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Old 09-12-2011, 10:50 PM
 
1,337 posts, read 1,518,548 times
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I have often wondered how one would cut their own hair if they lived alone in the bush.

Jeremiah Johnson and Grizzly Adams kind of neglect to tell you these little details.

Last edited by FreedomThroughAnarchism; 09-12-2011 at 11:01 PM..
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Old 09-13-2011, 06:53 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hillrunner View Post
About a year ago I was caught out in the bush on a hunting/fishing excursion. Roughly 3 days into it I developed an AWFUL toothache that really took me by surprise. After a day of trying to numb the pain with JD and attaining zero relief, I was wondering why I didn't get at least a little relief from the alchol. As I eventually found out it was due to a filling that was put in years ago over a cavity that wasn't fully removed.

With only two pair of pliers, one of them being needle nose and both of them previously being used the prior 2 or 3 days on fish, I decided to go the old fashion method. With only a small bush mirror, I decided to extract it myself.

The first thing I did was clean both pair of pliers with alchol the best I could. Then I placed them over an open flame to kill any other bacteria that I thought may still be on them. Especially from the fish. Thats when I started to pull. As I was pulling, my tooth started to make cracking sounds when all of the sudden ,half-way out my tooth shattered. Lots of blood, lots of pain but at that point I just didn't have the option of stopping. So that is when the needle nose came into use. After getting one particular piece out the pain was instantly gone.
I continued to use the needle nose for cleanup of smaller pieces that I could still pull out.

I then had a fear of getting a bad infection, so I rinsed my mouth out with the alcohol and then did the only other thing that I figured would kill any infection. I heated up the needle nose again and singed my gum.

Its been roughly a year since then and I never had any problem other than having smaller pieces work their way out time to time. Not sure if it was luck, skill or a little bit of both. But if anyone is ever in that situation, all I can say is that it worked for me.

I just about pulled a duplicate of that stunt, less the cauderizing, but what makes this interesting to me, is I did it on a island in Maine.

The name of that island is Toothacher, there is a big and little tootheracher island on that lake, and I just won't go there anymore.

I had a bad time holding the tooth with steel, so I cut up a small bit of leather to pad the pliers with, which seemed to hold the 'work' far better. It made it a lot harder to see though.
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Old 09-13-2011, 07:00 AM
 
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Originally Posted by Happy in Wyoming View Post
That's nothing. I bet Mac_Muz has performed an appendectomy on himself. I hope he gets back before the thread goes stale.

Ok, this is the 2nd thread this came up. I have no idea why, since I still have that little time bomb waiting to go off.

I am missing my tonsils which a doc took out when I was 17, and in a hospital for. That was no fun, even with a real doc. I am missing my spleen, best thing they can ever take out too, but again a real surgon took that out, and I really didn't need it. Ever since my health has been far better. The reason why is a real bad mc crash.

The way I see pain is it is a state of mind, just like cold.
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Old 09-13-2011, 07:18 AM
 
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Originally Posted by NYChistorygal View Post
Any good, simple soap recipes? I've read that you can make it with animal fat or veg oils and lye made from filtering water through wood ash. Melt the fat, whip it all up, taste to see if ready.

What the heck is it supposed to taste like?!
Waste grease from red meats make a fair soap, the hard part is getting the grease off next.

As a car tech I used new motor oil to wash of real grime, not that I really got all that dirty working on cars, but my hands did.

Plain clear water and sand works in my woods for my hands.

I can go to around 10 days with no shower, but I will try to wash up with a rag on 3 season camps, with plian water.

In winter living outside to me is more important to stay clean, so you stay dryer. Like 10+ degrees and colder. I take special care of my feet in that type of weather, as sweaty greasy feet will freeze faster.

On a 10 days camp then I will have fresh socks in my pack for each day, and then a few more if there is room. If not I will boil water in a cook pan and flush out my socks, hang them in a tree or on a snow line to dry. Things will dry at those temps, but it takes sun and wind to get that job done. I will take a real quick rag bath everyother day in temps like that, but dry off with another rag.

Living out year round near a stream, I either built a larger fire to get over hot and go for a swim in a boiling ice water stream, or made a shower of boiling water, mixed with cold to suit, and in around 5 gallons. These showers took place everyother day.

On days i could not find the time I would use a common bucket for our hair.

My prefered to all soap from stores is multi use Castile in peppermint. It is a body wash, tooth acceptable, and shampoo all in one.

Living in a box, where hot water is just a part of life I tend to wash my hands a lot. Any time I am in the lav I wash my hands before and after doing 'things', after working on anything as soon as I come in, and before and after eatting, and before bed.

In the tee pee year the store bought shower bag failled pretty fast. I cut the shower head off the bag, with enough bag to hand sew it to a canvass bag I made and used a home made deer hanging gambrel to hold the bag to a line. Standing on a board in snow, 'our' feet would be fine for a shower out before God. That means there were 0 walls and no roof. (I can hand sew a water tight seam)

In fact showering that way was pretty interesting, since someone had to call the amount of water left in the shower bag, so 'our' hair could be rinsed clean.
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Old 09-13-2011, 07:21 AM
 
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Originally Posted by FreedomThroughAnarchism View Post
I have often wondered how one would cut their own hair if they lived alone in the bush.

Jeremiah Johnson and Grizzly Adams kind of neglect to tell you these little details.
My hair is 1/2 way down my back, and the only reason it ain't no longer is it won't grow any longer.

However I imagine they had scissors, which are a early cutting tool of the at least the iron age.

A similar type of 1750-1840 is still made of carbon steel today in China, and come in a great deal os sizes. I own several pair from very small to rather large myself.
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Old 09-13-2011, 07:57 AM
 
Location: Where the mountains touch the sky
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I normally cut my own hair now with clippers, no big deal, but in a pinch a good knife can be sharpened to a near razor edge and can be used to shave or razor cut your hair.
Everyone used to use straight razors, and those are basically just a knife blade. The trick is knowing how to sharpen them right.

I am going to be going into the hills for two weeks shortly, and a pan of hot water with a rag and a little soap work fine. I keep my hair pretty short since the military, so it is easy to wash even using regular bar soap.
I do take a couple changes of skivvies, lots of socks, and a change of pants and shirts. (Yes I am taking a toothbrush and toothpaste, the elk prefer minty fresh breath although for short use and hunting, baking soda works best as it is unscented)
I prefer a non scented-non deoderant soap like Ivory as it can be used for body and clothing.

Hunting with a recurve bow, I have to be able to get very close and limiting your own scent is paramount to success. Or you can go native and roll in an elk bed to smell like them, but I don't like the smell after a couple hours. That heavy musk can really bring a tear to your eyes and it takes a good hard wash to get it off.

Everything I wear can be washed by hand in a creek or pot. Laundry and hygene can be done, just like any other part of survival. It is just a little more work than throwing a load in the automated washing machine or jumping into a nice hot shower.
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Old 09-13-2011, 11:09 AM
 
711 posts, read 1,509,254 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mac_Muz View Post
I just about pulled a duplicate of that stunt, less the cauderizing, but what makes this interesting to me, is I did it on a island in Maine.

The name of that island is Toothacher, there is a big and little tootheracher island on that lake, and I just won't go there anymore.

I had a bad time holding the tooth with steel, so I cut up a small bit of leather to pad the pliers with, which seemed to hold the 'work' far better. It made it a lot harder to see though.
I know NOW that I probly should have tried something like the leather. At the time it never entered my mind to try that. That is why I think my tooth shattered. When I had the steel of the plier on my tooth I did have to squeeze much harder to keep it from sliding off.
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Old 09-13-2011, 11:25 AM
 
Location: Staten Island, New York
3,727 posts, read 7,020,444 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mac_Muz View Post
Ok, this is the 2nd thread this came up. I have no idea why, since I still have that little time bomb waiting to go off.

I am missing my tonsils which a doc took out when I was 17, and in a hospital for. That was no fun, even with a real doc. I am missing my spleen, best thing they can ever take out too, but again a real surgon took that out, and I really didn't need it. Ever since my health has been far better. The reason why is a real bad mc crash.

The way I see pain is it is a state of mind, just like cold.
We are just complementing your amazing survival skills by stating you could probably do such a dangerous surgery on yourself!

I am awed by your skills and knowledge. I hope I never need to use them, but am trying to absorb some of them.
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Old 09-13-2011, 11:29 AM
 
Location: Staten Island, New York
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Can homemade laundry soap be used in HE machines?
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Old 09-13-2011, 11:33 AM
 
373 posts, read 634,361 times
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Default If you have pair of Scissors

Quote:
Originally Posted by FreedomThroughAnarchism View Post
I have often wondered how one would cut their own hair if they lived alone in the bush.

Jeremiah Johnson and Grizzly Adams kind of neglect to tell you these little details.
If you have a pair of scissors. There were no barbor shops nearby so I just started doing it myself and the wife helping to reach some areas. But could do it well enought myself. Close to 30 years. Could not stand to drive to a barbor shop now and sit still or wait.
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