Sparkle Poi Safety

Hey everyone,

Have been spinning for about a year and a half now and am really interested in trying sparkle poi. Have had a bit of a look around for safety tips and apart from the obvious (as in don't do it near anyone /anything flammable) haven't found a great deal.

What I want is specifics on clothing.

At present I'm thinking a hockey mask, safety glasses of some sort, but I'm not sure about the rest.

Anyone here that has actually done it that can provide some tips? How to protect hair? What materials of clothing did you use?

Thanks.

To be honest - a hockey mask is going a little over the top... You want to be able to see, hear and move normally.

Safety goggles are wise, though not 100% necessary.

The most important thing I'd say is a hat and long sleeves... Most of the sparks won't hit you - it's only the ones that go straight up (and thus back down on you) that get you.
As per usual fire-spinning, avoid synthetic materials - keep clothing cotton based.

An added safety aspect to look out for is wind - always take into account the direction and strength of the wind. Even a gentle breeze can carry the sparks a long way.

Finally - stick to basics - weaves, flowers, windmills etc.
Definitely no buzzsaws
(And as I learnt, don't try and do a front-side seperation - the poi hit each other and sprayed sparks all over my face - not nice)

Lots of people say use very fine wool, but that's bad advice. Use medium fine (with a little bit of very fine if you want at the bottom to make it easy to light). The finer the wool, the hotter it burns & the faster it will burn. Neither are good.

Also if it dosen't get in the way of you moving safly i would recomed a face mask or bandana to cover your breathing holes. I did a project in science in school where we lit some wool and the fumes almost ripped the inside of my throught to peices. Not nice.

sweatshirt/something that fully covers your hair and arms. Denim jeans to protect the legs. It gets rather bright in there so keep your head down, I only had my eyes open a little bit

a hockey mask is plastic...synthetic...bad

rellizate, at the temperatures its reaching, does the difference between very fine and medium fine make a huge amount of difference? not sure. but the less time you're doing it, the less chance of injury

Thanks everyone, should be all I need.

Just have to finish some exams in two weeks and then it will be time to learn to build the things and put it together. Will hopefully have a video-cam after a few test runs. Will let you know how I go.

Egg beaters.....