101 uses: Duct tape

Found this little germ worth sharing about uses of duct tape, enjoy!

http://www.octanecreative.com/ducttape/PX/index.html

FerFAL

101 Uses: Duct Tape

Pretty much everyone knows hw practical it is. I've improvised luggage repairs with it, fixed hoses, and once stuck a loose rare view mirror with it.

Gorilla Tape seems to be Duct Tape on steroids, very much doing everything DT does, only better. Haven’t tried it myself yet but I’ll sure bring a few with me from my trip to Texas.

·  Hanging posters.

·  Decorative book cover.

·  Fix broken tail light on vehicle.

·  Twist a long piece into rope (thousands more uses).

·  Tape wires down on floor or out of the way.

·  Tape wires back together after splicing (much wider than electricians' tape).

·  Reattach rear view mirror.

·  Repair cracked windshield/window.

·  Patch ripped clothing.

·  Hide unsightly wallpaper seams.

·  Repair broken hoses.

·  Repair broken fan belt.

·  Use as art medium.

·  Fix broken book binding.

·  Band-Aid for really big cuts.

·  Attach leg splint to broken leg.

·  Wallpaper your house (may be slightly expensive, but well worth it for the resulting sophisticated look).

·  Reinforce pages in 3 ring binder.

·  Cover up empty drive bays.

·  Fold in half and use as bookmark.

Click on the original source for many more crazy uses :-)

http://thezac.com/ducttape/

101 Uses: Potassium permanganate

Maybe not 101 uses but it has several important ones and it has been a very popular item in many survival kits for a long time, typically a small vial with potassium permanganate crystals in it.
Before going any further: 1) Its can be dangerous in many ways when misused 2) It does stain with a red/purple tint that is hard or impossible to remove.
What’s it good for?

Water purification: 3 or 4 crystals per liter of water. You want to have a very light tint of pink. Stir and leave it for 30 minutes.

Fungal and wount cleaning: Another common use. As a matter of fact, its commonly used for fishtank cleaning and killing fungus in fish. Add a few more crystals until you have a darker tint of pink.

Hand sanitizing: This same solution can be used to wash hands.

Signaling: Dissolve some in water to get a bright pink/purple solution for coloring white or clear colored fabric. You can also spread it on snow to make a visible signal.

Fire starter: 1 part sugar , 2 parts potassium permanganate, grind into a thin powder and it will light with a spark from a ferrocerium rod (fire steel).

I ordered a pack on line but you can also buy it from some aquariums or veterinarians since its used for fish tanks.

FerFAL

101 Uses: Salt

Salt is probably the most valuable staple supply from a survial point of view. Salt is one of the very few items you can buy 100 pounds worth of it, and in an extreme situation you’ll be glad you have it.
Its important to know a few things about salt, so as to undertand why its so valuable in survival situations and why it used to be so important in the past, even used as currency in some places.

Salt and water

Today we live in times of excess. We have lots of everything. Water? You have a virtual unlimited supply of it, just open the faucet. But what happens when you have little of it? Salt comes into play.
When water becomes scarce and you see the possibility of that situation being a medium or long term one, you need to incorporate salt to your organism in order to not lose so much water through sweating.

This is an even greater concern when doing intense labour. Removing rubble all day long after a quake/tornado or doing hard phisical labour and worrying about each drop of water you are sweating because you have little water left, or none? That's a problem.

Of course salt is excessive in today’s processed food, but it wont be if your eating unprocessed staples such as wheat, rice, legumes, etc.
While too much salt is bad for you, its even worse if you die of dehydration during an emergency situation.

Salt and Food

The main reason why salt was so important in the old days, was its ability to preserve food. No fridge, meat rots pretty fast at room temperature. Pretty simple to understand. It is true though that salted meat and fish does not taste very well, will usually require lots of rinsing and washing with water to remove the salt excess. Meats preserved with other spices where preferred, often salted meat was intended for slaves or poor class, but none the less, it is a well known method of preserving food.

Wounds

Its used for making 1% saline solution for cleaning wounds. 10 gr. of salt in a liter of water. Make the solution inside a plastic bag, punch a small hole in it, close the bag tight and apply pressure. Use the jet of saline solution to rinse the wound.
The salt “dehydrates” the microorganisms such as bacteria, killing it. Salt applied directly on a wound will burn and irritate, but it does disinfect so keep that in mind during an emergency if you only have a McDonalds salt packet and a wound to care for.

Leaches

Salt will remove the blood sucking critter immediately.

Sore throat

It does work very well, by the way.


Many other uses for salt.
http://www.begreenminded.com/2009/01/alternative-uses-for-salt-101/

FerFAL

101 Uses: Olive oil

I’ll be posting a few of these 101 uses post every now and then because these are items worth having and learning some of their applications.

I recently bought a nice supply of canned extra virgin olive oil (the best kind) that should last for some time. I liked the rugged container, much better than the more common plastic bottles. My wife's family comes form Italy so she likes using olive oil often.

Some applications for vegetable oil, olive oil being the healthiest:

*Cooking of course. For salads and making soups, bread, pizza, etc. Unlike the junk used to fry potatoes in McDonalds or chiken wings, extra virign olive oil actually has a taste worth noticing. Its good for your heart and reduces colesterol.

*People would be surprised to know how many premium, extra expensive skin oils just have a very small amount of vegetable oil in it (in some cases olive oil) as their most effective ingredient.

* Models around here do a vegetable oil bath on their hair before important events or photo sessions.

*The health benefits of olive oil are numerous, and oil is of course a basic food supply used pretty often, providing the healthy fatty needed for good nutrition.

*It’s a source of fuel as well. Combine it with a container and  a piece of cloth, oil can be used for lighting and heat.

*In a pinch, it can be used with a piece of cloth or cotton to wipe the baby when changing diapers.

Other uses…

http://www.isroiloliveoil.com/usesofoliveoil.html

http://www.oliveoilonly.org/101_uses_for_olive_oil.htm

FerFAL

PS:
Sunflower oil, like other oils, can retain moisture in the skin. It may also provide a protective barrier that resists infection in pre-term infants. Studies using sunflower oil have been conducted involving low birth weight pre-term infants that are often susceptible to infection due to their underdeveloped skin. The study determined that infants receiving a daily skin treatment of sunflower oil were 41% less likely to develop infections in hospital.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunflower_oil

101 Uses: Baking Soda

Yesterday I received a nice bag for every day carry. I wanted something for my upcoming trip to USA that looked a bit better than what I usually carry around here, my old musette canvas bag or the MKVII gas mask bag. This bag is sturdy, big, looks good, well made… and it stinks. It’s made of camel leather, and it stinks like a dirty camel. I don’t know if its camel urine, camel poop, bit its just too much. I’m ok with a bit of scent, but I can’t go around smelling like zoo compost.
Searching for tips, I found one suggesting covering the bag with plenty baking soda, and leaving it wrapped in a bag for a week or so. Apparently that worked for this person with the same camel leather problem.
Anyway, all this boils down to baking soda. Its well known that it has many uses but its still worth remembering and stocking up on it.

*Its readily available in most stores. Pretty cheap too, so have a good amount stored.
*Its often used for cooking.
*Absorbs and neutralizes odors, so people keep it in the fridge, freezer, small bags can be placed with stored clothes.
*It can be sprinkled on a wet toothbrush and used as tooth paste for a nice white smile.
*Mixed with water, it is used for sore throats and mouth washes.
*Body deodorant, rub some of the powder under the armpit and feet.
*Mixed with some water, it is used to remove stains.
*It is used for polishing metals, as well as general cleaning in the house.
*Mixed with water, it can be used as an alternative liquid soap.
*Mixed with water, its perfect for acid indigestion.

…more tips and advice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_bicarbonate

FerFAL