MightyPirate
New member
Well unlike a lot of the posters in this section, I don't have much in the way of formal survival training. A lot of it comes from what my father (Air Force) and other family members (mostly Marine) have taught me. However I have picked up some stuff on my own from being young, dumb and full of....well anyways.
This first tip certainly won't directly save your life, however it is a good way to stop bleeding that isn't major (IE Artery). I used to work HVAC, and I quickly discovered that the foil tape that we use is an excellent bandage. In the HVAC industry deep cuts from sheet metal are common, and band aids just don't cover it. The foil tape isn't all that adhesive on anything other than metal, but it seems that whatever adhesive they use is an excellent coagulant. I have stopped cuts on my fingers and hands down to the bone with this wonderful tape. For this very reason I keep a small folded up strip in my wallet. You can find the stuff at lowes or home depot in the duct working sections. I know it sounds stupid, but it really is a wonderful little bandage. Admittedly if it's on or near a joint it will hinder mobility, but it only really needs to be on there for a few minutes for it to take effect.
From personal experience I can tell you trying to stitch yourself up is a bad idea. I tried it once to save on hospital bills (no health insurance at the time). I managed, but I got a mild infection thankfully I had some left over antibiotics from another incident. I actually had the proper equipment for it at the time, but I did get to thinking that if need be a light weight fishing hook could be filed down into a decent stitching needle. If you can lessen the curve with some pliers, but I'm not sure how malleable fish hooks actually are, trying to bend it may just end up shattering it. Remove the barb, if it's a heavy one thin it out a little and you're pretty much golden. It's not ideal, but if you're in a dire situation I think it would certainly do the job. Keep in mind infection is a big concern, but it takes a couple days or more to become debilitating. On a lesser note, super glue also works for small cuts, but for the big stuff it just won't cut it.
This first tip certainly won't directly save your life, however it is a good way to stop bleeding that isn't major (IE Artery). I used to work HVAC, and I quickly discovered that the foil tape that we use is an excellent bandage. In the HVAC industry deep cuts from sheet metal are common, and band aids just don't cover it. The foil tape isn't all that adhesive on anything other than metal, but it seems that whatever adhesive they use is an excellent coagulant. I have stopped cuts on my fingers and hands down to the bone with this wonderful tape. For this very reason I keep a small folded up strip in my wallet. You can find the stuff at lowes or home depot in the duct working sections. I know it sounds stupid, but it really is a wonderful little bandage. Admittedly if it's on or near a joint it will hinder mobility, but it only really needs to be on there for a few minutes for it to take effect.
From personal experience I can tell you trying to stitch yourself up is a bad idea. I tried it once to save on hospital bills (no health insurance at the time). I managed, but I got a mild infection thankfully I had some left over antibiotics from another incident. I actually had the proper equipment for it at the time, but I did get to thinking that if need be a light weight fishing hook could be filed down into a decent stitching needle. If you can lessen the curve with some pliers, but I'm not sure how malleable fish hooks actually are, trying to bend it may just end up shattering it. Remove the barb, if it's a heavy one thin it out a little and you're pretty much golden. It's not ideal, but if you're in a dire situation I think it would certainly do the job. Keep in mind infection is a big concern, but it takes a couple days or more to become debilitating. On a lesser note, super glue also works for small cuts, but for the big stuff it just won't cut it.
