Search Results for: altoids survival kit

Gear Review: Permanent Metal Match, by The Novice

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The ability to start a fire is foundational for survival. For quite a while now, my primary fire-starting method has been a ferrocerium rod igniting cotton balls dabbed with petroleum jelly. My secondary method has been waterproof matches. I have been searching for a durable and reliable tool/process to be my tertiary fire-starting method. I wrote a little about this search in an article published on SurvivalBlog on January 10, 2021. This article is an update about the next stage in that search process. For Christmas this year, my wife gave me a permanent metal match. These are also known as forever matches, reusable matches, or immortal lighters. They are available in a variety of shapes and sizes from a host of vendors. By the way, if SurvivalBlog readers are aware of any permanent metal match that is manufactured in the United States, I would be interested in knowing about…


Announcing the SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Prize Winners for Round 37

…$439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value). Third Prize goes to Masquita for How to Make Lye Soap, posted on November 30th. She will receive: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, C.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and D.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security. Honorable Mention Prizes ($30 Amazon.com gift certificates) go…


Two Letters Re: Toledo Water Crisis

…bug-out bag, due to its multiples of uses, though you will want to mind the storage recommendations and warnings, such as flammability, so use a proper container. More disadvantages: A little bit can quickly stain almost anything, and it seems like permanganate is more oxidizing/reactive/flammable than hypochlorite. However, I’m no chemist; do your research. I’ve contemplated placing a few crystals in a coffee straw then sealing it with a lighter, then placing the straw inside one of those Altoids Smalls tins re-purposed as an EDC survival kit. Provided it meets the storage recommendations, I just might do it. – CDV HJL Adds: If you are going to contemplate storing Potassium Permanganate, make sure you read the MSDS sheet. Pay particular attention to Section 10, “Stability and Reactivity”, and do not use a storage container that can potentially become shrapnel, such as glass. KMnO4 is such a strong oxidizer that if…


Odds ‘n Sods:

An Incredible 26 Piece Altoids Survival Kit    o o o This may be a landmark Supreme Court decision: Bond v. United States. [JWR Adds: Don’t miss reading the amicus brief from the American Center for Law and Justice. An aside: Just when, exactly, did the Supreme Court become the Supreme Courtesans, and when was there first any doubt of a slam dunk decision, in a case like this? Before or after Mrs. Sonia Sotomayor came on board?)    o o o Jay B. sent: Exploding windmill — What happens when there’s too much wind even for a windmill    o o o Inverse relationship: U.N. Maps Show U.S. High in Gun Ownership, Low in Homicides    o o o M.O.B. mentioned another case of sheeple following their GPS: Wisconsin couple ‘happy to be alive’ after Yellowstone rescue    o o o New York City crooks now export their scummy criminal…


How to Quickly Kindle a Fire, by St. Funogas

…tinder, especially for non-emergency fires. Anyone building fires on a regular basis should learn to build a proper fire with more traditional tinders. Petroleum jelly is bulky and way up there on the gooberization scale so for emergency kits I prefer 2” x 3” patches of paraffin-soaked linens (Photo 6). A $3.00 pound of paraffin will make 250 patches and they’re much more compact than petroleum jelly. Also, 20 of them stack well in an Altoids tin, readily ignite when wet, and there’s no gooberage to deal with. Each one provides 3-3½ minutes of burn time, long enough to ignite tinder or fine kindling under almost any conditions. To make, melt paraffin in a double boiler, dip the cloth patches, then dry on a board or wax paper. Don’t depend on these other than as an item in your emergency kit. Paraffin Fire Starter         Kindling For…