Question about (rough) liquid measurements with a SAK

[Tuisto]

Hey everyone, I'm new here but I was wondering if anyone had any novel ideas for how to use a SAK for measuring the amount of a liquid (roughly, i.e., while outdoors vel. sim.). I've seen certain methods where a SAK has been used as a rudimentary scale, but never anything with liquid measurements. Edited to add: preferably using either a Swiss Champ or a Compact.

[nate j]

Welcome aboard!

I’m not sure I completely understand the question, but I’ll take a stab (pun intended) at it.

I suppose if you had a container that was full or partially full with the liquid, you could use the Swisschamp’s ruler to tqke measurements that would enable you to calculate the volume of liquid in the container.

As another option, you might use the concept of torque equilibrium to determine the mass of liquid in a container.  You could use the Swisschamp’s ruler to find the lengths, and the Swisschamp itself could be used as the known weight.

These sorts of things might be useful as hands-on science lessons for middle school students, or perhaps if one is writing a book whose title is something like “10,001 Uses for a SAK”, the practical real-world application is pretty limited…

In many cases, the eyeball test may be good enough (e.g. I know it’s a 32 oz water bottle and it looks about 3/4 full, so 24 oz).  Or, if more precise measurements are needed, pre-marked containers are readily available.

[WECSOG]

I would use the ruler on my Swisschamp to measure the inside diameter of the container and the depth of the liquid therein, and use that to calculate the volume.

Or, use the ruler and other tools to make a smaller measuring cup from materials at hand, and use that to measure the liquid. For example, if you found a piece of pipe with a 2 inch ID, you could close one end with wood, duct tape or whatever, and use the saw to trim it to a depth of about 2-1/5 inches. That would give you a measuring cup of about 4 ounces, or 1/2 cup. In fact if you had some duct tape, you could make a cup entirely out of tape. Saw a flat end on a stick and whittle it to a known diameter (e.g. 2 inches) and use that as a former. Wrap the tale around the stick with the sticky side out, then wrap several additional layers with the sticky side in. Slip it off the former when done.

Or, you could even carve the classic bushcraft dipper/cup out of wood. Use the saw and the main blade to form the outside to the shape you want, then the small blade and the chisel to carve out a cavity. Use the ruler to calculate the volume of the cavity.

ETA: As an experiment, I just used the fish scaler/ruler on my Swisschamp to measure the interior volume of a Beanie Weenies can. I calculated it as 0.92 cup to the lip, so I figured it would be approximately a cup if I filled it to the absolute top. So I filled it completely full of water, dumped the water in a measuring cup, and it measured right at one cup.

[Tuisto]

Thanks guys, I think those are some good methods; to clarify, I have to take a liquid oral medication and, on hikes, I didn't want to dump my water bottle to try to put the correct amount in there (the water bottle has lines), so I wanted to see if I could find a way to do it in the little metal tin I bring with me for boiling water.

[nate j]

OK, this makes more sense now.

What volume are you taking, and how frequently?

I suspect we’ll be able to suggest some good options, though they may not all involve a SAK.

[Tuisto]

10-15ml every four hours.

[nate j]

How about a 10 or 20 mL plastic syringe?

[WECSOG]

I agree, bring a plastic syringe. But if you don't want to do that, what is the inside diameter of your boiling cup? If it's 4 inches, that's just a bit over 10cm. A 10cm cylinder with liquid filled to 1cm depth is (pi x r squared) 78.5 cc. A cc is the same volume as a ml, so 78.5cc equals 78.5ml. So, just reduce the depth. It will be pretty shallow: at 4 inches inside diameter, a liquid depth of 1.7mm will give you about 13ml.

Do you bring a spoon? That would be a good option. A teaspoon holds 4.92ml and a tablespoon is three teaspoons. So one tablespoon or three teaspoons would put you very slightly under 15ml. But whatever spoon you have, check it beforehand so you will know for sure.

[DavZell]

If you always use a water bottle and that has parallel sides, you could try the following:  fill a bottle part way.  Make a mark.  Add the 20ml,  make a second mark.  Measure the distance between the two marks.  Note that measurement for that bottle on the bottle (Brother or Dymo label tape, for example).  When out, add your meds to raise the level in the bottle by the amount measured previously. 

Besides measuri g with a SAK:  I carry a laser etched ruler on an aluminum business card (it takes seconds to make and costs cents.  Or, you could etch a ruler on something else.  You could also cut a strip of plastic of the correct length for each bottle and hang it off each bottle.