Improvised uses for a newspaper

jcurphy in the Urban Preparedness forum wrote:

"A thick newspaper can be used to start a fire and the pages crumpled up to add dead space for added warmth to the plastic bag. Just a thought. Seems like I have a newspaper on the floor in my backseat on any given day regardless lol."

I recall hearing newspaper used for many things and wonder if you can add to the list?

tinder
insulation
splint
ground cloth
sunscreen

Ever been hit with a rolled up newspaper?

It is not an accident the folks enjoying free room and board at taxpayer expense like newspapers.

baton for offense or defense
hat
water carrier
privacy screen
wound shield / covering

flyswatter
fish wrapper (if moist it will help keep what is wrapped in it cool by evaporation, it can wrap other things too)
packing fill for any dishes or other fragile items

Newspaper makes a very effective biodegradable mulch (weed barrier) in the garden.

* Stuff into wet shoes to absorb moisture.
* Deodorize plastic containers that have picked up a rotting food odor: crumple damp/wet newspaper loosely into the container and put on the lid, then set in the sun for a day or so.
* If you're down so low that you need to eat bugs, loosely roll several layers of newspaper in a shaded moist area over night, and collect the bugs in the morning. You can also use the bugs as animal bait.
* Tightly rolled and tied with wire, they are now campfire logs.
* Traction under your drive wheel(s) when caught in mud or snow.
* Drunks like them on park benches as blankets.
* If you don't have enough tinfoil to make a proper protective hat, make one out of newspaper and cover it with the tinfoil.
* Laid on the soil and covered with mulch, it keeps weeds down and soil moisture up in your survival garden.

What did you do with the newspaper?

I wrapped the garbage in it, and threw it out.

Oh, I wanted to see it.

It wasn't much to look at: just some coffee grounds and orange peels.


Now, back to your regularly scheduled broadcast...;-)

good one!

I wonder if you could do the boil-water-in-a-paper-bag thing with newspaper?

TP
water filter
plate
cup
towel
pot holder

lens and window cleaner
windscreen
foraged food container
container cover
hot container caddy
shoe or window patch
entertainment
torch

The way to hit someone with one, is end on, like you would with a mini maglite. It's called a 'Millwall brick' in the UK from soccer fans use of them as weapons.
The Sock

"gloves"
"socks"
funnel
tube
match / lighter extender
"handle"

C'mon you McGyvers out there, chime in!

splint (arm, leg)

I found it too fragile.
It works when set up on a ring stand over a bunsen burner as a school demonstration, but in the real world the paper is too soft to handle when wet and it tears apart under the weight of the water when you try moving it

Um, news?

A thick stack of newspaper, well wetted, makes a decent bullet backstop and can give a very rough indication of ballistic penetration and expansion.

Emergency cat pan liner or kitty litter, especially if you have a paper shredder.

Alpha radiation shield (really!)

You dip the water out with a cup.

megaphone / hearing horn [?]
blow gun
note paper
light shovel / rake
seed collector and winnowing basket

How's about-Newspaper Mache',It can form just about any shape of Bowl,Box,Cup,Hat,Tube,Eating utensils,ConeDarts,etc. the only other ingredient required would be a Liquid Starch,of which Potatoes,Cat-tail tubers or Most other tubers,Corn stalks,Banana peels,etc. could easily provide in a pinch,If the real store bought stuff wasn't available that is.

broom
seat cushion
pillow
ear plugs

light reflector
heat reflector
food prep surface
trail marker

sheath
scraper
sponge
polisher

wedge / shim
tool roll


And with that, because no one else seems too interested, I will stop posting in this thread.

13 people have read this in the last 90 minutes.
S

Please don't feel that you're being ignored. I've been reading it avidly, and compiling the whole list.

The only use I thought of was firelog, but I have no experience with those and didn't want to embarrass myself if they don't actually work. I'm glad someone else posted it.

I've already decided that if I have to GH, my first stop will be to buy a newspaper!

(23 replies and 345 views as of the time of my post )

It could be used as the final weather barrier for a shelter.

If you wax it or oil it newspaper makes great kindling, but raw newspaper is usually too damp to make good kindling in the bush.

Newspaper is great for stuffing into cracks, to stop the breeze from blowing through your shack.

Hey, this is actually an interesting thread.

okay, a few more:

braid into usable cordage for light stress applications

weave into branches for wind breaks or to hold up debris roofing your shelter

temporary wind / rain / snow "roof" over your fire making efforts

weighted and laid out as a distress signal

fuse

wick

gaiters to keep weeds / snow from your socks as you hike

fan

straw

spy tube [push into bush, hole/nest to see if dinner is there]

smoke tube [blow into bee hive to put 'em to sleep]

bait container

straw? as in drinking? or do you mean shredded up and used like straw for bedding?

Meant drinking straw, but either use works.

Guantlet/vambrace for bite / knife defense

Turn short into long sleeves / pants

Cold or hot compress

diaper / "depends"

fruit / nut / berry knocker-downer [thrown]

gasket

toothpick

nail cleaner

broom

brush

Okay, THAT one provoked an "EWW!"

seat protector , yours and a vehicles

pocket protector

plastic bag / liner / heat sheet protector

Cutting board, sheath (folded or taped).

Armour!
The protesters at world trade summits have been using newspapers and duct tape to make arm guards, greaves for their legs and body armour capable of protecting them from police batons.

whiteout mask

wind chill mask

visor

ear cleaner

I have heard that freshly-opened newspapers are fairly sterile (at least of extreme nasties), and newborn babies have been wrapped in them when no blanket was available.

And that leads me to think they would make good emergency cold-weather protection for small children, even if it's just full pages with holes in the center, wrapped at the waist with a vine or cord. A hood or helmet could probably be formed, too -- maybe a whole-head wrap with just an opening for eyes.

I just tried the straw and it didn't work. It absorbed too much moisture at once and collapsed. Then I tried half a sheet of printer paper, and it didn't work very well, either. Pity.

If you manage to catch something that has any fat on it at all, try to trap any grease on the newspaper and hoard it for firestarting.

Use the shiny ad pages for things like making a straw that interact with liquids

Something to wrap around that fern and wildflower bouquet you hand your significant other as you explain why a few days without showering or shaving in the woods without notice to her is one of the beautiful surprises in life that comes with your relationship (good luck).

Edit: only legally harvested materials were killed in the making of this hypothetical.

Or perhaps for slapping one’s own hand for picking ferns and wildflowers, which I would suspect, is illegal in most states .

Pete

bib

napkin

apron

What do you call those sand weighted open top bags with burning candles inside? Sort of low illimination area / guide lights.

Edit: luminaries or luminaria??

A Christmas Tree,
Entertainment, especially the comics;
Information,
concealment of items, ala handgun, knife,bludgeon.

Roll up glossy pages and use to strop your knife.

casualty-moving drag sheet

a cover for those who have gone to the creator

handkerchief / bandana

fire bundle to drag setting back fires

hung and wetted for evaporative swamp cooler

Covering the sides of your improvised smoker while you create yummy squirrel, rabbit, and lizard jerky.

Neck / cervical collar

Something for your new pet wolf to chew up instead of you.

Anybody compile a list of the improvised use ideas that they could post?

The list so far (there may be duplicates):

tinder
insulation
splint
ground cloth
sunscreen
baton for offense or defense (The way to hit someone with one, is end on, like you would with a mini maglite.)
hat
water carrier
privacy screen
wound shield / covering
flyswatter
fish wrapper (if moist it will help keep what is wrapped in it cool by evaporation, it can wrap other things too)
packing fill for any dishes or other fragile items
biodegradable mulch
Stuff into wet shoes to absorb moisture.
Deodorize plastic containers that have picked up a rotting food odor: crumple damp/wet newspaper loosely into the container and put on the lid, then set in the sun for a day or so.
If you're down so low that you need to eat bugs, loosely roll several layers of newspaper in a shaded moist area over night, and collect the bugs in the morning. You can also use the bugs as animal bait.
Tightly rolled and tied with wire, they are now campfire logs.
Traction under your drive wheel(s) when caught in mud or snow.
Drunks like them on park benches as blankets.
If you don't have enough tinfoil to make a proper protective hat, make one out of newspaper and cover it with the tinfoil.
Laid on the soil and covered with mulch, it keeps weeds down and soil moisture up in your survival garden.
TP
water filter
plate
cup
towel
pot holder
lens and window cleaner
windscreen
foraged food container
container cover
hot container caddy
shoe or window patch
entertainment
torch
"gloves"
"socks"
funnel
tube
match / lighter extender
"handle"
megaphone / hearing horn [?]
blow gun
note paper
light shovel / rake
seed collector and winnowing basket
broom
seat cushion
pillow
ear plugs
light reflector
heat reflector
food prep surface
trail marker
sheath
scraper
sponge
polisher
wedge / shim
tool roll
Emergency cat pan liner or kitty litter, especially if you have a paper shredder
final weather barrier for a shelter
stuffing into cracks, to stop the breeze from blowing through your shack
braid into usable cordage for light stress applications
weave into branches for wind breaks or to hold up debris roofing your shelter
temporary wind / rain / snow "roof" over your fire making efforts
weighted and laid out as a distress signal
fuse
wick
gaiters to keep weeds / snow from your socks as you hike
fan
drinking straw (tested - failed) (Use the shiny ad pages for things like making a straw that interact with liquids)
bedding
spy tube [push into bush, hole/nest to see if dinner is there]
smoke tube [blow into bee hive to put 'em to sleep]
bait container
Guantlet/vambrace for bite / knife defense
Turn short into long sleeves / pants
Cold or hot compress
diaper / "depends"
fruit / nut / berry knocker-downer [thrown]
gasket
toothpick
nail cleaner
broom
brush
seat protector , yours and a vehicles
pocket protector
plastic bag / liner / heat sheet protector
Cutting board
sheath (folded or taped)
whiteout mask
wind chill mask
visor
ear cleaner
bib
napkin
apron
luminaries
A Christmas Tree,
Entertainment, especially the comics;
Information,
concealment of items, ala handgun, knife,bludgeon.
Roll up glossy pages and use to strop your knife.
casualty-moving drag sheet
a cover for those who have gone to the creator
handkerchief / bandana
fire bundle to drag setting back fires
hung and wetted for evaporative swamp cooler
Covering the sides of your improvised smoker while you create yummy squirrel, rabbit, and lizard jerky.
Neck / cervical collar
Something for your new pet wolf to chew up instead of you.



Newspaper Mache',It can form just about any shape of Bowl,Box,Cup,Hat,Tube,Eating utensils, Cone Darts, etc. the only other ingredient required would be a Liquid Starch,of which Potatoes,Cat-tail tubers or Most other tubers,Corn stalks,Banana peels,etc. could easily provide in a pinch,If the real store bought stuff wasn't available that is.

A thick stack of newspaper, well wetted, makes a decent bullet backstop and can give a very rough indication of ballistic penetration and expansion.

Alpha radiation shield (really!)

If you wax it or oil it newspaper makes great kindling, but raw newspaper is usually too damp to make good kindling in the bush.

Armour!
The protesters at world trade summits have been using newspapers and duct tape to make arm guards, greaves for their legs and body armour capable of protecting them from police batons.

I have heard that freshly-opened newspapers are fairly sterile (at least of extreme nasties), and newborn babies have been wrapped in them when no blanket was available.

And that leads me to think they would make good emergency cold-weather protection for small children, even if it's just full pages with holes in the center, wrapped at the waist with a vine or cord. A hood or helmet could probably be formed, too -- maybe a whole-head wrap with just an opening for eyes.

If you manage to catch something that has any fat on it at all, try to trap any grease on the newspaper and hoard it for firestarting.

Something to wrap around that fern and wildflower bouquet you hand your significant other as you explain why a few days without showering or shaving in the woods without notice to her is one of the beautiful surprises in life that comes with your relationship (good luck). (Only legally harvested materials were killed in the making of this hypothetical.)

That is getting to be quite a list.
Some of the ideas seem a bit odd, but worth testing to see if they work

I can add a missing one.
Wet newspapers can be used as a wrap to steam food in.

edit: one more use.
I have seen homeless people stuff their clothing with papers on real cold days.

Yep, dry paper traps "dead air" and is an excellent insulator. Stuffing your clothes is efficient, but also sends the "i'm homeless" kind of message. You can use them as ground sheets. If it's really cold and you're standing still, standing on a newspaper is very much warmer than standing on the ground. (Old tricks from those days people actually went to outdoor skating competitions and watched for hours...).

But the newspaper must be dry! Any moisture and your insulation material is just a cold pasta seeping down...