Home of Poi: New To Poi? ASK ME ANYTHING!!!

It would all depend on what manufacturer they were from.

Off of the top of my head I don't know of any manufacturer using dowelling these days, As I have found in the past that with the consistent use of those types of fire poi, the dowel eventually dries out and disintegrates over time, one poi can do so at a different rate than the other there will be weight variation between your poi and can affect your spinning.
Also you would not want bits of burning wood flying about the place, as those hot particles could go in to some ones eyes, cause other kinds of damage to people and property.

Okay, I'd rate the monkey fist type, I like the balance and weight that they give, with the ball chain they swivel real nice too. You should get a longer burn time from them too, but with regards to self wick replacement is a lot harder unless you know how to make monkey fist knots. Attention to tangles with ball chain!, they can tangle and entwine more solidly than other types and if tangled around your arms or any other part of your body, you will need a quick safety person on hand to put them out so as you can untangle them safely and with out any unnecessary injury to yourself.

Core fire poi (the more common type), with the steel wire, are light in weight, depending on what size wick you have, your burn time will vary substancially.
Tangling the poi with the steel wire will release more easily. as for the fixings of the wick, You would have to contact Malcolm, Chris or George in the HoP shop for any queries on that.

The way that I make fire poi heads are different to normal.
I take the core (A stainless steel tube, preferably de-burred, polished or treated for longer lasting life) and drill a hole through one side and out of the other just a little way down from the top of the poi head. Through this I place a threaded bar around 4 or 6 mm in diameter, inside of the core placing 4 nuts, the outer two are to secure the threaded bar in place (the wick doubles the security here later), and the central two nuts secure a heavy duty swivel to attach the chain to.
Affixing the wick here will double up the security in holding the threaded bar in place, and the wick itself being held in place with two bolts and nuts making the fastening more secure and with out any need for dowelling or other attachment, the bolts used here should be 4mm thick to avoid too much weight discrepancy.

All fire poi should be checked appropriately before and after any use to make sure that fixings are secure, and that the wick is in good condition and will not fall apart during use.

*note there are so many bad fire poi products available on the net, built with out any inkling of safety or ease of use to the end user, I know I have purchased such products, I was given some last year, I didn't even dare spin them I took them straight in to the garage and took them apart and rebuilt them safely.. I never got to burn them in as they were stolen along with the rest of my equipment but that's another story.

Please any one wanting to play with fire toys and have any queries, please ask here for any advice we may be able to offer.

Safety is a must for yourself and for others around you and importantly for the environment.
so I shall now present you with some useful links to great sources of information that has been gathered and presented to us over the years.

Fire Safety Video By Pele & Malcolm.

Take the fire safety test?

First Aid for Burns.

MSDS for fuels.

What type of fuels?

Clothing for fire spinning?

Put out fires safely and efficiently.

Other Articles of Interest.

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PK.

"To be an angel, one need not have wings.
In giving love there is an equal grace.
Nor need one seek the aura in the face,
As love unveils the beauty of all things."

*Francois Couperin.