The safety pin emoji was introduced in 2018 and is now available in all Apple and Android platforms. Based on its popular usage, the safety pin emoji can mean any of the following:
- “I am attaching the following”
- “Reminder”
- “Words of wisdom”
- “Stay safe”
There are plenty of other possible meanings, but that will largely depend on how the emoji is put into context. Like other emojis, the safety pin emoji was added to the existing index of universal emojis because it has a definite purpose and it was examined for possible use before being added to subsequent updates of different platforms like Messenger, Telegram, etc.
Historically, the safety pin was associated with various causes, including the 2016 Brexit protest where people supported migrants and opposed xenophobia in the UK.
Before that, in the 1970s, the safety pin was associated largely with punk culture, which included both the punk lifestyle and community and punk as a musical genre. We’re guessing this quite lively history of the safety pin can give a lot of color and meaning to the emoji equivalent when you use it. It’s up to you to creatively express your ideas with it, too.
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Awesome uses for safety pins
And while you are here, you are probably wondering why there’s a blog specifically about safety pins. Well, let us tell you: safety pins are more than just fabric fasteners. Safety pins are among the most useful of everyday objects, and to prove that we are going to show you how you can use safety pins across various situations in a survival setting. Let’s get started.
Applying bandages
Applying bandages
There is one clear reason why first aid kits always come with at least a few pieces of safety pins: they are excellent in binding together not just fabrics, but bandages of all sizes and makes. In the event that you require bandaging of any sort, you can use one or two fasteners to ensure that your bandage is tight and where it should be. So as a rule of thumb, always make sure that you have some clean safety pins inside your survival kit or first aid kit, so you are always ready to apply bandages to anyone who might need it.
Emergency suturing
While not really ideal, emergency suturing is sometimes your only hope in a survival situation where you have a deep wound and you are losing a lot of blood. The open wound may need suturing, but you have nothing to seal the wound with. In this situation, 5” safety pins are most ideal for emergency suturing.
Our only reminder would be to wash the wound the best you can, and then sterilize the safety pin before using it to close the wound. Gaping wounds are bacterial magnets and cause infection and shock. The risk of suturing with a sterilizing safety pin is lower than allowing a gaping wound to remain as it is. The goal here is to ensure that the wound is taken care of in a survival situation so you will have time to reach a doctor.
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Easy strapping mechanism
We all know that camping means you bring stuff that equates to your entire house. Sometimes, we run out carabiners and paracords, but we still need to add small items or gear to our backpacks. If this is the case for you, then you can save on carabiners by using large safety pins. Even the largest safety pins are relatively lightweight and do not add much to the weight of the bag, which is important because every gram counts when you are hiking for a long period of time.
Washing a wound
Assuming that you have a wound acquired from camping, hiking, or trekking, your first order of business would be to wash that wound. You may have a couple of plastic bags available, and some chlorine pills.
How exactly do you go about doing this? Our recommendation would be to treat some river water with chlorine tablets, then put the treated water in a large plastic bag. Poke the end of the said bag and use it as a practice faucet. There’s going to be a steady stream of chlorinated water for a couple of minutes at least, and you get to wash your wound with clean water. Be sure to apply a clean dressing on the wound after you are done washing it.
Fishing with safety pins
Necessity has always been the mother of invention. That’s why items like the common safety pin can be used for a lot of tasks when you are fishing. You can use it to affix your bait on a trap line.
For long term usage, it’s pretty practical to have several of these instant hooks with you when you are out fishing, or when you are out in the backwoods on your adventure. Additionally, you can use safety pins to create improvised fishing lines. You may not capture the biggest fish, but at least you have a fighting chance to obtain fresh fish when there is a nearby freshwater body.
Sewing purposes
While it is true that the safety pin was manufactured mainly to connect fabrics, you can also use it as a temporary means of sewing if you don’t have an actual needle. Using cordage as threading for creating a tent, shelter, or any kind of textile surface is going to be a breeze if you have an awl-like a large safety pin.
To facilitate sewing, remember that you can just as easily push the knotted end of the cordage through the hole of the surface you are sewing on. You can make pretty regular and consistent holes with the sharp tip of a safety pin if you know how to do it.
Lockpicking
If you have the time to study how it’s done, it is a well-known fact that pins and safety pins can be used to unlock padlocks. This is also a useful skill when you are locked out of a container or shelter with such locks in a survival scenario.
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