Tennis Balls

I was making a set of practice poi using tennis balls, and my dad was helping. He happens to be a fireman and helps with my poi all the time, he, being a fireman , suggested instead of making towel wicks, which is what i normally use, how about soaking tennis balls, or even a towel in a tennis ball. I'll probably try this soon, but if anyone has tried or is now going too, let me now how it works.

I wouldn't have thought that a towel in a tennis ball would work too well, since the ball's lined with rubber (or something similar).

I'm not sure about how well a tennis ball would work if it was soaked, I don't think it would absorb much fuel, and it would be chucking off some pretty nasty fumes while burning.

They're just a couple of thoughts though, I've never tried it, so it may well work really well for all I know.

I'm thinkin' "bad idea"

Firstly, it won't soak that much fuel. It will just burn off the fuzz and then you'll be out of gas.

Secondly, it will probably blow out pretty easily. Especially since the fuzz will burn.

Thirdly, Since it is a rubber ball, it will release all sorts of toxic fumes as it burns.

Fourthly, once the ball is burning (not the fuel, the ball) it will obviously degrade the rubber and then fall apart as you're spinning. They you'll have a flying, flaming, burning, foul smelling projectile rocketing off in a random direction.

But that's just my initial reaction. I guess you can try it and report back. I just wouldn't want to be there when it happens.

Oops, I thought of a fifth...

Since you're cutting holes in the ball, when you dunk it the ball will fill with fuel and then spray flaming fuel out of the hole as you spin. Sounds cool except when it comes raining down on your head.

I saw this topic and was wondering if it hurts more than tennis elbow????

Hmmmm......

Not to mention the fact that when the rubber heats up it will begin to bubble and boil. When you hit yourself that molten rubber will stick to your skin and then:
hello third degree burns . The doctors will have to scrub it off with a wire brush, and they won't give you any pain killers or anesthesia when you have severe burns.

So yeah, flaming tennis balls = Bad Idea.

[ 21 May 2002, 12:07: Message edited by: SickpuPpy ]

you could probably get a bigger flame out of the rubber if ya used whitegas!

I agree, it may be much much more dangerous than it sounds at first.

Personally, the two biggest concerns is the molten rubber sticking to your skin and the tennis ball flying off inot he night, setting something alight, that sets something else alight and killing someone by buring their home down.

But the idea itself may yield some good, there amy be some ways to make ball shaped kevlar (monkey fist???) in a way that makes it safe...there may be some hidden benefits to any new design...

Deadman, please let you dad have a look at this thread and see if he disagrees with any points, it would be good to keep running with the ball idea, just not necessarily a tennis ball.

Cheers