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Ok Ladies and gents. I'm a first time poster here, so bear with me. Im a member of a few different forums and lists so I hope I don't act like too much of a newbie. I'm an Eagle Scout, and I teach wilderness survival. I showed the boys various ways to start fires, including steel wool with a battery, eyeglasses, a commercially available steel striker and flint, and potassium permanginate. Someones father asked if you could use Potassium Permanginate to make water potable, I said that I had heard before that you could but that I would research this and discuss it with qualified people before advising further. When I was a kid we always had a small plastic bottle of iodine tabs, or a vial of chlorinated liquid. My questions are: A) CAN Potassium Permanginate be used to make potable water? B) What is the ratio of chrystals to water or other things necessary to use this method. C) is this method even worth it? Do the processes and equipment necessary make this method, presumable true, to be more of a hassle or a "watch this kids" than something useful. Be warned that these boys are 15-16 and if the potable water tastes like it was strained through an offensive linemans jockey shorts, their mothers will want my head on a pike.
PS. Additionally, what are the best methods to use this chemical to start a fire? Im always up fopr learning new techniques
Best Regards and TIA
Nate