| How to Find Direction Without a Compass Posted: 30 Mar 2017 05:00 PM PDT Hiking or camping can be a fun, exciting way to take in the great outdoors. But if you're traveling in an area that you're not very familiar with, it can often be easy to move off trail and lose your way. While you should always have a compass in your supplies to be safe, you may sometimes find yourself without a navigational tool. Fortunately, there are several way to find your direction without the help of a compass -- so you may want to brush up on a few of them before your next hiking or camping trip just to be safe. EditUsing the North Star at Night in the Northern Hemisphere - Identify the Big Dipper. The Big Dipper is comprised of seven of the sky's brightest stars, and is found either high or low in the northern sky, depending on the season. It also rotates around the North Star, which is why it's important when you're trying to find your direction in the Northern Hemisphere. As long as you're located no lower than 23.5 degrees north latitude, the constellation is always above the horizon. Four of the stars form the Big Dipper's bowl, while the other three form a handle.[1]
- The phrase "spring up and fall down" can help you figure out where to look in the sky for the Big Dipper based on the seasons. In the spring and summer, it's located high in the sky. On fall and winter nights, you'll find it lower in the sky, closer to the horizon.
- Use the pointer stars to find the North Star. Regardless of the season, the two stars that form the outer edge of the Big Dipper's bowl always point toward the North Star. If you draw an imaginary line from the pointer stars across the sky to the next brightest star, you'll find the North Star.[2]
- If you're having trouble finding the North Star, stretch your arm out completely and spread your fingers. The distance between the the top pointer star and the North Star should be about the same distance as your thumb is from your middle finger.
- Locate north. Unlike the stars in the Big Dipper constellation, the North Star is always located at fixed point in the sky, which leaves it never more than 1 degree from true north. That means when you've identified the North Star in the sky, you know that you're facing north. From that position, the opposite direction would be south, while east would be to your right and west would be to the left.[3]
- Using the North Star to find your direction works best on a clear night. If the sky is hazy or there are clouds, you may not be able to easily identify the Big Dipper.
- If you're in an area where mountains, trees, or other objects are blocking the night sky, you may not be able to use the North Star to find your direction either.
EditUsing Two Sticks at Night in the Northern Hemisphere - Drive a stick into the ground. Try to find a stick that is approximately 2-feet long and push it into the ground just enough to secure it so it stands upright. It's also important to choose a stick that is as straight as possible. Once it's firmly in the ground, sit or crouch beside the stick so that its tip is at your eye level.[4]
- If you can't find a stick that is long enough, tent poles also work well.
- Place a taller stick behind the first. The stick should be approximately 3- to 4-feet long so that its tip stands above the tip of the first stick. From your seated or crouched position, use the tips of both sticks to line up on a bright star in the sky. You may need to move the sticks slightly to line up the star properly[5]
- You'll know that you have the sticks set up properly if you draw an imaginary line between your eye, the tops of the sticks, and the star.
- Wait several minutes. You need to give the star some time to "move". Keep in mind that the star doesn't actually move; the Earth rotates, which makes the star appear to have moved. The key is to be be patient -- it can take anywhere from 5 minutes to a half hour for you to notice the movement. The way that the star "moves" will help you figure out the direction in the Northern Hemisphere.[6]
- If the star moves up, you are facing east.
- If it moves down, you are facing west.
- If it moves right, you are facing south.
- If it moves left, you are facing north.
- In some cases, the star may appear to move in two direction. For example, it might move up and to the right, which you mean that you're facing southeast.
EditUsing the Crescent Moon at Night - Identify whether you're in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere. Depending on what hemisphere you're located in, the crescent moon will help you identify either south or north. The Northern Hemisphere is the portion of the earth that's north of the equator, while the Southern Hemisphere is comprised of the area below the equator.[7]
- All of North America and Europe are in the Northern Hemisphere. The northernmost portion of South America, two-thirds of Africa, and most of Asia are also in the Northern Hemisphere.
- Australia, Antarctica, the southern third of Africa, approximately 90 percent of South America, and some southern islands off the coast of Asia are in the Southern Hemisphere.
- Locate the crescent moon. This method for finding your direction on only works if the moon is in either the waxing crescent or waning crescent phases, which occur approximately seven days in each calendar month. The crescent phases typically occur at the beginning and end of the month.[8]
- If you're not sure whether there will be a crescent moon on a given evening, there are a number of online calendars that provide the lunar phases for each month. Just do a search for "moon phases calendar" or "lunar phases calendar."
- Draw an imaginary line from the moon's "horns" to the horizon. With your gaze fixed firmly on the moon, image a line from the two points of the crescent that tracks all the way down to the bottom of the skyline. If you are in the Northern Hemisphere, the point where the line meets the horizon is roughly south. In the Southern Hemisphere, the point where the line meets the horizon is roughly north.[9]
- If you are having trouble following the imaginary line down to the horizon, it may help to hold a stick through the tips of the crescent moon as a guide.
EditUsing an Analog Wristwatch During the Day - Ensure that your watch is accurate. In order for this method to work, you must have an analog watch with hands that is set to the correct time. Verify that your watch is in proper working order, and both hands are moving as they should.[10]
- You won't be able to use this method if you have a digital watch because the analog watch's hour hand is crucial to helping you find your direction.
- Hold the watch watch level with the ground. It's best if the watch is also on a level surface. Try taking it off your wrist and placing it so it rests flat against the palm of your hand. You should be holding it in front of you as you would a compass.[11]
- It's often easier to hold the watch steady if you use your free hand to support the hand holding the watch from underneath.
- Position the watch based on the hemisphere. The procedure for finding your direction with the watch differs based on where you are in the world. If you are in the Northern Hemisphere, position the watch so the hour hand points at the sun. In the Southern Hemisphere, hold the watch so the "12" is pointed at the sun.[12]
- In the Northern Hemisphere, look at where "12" is on your watch with the hour hand pointed at the sun. Find the halfway point between it and the hour hand -- that direction would be south, while the opposite direction would be north.
- If you are in the Southern Hemisphere, look at where the hour hand is on your watch with the "12" pointed at the sun. Find the halfway point between it and the "12"-- that direction would be north, while the opposite would be south.
- During daylight savings time, which occurs spring through early fall, your direction will be slightly off. To get the correct direction, adjust your watch's hour hand earlier by one hour to get the most accurate results.
EditObserving Nature During the Day - Evaluate the trees for their heaviest side. Trees are rarely symmetrical, so one side always seems to have more growth than another. Because plants need sunlight to grow, the side that gets the most sunlight will usually appear heavier. In the Northern Hemisphere, the sun spends most its time in the southern part of the sky, so the denser side of the tree will usually be facing south. In the Southern Hemisphere, the heavier portion of the tree usually points north.[13]
- In order to accurately decide which side of the tree is the heaviest, you should walk all the way around it a few times. If you only look at one or two sides, you may not be able to tell where the tree is most dense.
- It's easiest to use this method with lone trees in an open field. In a wooded area, trees compete for sunlight, so it's not as obvious which direction they're growing in.
- Look for moss on trees. In many cases, moss tends to grow on the side of the trees that is most shaded. In the Northern Hemisphere, that means you would usually find moss on the side of the tree that points north. In the Southern Hemisphere, you would typically find moss on the side of the tree that points south.[14]
- It's important to keep in mind that other factors can create shady conditions that would encourage moss to grow on a certain side of a tree. Trees that are shaded by other trees in a wooded area and trees that grow on slopes may throw off your direction.
- Look for the giant barrel cactus in the desert. This cactus, which is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, grows slanted toward the south. That's because the northern side of the plant is mostly shielded from the sun, so it grows more quickly. If you spot a giant barrel cactus, you'll know the direction that it's growing toward is south, so the opposite direction is north.[15]
- The giant barrel cactus typically grows between 3- and 9-feet, and features spines in a variety of colors, including red, tan, and yellow. Older cacti often produce bright orange or yellow flowers.
- Whatever method you prefer for finding direction without a compass, practice makes perfect. Go through your chosen method several times with a compass on hand, so you can be sure that you know how to do it with accurate results.
- If you've planning a hiking or camping trip to an area that you've never been before, it's best to invest in a compass or GPS device. It can be very easy to get lost in unfamiliar terrain, and you can wind up in serious danger if you can't find your way back to the trail.
EditRelated wikiHows EditSources and Citations
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| How to Remove Shellac Nail Polish Posted: 30 Mar 2017 09:00 AM PDT Shellac nail polish manicures are long-lasting, but sometimes, you need a change. Instead of making a trip to the salon, consider removing it at home. This wikiHow will show you two ways in which to remove shellac nail polish. Edit10 Second Summary 1. Apply cuticle oil to your cuticles.
2. Fill a shallow bowl with acetone.
3. Soak your nails in the acetone for 10 minutes.
4. Scrape the shellac polish off with an orange stick or manicure stick.
5. Wash your hands with soap and warm water.
6. Apply lotion and more cuticle oil. - Apply cuticle oil to your cuticles. Rub cuticle oil into the skin around your nails. Do not wipe away the excess.
- Cuticle oil is a product designed to soften and moisturize your cuticles, and it can be found at any major drugstore. Applying it to your cuticles before removing the shellac nail polish will provide your skin with a protective layer against the harsh, drying acetone needed for this process.
- Fill a shallow bowl with acetone. Pure acetone will have the strongest effect, but acetone nail polish removers will also work as long as the concentration of acetone is around 60 percent or more.
- Acetone-free nail polish removers or those that contain very little acetone will not be effective for removing shellac nail polish.[1]
- You can use pure acetone, which is available at most drugstores, but pure acetone will cause your nails and skin to become extremely dry. As a result, it is best if you do not use it frequently.
- The dish you pour the acetone in should have a mouth that is wide enough for you to fit your balled-up hand in. You only need to pour enough acetone into the dish to fill up about 1/2-inch (1.25-cm).
- Soak your nails in the acetone. Partially ball up your hand so that all five nails are exposed. Hold your hand in this position and dip it into the acetone. Keep it there for 10 minutes.
- It is important that you expose as little skin as possible to the acetone since it can severely dehydrate your skin. By holding your hand in this position, you end up dipping your nails and cuticles into the acetone instead of your entire fingertip or hand.
- Keep your nails submerged in the acetone for the full 10 minutes, even if you see the shellac nail polish flaking off before the full amount of time passes.
- Scrape the shellac polish off. After 10 minutes, remove your nails from the acetone and scrape the flaking shellac off with an orange stick or manicure stick.
- To scrape the shellac polish off, place the flat edge of the orange stick at the bottom of the nail and gently push it along the length of the nail, beneath the shellac. Repeat this gesture until all the polish has been scraped off each nail.
- You could also begin scraping the shellac nail polish off after 8 minutes with your hand still submerged in the acetone. This will allow the acetone to continue working on more stubborn spots while you begin stripping away spots that are already ready to come off.[2]
- Wash your hands. Use warm water and soap to gently remove the acetone and shellac residue from your hands.
- After removing the shellac nail polish, you may see a chalky white residue on your nails and fingers. This is residue left behind by the acetone and will wash away with soap and water.
- Apply lotion and more cuticle oil. Rub a generous amount of hand lotion over both hands when finished. Also rub additional cuticle oil around your fingernails.
- No matter how careful you are, the acetone will dry out at least some of your skin. Lotion and cuticle oil will help restore some of this lost moisture, and applying them immediately after washing your hands will produce the strongest effect.
- Trim cotton pads and aluminum strips.[3] Cut sterile cotton pads into small squares that are just large enough to cover the nail bed of each finger. Cut a sheet of aluminum foil in 3-inch (7.6-cm) squares.
- You should have ten cotton squares and ten aluminum foil squares. You will need one of each for each finger.
- The aluminum foil squares need to be large enough to wrap securely around each fingertip.
- You could also use cotton balls instead of cotton pads. If using cotton balls, there is no need to trim them down to size. The aluminum foil strips may need to be slightly larger to accommodate the larger thickness of the cotton balls, though.
- Apply cuticle oil to your cuticles. Rub cuticle oil into the skin around your nails.
- Cuticle oil is designed to protect, soften, and moisturize your cuticles. Applying it before stripping the nail polish will help to prevent your cuticles from drying out more than absolutely necessary.
- Soak the cotton in acetone. Dip the cotton square or cotton ball into acetone nail polish remover until it is fully saturated.
- There is some debate over whether to use pure acetone or a diluted acetone nail polish remover. Pure acetone is most effective, but it can also cause your nails and skin to become extremely dehydrated. At the very least, you should not use pure acetone frequently.
- Acetone-free polish removers are not powerful enough to work on shellac nails.
- Place the cotton onto your nail. Position each square of cotton directly over your nail, covering it completely.
- Wrap the foil around your nail.[4] Tightly wrap a square of tinfoil around each fingertip to hold the acetone-soaked cotton pad in place.
- Wrap each fingertip tight enough to secure the cotton but not so tight that you tear the aluminum foil or cause circulation problems.
- Aluminum foil creates heat, which actually improves the effectiveness of the nail polish remover.
- Give each nail a gentle press to make sure that the acetone comes into contact with the nail.
- Wait 2 to 10 minutes. The shellac will begin to peel away after 2 minutes, but you may find it more effective if you leave it on for a full 10 minutes, instead.
- The more highly-concentrated the acetone is, the sooner you can remove the cotton.
- If you wait much longer than 10 minutes, the cotton can dry out. If this happens, it can get stuck to your nail, making it more difficult to remove.
- Scrape or wipe away the shellac nail polish. Gently peel the flaking shellac polish off with an orange stick or manicure tool.
- Place the flat edge of the tool against the bottom of your nail. Gently scrape the length of the nail until all the nail polish is removed.
- You might be able to wipe the remaining polish away with another cotton pad soaked in more acetone remover.
- Buff the nail, if necessary. If there is any sticky or chalky residue left, use a soft cloth or other soft buffer to gently wipe it away.
- Avoid buffing tools that use a motor or have a rough texture since these can weaken your nails.
- Wash your hands. Remove additional residue with warm water and soap.
- Apply lotion and more cuticle oil. After washing your hands, put some moisture back into them with hand lotion. Rub more cuticle oil into your cuticles and over your nails to further moisturize them.
- No matter how careful you are, some dehydration is likely to occur. Lotion and cuticle oil will help restore some of the lost moisture.
- If you frequently get shellac nail polish manicures, you should get the polish removed professionally. Soaking your nails in acetone too frequently can cause long-term damage to your nails and skin.
- Use a glass or ceramic bowl. The acetone will melt plastic.
- Be gentle when pushing the polish off with an orange wood stick so you don't do damage to the nail bed.
EditThings You'll Need - Acetone
- Cuticle oil
- Small dish
- Orange stick or manicure tool
- Lotion
- Cotton pads or cotton balls
- Aluminum foil
- Soft cloth
EditSources and Citations
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| How to Cut PVC Pipe Posted: 30 Mar 2017 01:00 AM PDT Making projects out of PVC pipe will often require the pipe to be cut. One of the beneficial things about PVC is that it can be easily cut, with a wide variety of tools, making the job relatively simple. You don't need a complicated set-up or fancy tools to cut PVC. An assortment of different tools including hacksaws, pipe cutters, and a miter saw can be used to get the job done properly. EditCutting with a Hacksaw - Clamp the pipe into place with a vise. The most basic and most widely used tool in cutting pipe, PVC or otherwise, would be the hacksaw. It's still important to secure the PVC in place using a vise, to avoid letting it slip around and risk cutting yourself with a glancing swipe of the blade. Be extremely careful and take the necessary precautions in clamping the pipe into the place.
- You could also use another type of work clamp to just secure the pipe into place on your workbench, rather than using a vise. Use what's available.
- Clamp it a few inches away from the cut to give yourself ample clearance. If possible, you can clamp on both sides of your cut, but having one clamp a few inches from intended cut line will make it plenty secure.
- Mark your PVC where the cut is required. Use a permanent marker to clearly indicate where on the pipe you're going to cut. Don't worry about whether or not the ink will stay on, you can wipe it off later with some rubbing alcohol if you're feeling cosmetic.
- Seat the teeth into the pipe. Place the hacksaw onto the mark and hold the handle firmly, then use your other hand to push down on the top of the saw, seating the teeth into the pipe. You want to start in the right place, and doing this will help to ensure that you don't start off with some raggedy swipes of the saw.
- Saw through the pipe firmly. Start sawing, keeping sure to watch closely as you cut and don't let the saw drift from the mark that you made originally. Saw fast enough to keep the cut going, but not so fast the teeth jump over the cut your'e making. You should be able to cut through PVC relatively quickly.
EditUsing a Pipe Cutter - Get a plastic pipe cutter. There are two kinds of PVC pipe cutters: scissor style and ratcheting style. Scissor style pipe cutters are ideal for 1/2" to 1" PVC pipe, but are sometimes too difficult to use even for pipe that big. It's recommended instead that you use a ratcheting plastic pipe cutter, ideal for larger sized pipes and also effective for smaller. It's much safer and more reliable.
- The arm strength necessary to use scissor-style cutters is sometimes a little extreme, and it would be easier to just use a saw of some kind. Investing in a ratchet style cutter will make your job a whole lot easier.
- Place the pipe into the half-moon shaped lower part of the cutter. Pipe-cutters have an open rounded edge to seat the pipe into, and a blade that will extend as you squeeze the trigger on the handle. Mark where you want the cut to be made, then seat the pipe in the mouth of the cutter to start cutting.
- Ratchet the blade down onto the pipe. Squeeze the hand-grip trigger on the handle of the pipe cutter to extend the blade and cut the pipe in half. Use your other hand to hold the pipe steady as it's cut. You shouldn't have to work very hard.
EditCutting with a Miter Saw - Consider using a miter box and saw for more specific cuts. A miter saw can be used for PVC projects that require many specific, detailed cuts. Use a tooth-count saw appropriate to the cutting job and the saws available. When in doubt, go with something like a standard 10 Tooth per-inch (TPI) wood blade, which comes with most miter saws. It'll depend on the particular brand and style of saw that you've got, though.
- Place the PVC pipe under the blade where you need your cut. Miter boxes are the easiest things in the world to use, since you've got the cut-lines pre marked alongside the box for you. You won't be able to miss.
- Secure the pipe with a work clamp. Start the blade and bring it down at a fairly slow to medium speed. Once cut, the process can be repeated with ease, making additional cuts in the pipe as necessary.
- It is not recommended to cut PVC pipe using any of the following tools:
- Table Saws: Never use a table saw to cut PVC pipe. PVC pipe is curved. A table saw surface is flat and often smooth to allow wood to travel across it easy. Pushing a PVC pipe into a table saw may cause you to slip and bring serious harm to the user.
- Band Saws: The blade of a band saw moves too slow, and unless you are using a very fine-toothed blade, can actually catch on the inside diameter of the pipe, causing it to crack and chip and cause potential harm.
- Regular wood saws the teeth on standard handheld wood-saw are too far apart and will not cut PVC properly.
- Always use eye protection when cutting PVC pipe. If the pipe is old and brittle, it could crack and pieces of pipe could be dislodged and sent through the air.
EditThings You'll Need - PVC Pipe
- Hacksaw
- PVC Cutter or Plastic Pipe Cutter
- Miter Saw
EditRelated wikiHows
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