potassium permanganate and glycerol fire starter

[KrisWard]

Hi Guys and Girls, I have been searched for this subject and found nothing, so thought I would post, and hopefully not a duplicate.

I have quite an extensive fire starting kit, from magnesium flint to char cloth, from waterproof matches to fat wood. I heard about potassium permanganate and glycerol, and have just bought some online, and awaiting delivery. Just wondered if anyone has any experience with this? and also due to the additional uses for first aid, water purification and staining if many have it as an item in a kit?

Cheers all

[Survivalist85]

Hey,

I thought i was the only one!! This was the first way i ever learned to make fire ( dad insisted on teaching me the hard way! ) There are plenty of videos of this on Utube BUT i found it is an exact art, plenty of practice helps. I also added sugar to the mix for fuel. You can purchase both items at your local chemist but its better to buy them each from different chemists due to the chemical composition.

[KrisWard]

Thanks for that, I have seen them but the videos vary in relation to what the ratios are they add. I have bought them both from different suppliers online and look forward to playing with them. From a distance of course lol

[prepperG]

Yeh its not the most reliable, very dependent on temp, the glycerine is a caterlist to speed up reaction, potasium is oxidizer so make sure you have good tinder as well, can be used to iniciate a detinator.
potasium is also good for fungal infections so keep in your survival kit for foot rot.
only place i have seen this is sas survival handbook. it was covered on an army survival course i did.

[Quercus-robur]

Does anyone have a recipe for making this? Also, how stable is it? I would love to add it to my survival kit but are there any precautions one should take when transporting/storing it?

Qr

[KrisWard]

I had heard the temperature could result in the reaction not being made. Thanks for your info, much appreciated. I received the Potassium permanganate today but not the glycerol. Has a look in the car for some brake fluid or abti freeze, but could not find any....so guess i will have to wait until it arrives..

I too would like to know if there is a way to make this, although it was only £2.09 plus delivery at £1.25 for 100g.

Cheers

[pseudonym]

Does anyone have a recipe for making this? Also, how stable is it? I would love to add it to my survival kit but are there any precautions one should take when transporting/storing it?

Qr

Just keep the two chemicals apart until needed, then mix and enclose in a tissue, keep your hands away, sometimes the chemical reaction takes a bit longer - just like a lit firework.



Use pot permang and Sugar also - apply friction/pressure. DO NOT use the back of your good knife, it'll stain

[Quercus-robur]

Just keep the two chemicals apart until needed, then mix and enclose in a tissue, keep your hands away, sometimes the chemical reaction takes a bit longer - just like a lit firework.



Use pot permang and Sugar also - apply friction/pressure. DO NOT use the back of your good knife, it'll stain

Thanks for that. A few months ago I bought 100g of Potassium Permanganate as I heard it was used in fire starting but I hadn't researched how. I took it camping with me and tried all sorts to get it to light but failed miserably. I ended up using a lighter and hexy tab to make a fire then pored the Potassium Permanganate on the fire to watch the pretty colours.

Qr

[KrisWard]

I have received both of these, and wow a fire by two chemicals in seconds. It is an amazingly hot burn, and when mixed with sugar as recommended above it burn even longer. So easy to use to get a fire going, I am rather impressed with this method of fire starting. More so than my previous failed attempts with the fire bow lol

[Bodhihermit]

Not done this for years

Used to use KMnO4 with ethylene Glycol (anti Freeze) works really well and great if you can find some dead wood, just gouge a dimple in the wood fill with crystals and use about 6-10 drops of ethylen glycol the reaction is hot enough to get a small log going in no time

I still keep some KMn04 in a vial in the BOB you should be able to get anti freeze anywhere