Making my first set of fire poi.. :)

Hello!
I want to make my first set of fire poi (soon) and was researching different options. Normally I string, and use handles, so i want to make something even weight on each end for tosses. As of right now i had one big question:

Is it possible to use the kevlar rope as the string holding the poi? what are the consequences to doing this?

I see everyone using chain, but i'm very much into wraps and traces, and it doesn't seem like it would be too comfortable (yes i know wraps and traces burn, i plan on getting fireproof / resistant sleeves). I was thinking of using a monkeys fist on each end so that weight and materials were all the same.

thanks so much for your time! hope to burn with y'all soon.
-db

Heya.

Firstly, depending on the tosses you would like to do, I don't suggest using a 1:1 ratio for weight between the head and handle.

Secondly, I do wraps with chains, shotguns, spirals, etc etc.... so long as you don't let it sit there, it shouldn't burn (and if it does, it shouldn't be too bad), and I would suggest Twist Link over Ball chain. When you say traces, if you are talking about moves like the glowstringy-around-the-neck thing, I would avoid doing that, though if you mean body tracing the way poi people have been talking about it, that's fine.

I think the main problem with not having chain directly attaching the head to something, is that although kevlar is fire resistant, having kevlar as your main connection will cause it to break down over time and it could snap I beleive.

Also, as far as monkey's fists go.... I've heard bad things about those in regards to how, if they fail, they can fail very badly. That being said there are many different types of knots that produce flames of equivalent size and weight to a monkey's fist knot that are not just tension knots.

Get the sleeves if you feel more comfortable, but do not mistake them as something that will protect you 100% from a burn. Also, more importantly, sleeves or no sleeves, try to avoid doing a wrap within with first 30 or so seconds of a burn as that could result in some fuel transfer which could lead to burns. ^_^

I hope some of this helps.

As for the weight of your handle for tosses, I would suggest testing out different weights and seeing what you like better, most people I know have suggested a Handle to Head weight ratio somewhere around 1:3.

Ciao.

hah thanks for the input, will diff re-brainstorm on what setup i'm going to use. i'll keep ya posted on what i end up doing

-db

No problem. If you plan on making the head yourself out of kevlar and elbow grease, there are plenty of knot building tutorials online to help you out.

Also, I'll refer to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07z-MG6XBdE . If you haven't seen it in general it's a pretty groovy video, but also at around 4:40 there are some nice wrap combos being done with chain. ^_^

I have tried to make monkey fist poi with no handle (just the remaining rope as a chain and a smaller monkey fist knot on the other end as a handle. Because the rope is exposed and taking so much stress it breaks down very quickly. The 3/8th inch rope i used, broke just above the poi head about half way through the first burn.

Yeah, on a side note, kevlar handles might not be a good idea, what with the fiberglass slowly wearing away at your skin. ^_^