Tiny Survival Kit

Here is the tiny survival kit, made from a CO2 cartridge commonly found in bb guns or soda stream machines. It's small enough to put on your key chain but has enough space inside to fit some matches, fish hooks, fishing line a blade with a saw on the back, some gaffa tape, and some O rings that can be used as fire starters. It also has a key ring that can be used as a handle for the blade or saw, the container can also be used for a fishing float, and a straw to help blow on a fire or suck up some water from a shallow puddle or pool

You will need the usual assortment of hand tools and a vice, plus an empty CO2 canister, keyring, O rings and anything you would like to put on the inside. You could put money or a small first aid kit inside, photos, a crypto key, anything you like really.

Learning Intentions

• To work safely in the workshop.
• To build a survival kit using a CO2 canister and instructions.
• To use hand tools correctly and safely.
• To use a soldering iron correctly and safely.
• To be a self-directed learner.

Success Criteria

• I understand the safety rules and I am working safely in the workshop.
• I can follow the instructions independently.
• I can produce a survival kit and follow the instructions.
• I can safely use marking out tools, soldering iron and files correctly.

Before you start be aware that this is not the easiest project, the cartage is a slippery kind of shape, so needs to be well set up to drill the end with a Vee block and a spacer to hold it in the drill press, even then it tries to wriggle around and it quite difficult to drill the hole centred and straight. It helps if it is centre punched first and drill very slowly with about a 3.5 mm drill. The burr on the hole can be then fixed with a large drill to give a nice chamfer

• If you have not cut tubes using this technique before, have practice on a piece of scrap first.
• Choose a very fine tooth blade at least 32 inches per inch, as shown in the photo.
• Next, wrap some tape around the tube so it overlaps perfectly inline, ensuring the cut is square.
• Next us the tape a guide cut through the tube a little bit at a time and keeps rotating the tube so you can follow the edge of the tape.
• Your goal is to have a perfectly square and straight cut that has no bumps in the cut line.

Cutting the canister is also quite tricky, if you are not confident have practice on some scrap first, when wrapping the tape around the canister make sure it's not too close to the end, you need to be cutting on the tube part of the canister, not the domed end.

• Choose a very fine tooth blade at least 32 teeth per inch.
• Next wrap some tape around the tube so it overlaps perfectly inline, ensuring the cut is square.
• Next us the tape a guide cut through the tube a little bit at a time and keep rotating the tube so you can follow the edge of the tape.
• Make sure you take your time and be as accurate as possible.
• Your goal is to have a perfectly square and straight cut that has no bumps in the cut line.

There are going to be burrs from the cut, which can be sanded smooth, if there is a large bump from the cut not lining up correctly you may have to use a file to smooth it out. Sand the inside of the canister also.

Next, make the insert.

• You will need a piece of galv sheet metal that is about .55mm thick and around 30mm wide.
• I made a tool to wrap the sheet around which is just a 13mm tube with a hacksaw cut on one side.
• Simply slide the end of the sheet metal into the tube and wrap it around the tube you may need to use a hammer to get a tight bend.
• If you are very good with tin snips you can cut the excess of the end of the insert and the "tag" that is left from bending it around the tube.
• An easier method is using a hacksaw to cut the sheet if the insert is held in the vice on the ends.
• The insert can have the sharp corners cut off and then be sanded with some scotch bright

The insert can now be fitted to the domed end and held in place with a small amount of solder. It will take a little time to get everything hot enough for the solder to melt and any excess solder can be filed and sanded with some scotch bright.

The corners of the insert can be bent to give nice friction fit into the tube.

The tiny Knife can be made with a hacksaw blade, just mark out how long the blade needs to be to fit inside the canister and break it off with a hammer in the vice. Hacksaw blades are very hard do not try to cut them with another hacksaw or tinsnips as it will damage the tool. The blade can be sharpened up with a grinder and some gaffa tape wrapped around the end if you wish. The keyring can be fitted to the blade as a handle when in use.