Hello All,

I found a number of articles online regarding the use of Potassium Permangante ( aka Condy's crystals ) in wilderness fire starting/medical disinfectant of wounds/water purification uses. The only problem is that any guidance on how to safely use the stuff, and ratios of water to Potassium Permanganate is pretty vague.

I remember reading about it in a few old books I have on Afican Hunting but haven't been able to find alot of information on actual amounts to be used in given quantities of water for purification vs disinfectant use. If any of you have experience with this stuff, i'd love to hear about it. I sure don't want to risk doing more harm than good with a solution thats too strong.

It seems like a great item to carry in a survival kit of any size due to the many things its capable doing. If i remember correctly Doug carries some in his pocket sized kit. Something that can disinfect cuts and scrapes, purify drinking water, and also be used to start a fire is definately an item I want to pack in my Kit.

Matt

bat69,

This subject has been pretty well discussed in several previous threads in the ETS Forums. Take advantage fo the search function and type in "potassium" or "potassium permanganate" or "condy" or "fire starter" and be sure to seledct all threads and all dates. You will wind up with a whole bunch of reading and interesting links. I followed several of the links and found a couple that had some real good info. on the pro's and cons for fire and water use.

Regards,
Comanche7

Heres something I've found and it does seem pretty basic...

Potassium Permanganate: This has several uses. Mix a little with water until the water becomes bright pink to sterilize it, add more to make it a darker pink to make an antiseptic, and add enough to make it deep red to treat fungal diseases such as athlete’s foot.

Watch out, if even the smallest grain of this stuff lands on the floor you could have some serious domestic issues when the floor is mopped. Leaves a beautiful purple streak across the tiles. Don't ask.... <img src="images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Hi Paul,

Thanks for the info. I took comanche's advice and looked it up in past threads and found some decent information on the subject as well.. ( including the remarkable ability to stain anything it touches! Geeze, good thing I found that out before I made the wife mad... ) I've also hunted the web pretty heavily about its uses and drawbacks.

Although its largely a matter of opinion as to wheather or not it should be carried in a PSK, I've personally decided its definately going to be a manditory item in all of mine.

My reasoning for carring it is due to my strong belief in: ( brace yourself! the next 2 words are considered blasphemy by alot of folks...)

Gear Redundancy... While not serving as the star performer in the categorys of disinfectant, anticeptic, or fire starter, this little chemical workhorse can, if needed effectively do all of the above. That combined with the fact that it weighs next to nothing, and takes up very little space make it a must have in my book.

Matt

Bat69: Glad you found some answers. Why don't you summarize the dosage information you found or decided on?

Bear

I don't think you'll find the concept of 'gear redundancy' the least bit controversial here. I pack small vials of potassium permanganate AND Portable Aqua Iodine tablets in my Altoids tins. The iodine tablets are my primary means of water purification, with the potassium permanganate serving as a handy backup. Its primary use is as a medical item (disinfectant and anti-fungal solution), a secondary water purification method, and perhaps a fire-starter as a distant third (I don't consider it at all practical in this role, but that's just me). I'm all for packing multiple use items, and if some of these uses overlap, so much the better.

Be sure to experiment with the planned uses BEFORE depending upon them. Find out how much (or little) and what size grains work the best for your applications. It would appear that you need more than a couple of grains to develop suitable heat for fire starting and then it also depends upon what you are mixing it with.

It is definitely best to relegate this scientific investigation to the outdoors. Not only does it stain rather well, when it gets hot, there are some rather ugly fumes emitted.

Yes, sure ! try it before you need it !!!

I too was interested in permanganate, for the same reason (multi-purpose item).
And I easily found permanganate in little paper doses (like salt and peper, in take-away restaurants).

But then I found out that ....
- it is really easy to color a large area on a shirt, on a table or on the floor, if you drop just a few particles ...... so, take real care if used indoors ... and if you're married ! <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
- adding a drop of glycerine on the content of one dose won't start a fire ... you need larger amounts to start a useful chemical reaction.

OTOH, for it's medicinal usage and water purification (if no other means are available), it may be OK to keep some doses in a FAK. It doesn't take any place....
And who cares if some grass blades turn violet .....

Condy’s Crystals - Potassium Permanganate ( KMnO4 )

- There are several things you should know about the kit. The Condy’s Crystals are known in the US as potassium permanganate. Three of the crystals (each about the size of a grain of sugar) are mixed with a quart of water to make it potable. The small vial has enough crystals to purify 300 gallons of water. The water should be a pale pink in color. If more crystals are dissolved until the water turns red, the solution can be used as a topical antiseptic. Diluting more crystals to obtain a deep purple solution makes an external fungicide against athlete’s foot, jock itch, and ringworm. In addition, a small amount, about half the size of a dime, can be mixed with an equal amount of the crushed glucose tablet to start a fire. This can be done using the flint striker, a magnifying lens, friction (such as scraping the side of the knife blade across the mixture on a hard surface) or by adding glycerin from an advanced first aid kit or some brake fluids. BE CAREFUL WITH THIS PROCEDURE AND USE SMALL AMOUNTS OF THE MIXTURE. IGNITION WILL CREATE SPARKS UP TO A FOOT HIGH. DO NOT PRE-MIX WITH SUGAR AND STORE!


David Alloway's Book "Desert Survival Skills". He is the retailer of the Australian Mk III kit .