What are "found materials"?

An earlier post referenced "found materials" as being something different than local or native materials.

This post is my attempt to explain how they are different and to give a simple device that one might construct out of "found materials".

Native or local materials are the geological resources (soil, rock, water, wind) or biological resources (plants, mammals, fish, birds) that are available within, say, a half day's walking distance.

Found materials are materials that are not local or native but are ubiquitous and easily obtained.

Examples of found materials might be things like railroad spikes, screwdrivers, electrical wire, microwave transformers, batteries, metal grill work (like refrigerator shelving), baling twine and the like.  I dare say that you could go into any house in America and find multiple examples of each item...or reasonably close substitutes.

So what might an enterprising person MacGyver together using found materials?

Kubota's room has about a half dozen 14.4V "RC" vehicle batteries.  Running the screwdriver across the metal wires (like a kid slapping the uprights of a picket fence) of the grill produces an AC current (with DC offset).  I advise you NOT to attempt this unless you are really, really hungry.  Microwave transformers are not insulated and it will likely knock you off the bridge or out of the boat if you are near it.

---This is not a legal "method of take".  This is poaching.---

In dire circumstances normal "sporting" methods of take will not be efficient methods of collecting food.  Fishing consumes much time for the food collected.  During periods of social unrest the fisherman is exposed to risk.  Exceptions might be trot lines, except in some states (Michigan is one of them) that outlaw unattended fish lines.

Chumming a shallow area with a gallon of soaked/sprouted/soured corn for a few nights in a row will cause many "rough" fish to concentrate in the area.  One might be able to harvest hundreds of pounds of fish using this method.