Pottasium Permanganate: Water purification, first aid and fire starter

[etphonehome2915]

Don't forget to tell the public that it can be highly dangerous in the wrong quantities..

[possums1010]

Very cool and valuable info-as usual. Thanks for this and your other vids.!!!

[HyperInflationNation]

Another great use for KMNO4 in snowy conditions is if you're lost, you can put about a teaspoon in a 20oz. bottle of water and it will turn dark red and you can throw that onto the snow, making a large, bright red patch of snow that can be easily seen from the sky for rescue.

[tekknorat]

@HyperInflationNation awesome, I was looking for this topic. Thanks a lot.

[HyperInflationNation]

Superb video!

[robbabcock1969]

Potassium Permanganate is a great fire starter! It does take a little longer when it's extremely cold but it will always work. Great for sanitizing water, too. I wonder if a strong solution will stop athlete's foot?

[samee71survival]

Hey, you may all know this but you can use it to purify water, make an antiseptic, and make an anti fungel aswell. That's why I add it to my survival kits. It's 4 in 1!

[tekknorat]

@samee71survival how much to put it in water to make it safe to drink and not get intoxicated by potassium permanganate?

[samee71survival]

@tekknorat Well, you can put 2-3 crystels in 1 litre of water and wait 30 mins. It will be purifled- Before doing this however, I think its a good idea to use filter paper (A bandana, a tea towel, kitchen towel, etc.) to clear out any debri. Thankd fo the comment!

[tekknorat]

@samee71survival wow, that's a fine job to get 2-3 crystals, they are soooo small, You know. Anyways, thanks for the info appreciate that. PP looks like a good multiple use chemical to have in kit.

[samee71survival]

@tekknorat Yeah! 4 in one id Ideal- saves you having to carry loads more stuff and the bag she's got will last you for AGES!!!

[tekknorat]

@samee71survival can only agree. Plus - powdered sugar, good for mixing up in the bannock or any other food one might make in the woods, stopping blood and .. making fire together with PP.

[samee71survival]

@tekknorat Wow! I never Knew that! Thanks a ton for the advice man!

[tekknorat]

@samee71survival You mean the fire part? Glad to help, also thanks again for Your advice too. That's learning together.

[johnmonk66]

everyone keeps saying it works, but once again we did not see you use it to start a fire. this is the third video that I have seen where the fire was not started by this chemical reaction

[GrailcodeDotNet]

I think I will stick to the filtering, boiling, then drops of Bleach for my water purification, yet It's good I'm seeing this video to finally see what that SAS Book was talking about all those years about the many varied uses of potassium permanganate. The Brits love the stuff.

[stone4bread]

good video and picture quality

[spartanprepper]

I don't recommend Lab Grade KMnO4.  Lab Grade means 99% pure or maybe 95% pure. The other stuff is byproduct you do'nt want from industrial proceses used to synthesize it. It even says on the bottle for R&D only I believe.

[Pilotusmc2]

Selica, please be extremely careful when using this technique... KMnO4 crystals are harmful enough to your skin, eyes and your respiratory system, but the smoke from this highly exothermic reaction could potentially cause you irreversible damage. Don't stop using it, don't want to scare you away from that, but maybe stay upwind from the smoke (wink), you know, to avoid respiratory edema and all... :P Otherwise, great tip and love the videos. Keep up the great work and sharing the passion!

[ExtremeWelder]

Some stuff about cat tail. First, it gotta be dry or it won't work. Dry cold winterdays works the best, ot you dry it indoors or by the fire. But watch out so you don't get the fluff all over your home. and another tip; if you ifgnite the tip end of the cat tail it will slowly burn and give of smoke for a long while. Usefull for smoke signals, and for carrying fire if you are down on your last matches etc.

[WILCOX11B]

I love you.

[chrissept21]

ok i hate cat tail fluff for tinder it never works

[OzaawaaMigiziNini]

Toss the PP in the snow and you have one of the most vivid winter signals out there. Also, if you make a baseboard similar to that used for bowdrill or handdrill firestarting, and fill it half with sugar and half with P.P. you have a much faster means of firestarting. Simply crush the mixture with a stick, firmly pressing down and twisting like you would with a mortar and pestle, and hot sparks and flames will come shooting up.

[CreamPie9uy]

Just a little warning on using potassium permanganate for water purification. Anything above 10mg is considered a lethal dose. I would recommend iodine drops which can also be used for sterilising wounds, again this shouldn't be used for long periods of time. Chlorine dioxide tablets are also good for water purification. I prefer to boil sterilise whenever I can, but if that's not an option the above methods are a good alternative.

[CreamPie9uy]

i meant to say 10 grams, doh

[bushcraftbartons]

Your video was great! I just sent the video response just to help with the firestarter....hope you were not offended by it!

Mike

[InTheSticks1881]

Boiling is best, but chlorine dioxide water purification tablets are second best. This is what they use in water treatment plants. Make sure your purification tablets kill cryptosporidium and virus' as chloine dioxide does.

[icychap]

I love that firestarting technique! Especially for extreme conditions (i.e. blizzard), that could be a lifesaver. Do those compounds freeze, or will it work at extreme temperatures (-10F and below)?

[philosoapymontreal]

you can use anti freeze instead of glycerin, 99% glycerin freezes at like 2degrees Centigrade

[SurvivalEye]

nice video i done this a few years back while camping and showing other outdoor skills but used antifreeze instead of glycerin again great vid and glad to see you on the trail friend

[chanderson1]

Great idea! I like the idea of adding glycerin to start the fire.

[Rocdenindy]

Good video. It takes a while for the glycerine to react in the cold. I have found that it is better to use as a stand alone firestarter then add tinder once it lights up. 5/5 as always.

[BrokenAeroVT]

To what degree is PP (haha) effective for purification? Can it kill parasites like giardia, all bacteria and viruses or only some?

[theloki72]

@BrokenAeroVT: It will kill bacteria (in the wilderness usualy you won't have to deal with viruses in water).

It's toxicity is LD50 = 1090 mg/kg (rat (oral)). That means if you will give each individual of a population of rats 1090 mg of PP per kg of body weight, half of them will die.

[theloki72]

Great idea to get potassium permanganate. I do always carry some with me. But please make sure not to put too much into your water as it can harm your health when overdosed. Please also consider that while it is poisonous to water organisms it must not get into open water like ponds or creeks. Besides that in an emergency you can dye snow with it to attract helpers. There are so many uses for this stuff it's worth it's weight in gold.