tweezer shortcuts

[Tony]

I was wondering if anyone has a nifty way of making a quick pair of tweezers in the field, in the past i've used two bits of wood, folded tin can etc but is there something that just lends itself to tweezers when you need them right quick???

[Bushwhacker]

A small crab claw.

[Toddy]

Depends on what you want pulling out tbh.
There's a technique called 'threading' which uses the spin in two threads to catch and grip, and it's strong enough to pull hair out roots and all. It'll grip things like a tick too (I know all the guidelines, but if you don't have an otom tick tool to hand, a wee bit of thread can work very well) or the end of a kind of prominent skelf/ splinter/ thorn.
The other thing that works is a small spring; gently bend it and roll it over the object while still twisting it.

Neither of these would do to dig into you to remove a foreign object though.

cheers,
Mary

[southey]

I'm not sure but you could two try shell edges like mussels or limpets or flint shards for a fine edge, I all ways my sliver grippers in my pocket so not really thought about it, but its a good exercise.

[southey]

I like the spring idea Mary! All ways have a Parker pen in my pocket too.

[JohnC]

IIRC PatrickM had a photothread on here about making one from antler bits, but I think its deleted.

[VANDEEN]

The hinge on my glasses.

Used it a few times for spelks and splinters, wouldn't be any good for ticks though;
Works well if the tip is exposed but if just below the surface is strong enough to remove the top layer of skin & hold the splinter all in one go.

Not so good for those that are long sighted I guess as they may not be able to see what they're looking at.

HTH

[zed4130]

Some cool ideas here, ive never really needed to make one as usualy always got my vic explorer in my backpack,

[EdS]

use your teeth

[Tony]

yeah, i've usually got sliver grippers. I like the thread idea Mary, I've used it on bigger things with ropes etc but I don't think I've thought about it on small stuff. Some good ideas from you all...goodjob

[Shewie]

You could always ask the mrs, she's bound to have something in the bottom of the handbag :)

[ged]

I carry a pair of tweezers in a pouch on my belt and when I'm out and about I do find them very useful on occasion.

I think the best bit of metal that, er, springs to mind to make tweezers very easily is that thin strip that you wind onto a little key when you open a can of corned beef. A length of that three or four inches long would probably make pretty good tweezers just cut, flattened and folded. Here's what I think I'd do if I lost my tweezers, didn't have a corned beef can handy, and absolutely had to make something to do the job.

1. Take a small stick, something like 8mm diameter, and bind one end so that it won't split.

2. Split the stick from the other end, down to the binding.

3. Run a bit of binding or something down into the split, to separate the split parts from each other a little at the end away from the binding. Now I have something a bit like a solid wooden clothes peg.

4. Find a bit of metal such as a barb from a barbed-wire fence, or a tin can, cut it to make two small jaw pieces, possibly shape them a bit (assuming I haven't lost my multi-tool as well as the tweezers).

5. Either press the jaw pieces into the two split ends of my bit of wood, or bind them to it. For stability, if pressed in they'd need to have sharp ends, if bound they'd either need to have a more or less flat surface or else be bent tightly somewhere near the binding.

6. Mess about bending the jaw pieces to get the tips to meet.

7. See if it works.

I've seen quite a few pairs of tweezers that have tips separate from the springy parts, e.g. on twin-pan balances for handling the very accurate weights, so having separate tips and forceps isn't a new idea.

All this would be near enough impossible for me (as would using a pair of tweezers to do anything fine like pulling out a thorn from my finger) if I didn't have my glasses and a magnifying glass. I always carry both, and spares.

[munkiboi182]

I,ve used fishing hooks to pluck out splinters. I always have a few in my kit with my hand line.

[ex member pyrophil]

I got a good one, if your with a woman get her to take her bra off, get the underwire out of it, pull cut or burn off the plastic on the ends, fold bend the wire and your sorted.