potasium permanganate+suger

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RAPPLEBY2000

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Dec 2, 2003
3,195
14
50
England
i had a friend some years ago that showed me some of the methods, that then went on to demonstrate how to make smoke bombs, and small incendary devices, and went on to tell me how he'd made bombs and placed them near army bases :eek: (i didn't believe a word of it :rolleyes: )!
sufice to say i 'm not his friend any more! :buttkick:

he did have an unsensible amount of chemical weedkiller in his house!

the chemical firelighting method i use today is matches! :D
best leave the rest for rainy days in the garage!

put it this way i have tried nearly all those methods and none are anywhere near as reliable as a firesteel, (taking into account safety, weather, enviroment so:


do i carry a bucket of chemicals or a firesteel? :dunno:
 

hammy

Forager
Sep 28, 2004
165
2
56
Pegswood, Northumberland.
Seen it performed a while ago, good to know as you never know when you may need the knowledge. Also I think this is more probably new bushcraft in the bigger picture of when things were discovered.
 

dommyracer

Native
May 26, 2006
1,312
7
46
London
Haha PP and sugar, I remember getting a BIG telling off from a scout leader for playing with that back in the day......
 
Where does everybody buy their potassium permanganate from? I've been thinking of adding some to my PSK for a while now, ebay used to have it for a decent price and the only other places I can find that sell it want to sell me crazy amounts like 5kg :rolleyes:
 

Rocket

Member
Mar 30, 2006
49
0
52
Isle of Wight
I'm a senior technician, running a few labs, so I tend to 'play' with Potassium Permanganate a fair bit....great for getting a Thermite reaction going ;)
 

Great Pebble

Settler
Jan 10, 2004
775
2
54
Belfast, Northern Ireland
PP & sugar will start fires with tinder so wet or poor that firesteel will make no impression.. For that matter you'd be through half a box of matches at least before you got the same heat/energy released.

Good stuff when used correctly. Blinding fun when used absolutely incorrectly. :D
 

RAPPLEBY2000

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Dec 2, 2003
3,195
14
50
England
stupid i just remembered...... :eek:

CAUTION WHEN USING POTASSIUM PERMANGANATE!!!!!!:slap: :eek: :eek:

DO NOT BREATH IN THE POWDER!
(if you breath a large amount by accident seek medical advice)

the powder has an extreme burning effect and can damage your lungs skinn eyes etc etc (just think oven cleaner)! and is potentially leathal for children or the infirm.


when wet PP is fine, all this mixing pp with sugar could be dangerous!

i have used PP to sterilise water for 10 days and have had no ill effects, later i was reminded it's a heavy metal and takes ages for your body to get rid of it!

take care and read those labels!!
 

Schwert

Settler
Apr 30, 2004
796
1
Seattle WA USA
It contains manganese not magnesium.

It is a metal but not a heavy metal like lead, but more like iron or copper. Potassium permanganate is highly reactive and will easily damage mucus membranes. Eyes, mouth, throat and lungs are quite easy targets for the dry powder so it should be used with great caution.

Fire making with it and sugar can be fun but I find it more of a trick method than a practical method.
 
Jan 13, 2004
434
1
Czech Republic
Schwert said:
Potassium permanganate is highly reactive and will easily damage mucus membranes.

...yup! hence my sneezing upon first opening a pot of it. As said burns very hot, so has it's place in a survival tin i'd say. The heavy metal point is well placed, it is not something i have thought of as regards the dangers of it's uses. Only for emergencies then!...
 

BobFromHolland

Need to contact Admin...
Jan 9, 2006
199
1
51
Rotterdam, NL
It burns nicely 9:1 with suger, and lights easilly with a spark from your fire steel.

I also have a hard time getting a new stack since I ran out of it.

OK, it's nasty stuff... That's why you can purify water with it. You can't do that with a drop of lemonade!!
I don't wanna know what bad you can do with Chlorine as well!
Dosage is the key I guess. As with all the fun stuff :D
 

RAPPLEBY2000

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Dec 2, 2003
3,195
14
50
England
not that i know what the combination is nor would i say :togo:
but aparently bleach mixed with some other household cleaner will cause an explosion in your loo! :eek:
 

Biddlesby

Settler
May 16, 2005
972
4
Frankfurt
Can anybody quantify the process of sterilisation using Potassium Permanganate for, say, a litre of water that has been filtered of debris?

And some rough idea of dosage for your use would be good too, BOD.

Cheers
 

PhilParry

Nomad
Sep 30, 2005
345
3
Milton Keynes, Bucks
I was surprised when this was shown to us on a course rescently. The other method of fire lighting that gobsmacked me was putting fine wire wool across a batteries terminals

It burns even when wet!! :Wow:

Phil
 

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