A lot of questions

Im just starting out and am learning with out fire...

But I have some questions for when I am ready to light up (fire staff):

1) What is the proper procedure for lighting up? How do you get the fuel onto the wick and what else is involved?

2) If I cant spin long enough for the flame to go out by itself, how do I put out the flame on my staff?

3) We normally spin on a beach very close to water, is there any disadvantage to having a lot of sand around?

4) Shoes: Is it better to wear shoes or can I be barefoot when spinning (due to being on a beach)?


5) I've seen a lot of spinners spin shirtless, is there an advantage to this verses wearing a regular cotton shirt?

1. fill a container with parafin anything will work. half a bottle works well i generally find. Dip the staff in and wait till it stops bubbling. pull it out then let any extra drip back into the container. dip the other end. Once this is done either do a burn off or spin off the excess parafin into a spin off pot.

2. take the oxygen away from the fire, using a wet blanket and covering the head make sure it is fully out then do the other end.

3. not that i know of.

4. personal preference if you drop a staff onto bare feet it could burn them but its generally alright to spin barefoot.

5. a t shirt will protect you from getting burnt if it touchs the shirt instead of you. But there is no reason to wear a shirt this is again personal preference.

3:

It is possible that sand can damage wicks if it gets into the weave. Fairly unlikely to be an issue though.

5:

Human skin is apparently fairly fire resistant however I suspect most people do it for the look. I always spin with a (tight, cotton) shirt on. Glancing blows with a lit wick will not really affect either a shirt or your skin though.

5: You don't want to wear anything too baggy so you don't get wrapped up in your own T-, or anything man made (fleece/satin) as these will melt,

I prefer to spin topless as it tends to give more grip and control to my staff while contacting, weaing any think layers makes it a little harder to feel the staff and hence harder to control. Although this is more an issue with living in Britain, not an issue you should have too often in CA.

Either way, good luck with the spinning, just remember to have fun!

Oh, right. Staff. Missed that. Not having a shirt might indeed help there. Mea culpa.

What is a burn off?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVv7XjK0qh4 is a burn off. essentially you spin the staff whilst throwing it up in the air. to do it rest your hands one on top of each other with the top one behind and the bottom infront and the staff in the middle. push the top hand forwards and pull the bottom hand back whilst throwing the staff up slightly. LARGE FIREBALL will be created be careful. Make sure the wind is coming from behind you so the flames are blowing away from your face.

I lit up for the first time last night..thanks for all your help guys.