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DIY Water Sieve

A simple water sieve allows you to remove debris from a water source. Water sieves are exceedingly useful if you find yourself in the wilderness with a source of water that has high turbidity, or a lot of small particulate that affect its potability. The gradients of material used will determine the sieve's ability to filter debris from the water. Because of this, the filters must increase in gradient, as water passes through the layers. Keep in mind that a sieve can remove debris suspended in the water but will not disinfect it.

Things You'll Need

2 liter bottle
Scissors
24-by-24 inch sheet of cheesecloth
Sterile sand
Charcoal briquettes (crushed)
Pebbles
Rocks
4 small bowls
High tensile fishing line
Bucket

Instructions

- 1
  Organize the filtering materials in the bowls, keeping them separate from each other. Allowing the filters to mix before you put them in the sieve will limit its effectiveness.
- 2
  Cut the bottom off of the two liter bottle. Screw the cap of the bottle on tightly and turn the bottle over, so the bottle is inverted.
- 3
  Fold the cheesecloth over on itself once or twice and stuff it as far down into the bottle as possible. This will be the last thing the water passes through, catching the finest particles.
- 4
  Pour three inches of sand over the top of cheesecloth. Follow the sand with two inches of crushed charcoal, and top this with two inches of small pebbles. Pour two inches of large pebbles over the small pebbles, and pour the stones over the top of this, leaving a couple inches at the top of the sieve -- what was the bottom of the bottle.
- 5
  Cut two small holes on opposite sides of the bottle just below the opening. Thread the fishing line through the holes, leaving a few inches of slack to allow the sieve to hang.
  
  Tie the ends of the fishing line securely.
- 6
  Hang the sieve on a tree branch over a clean bowl or bucket. Unscrew the cap at the bottom and pour the water over the rocks. As the water passes through each layer, it will filter more and more.

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