Steel wool on staff - It really didn't work

Okay so I spend a while winding a cage, I stuffed the Steel wool in, dipped it in kero and lit up. Expecting it to just go 'whooosh!'...I didn't at all... What went wrong with that?

hmmm.
possibly not fine enough Steel wool, if its fine enough you should'nt even need to dip it in kero, it should light up straight away.
I recomend doing a burn test on all steel wools to find out which gauge is best for your application before using it in your equipment.

It's also possible that the Steel wool was packed in too tightly, it needs just a little room for the air to get working at it and peel away the hot metal.

Are the gaps in your cage large enough? is the hot metal getting trapped inside?

Are you spinning your staff fast enough? the Steel wool needs A LOT of air to feed it.
Good luck, it works, dont give up on it.
Squarefish

what squarefish said - good advice.

Also you should be aware that putting wire on a staff doesnt work as easy as it does with chains, mainly because chains form a pull, allowning the wire to hurl out like your after

Staffs on the other hand dont work in the same way, to get good results i found a longer staff best spun really really fast, takes a bit of arm power though!

Good luck!

Thanks everyone, I'll give it another go tomorrow. Sorry to have bothered you!

Can anyone reccommend a brand of Steel wool?

Any Steel wool should work.. finer stuff tends to burn the most sparks, but won't last as long. My hunch as to why it didn't work is down to speed. Wire-wool Poi work MUCH better when you spin the things as fast as possible - it's much harder to achieve the same speeds with a staff...

first off....get like...000 or 0000 Steel wool...makes things alot easier...attach your cages to some sort of cable thats around 6 inches long and attatch that to the staff....rememeber wool needs air to work...by putting the cages on cables it increases the air alloted to the wool...and finally
use a fuel that burns at a higher temp...and a lower flash point..
(COLEMANS!!!!)
and if all that fails...ill just post how to make a good set of cages....so far ive gotten about a 3-4 min wool burn out of mine..so the design works quite well

Colemans should be on the same proscribed list as gasoline/petrol,
It's is after all exactly the same stuff just slightly more refined than what you put in your car.
LIKE I SAID ALREADY....if you're using the right type of Steel wool you shouldn't need any extra fuel.

Please don't play with colemans, Please dont explode yourself

that AND!!! you were burning the fuel and not the Steel wool
i lite my Steel wool with a 9 volt battery.. just place the 2 ends againts the Steel wool for a min or to the juice will flow threw the wool and cause heat and it will inginte

using a 9V batt. hasnt ever worked for me, it will start the wool, but not evenly and at a constant rate...using colemans (safely mind you) ignites your whole cage, the fuel heats the wool and sets off the sparks....
with my cage design and how i layer the wools ill usually get around a 5 min wool burn...yes..sparks galore....and btw...i also use colemans in my fuel mix so i can get the quick light of colemans, and the long burn time of kero

I'd love to see those cages you've got!! My wire-wool burners (a bird feeder cut in half) only last about 30 seconds MAX. How do you do them / how much wire woll do they use?

ill use 6-8 pads of layered wool in each...

*scrambles to get all the supplies to properly give instructions...
actually...PM me and ill give you the schematics...i dont want some punk kid trying it w\o the necessary safety precautions

Check your PM's darkpoet - ygm.

For those curious as to what wire-wool poi look like, I've got a photo that should give you an idea :

Hi Darkpoet

Any chance I could get that schematic off ya too?

I asked my mom and she said im not a punk kid (anymore) so its ok....

i never thought colemans was standard gasoline...i know its a petrol distillate...but it burns alot hotter and cleaner than standard gasoline......and people call it white gas around here..so if i use that term yeah..talkin about colemans

and anybody that sends me a pm the first thing im gonna send back is an inquiry to what safety precautions you are taking...spinning Steel wool is insanely dangerous..so at least minimize the risk...have a safety/backup, 2 fire extinguishers (at least) a hose w/running water.....etc

The two nights I've done Steel wool were both on a dock over water, with a couple EMT's standing by and all the assorted goodies needed. Not to mention I was wearing heavy pants boots two t-shirts gloves goggles and a bandana...

I'd advise against using gas to start them up though, it tends to burn off a lot off the wool before whoevers lighting you has time to get far enough away for you to safely start spinning.

i usually light my own...........

I find lighting them with a gas-powered lighter works very well - one of those 'wind proof' ones. Doesn't take long to get 'em going

Hey, just wanted to comment on Coleman's. I love the stuff. I use it for most everything, and have never had it do anything close to explode. I will even fill a soup can half full, and light it. No, it doesn't blow up, it will burn like a little torch for a good hour or more. I use it to light my staff with when I'm practising. It's safe enough, when you observe the rest of the fire safety rules. So yeah, don't just write the stuff off!