Boiling Water Without Metal...

[flmason]

Hi All,
   Have been considering the hypothetical, "How to survive with 'nothing'" scenario.

Clearly firestarting is possible with old time methods like a bow drill. Same for hunting tools, etc.

Where I come up blank is what to boil water in?

Since most water supplies I know of have had treated sewage dumped in them somewhere along the line, seems the need to boil water is clear.

But haven't managed to think of a way to fabricate something to actually boil it in from natural materials. Granted I suppose one could be silly and say... "Well you know... just find some metal ore and make a pot", LOL!

But seriously, before there were metal utensils, how was this handled?

[flmason]

Hmm... so far, looks like clay might be one approach.

[jlwilliams]

  You can boil water in a flamable container.  The water in the container keeps the material from burning, at least below the water level.  There is a classic science experiment/demonstration known as 'boiling water in a paper cup'.  I did it as a kid.  It's cool to see.  The paper above the water line singes off but you can indeed boil the water over a small burner or fire.

  On a more practical level for survival, there is just no end of trash all over the place.  You can salvage usable stuff if you are of a mind to do so.  A couple of episodes of 'survior man' feature him stripping usable cord from wiring harnesses, pieces of metal for all kinds of purposed and so on from things like wrecked vehicles (which are all over the planet)  and just out of trash heaps.  You could boil water without metal, but you are more likely to find metal than to not be able to find it.  How many empty beer cans do you see in the woods on a typical day hiking or hunting?  I know I see more than I'd like to.  A can and a knife, you now have a small pot.

  I once saw a book that I wish to heck I'd just bought (the stupidity of feeling too cheap to buy a usefull book) The book was about depression era hobo cookware made from discarded food cans.  With a bunch of #10 and smaller cans and some time, they had a whole array of good camp ware with detailed enough construction notes.  That sort of thing would have been a fun project to do with the kids that would have made a potentially useful memory.  Being in a tough spot and remembering that trick you tried back when  in the garage.....That's the kind of education that can save one's skin.

[SDS-GEN]

1.Place water in vessel. 

2.Drop in rocks that have been heated in a fire.

3.Repeat step #2 until water boils.

[flmason]

1.Place water in vessel. 

2.Drop in rocks that have been heated in a fire.

3.Repeat step #2 until water boils.

Yeah, I've read of this. No doubt it works, but was looking for something more efficient and effective. Could take all week to boil water long enough to make stew, or so I'm thinking.

Ever actually try this method?

[Victor3]

But seriously, before there were metal utensils, how was this handled?

 I'm thinking maybe it wasn't a priority way back when. 

 I suppose you could use a rock to carve out a bowl in another rock and build a fire around it...

[243dave]

SDS-GEN has the solution.  Its not hard with a few smooth golf ball sized rocks, just make sure they have very little moisture in them.  A river rock can explode or crack due to all the moisture in them.  You can even do this in plastic bags and paper cups.  Try it the next time camping.

[SHOOTALL]

fill a paper cup or bag with water and set in a fire , dip water out as it boils . Or place dirty water in a plastic bag and set it so the sun will cause it to condensate in the top , make rain . Rain is distilled water . Maybe someone else knows if it is safe to drink the "rain" water in the bag collected from the top of the bag. And yeas you need a large trash bag or bigger.

[torpedoman]

water can be and has been boiled in intestines

[Norm1057]

People used to complain about all the plastic bottles that are used and wasted in the States!

National Geographic a few months back had an article about a Norwegian or Swedish guy who found that %99+ of the viruses & bacteria in a sample could be killed by placing water in a clear plastic bottle and sitting in direct sun light for 6 hrs! By filtering the water then setting up a row of bottles you could easily keep a safe supply of drinking water on hand.

[gofish]

I saw a deminstration by a native american who boiled water in a piece of birch bark, you know off a birch tree. We have lots of them in minnesota HA HA! He stipped a piece of a living tree, pinched up the corners and tied in place to make ( you guesd it )a bowl. Put some water in it and placed it on a small fire and the water boiled .As long as there is a liquid in the bowl it won't burn. Just had to try it and it works!!!!!!!!!!!  He used smal fine tree roots soaked in water to make them pliable to tie up the corners. Ow ya white side of bark out and brown side of the tree bark on the inside.

gofish
can't spell very well but shoot OK

[quasne.inc]

A combination of some of the above.  At a cook out the other day my buddy took a plastic pepsi bottle and filled it up with water and stuck it in coals that were incredibly hot.  I couldnt believe the plastic wasnt melting.  And within just a few minutes it started boiling.  He took it out and set it aside and said soon as it cools you got safe drinking water.  I was blown away.  But that isnt that hard to do.

[kyelkhunter3006]

1.Place water in vessel. 

2.Drop in rocks that have been heated in a fire.

3.Repeat step #2 until water boils.

Yeah, I've read of this. No doubt it works, but was looking for something more efficient and effective. Could take all week to boil water long enough to make stew, or so I'm thinking.

Ever actually try this method?

When you're making something out of nothing, you don't really worry about the efficient part.  As long as it's efffective, it's good.  It might take 30 minutes, it might take 3 hours.  If you're in that type of situation, most times, you'll have plenty of time on your hands anyway.

[vacek]

I'm going to comment on the treated sewage mentioned at the start of the thread.  Wastewater plants before allowing the treated wastewater to leave the plant, dose it with a high amount of chlorine.  Then prior to it going out (effluent) the chlorine residual is removed.  Basically the effluent of WW plants is safe to the environment and the pathaogens are pretty much gone.  That doesn't mean you shouldn't boil, you should.  If you have no other choice then filter the water to remove as much suspended particles as possible and then expose the water to direct sunlight for several hours.  This will help to disinfect the water.  Many WW plants disinfect their water with UV instrumentation. 

Another trick if you have some copper tubing.  Heat up the copper and stir it in your filtered water.  Copper is a relatively strong disinfectant.  The beauty of chlorine and/or iodine is that it maintains a residual presence in the water, helping to keep the water disinfected until it is consumned.

For maximum safety, filter, boil and then disinfect with a low dose of a halogen (chorine, iodine).

[kynardsj]

Have seen many survival shows where a plastic bottle was suspended over a fire and water was boiled in it. Plastic bottles and/or aluminum cans are usually easy to come by in the outdoors.

[tacklebury]

I've read although not tried myself, that water can be boiled in Skunk Cabbage leaves also.  I'm not sure of it's range, but we do have it here in MI.

[bilmac]

In Viet Nam I watched our mountainyard scouts boil water in a section of bamboo propped at a 45 degree angle over a fire. I think the old man was showing the youngsters how to do it, cause there were plenty of C ration cans laying around.

 If things go to pot the sewage treatment plants  and even the whole waste disposal system may well cease to function. If that happens there will be diseases like cholorea to worry about again. They say that cholorea killed more people on the Oregon Trail than any other factor.

A solar still would give you distilled H2O which would also be free of any other toxic in the water. They can also provide water in a desert

[joeinwv]

Pick a suitable size log, split it in half. Put hot coals in the middle and burn out a bowl. Fill with water and add hot rocks.

That is about as close to 0 technology as it gets.