Although plastic bottles or even plastic bags can be modified as a funnel, perhaps the only resource available might be a beer bottle, not something that can be fashioned with a scissors or a knife.

Years ago I wrote an article entitled
“Popping Off Bottle Bottoms By Hand” that includes a link to a video demonstrating the process.

While preparing a bottle to illustrate the photo for this article I had difficulty at first popping out the bottle’s bottom so I reviewed my own instruction video that resulted in success.

Practicing this technique now will prepare you in the event a bottle is your only resource for a funnel in an emergency situation.

At one point he dispatched a thief and hoped to use his shoes but alas they were too small.
His bare feet led to major pain and injury during this ordeal.

This shoe scene took place on an unfinished floor of the Nakatomi Plaza Building that had a power saw available. He could have cut out the top of the toe area on the shoes that would in effect have converted them into sandles, allowing room for his toes and would have been a game changer in his fight against his foes.

In emergency situations where shoes are lost or left behind and alternate shoes can be found that are too small, this modification can be achieved by using a knife, hatchet, or saw.

The photo illustrates how I was able to put my 10 and a half shoe size foot into a modified 8 size shoe. I used a utility knife. It works.

Footwear like this can make a huge difference in comfort and safety in an emergency situation.

Instead of using epoxy to patch my cup I recalled a previous post of mine “Melted Drinking Straws Make Emergency Adhesive” and wanted to expand on that approach. My cup was made of black plastic that spurred the thought that I had a black ziptie among my gear. I would try to lite it and drip along the hole’s edge performing a “build up” as I circled inward to close the hole. It was a success! I used my knife to smooth the surface once it cooled for a more esthetic repair.

In the world of survival and preparedness it’s good to know a variety of approaches to emergency situations and hopefully this hack will be another tool in your collection of solutions when needed.

In prison, a common cutting blade is obtained from disassembling a shaving razor. It may be small but still effective. The blade is used to cut away the outer covering near the bottom of the battery. The metal that is exposed is part of the positive terminal that you see at the top of battery cell. The new exposed metal makes a close contact point next to but not touching the negative metal plate at the bottom.

In a previous article I wrote about using a “AA” battery and a foil gum wrapper to create a flame (see Gum Wrapper Fire Method). The foil side of the strip is touched to each end of the battery thus creating a “short” that in turn heats up the paper substrate which then ignites into a flame. The same principal can be done with a much shorter and thinner foil with this modified “C” cell battery.

Most cigarette packages have a protective foil above the cigarettes and this foil can be cut into narrow strips measuring between 1/16th inch and 1/32nd inch wide and maybe 1 1/2″ long. The foil side should be pinched together at the center in order to create a hot spot before touching the foil strip to the bare battery areas. Once the strip is held in place the strip will begin to smoke and eventually ignite the paper substrate. The close proximity of the bared positive metal on the side and negative bottom plate enables this short piece to be used.

I tried a “AA” battery without success. I got smoke but no flame. In retrospect I see that I used a “D” battery shown in the photo, but apparently “C” batteries are more the norm at the prison commissary. It is important to note that a fresh battery should be used for this fire method. There seems to be an optimum balance between battery size (power) and foil width with enough paper substrate to fuel a flame. It would also be wise to hold fuzzy cotton or tissue piece next to the pinched area in order to capture the brief flame that is created. In any case it can be a fun time to experiment with different combinations to accomplish a flame and could be a life saver in an emergency situation.

Did you know that ear phones can be used as a microphone in a pinch? It can be plugged into the microphone socket of your computer or similar device for this purpose. The earbuds have a stereo jack so only plug it in half-way (one click) for it to record successfully, then hold the earbuds together to use as a regular microphone.

Many people don’t realize that there is a magnet inside of each earbud. If you drop a ferrimagnetic item in a crevice, down a drain, or similar hard-to-reach area you can remove the ear-side cover of the earbuds and expose the magnet within. You can pull back the plastic housing to allow full contact of the magnet’s surface and lower it down to retrieve what has been dropped. The magnets can be quite strong as illustrated in the photo where it actually held up a combination lock! For tiny crevices you can straighten out a paper clip and attach the earbud magnet to one end while using the other end to pick up the item. The magnetism is transferred throughout the length of the paper clip.

The magnet can also be used to magnetize a needle or paper clip by stroking the length of it in one direction several times. The item magnetized can then be used as a compass needle when floated on water or suspended in air by a thread.

Of course an obvious use of earbuds would be that of cordage. The uses of cordage are almost countless so you’re only limited by it’s strength and length. Some earbud cords use twin wire without an outer sheath so it can be pulled apart lengthwise to double it’s length for use. I often use my earbuds to compare the width/length of different items by placing the jack at one edge of an item then stretching it out to the opposite edge and pinching the cord as a marker then holding it next to the item or space for comparison

Earbuds can be purchased “on the cheap” at a thrift store so they would be affordable to acquire for testing any of these examples to build your experience base for future needs and emergencies.

In the past I have tested different brands of sanitizer to learn about their properties and effectiveness in their ability to ignite and sustain a flame. Recently I tested a dab of sanitizer that didn’t want to stay lit. When it extinguished I would spread it out with my finger and re-light only to see it extinguish shortly thereafter. This may have to do with it’s composition or shelf-life.

Awhile back I read an article about mis-use of hand sanitizer by some youth who added salt to it in order to extract the alcohol which they ingested and ended up in the hospital. That technique came to mind and I wondered if salt would release enough alcohol from my sample in order to sustain a flame. I happened to have some salt nearby and sprinkled some on the remains and voilà, it started to melt and when lit stayed lit longer with a larger flame.

I decided to do a side-by-side comparison so I took two small jar lids to safely contain the fuel and put a penny sized dollop of sanitizer in each. I added salt to one and then lit them both. You can see the contrast of the two in the photo. Needless to say that the bigger flame burned out sooner and lasted only a fraction of the time that the unsalted sanitizer did.

After further tests and thoughts I have come up with some “pros” and “cons” of the two burning methods.

– SALTED –

Pros – 1) The salted sanitizer’s flame burned bright yellow, thus giving off useful light. 2) It’s vigorous flame would aid in lighting tinder more quickly. 3) It can help the performance of a weak sanitizer.

Cons – 1) Because the flame is so vigorous it burns out much sooner then the untreated sanitizer.

– STANDARD –

Pros – 1) The flame is low but steady and lasts much longer – good for cooking/heating. 2) The blue flame is almost invisible so that it has low profile visibility if needed.

Cons – Because the flame is nearly invisible, especially in daylight, it can be dangerous if you don’t realize that it is lit.

In the end, each sanitizer method has it’s pros and cons but by experimenting with each method you will broaden your understanding and experience on how to maximize it’s effectiveness for your improvised fuel application.

I brought a packet of ramen noodles that would traditionally be prepared in a pan filled with boiling water. There was a microwave oven in the room so I could have used a coffee cup to heat water into which the ramen noodles could have been added but in this case I chose to use the coffee maker to cook the ramen noodles instead.

It was a four cup model that worked out quite well. I filled the coffee pot with about three and a half cups of water and poured it into the water reservoir. Before I opened the ramen noodle package I crushed it’s contents inside so that all of the broken bits would be contained. Then I opened it and emptied it along with the flavor pack contents into the coffee pot. I replaced the lid and put the coffee pot into the machine and turned it on. The heated water empties into the pot from above while the warmer plate keeps the contents hot from beneath. After the water finished processing I let the pot remain in place for about ten minutes which allowed the noodles to hydrate and plump up.

After the short wait I removed the pot and it’s lid and began to eat right out of the pot with a spork (a favored culinary utensil). I was delighted with the result. I imagine that other dehydrated food could be cooked this way as well. After consuming the meal I washed the pot out with soap and water as it is a vessel to “pour from”, not “eat out of” so the next user would have no concerns over sanitation. I would love to hear comments of your improvized cooking on the road.