handle and Sheath
Take a couple of strips of duct tape and wrap it over the plastic handle. Take your paracord and wind it around the handle so that it is covers all but about ¼ inch of plastic closest to the blade. Place a couple of drops of super glue onto the plastic and paracord as you wrap. Start from the back and work your way towards the front. Cut off the excess paracord and tuck in the loose end underneath the edge of the cordage that is wrapped around the handle and add a couple more drops of super glue for good measure. Press firmly until the glue has set and the paracord is firmly attached to the handle.
For the sheath, you don’t need to add any paracord. However, you should wrap some duct tape around the cardboard in order to reinforce and protect it from getting wet, torn or from disintegrating. You should be able to insert the sheath over the exposed plastic over the handle of the blade. This will provide a little bit of grip to prevent the sheath from slipping off. If it does slip off, add a little more duct tape around the cardboard in order to compress it and create a tighter fit.
The end result should be a knife that is at least a couple of inches long and easy to conceal, store or transport. While this knife will not have the same strength or leverage as your regular ones, it will make an excellent alternative if needed. Try it for yourself and feel free to improvise in order to create an effective and practical backup knife that will come in handy when you need it the most.
