How much fuel do you use?

Hey all,
i was wondering, how long do your street performances go for and how much fuel do you use? I know that if you want to blow fire balls and have some little explosions and stuff you need a fair amount of fuel so how much do you guys usually use in a show and how long do your (single and ensemble) shows go for?
chow
:Chotys:

I'm farely new poi, but usually I let my wicks soak for about a minute or two before lighting up. Remember to let all the excess drip off first as any unlucky bystanders can get easily fried by drops of flaming liquid.

Have Fun

Do not *just* let the excess drip off, unless you let it drip for hours. You need to actively spin off the excess somewhere out of the way, or squeeze it out with your (gloved) hand. This is important--if you just let your wicks "drip dry", there will still be a lot of excess fuel, and you will spatter yourself and any bystanders after you light up.

New wicks require a fairly long soak time--perhaps 5 minutes. Old wicks can be soaked in about 30 seconds, maybe less.

To answer Chotys' question, I get 10-12 burns per gallon of lamp oil. Depending on the wicks you use, YMMV.

Well.. I wouldn't squeeze em with gloved hands.. that'll get the fuel all over your gloves, which then becomes a fire hazard, espcially if you are using those gloves to perform with.

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~whoosh whoosh whoosh~

No, no, of course you are right RL. I was unclear. I keep chemical-resistant rubber gloves in my kit. I don't perform with them on. I meant something like that.

You don't need to squeeze out poi wicks if you spin them out instead, but with some apparatus--fire-fingers especially--squeezing them out is the best way to get rid of excess fuel. And with fire-fingers, I'd say it's especially important, because you risk dripping hot fuel on your fingers otherwise.

Fuel Fuel Fuel, the bane and the glory of my performances.

I use staffs and tend to go through 10-20 litres an hour during the summer.

Winter work is typically 5-15 litres an hour.

It all depends on humidity, temperature, equipment, wind, stage size, and fuel type plus a few other things i've probably forgotten to mention...

My shows tend to be a rotating 20 minutes show, designed primarily for busking, but well adapted now for a paid 30-45 minutes slot.

Or, for a captive audience, I have an hour show, using several different props and even more banter and talking than usual.

Just be aware, when using multiple props, that sometimes people or kids will try to take them or mess aorund with them themselves, keep an eye on them, especially any fuel containers...

Cheers

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Charles (INFERNO)

newdolbel@hotmail.com
http://juggling.co.nz