Didn't check to see if this has been done before, but hey, you all like pictures, right?
So, you've gone and forgot your First Aid Kit and cut your finger whilst out in the woods. What do you do? First of all, it's very naughty not to take a FAK if you are gonna be using sharps, so get down and do twenty press ups as a punishment! Don't get any dirt in the cut though!
The best thing to do with a cut is to let it bleed a bit first. That blood coming out is flushing any debris out, so let it do its' stuff. Obviously, if you've got a spraying effect going on from your cut, things are a bit more serious and you may want to consider writing your last will and testament, dip a stick in the blood for the perfect bushcraft writing implement!
Don't stick your finger in your mouth and suck the blood off. You have some nasty germs in your mouth, leave the blood to ooze a bit. After a minute or so, push the cut together and let the blood clot. Once it has clotted, you can make a plaster and apply it to the wound to keep it bound, clean and stop it catching and re-opening.
A word of warning: applying this to a wound that is bleeding still will ensure that the blood soaks into the pores and bonds to your skin. If you want to remove it after getting home, you'll have to soak it in hot water to try and loosen it up from the wound. This won't work, and when you remove the plaster, you'll re-open the wound and it will be painful. I know this, as it happened to a friend. This is for when all hope is lost due to you forgetting your FAK. Never forget your FAK or you will be p[unished by cutting yourself, it's called fate!
Find a decent sized birch polypore growing on a birch tree.
Get it down, if it is out of reach use a stick to poke it! It should be a brownish copperish sort of colour on top, maybe green from moss/lichen if it is old. The underside should look fresh though, if not find another.
Cut slices into the underside to create the plaster of the size required. Try not to cut yourself whilst doing this!
This should then be peeled back, the piece coming off will be quite thin, a bit stretchy and like micropore tape.
A piece the size of a standard SAK will be enough for a finger wound.
Wrap the plaster around the finger, if you stretch it slightly as you apply it, it binds on itself reasonably well.
You can bind the plaster in place with a simple bit of string, maybe a few strands of lime or nettle fibres wrapped around and tied on. This will let the wound breathe and keep any dirt off of the wounded area. Remember, this is a last ditch remedy. Your FAK should always be with you when you are using sharps, even if it is a simple cuts pack in your shirt pocket.
So, you've gone and forgot your First Aid Kit and cut your finger whilst out in the woods. What do you do? First of all, it's very naughty not to take a FAK if you are gonna be using sharps, so get down and do twenty press ups as a punishment! Don't get any dirt in the cut though!
The best thing to do with a cut is to let it bleed a bit first. That blood coming out is flushing any debris out, so let it do its' stuff. Obviously, if you've got a spraying effect going on from your cut, things are a bit more serious and you may want to consider writing your last will and testament, dip a stick in the blood for the perfect bushcraft writing implement!
Don't stick your finger in your mouth and suck the blood off. You have some nasty germs in your mouth, leave the blood to ooze a bit. After a minute or so, push the cut together and let the blood clot. Once it has clotted, you can make a plaster and apply it to the wound to keep it bound, clean and stop it catching and re-opening.
A word of warning: applying this to a wound that is bleeding still will ensure that the blood soaks into the pores and bonds to your skin. If you want to remove it after getting home, you'll have to soak it in hot water to try and loosen it up from the wound. This won't work, and when you remove the plaster, you'll re-open the wound and it will be painful. I know this, as it happened to a friend. This is for when all hope is lost due to you forgetting your FAK. Never forget your FAK or you will be p[unished by cutting yourself, it's called fate!
Find a decent sized birch polypore growing on a birch tree.
Get it down, if it is out of reach use a stick to poke it! It should be a brownish copperish sort of colour on top, maybe green from moss/lichen if it is old. The underside should look fresh though, if not find another.
Cut slices into the underside to create the plaster of the size required. Try not to cut yourself whilst doing this!
This should then be peeled back, the piece coming off will be quite thin, a bit stretchy and like micropore tape.
A piece the size of a standard SAK will be enough for a finger wound.
Wrap the plaster around the finger, if you stretch it slightly as you apply it, it binds on itself reasonably well.
You can bind the plaster in place with a simple bit of string, maybe a few strands of lime or nettle fibres wrapped around and tied on. This will let the wound breathe and keep any dirt off of the wounded area. Remember, this is a last ditch remedy. Your FAK should always be with you when you are using sharps, even if it is a simple cuts pack in your shirt pocket.