r/PrimitiveTechnology May 08 '26

OFFICIAL Primitive Technology: Mud mortar experiment and firing roof tiles

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162 Upvotes

r/PrimitiveTechnology Jun 12 '26

OFFICIAL Primitive Technology | Building Walls with Fired Bricks and Mud Mortar

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118 Upvotes

r/PrimitiveTechnology 6d ago

Discussion Primitive Satchel

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24 Upvotes

I made a 18cm by 21cm satchel from left over pieces of pure Icelandic wool yarn. The wiry hairs you can see are one of the unique features of this wool, and lend to its water resistance!

The toggle came off an old secondhand raincoat many months ago, that had since been rolling around in my odds and ends basket. I'm still pondering how to line it or if I should at all.

For the next satchel or shoulder bag that I make I would like to stick to one uniform colour, preferably using undyed yarn or jute~ and then I would like to carve my own button or toggle.


r/PrimitiveTechnology 8d ago

Discussion My lime is clumping up in water.

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79 Upvotes

My hydrated lime that I made from limestone is starting to clump up even though its submerged in water. I can squish these clumps back into a slurry but it’s kind of tedious and annoying. Any tips on unhardening my lime?


r/PrimitiveTechnology 9d ago

Discussion Crocheting a simple, plant dyed, pure Icelandic wool blanket.

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96 Upvotes

If it's practical and fosters my fascination with primitive and historical skills, sign me up!

As you can see from the stitches, I am quite the novice when it comes to this. Nevertheless this is turning out to be a durable, and beautiful thick blanket. Much needed for the winter here as we are 0⁰c most mornings now.

It amazes me that with time and patience we can create something that will last many years from what is essentially a stick and a ball of fibre.

This yarn is produced by ístex in Iceland from the pure wool of local sheep which have a unique dual-coated fleece. Icelandic sheeps wool fleece consists of a soft, insulating inner layer (thel) and a tougher, water-resistant outer layer (tog). This particular yarn type is known as Álafoss Lopi, and is one of the two oldest yarns still produced in Iceland.

Crocheting this has honestly been such a fun and informative experience, I have found myself delving into history podcasts and fostering a newfound appreciation for this fibre and it's associated crafts.

From the farmers who tend their flocks, to the people who carry on the oldest spinning and dying traditions, and into my own hands learning how to make something practical.

Thanks for listening to me waffle on about my new hyper fixation 😅🤠♥️


r/PrimitiveTechnology 13d ago

Discussion Sling from natural fibers

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135 Upvotes

Sling made following the Primitive Technology design.

Fibers foraged from goldenrod (Solidago canadensis). Fibers extracted raw by scraping outer bark and splitting into thin ribbons then left to dry.

Cordage made from simple reverse-wrap technique.


r/PrimitiveTechnology 13d ago

Discussion Nettle water retting advice

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25 Upvotes

Hiiii, I tried water retting nettle to get textile-suitable thread, and on some parts of the stems there's basically just the woody part, the fiber just completely turned to mush, and on other parts it looks basically the same as unretted, and absolutely nothing in-between

I've had a good few tries on retting and it's always the same, I tried just taking the parts that looks pretty much unretted and splitting it into stripes like you would with unretted nettle, and sometimes the ends would come out like fluffy, and I thinkk I can get the stripes slightly thinner than bedore, but still a single strand is maybe the thickness of a full store-bought thread, way too thick

It's so difficult to find some actually practical information aghh, Idek how it's supposed to look really

I also threw in one goldenrod stem this time and it did turn to relatively separated strands completely on its own, but also I think goldenrod does have a somewhat more visible structure to the stem and the strands seem too breakable to twist a thread with anyway

Photos, since it doesn't let me upload multiple here: https://imgur.com/a/aq2IKZE


r/PrimitiveTechnology 15d ago

Unofficial Summer Gear

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329 Upvotes

r/PrimitiveTechnology 25d ago

Discussion Red brick kiln - getting closer

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25 Upvotes

Getting close to the end of my semi-permanent kiln. It’s been a year or so since I had my first experimental kiln build made out of VERY tiny clay bricks. Then I was able to build a brick mold for butter cube sized bricks. Now I’m on to actual sized bricks. I’ve already fired all kinds of neat pottery in the smaller kilns I’ve made, so I’m excited to have a bigger ware chamber to make larger items. I’m happy to post more pictures of the evolution of this whole project if there is interest.


r/PrimitiveTechnology 25d ago

Discussion Knapping from wild stones

4 Upvotes

Hiii

All the tutorials I could find start with something already resembling a flake, aand what I have is just randomly shaped stones

Most of the time all I can manage to do is split them in half, or like, in five hah


r/PrimitiveTechnology 28d ago

Discussion Rainbow & Maple

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94 Upvotes

Thought I'd combine some of the nicest materials I have… this “oil slick” type rainbow obsidian is absolutely stunning! Combine it with a handle made from some Australian quilted maple and you're on to a winner I think! Enjoy!


r/PrimitiveTechnology Jun 22 '26

Discussion Ground slate

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127 Upvotes

This is 3 weeks of working slate in to various spear points , lances , knives and projectile points. All hand ground , shaped and sharpened on sandstone slab.


r/PrimitiveTechnology Jun 19 '26

Discussion Any channel like PrimitiveTechnology that focuses on making everything from scratch without using modern tools.

13 Upvotes

Aside from Primitive Technology, are there any similar channels? I love watching Primitive Technology but would like more options. Since my second favorite primitive technology idea began using more modern tools and shifted toward bushcraft, I’m now looking for channels that stay true to making everything completely from scratch.


r/PrimitiveTechnology Jun 18 '26

Discussion Does this edge looked worked?

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17 Upvotes

Found this piece of chert(?) recently and am wondering if the edge looked worked? Might be a stretch but Ik chert was used for tool making a lot. Found this in Suffolk uk near the coast


r/PrimitiveTechnology Jun 16 '26

Discussion Ishi Style Replica Arrows

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126 Upvotes

These were one of the first things I had a go at making when I first got into flint knapping. This style is almost mystical to me…. Happy to say I'm back at it again!

Black obsidian arrowhead set with homemade pinepitch glue, fletched with turkey feathers and wrapped with wax sinew.


r/PrimitiveTechnology Jun 14 '26

Unofficial Yuccca Necklace

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82 Upvotes

Just a little primitive necklace made out of some local yucca with a handmade low-fired micaceous clay bead


r/PrimitiveTechnology Jun 09 '26

Discussion Making Sisal drom Agave leaves, first time and need advice. Dry retting? Easy methods?

6 Upvotes

I have a huge harvest of Agave leaves. ssomeone is paying me to remove these plants. So I am a bit pressed for time. I am looking for an easy way to prep the leaves to scrape them for fiber. I am trying a method I got from an ai, retting them in water, basically just keeping them submerged until they rot enough for the grean leaf material to be easily separated from the fiber. But it is messy and impractical for me right now. The ai told me another way to do it is to simply crush the leaves lightly, cover them with plasticnor a tarp, and set them in the sun, letting them ferment. Has anyone tried this? I really do not want anything going to waste if I can avoid it. Agave is a beautiful, majestic plant. If anyone has practical advice mgor an easy way to extract fiber from Agave leaves, I very much appreciate it. These leaves are generally between 4 and 5 ft.


r/PrimitiveTechnology Jun 07 '26

Resource Rope made from lawn grass.

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92 Upvotes

I spun while green, it has since loosened, but it is still mobile and works well enough for light duty stuff.


r/PrimitiveTechnology Jun 06 '26

Discussion First time making pine pitch glue. Definitely made a mistake.

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46 Upvotes

As the title says first time, an i can definitely tell i did something wrong by the texture an look but im not 100% what it was. I think I over heated it. My mix was 2:1:1, resin, charcoal an pumas wood, with a little beeswax try an keep it from doing what it did, Which is basically turning hard an glassy, an i can see i didnt grind my material enough as well. Any tips would be a huge help


r/PrimitiveTechnology Jun 03 '26

Discussion My first attempt at a stone tool: ground slate arrowhead

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87 Upvotes

I heard that you can make tools from ground stone, and since I cant find any knappable material near me, decided to give it a shot, some trial and error brought it from a spearhead to an arrowhead, but I’m pretty happy with how it came out. That being said, if anyone in and around southeast Pennsylvania knows where to find good knapping material and/or what rocks I should be looking for, any help is greatly appreciated!


r/PrimitiveTechnology Jun 02 '26

Discussion Drilling holes in wood

4 Upvotes

Hiii, basically I wanna connect some wood together with pegs, but chert breaks off with the twisting motion needed to drill and other stones just don't seem to really drill at all


r/PrimitiveTechnology May 26 '26

Discussion Osage Bowstave score!

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123 Upvotes

Found a whole acre of osage trees needing cut and I was happy to provide my services.
The cheap Harbor Freight crane really saved my back loading them.
Anyway, I’m excited to make some bows with my own osage for a change.

P.S. a 4 hour trip in an old Squarebody is painful. Totally worth it, but wow, I forgot how much I like AC and cruise control.


r/PrimitiveTechnology May 21 '26

Discussion Chert hand tool?

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30 Upvotes

Hey guys, was out in the western side of Badlands SD, and this rock caught my interest. It doesn’t have any sharp edges, but it also doesn’t give the impression of natural cleavage (I’m no expert).

Would appreciate some second opinions!


r/PrimitiveTechnology May 18 '26

Discussion Beginner hand drill fire help

9 Upvotes

I’ve gotten ok at bow drill and wanted to work on hand drill fires. I wanted to ask for tips on technique and also what materials are best for spindle and hearth board. Preferably stuff that grows in the Midwest.


r/PrimitiveTechnology May 13 '26

Discussion Cordage fibers I’ve used ranked.

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30 Upvotes

S - Dogbane

A - Yucca

B - Tulip poplar, Nettle

C - cattail, pawpaw

D- Hickory, Giant Cabuya

F - coconut, eastern cedar