I recently discovered my new favorite knot.

It’s known as the lineman’s loop or the alpine butterfly knot.

Why is it my new favorite knot? A few reasons: First, it’s just a lot of fun to tie. It’s really easy, so easy, my 9-year-old picked it up in a minute. Now I have a rope with a bunch of alpine butterfly knots on it.

Beyond that, it’s just an incredibly useful knot. It creates a loop in the middle of the rope that is capable of withstanding heavy loads from any direction, making it an excellent choice for mountaineers, rock climbers, and rescue professionals who demand a knot that won’t give under pressure.

You can also use the alpine butterfly to create loops mid-line so that you can clip gear to it to keep your stuff off the ground while camping.

The alpine butterfly can be used to isolate damaged sections of rope as well. Let’s say you got a bit of frayed rope. Make that the loop of your alpine butterfly, and you’ve removed the frayed portion of the rope.  

While this knot is incredibly strong and secure, it can be untied easily, even after being subjected to intense strain.

Whether you’re embarking on a climbing expedition, preparing for a rescue mission, or simply setting up a hammock in your backyard, the alpine butterfly offers a strong, secure, and easy-to-tie knot for getting the job done.

The post My New Favorite Knot appeared first on The Art of Manliness.

When this week’s podcast guest, John Lisle, talked about William Fairbairn in our discussion of the Office of Strategic Services, I was duly intrigued. I wanted to learn more about the work of this fascinating character, so I bought a complete compendium of his books.

Fairbairn was a Royal Marine, learned multiple martial arts, and engaged in 600 street fights over his lifetime, which left him covered in scars from head to toe. From his firsthand experiences in what he called “gutter fighting,” he developed his own no-holds-barred close combat defense system. He trained the Shanghai police force between the world wars and Allied special operators and the OSS during WWII in it.

Much of what Fairbairn taught centered on how to escape from holds and defend against armed assaults. He also offered training on more unique skills, like how to incapacitate an attacker using a metal matchbox. 

One of the skills he shared in Get Tough! How to Win in Hand-to-Hand Fighting often shows up in the movies: taking out a guard who runs the risk of spotting you and raising the alarm as you conduct some secret op. Below you’ll find Fairbairn’s instructions for how to pull off this sneak attack.

____________________________________

The Sentry Hold

The successful execution of this method of attack on a sentry — presupposing thorough mastery of every move — depends entirely on careful preparation. First, the man selected to make the attack should be an expert at stalking. The stalk or approach should be made during the hours of dark or semi-dark, and the sentry should be kept under observation long enough for the attacker to familiarize himself with the sentry’s movements and equipment. 

Now let us assume that conditions are somewhat as follows:

The sentry’s rifle is slung or carried on his right shoulder.

He is wearing a steel helmet covering the back of his neck and his ears.

He is wearing a respirator on the small of his back, projecting as much as six inches (see Fig. 46).

There are other sentries within shouting distance.

These conditions are not too favorable for the attacker, but are what might have to be met, and training should be carried out under conditions as near as possible to those which would be met in actual war. 

Note: The stalker should not be handicapped with any equipment, other than a knife or a pistol. He should wear rubber or cloth shoes, socks pulled up well over the trousers, cap-comforter well pulled down, with the collar of his blouse turned up and his hands and face camouflaged. (See Fig. 47)

1. Approach the sentry from behind to within three to four feet and take up the position shown in Fig. 47. This will permit you to make a lightning-like attack by springing on him.

2. With the fingers and thumb of your left hand fully extended, strike him across the throat with the inner edge of your left forearm (i.e., with the forearm bone), and simultaneously punch him with your clinched right hand in the small of his back or on his respirator case (Fig. 48). 

The effect of these blows, if applied as above, will render your opponent unconscious or semi-unconscious. Further, the blow on the throat will cause your opponent to draw in his breath, making it impossible for him to shout and give the alarm. 

3. The blow should be immediately followed with a very fast movement of your right hand from the small of his back, over his right shoulder, clapping it over his mouth and nose (Fig. 49). This will prevent him from breathing or making a noise if the blow on the throat was not effectively applied. 

Very likely the blows on his throat and in the small of his back will cause him to drop his rifle or will knock his helmet off his head. Should this happen, do not attempt to prevent their falling on the ground. Just keep still for about ten seconds, after which it is unlikely that anyone having heard the noise will come to investigate. Retaining your hold around his neck with your left arm, drag him away backwards. 

Note: The extraordinary effectiveness of this hold will be readily understood if you have a friend apply it on you as above, being careful to exert no more than one-twentieth of the required force. 

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An important part of manhood has always been about having the competence to be effective in the world — having the breadth of skills, the savoir-faire, to handle any situation you find yourself in. With that in mind, each Sunday we’ll be republishing one of the illustrated guides from our archives, so you can hone your manly know-how week by week.

I’m surprised by the number of men who don’t know how to shuffle a deck of cards. But you shouldn’t have to hand the deck to your grandpa for shuffling the next time you’re playing one of the six card games every man should know. Learn how to thoroughly shuffle a deck of cards just like Gramps, with a bit of flair to boot!

Illustration by Ted Slampyak

Like this illustrated guide? Buy it as a poster!

The post Skill of the Week: Shuffle a Deck of Cards appeared first on The Art of Manliness.

An important part of manhood has always been about having the competence to be effective in the world — having the breadth of skills, the savoir-faire, to handle any situation you find yourself in. With that in mind, each Sunday we’ll be republishing one of the illustrated guides from our archives, so you can hone your manly know-how week by week.

Kicking down a locked door is almost never the best way to open it. Call a locksmith, pick the lock yourself, or attempt to crawl in a window.

But let’s say it’s an emergency. You’re in a burning house and you need to escape through a locked door. You can’t stand there fiddling with the lock! What to do? Break down that door! You know you’ve always wanted to.

Illustration by Ted Slampyak

The post Skill of the Week: Break Down a Door appeared first on The Art of Manliness.

If you live in an area that gets a lot of snow, you may invest in a snowblower to clear your driveway and walkways. But if you live somewhere that only gets snow occasionally or you simply like the fresh-air exercise that comes from removing snow manually, then you’ll be clearing the white stuff with a trusty shovel.

Anyone who’s ever shoveled snow knows that the task requires a lot of effort — equivalent to running. Along with that effort comes the risk of injuries and even death. Each year roughly 11,500 people visit the emergency room for snow-shoveling-related incidents, and around 100 die from a snow-shoveling-triggered heart attack. The job is hard on the ticker not only because it gets the heart pumping vigorously, but because cold weather also raises blood pressure, restricts arteries, and increases the likelihood of blood clots.

You should only be shoveling if you’re healthy, and even then, to avoid throwing your back out and to simply make the job quicker and less arduous, it pays to know how to shovel efficiently and effectively. The above tips can help with that.

If you’re expecting a lot of snow, don’t wait for it to stop falling before you start shoveling. It will be easier to shovel one fresh layer off and then a second a few hours later, then it will be to face a thick accumulated mass of it, especially if you allow it to be packed and trampled down before you begin the removal process.

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The three-point turn is used when you need to turn around, but the street is too narrow to complete a U-turn. You also might use it when you need to turn around when you’ve driven between two rows of cars in a parking lot and reach a dead end. 

It’s a basic driving maneuver that you probably learned in drivers’ ed and had to perform to get your license. You’d think a grown man would have it down pat. 

But that’s not always the case.

Awhile back ago we and some friends watched as a guy reached the entrance gate of a national park, realized he couldn’t get in, and attempted to turn around to drive back out.

Over the course of this agonizing attempt, what should have been a three-point turn turned into a six-point turn. 

If you could use a refresher on this driving technique, here’s how to smoothly perform a three-point turn.

Illustration by Ted Slampyak

The post How to Perform a Three-Point Turn appeared first on The Art of Manliness.

The bicycle is one of the greatest tools of self-reliance. 

Without any need for electricity or gas, it can carry you far distances. 

But bikes only work towards your self-sufficiency if you know how to maintain them. They may have fewer complications than an automobile, but they’re still machines that can break down and need to be repaired.  

Several years ago Kate and I bought some bikes for ourselves (our kids already had them) so we could take family rides on Tulsa’s many pleasant bike paths. But I realized that I didn’t know beans about how to maintain our new purchases. If one of us got a flat tire, I wouldn’t know how to patch it. If my brakes were acting wonky, I’d be hosed. 

So I set out to learn some basic bike maintenance and repair. It’s been fun. I thought I’d share what I’ve learned with you all in a new series: Bike Maintenance 101. 

In today’s inaugural class, we’re kicking things off with how to patch a hole in your inner tube. I remember watching my dad patch a hole on one of my bike tires as a kid. It looked like a huge pain in the butt. But I learned that it’s surprisingly easy. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Remove Wheel

Let’s get that wheel off so we can get to our flat inner tube.

I like to flip my bike upside down. It makes it easier to work with your wheel. I don’t have one of those fancy bike holders you use to work on your bike.

Getting wheels off a bike is a breeze with today’s quick-release systems. It’s pretty much the same for all bikes. The only difference you’ll encounter is how you’ll disconnect your brakes. That will depend on what type of brakes you have on your bike. Here’s how I removed the wheel on my bike with v-brakes. 

It’s really easy to disconnect a v-brake. You squeeze the two brake arms together and unlatch the cradle from the noodle (that’s the thing with the rubber tip on it).

Flip the quick-release lever open and unscrew it until you have enough space to remove the wheel. 

You don’t have to take the quick-release rod out of the hub, but if you want to, that’s fine. I think it’s easier to work with the tire without the quick-release rod still in the hub, so I take it out.

Wheel removed!

Step 2: Remove Tire From Wheel With Tire Levers

Time to get the tire off the wheel so we can get to the inner tube. Tire levers will make this job much easier. You can buy them on Amazon. They’re cheap.

Place your first tire lever between the wheel and the tire. You want to get the lever underneath the lip of the tire so you can pry it away from the wheel.

To keep the lip of the tire from going back into the wheel, hook the tire lever into one of the spokes. This will keep your tire and wheel separated, making it much easier to get the rest of the tire off of your wheel.

Place the second tire lever next to your first tire lever. Get it under the lip of the tire. You’ll slide this lever around your wheel to separate the rest of the tire from the wheel.

Here’s what your tire will start looking like as you slide that second tire lever around your wheel. It’s hard at first, but gets easier as you progress. As you can see, more and more of the tire lip is over the rim of the wheel.

Tire successfully removed from wheel. Now it’s time to remove the inner tube from the tire.

Step 3: Remove Inner Tube From Tire

Inner tube will be tucked inside your tire. Just pull it out.

Step 4: Find Hole

There’s the hole.

Step 5: Prepare Hole for Patching

Get your patch kit.

Inside my patch kit is a metal square that has a bunch of little bumps on it. It’s almost like a cheese grater. Use it to lightly scuff up the area on and around the hole. If you don’t have a little metal cheese grater in your patch kit, you can use sandpaper to prep your patch area. The scuffing will give greater adhesion to the patch.

Step 6: Apply Rubber Cement

Use a moderate amount of rubber cement. Spread it evenly around an area 1/2″ around your hole.

Step 7: Apply Patch

Pick an appropriate sized patch for your hole. Since mine is so small, I used the smallest patch. Remove the foil backing and stick patch onto the hole.

Peel away the plastic film on top of the patch. Press edges down firmly. Bam! Hole is patched.

Step 8: Put Inner Tube Back in Tire and Tire Back on Wheel

Inner tube back in tire.

Tire back on wheel. Getting the tire back on the wheel can be a bit tricky. You may need to use your tire levers to help you get the lip of the tire inside the wheel’s rim. Just make sure you don’t pinch your inner tube between the tire and the wheel. You’ll risk creating a puncture in your inner tube. Once you get your tire back on the wheel, inflate your inner tube and then put your wheel back on your bike.

You can patch your inner tube a few times and not have a problem. If you have more than three patches, you might start noticing that your tire goes flat overnight and you have to pump it up if you want to use it. After your third patch, chuck your old inner tube and replace it with a new one.

The post Bike Maintenance 101: How to Patch an Inner Tube appeared first on The Art of Manliness.

Last year, we noticed that our clothes would take a lot longer to dry in the dryer. After the typical drying cycle would finish, our clothes would still be damp, and would have to be put through another go round.

Before calling a repairman, I did some Google sleuthing and learned we likely had a blocked dryer vent. When you run your dryer, it releases excess hot air to the outside. This is why you can smell fabric softener wafting from some of the homes in your neighborhood. It’s coming from the dryer vent.

Lint can catch a ride with the hot air that flows from your dryer and clog up the vent that connects the dryer to the outside. That’s what had happened in our case; I just needed to clean the vent out, and we’d be back in business.

It’s an easy job and can be completed in less than 30 minutes. You should do it every six months or so to avoid heavy build-up. Regularly cleaning out your dryer vent will give you drier clothes in less time, save you money on your electric bill, prolong the life of your dryer, and even prevent a house fire. (Fast fact: According to FEMA, 2,900 fires are caused by home dryers each year in the U.S. and cause an estimated five deaths, 100 injuries, and $35 million in property loss).

Here’s how to clean out your dryer vent. Get the job done this weekend.

Buy a Dryer Vent Cleaning Kit

You can buy an inexpensive dryer vent cleaning kit at Home Depot. It comes with a brush to clean out the lint trap, a 10-foot dryer duct snake brush, and a vacuum attachment to clean out the lint trap. Mine set me back $17.

You can buy dryer-duct snake brushes that can be attached to your power drill. I’ve used one of these before and didn’t think there was much difference in effectiveness between it and the manual brush.

Clean Out the Lint Trap

Open up your dryer door and remove the lint filter.

Take your lint trap brush and brush out the lint trap.

You’re going to find big lumps of lint sticking to the brush. Remove that lint and keep brushing out the lint trap until your brush comes out clean.

Next, put the vacuum attachment on your vacuum and vacuum out the lint trap. We’re aiming to get the small stuff that our lint brush didn’t pick up.

Once you’re satisfied with the cleanliness of your lint trap, replace the lint filter. Time to move to the back of the dryer.

Clean Out the Interior Vent Duct and Back of the Dryer

Pull your dryer from the wall and disconnect the power cord and the duct that connects your dryer to the dryer vent.

Use your lint brush and vacuum to clean out your dryer’s exhaust.

Next, turn your attention to the duct that connects into the vent hole on the interior side of your wall. Grab your snake brush and stick it in there as far as it can go. Spin it around a few times. Pull it out. You’ll likely have globs of lint on your brush. Remove the lint and stick the brush back in. Spin. Pull out. Repeat until you no longer have any lint on your brush when you pull it out. 

Vacuum out the duct with your attachment.

If you want, you can remove the duct from the vent hole on the wall; it will allow you to get further up the vent with your brush and vacuum. I didn’t want to because detaching and reattaching my duct is a pain in the butt. I still got plenty of lint out.

While you’ve got your dryer pulled out from the wall, vacuum all the crap behind it. It gets pretty messy back there.

Reconnect the duct to your dryer, plug the dryer in, and push it back to the wall. Time to move outside.

Clean Out the Exterior Vent Exhaust

You need to locate the dryer vent on the exterior side of your house. In most homes, the dryer vent runs horizontally through the wall to the outside. You just need to go to the place on the exterior of your home where your laundry room is, more or less, and you’ll usually see the vent’s exhaust on the wall nearby.

But the dryer vent goes straight up and exits out on the roof in some homes. These types of set-ups are trickier to clean on your own. You’ll probably want to call an expert to do the job, and the service will set you back about $100.

Once you’ve located the vent’s exterior exhaust, remove any covering flaps and stick your snake brush inside it. Repeat until you no longer have any lint on your brush when you pull it out.

That’s alotta lint, boys.

Do a test run on your dryer to ensure everything is working correctly when that’s done.

Bam! You’ve cleaned out your dryer vent.

The post How to Clean Out Your Dryer Vent appeared first on The Art of Manliness.

A knife’s functionality is only as good as its maintenance. Although there are dozens of ways to sharpen knives, this basic technique goes a long way toward keeping your blade keen enough to do most jobs with ease. Sharp blades mean smoother cuts, which are safer because they require less force. You can find more details on knife sharpening here.

Illustration by Ted Slampyak

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