an Old JAR: top ten uses?

[Joezilla]

What are uses you can think of, with an old jar that you find in the woods.

1. Make Fire with water on the inside - A tough task, but still possible with some jars

2. Broken to use for arrowheads- Glass is sharp buddy!

3. Barb- A small sliver can be attached to the shaft of a fire hardened point, and put at a steep angle to hold a fish on. Not only will it hold the fish in, but the sharp glass may help cut scales

4. Ferro Rod scraper- Save the back of that knife, you can get sparks with glass.

5. Boiling- A watched pot never boils, keep the water line high above the flame line and the glass will not shatter

6- De-thorner- Sure glass shards can dig into the skin, but the larger ones can help get them out.

7. "Knife"- The glass shards can be used to cut sinew and dress game, sharper than most knives.

8. Scraper- Never have I found a better axe-head shaper than broken glass.

what are some of the things you can think of?

 

[PayetteRucker]

Boiling and storing water, or using for water collection, is definitely number one.
I've never heard of sparking with glass before... seems sketchy to me when it has so many better uses. If you can get a jar to break correctly I suppose you can use it for cutting or spear/arrowtips but it goes back to before, why break a perfectly good jar when you don't know if it will even fracture correctly.

 

[koyote]

canteen, of course.
catch basin for a solar still.
dew catcher for scraping leaves.

got some foil or a space blanket? signal mirror.

 

[Mentor]

• Container for live bait, if you plan to do some survival fishing;
• Trap for creepy crawlies (buried in the ground - smooth sides may keep some edible critters in);
• Filled with sand, it might allow you to transport a few coals to your next campsite;
• Scoop for digging a snow shelter.

 

[PayetteRucker]

I think I'm starting to like you, mentor...

 

[Joben]

• Trap for creepy crawlies (buried in the ground - smooth sides may keep some edible critters in);
  

This works. I once caught a mole with a plastic box, a piece of paper, a rubber band and a ritz cracker.

You put the paper over the top of the box, cut an X in it, and set the bait on the X. When a critter walks across to get the bait it's weight is too great and it falls in.

 

[EMT_Lee]

Several goods one already stated.

Here's another: With some tinder inside, you can use the glass jar as a lantern for lighting up those dark trails. :thumbup:

 

[m. amos]

Sometimes I'll save fat or bacon grease for getting a fire started the next morning. It's kinda nasty, but it works.

 

[Mentor]

Several goods one already stated.

Here's another: With some tinder inside, you can use the glass jar as a lantern for lighting up those dark trails. :thumbup:

Now that's a neat one! Good thinking, Lee. I'm surprised that I missed that, as I always hike with a few candle lanterns in my pack, and they are essentially just glass jars with a metal frame.

And Payette, what do you mean by "starting", eh?

All the best,

- Mike

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Not really a wilderness thing, but I use old mason jars for brewing kombucha.

In addition to the uses already mentioned, you can use it as a float for a net as well.

 

[Loosearrow]

Sometimes I'll save fat or bacon grease for getting a fire started the next morning. It's kinda nasty, but it works.

You can use that bacon grease in the jar by throwing in some fine gravel, making a wick out of some cotton and using it as an oil lamp. If you don't fill it very full, the glass will act as a wind shield to keep the flame from blowing out. Also you could lace some cordage around the jar so you can carry it closer to your feet to see the trail at night. Also the candle will attract moths, mayflies etc to use as bait the next day or put the lantern near the shoreline or suspended from a branch near the surface of the water to chum for fish. The grease lamp could also be used as a sort of small stove with extra wicks. I also wonder of the jar with a loose lid could be buried in a hole with coals around it and used as an oven without cracking for pit cooking. You could use it as a biscuit cutter, rolling pin. You could put some stinking fish in it, poke many holes in the lid, tie a line to it and place in a stream, pond etc to attract fish. I know, it's early in the morning and I'm off to work. One more. The lid can be made into an ulu type of knife for butchering and used to scrape the hide for tanning small hides. Lid could be cut up to make spinners for lures. Jar suspended in tree to collect syrup or water dripping from certain vines. Put some water in bottom of jar, wire suspended across top with bait in the middle. Mouse walks across and falls in water and can't jump out. Rotted meat in jar, flies blow it, maggots to eat or use as bait. Can also suspend sideways over water to drop maggots into water to attract fish.

 

[BA_Colt]

You are in your shelter during a raging snowstorm at night and you need to pee...

 

[kgd]

Filled with water could be a fresnel lens....Your 'sharps' butt pack - containing all your arrowheads, fish hooks and opium needles (<-- slip)...Hmm can you get a spark from a steel striker on a shard of glass? Now I'm going to have to try that.

 

[Mistwalker]

Wouldn't a glass jar work as a solar still also? Could be used to make sun brewed wild herbal teas. The reflectivity could help you signal an air plane. Also...if you just happen to have some along they're good for sprouting beans.

 

[Wandering_About]

You could use it to take a sample of some of the moonshine you're distilling.

 

[Loosearrow]

If you like mung bean sprouts, you could keep some food going. I like them. You can easily carry dry seeds, soak them for a few days till they start to sprout. It would work well to have had them soaking for a few days till you were ready to go out. Once they sprout you eat half of them from the jar. They get bigger and fill the jar again, eat half again, next day or so more bean filling the jar. Good eating if you like sprouts, try them. I usually use a large mason jar and lid ring. Get a piece of panty hose type material so stretch over the lip of the jar and screw the lid on. Soak beans overnite, then put them in a dark place and rinse them morning and night. I just pour water through the panty hose shake and rinse. Shake the water out and back in the dark. Tasty, when the seed opens up and a few leaves appear, put them in the sun for some green.

 

[Loosearrow]

Wouldn't a glass jar work as a solar still also? Could be used to make sun brewed wild herbal teas. The reflectivity could help you signal an air plane. Also...if you just happen to have some along they're good for sprouting beans.

We think the same, I didn't see your post when I posted my this morning, good idea on the signal mirror. Regards

 

[kgd]

Tested the flint spark thing on a piece of porcelain cup handle that popped off - that produced sparks pretty good! Still have to do it with a shard of glass.