Forums > Technical Discussion > short flames

Posted: 30th May 2006
i'd suggest using a different fuel, as for why, i have no idea, but yeah try a different fuel, and if thay does help, there is a possibility its the poi i guess

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Posted: 31st May 2006
use a different fuel, soak for a bit longer, maybe you need new wicks. it could be any of these.

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Posted: 31st May 2006
More wick wrapped less tight gives bigger flames. It greatly reduces the lifespan of the wick though.

Just remember that bigger flames also means more heat and greater risk of burns.

I wouldnt bother using anything other lamp oil or parraffin (kerosene when not in europe) as most other fuels burn hotter and faster. You get more burned as a result. (I used white spirit once and thought my lungs were going to melt!)

Parraffin tends to be less clean than lamp oil so it produces more smoke when burning. This actually makes the flames appear larger and brighter than they actually are.

Hope that helps.

Posted: 1st Jun 2006
What wicks are you using?

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Posted: 1st Jun 2006
There are a few things that go into flame size.

-Fuel

Lamp oil is pretty good size wise. This isn't your problem, however, white gas is a good deal brighter (and hotter so be careful) so you might like to give it a go and see how it looks before buying new poi. Lighter fluid and alcohol are rather bad fuels for big flames.

-Poi

The style, size, and material of your wicks is the biggest factor on how your flames look. Im not sure which type of poi you are using but 2.5" tube cores are generally not very big. The more surface area your wicks have, the more flame they will put out. This means wicks with a rounded shape will put out smaller flames than similar sized cube wicks. Size matters in this case also because bigger size = more surface area. Also, cotton wicks will produce bigger flames than kevlar since they are more porous.

-Air Pressure

This is a fairly minor factor in most cases but if you happen to live high on a mountain or something, your flames may be stunted by lack of air. Wicks will burn bigger at sea level than, say, 6,000 feet above it.

In conclusion, if you want bigger flames, youre probably gonna need bigger wicks. Changing to white gas might help a little, but not much.

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Posted: 3rd Jun 2006
thanks for all the answers... got some time off so I'll try different things... Think it's the poi... thanks again