SAFETY PIN IMPROVISATION *

1) Replaces broken zippers or buttons on clothing, tents, and sleeping bags
2) Pin gloves to jacket
3) Pop blisters
4) Fishhook
5) Fix ski binding
6) Unclog stove
7) Neurosensory exam
8) Remove splinter
9) Replaces lost screw in glasses
10) Clean rusty cables
11) Pin arm across the jacket (through pinning of clothing) to fashion a shoulder immobilizer
12) Poke holes in cardboard to fashion sunglasses or watch the solar eclipse
13) Leather punch
14) Emergency sewing device
15) Holds dressing in place when you run out of tape
16) Punch holes in plastic bag to make irrigating device or shower

* FROM A Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness and Travel Medicine, by Eric A. Weiss, M.D.

toothpick

Keeping the tongue from blocking the airway of an unconscious victim. (ouch!)

cotter pin
hinge or hinge pin
cut off pin to make compass
frog gig / fish spear tines
fid
blow dart tip
watchband pin
keyring
burnishing pen
mini drawing compass
mini map dividers
mini gear carabiner
when sanitized, pierce abcess for draining
hook gaiter bottoms to bootlaces
lockpick
low-voltage through-insulation electrical connector
body of fishing lure
mini chain link
pine nut extraction-from-cone tool

WW

I always carry a few safety pins on the inside waistband at the front of my pants. They are pinned in place ... easily accessible.

Add this to your list:

Safety pins used to close your front pockets (esp. of your pants). Useful in third world cities. Stops street kids from reaching into your pockets and stealing your money or stuff.

other Pete

I have two safety pins dividing a large internal section of my EDC bag into two smaller ones by pinning it together down the middle.

My Palm fits comfortably into one subsection, the rest of the stuff in that section stays put, and that's two more safety pins available if I want them for something else.

I don't know if "fid" encompasses this meaning, but I'd like to add "bodkin" to the safety-pin's uses.

Pin it to a bit of cord and use it to wriggle the cord through a fabric tube.

Bear

The humble safety pin ... who knew it would become such a valuable piece of survival gear.
Not trying to hi-jack, but any comments on quality of the pins. You can buy hundreds at a time for a buck at the dollar store. Some are silver while others appear to be made from brass. You can also buy the ones made by victorinox (a dollar only gets you about ten or twenty but they appear to be very well made). Like I said not trying to hi-jack, but is there that much of a difference in the quality and how important is it?

I am not sure that varying quality is all that important, but I definitely prefer the larger sizes for my FAK.....

Same here

More uses?

• spring for mechanical devices improvisation;
• fire starter (over the battery terminals);
• phone (PDA, PC, etc) electrical connector pin;
• tiny screwdriver (grind the tip);
• bigger screwdriver (use side or coil);
• detector radio (use the tip over a rusty razor blade);
• can opener (poke enough holes to break the tin by hands), but a big sewing needle is far better for that;
• straight cutter for plastics;
• zipper puller replacement;

But in fact, I prefer to carry a roll of steel wire braided in clean plastic. Longer piece have even more uses, including a safety pin improvisation. To make it stiff I can always harden it over the flame, and the sharping file is always with me too.