Interesting fire breathing thought

for all you Fire Breathers....
for the beginners who are looking for the safes fuel and all....
would it at all be possible to mix the shot of say lamp oil with water, half and half....for beginners after practicing with water....would it still burn but have not as much of an affect since there is water too. would that make it a little more safe for beginners.

this may be an crazy dumbass idea but i thought id ask, just curious.

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the music feeds my soul that glows and grows with every spin i take.

[This message has been edited by Girl From Mars (edited 07 June 2001).]

[This message has been edited by Girl From Mars (edited 07 June 2001).]

I'm pretty sure water wouldn't mix with any sort of fuel. As always I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't give the desired effect.

The way Pele taught me how to breathe fire was to practice aspirating plain water. For at least 15 minutes. Better would be 1/2 hour.

Then you practice w/ lamp oil, but w/o fire. Only once you are comfortable with the feel of lamp oil in your mouth, and then aspirating it a few times, should you consider aspirating over a flame.

BTW, I tried breathing fire again this evening for the first timce since the ECSF in Vermont. Curiosity finally got the better of me and I found out how well the synthetic kero I use for my fire poi works for breathing. The answer is pretty freaking well. I blew a *HUGE* blast and scared the crap out of my friends watching. Of course, I scared the crap out of myself as well because I could actually *see* the flames working their wy back towards my face. But on the plus side, the synth kero has absolutely *NO* taste and *NONE* of the evil mouth feel of lamp oil.

I realized that if I *ever* do this again, I will have a properly trained spotter standing right next to me with towel in hand. Just having one available doesn't cut it here.

And just in case you didn't catch the previous posts, breathing fire, unlike spinning poi, really is dangerous and really can get you hurt. If the flames don't get you now, the cancer will get you later. It's a fact you've got to be prepared to live with.

-p.

It was a good thought GFM, but alas, not very viable technically, I did go out and try it so I could say these things knowledgably.
Water and oil both aspirate differently. Water, believe it or not, is harder to aspirate than oil effectively...you usually get more of the droplet effect. It's why I have people practice with that first, then oil. And pj...the only reason why I agreed to let you breathe after 15 minutes of practice was because I was there and was confident with you guys and your understanding of what I said and showed you. If I wasn't I would've had you keep going with water prolly. If you are trying to be self taught or working with someone who is a bit less than professional, practice much longer people, please. I practiced with water for about an hour a day for five days, just to be certain. It is something you can learn in a day but the mental prep of it is a big thing....I am working on the FAQ for it.
Anyhoo...so what would end up happening GFM, is the same thing that would happen with the lower grade alcohols. Oil and water don't blend so the oil would aspirate and the water would form droplets and the torch would be extinguished from the water. If you can get the water to aspirate, it would still effect the blow detrimentally and a person wouldn't get anything I would even concider safe, since it is possible for the aspirations to "layer". The water goes up, the oil goes down...not really what you are aiming for, you want the blow to go up instead of at your hand/arm, at least until you are experienced enough to do otherwise. Part of the learning to blow thing is to have that big flash go off in your face so you can walk away and think about it.
It was a nice idea but this is really one thing that requires more mental prep and practice than anything.
I agree with pj and feel I need to say this again to anyone who is thinking about trying this. There is no "fool proof" way to do this that garuntees your safety. There is no garuntee you won't be hurt. There is no "safe" fuel. You are putting something combustible in your mouth and blowing it through a flame people, there is nothing "safe" or really sane about it. If you are looking for an easy way to do this, or an absolutely risk free way to look cool, please look elsewhere. I know it sounds harsh and I absolutely love what I do but I recognize all of the risks and can't impress them upon ya'll enough.
Congrats pj...I pulled off what was estimated to be at least a 15 to 18 foot blow last Sat night...isn't it just the best feeling?!
Happy breathing with or without fire all!

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Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...