Fire!!

[SCUBBYDOO]

Hi Sitting Here With Blistered Fingers After A Successful Firebow Session!!! Does Anybody Know Where I Can Lay My Hands On Some Potassium Permanganate? I Tried My Local Chemist But They Said They Wernt Allowed To Sell It Anymore.

 

[TheViking]

Hi and welcome! :wave:

Take a look at this thread.

 

[tomtom]

uumm... you can get it from school, as long as not one sees

 

[leon-1]

There are some good hints on the other thread to do with the use of PP, water purification the water should be a pale straw sort of colour, pink for cleansing foods or fruit red for cleansing wounds and deep red for use on fungal infections.

You do not need a firesteel to catch a spark to PP and sugar, if you use a metal spoon on an abrasive surface with a 50/50 mix and grind the two vigorously, it will go up as well. I have tried it and it does work, but be ready for more failure than success, it takes a lot of practice

 

[Schwert]

Potassium permanganate is sometimes sold in fish (aquarium) stores as a tank disinfectant over here.

New rules apply to chemical sales after Sept 11 so I am not sure if this is easy to get or not now. As a chemist I just got it from the lab. Fun stuff for fire, not a very good water disinfectant, stains everything purple/brown, and can severely damage mucus membranes or your eyes if the powder gets in them. Be very careful with the pure powder.

 

[Tantalus]

i'm not really sure potassium permanganate is the best thing for bushcraft situations

as an oxidising agent it can certainly help a fire start but it may flare up to dangerous levels if you are not cautious

also the problem of keeping it dry and sealed

and if it leaks it will stain your whole rucksack full of ick

personally in the spirit of bushcraft i would be happier not relying on it

but if you really really want some try rural chemists they deal in stuff like this for animal treatment

Tant

 

[dave750gixer]

The big chemical supply companies may ship you some if you set up an order. Try Sigma-Aldrich, Fisher, VWR etc but you may end up with an awfull lot of the stuff. Please note that Interpol run an Operation Purple to track end users of potassium permanganate as it is used in the manufacture of crack cocaine. So it may not be that easy if you arn't a lab.

A chemist may still be able to get you some.

 

[jakunen]

Try a different chemists.

I tried several before I found one that will happily sell it to me. I can buy as many pots as I like from them now havign explained why I want it.

 

[Andy]

My mate found some on ebay. though it was in large amounts