Forums > Technical Discussion > exhale fire but not fire breathing

Posted: 16th Oct 2009
There's a lot of reversed footage in that video which does make some things hard to tell, to be honest.

This statement is false...?

Posted: 16th Oct 2009
well yes,but i have see again performers relighting torches exhaling fire!

maybe is the fuel hmm

"fire walks with me"

Posted: 16th Oct 2009
I would say that the girl in that video is taking a small amount of fuel from the lit torch as she places it in her mouth. This honestly looks just as dangerous as fire breathing, as the fuel is actually lit inside the mouth.

Heilige Scheiße, Batman kommt!

Reality is just a state of mind which occurs through a lack of lsd

XxX owned by devilsarmy XxX

O.B.E.S.E.

Posted: 16th Oct 2009
I can't see the video on my work computer, but if its a girl eating fire its an advanced fire eating trick. Its done by taking a torch, not dripping with fuel, but its got enough coleman's on it to be buring the fuel only. You take the torch into your mouth and cut off most of the oxygen to the flame, so the vapors are still coming off of the torch, but not combusting. As you draw the torch out of your mouth it acts as a pilot light as you very gently exhale and tighten your lips and ignites the gathered vapors.

Long explaination. There are multiple ways to manifest this trick, a long thin flame, a small flame that lasts for a while or you can huff it all out at once for a cool tiny burst of flame. Fire eating is a really satisfying skill to learn. It teaches you to be intimate with the fire, to trust the fire. Fire eating is very dangerous, but so much more rewarding than fire breathing. It has a hard learning curve. You will burn your lips. Invest in good chapstick. But making your own torches and learning is one of the best things I've ever done.

Don't mind me, just passing through.

Posted: 16th Oct 2009
jaykitty> on this video the girl, fire eating and then exhaling a small amount of fire and relighting the torch!

i have never done fire breathing because i consider it dangerous for my health..i m doing various performances that are also bad (various fire shows-piercing my self-grind show) and i dont want add more

the point is how without fire relight the torch...at fire breathing you got a flaming torch!

"fire walks with me"

Posted: 16th Oct 2009
JCat is right. It's called a dragon's Breath. You close your lips around the torch in yer mouth for a second to fill yer mouth with vapor then ever so slightly open yer mouth, remove the torch and give a gentle puff out.

dont try it without someone that knows whzt they are doing

O.B.E.S.E.

Owned by Mynci!

Posted: 16th Oct 2009
i know to fire eat
i have done it many times!!!! i cant understand how she relight the torch without beeing fire..she kept the fire in her mouth?

what fuel do you suggest? i m using zipoil for fire eating

"fire walks with me"

Posted: 16th Oct 2009
you got it... she kept fire in her mouth - other it wouldn't be possible.

you don't exactly close your lips (around a burning wick and a probably hot iron rod, unless you're into the resulting feelings) but you *almost* close them...

- too much exhale and the flame extinguishes (especially with "old" breath -> ratio oxygen vs CO²)...
- as Poje correctly puts it, the fuel or vapor "stored" in the mouthbox (*) will light and kept lit for a sec - which is when the transfer can happen. Sometimes the flame will not be visible, because it simmers little deeper in the mouthbox.

Hopefully and most likely she's using "clean" fuel which has a low flashpoint and lots of vapor...

(*) PLEASE be warned, that fuels are toxic and that nature didn't intend the two merging. In other words: you *might*/ most likely *will* damage that tissue (-> periodontosis).

Colemans or any other highly cleaned paraffin used for the usual firebreathing...

the best smiles are the ones you lead to

Posted: 16th Oct 2009
There is quite a lot of use full information on fire breathing and eating at mephistos site;

https://www.fyretr.com/

Though I believe mephisto has had some bad side effects from a life time of fire eating, something like his teeth started to crack and fall apart, though it's worth remembering this was after several decades i think...



This pic shows pretty well how I hold my lips;

Non-Https Image Link


Here is a short vid of me passing the flame and then doing a small human candle and blowing the candle at the end.





Depending on how small you keep the opening of your mouth is how long the candle effect will last. Typically for me the limiting factor is my pain tolerence, when the pain gets to much i puff it out. or somtimes i will puff early for bigger/better effect.



Another name for the fire from the mouth trick is Human Candle, or a broader term is Vapour Catching.

Its possible with a light fuel like Pegasol, but far easier with a very light one like Calite/Colemans.

The technique is not terribly difficult, but it is i believe quite exacting, it's something i have trouble teaching people, it took me about 2 or 3 months to work it out by myself, but then i am a very slow learner so don't let that discourage you, conveyor belt with staff took me 6 months...

Personally i do not like to Fire Breath, and i discourage people from learning it, but fire eating i find very satisfying, with patience, pain tolerance and perseverance, some very cool tricks are possible.

One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.
- A.A. Milne

Don't join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects!
- Anon (I think)

Posted: 17th Oct 2009
I would like to emphasize that though we're woven from the same universal fabric, some of us resemble rugs and others handkerchiefs ... or to put it like this: we're same/same but different...

What I'm going at is that one might never experience cracking teeth, another after a few decades and again others within much shorter time.

When joining soft tissue and fuel, it can be of use to take a long deep stare into the mirror first (long and deep) and answer three questions: though it might be a dead cool effect people are dying for to watch is I am being made up strong enough to stand the side effects? and would I be adhering to the necessary safety involved? and finally: is it fricking worth the 5 minutes of fame?

proceed...

the best smiles are the ones you lead to

Posted: 17th Oct 2009
After a long session of eating fire about half an hour later I will burp and all I taste is Coleman's.
Vanity, I think there is a whole other side to fire eating that you are missing. Putting out a torch in your mouth is one thing, but when you start to manipulate it, that's another. When doing vapor tricks, you can hold the flame deep in your mouth, it looks like there is nothing there, but you give a puff and a cute little flame comes back out to relight your torch.
Using your lips rather than your teeth will help prevent cracked teeth, but it is still a risk. Also, you're getting hydrocarbon vapor directly in contact with your mucous membranes and a bit into your lungs. Like everything with fire, its a commitment, you understand somewhere down the line you may have health issues that will kick your ass. The picture that Fox posted is how its done, that's all there is to it.

Don't mind me, just passing through.

Posted: 18th Oct 2009
Originally Posted By: JayKitty After a long session of eating fire about half an hour later I will burp and all I taste is Coleman's.

Forgot about that one, whilst the immediate side effects are not as bad as fire breathing (e.g. Numb mouth, chin, chest depending on your skill level), they can still be very unpleasant. When performing, I charge 30% extra to include fire eating.

Blisters on lips are pretty common, occasionally the tongue. A couple of posts up is well worth reading and reflecting on, for me with fire breathing the answer was no, it's just not worth it, but for eating, personally i think it is.

One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.
- A.A. Milne

Don't join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects!
- Anon (I think)

Posted: 19th Oct 2009
sorry for the delay answer i was offline the weekend!

Firetom>

I see about how much i have to close my lips
I full closing my lips when i use my handmade torches,
otherwise i blow and dont close completly my mouth

about fuel,how i know if a fuel is clean? i have found few at the super market lamp oil type&
zip oil(its for lighters)..i m using zipoil for fire eating..

Charlie fox> great video!!! 5 star!
when you puff out,you spit the oil from the 1st torch?
do you put in your mouth the 2nd torch?

i dont want to learn fire breathing, i consider it dangerous too..but i love this trick

Jaykitty>Well i dident say the opposite,i consider this, different than fire eating
and that's why i started the post,to see and the other side!

About the risk - I think fire playing is a dangerous art,the point is to learn as more as you can
and get the necessary precautions! about this trick i m not going to do it every day..i m ussually doing
fire show 1-4 times the month!

"fire walks with me"

Posted: 19th Oct 2009
Originally Posted By: Ms Vanitysorry for the delay answer i was offline the weekend!

Charlie fox> great video!!! 5 star!
when you puff out,you spit the oil from the 1st torch?
do you put in your mouth the 2nd torch?


Thanks

There is no spitting, ZERO liquid fuel enters my mouth, i simply capture the unburnt vapours from the wand (it's a 5 min science lesson to explain how/why the vapours end up in the mouth, so to save time lets just say they fall off )

The biggest most important critical thing for fire eating and vapour tricks is
DO NOT EVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES INHALE WHILE THE FLAME/VAPOR IS IN OR NEAR YOUR MOUTH

Why this can happen by accident is shock or surprise at heat/burning sensation results in a gasp, so if your lungs are empty guess what happens, big inhale, I've done it twice a long time ago while i was learning, it was very uncomfortable but i walked away from it, i understand though that some extreme damage can occur to your esophagus and lungs, possibly even death.

To avoid it is simple, before the wand gets anywhere near your mouth inhale totally, this way, if something goes wrong, the worst that can happen (other than burning your face) is you breath out rapidly and extinguish or push the flame away.

Regarding fuels anything with a flash point over 25degC will probably not work very well. This limits your to Toluene Based Fuels like Calite, or some of the Naptha based fuels like Colemans or White Gas (Not White Spirits).

Whatever fuel you decide to use find the MSDS for it so you can fully understand A). how it can hurt/damage/kill you and B). what the flash point is as if it's too low the volatility make it too dangerous to fire eat with.

https://www.nafaa.org/msds.html

Personally i consider Zippo Fluid (and all Naphtha/Light Aliphatic) too Risky to use for any type of fire eating as their flash point is extremely low, eg. for Zippo around 2 - 4degC or 35degF, Colemans is lower again. This however is a personal preference, i understand the latter is very commonly used in the northern hemisphere.

I use a Fuel Called Calite which is based on Toluene, it has a flash point around 16 - 18deg C.

Here is the MSDS for Colemans;
https://www.coleman.com/coleman/msds/lantern.pdf


and Zippo
https://www.nafaa.org/ZIPPO_MSDS.pdf

One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.
- A.A. Milne

Don't join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects!
- Anon (I think)

Posted: 19th Oct 2009
Its a pretty cool video,of course i rate it

so you get the "unburnt vapours" from the 1st torch and with the 2nd torch you fire up your mouth?
how you catch the fire?are you putting the half of the 2nd torch in your mouth?

thank you for the info !!

"fire walks with me"

Posted: 19th Oct 2009
Originally Posted By: Ms Vanity Its a pretty cool video,of course i rate it

so you get the "unburnt vapours" from the 1st torch and with the 2nd torch you fire up your mouth?
how you catch the fire?are you putting the half of the 2nd torch in your mouth?

thank you for the info !!

Not Quite, the first torch i simply extinguish so i have something to light with the capture.

I exhale after the extinguish to empty my mouth, then inhale to prepare for the capture, the brief dip into my mouth is all it takes on a still night to get a capture that lasts about 3 or 4 secs, heaps of time to light another torch.

Whilst it looks quick on the video, trust me, when you start it will feel like a very long time, the initial challenge is building the confidence to keep it in your mouth while still burning.

As you increase your skill level (i.e. pain tolerance) you will hold the flame in for longer to create either longer, or bigger captures.

Whilst it is possible to capture some vapor off an extinguish (as you thought i had) this i believe is slightly less efficient and not quite as reliable or as easy, but other probably prefer this, each to their own.

As mentioned earlier it is possible to hold the capture inside your mouth where it's not visible to spectators and then puff it out on an unlit torch to (re)light it. Though this is not a skill i have practiced as yet.

One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.
- A.A. Milne

Don't join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects!
- Anon (I think)

Posted: 19th Oct 2009
so you could this with one torch without fire and a 2nd with fire!

if i understand: you inhale,then do the brief dip,you wait 3-4sec and then exhale on the torch?

about the pain i remember the first time i did fire touching,now i dont feel anything!

"fire walks with me"

Posted: 19th Oct 2009
its funny you know... some times one is passing the tree in front of his house a million times, without ever noticing. Then only - a million and one times later - one realizes that it's a pine tree.

I'm slow guys - incredibly slow on this one, please forgive me

I know that firebreathing (to some extent) is fascinating to watch... Only I've been wondering all along, why people enjoy doing it?!? I mean to spin with kerosene or any petrol - in general terms - leaves me smelling like a gas station (and I really am repelled by that smell after all these years)...

I've always wondered why the majority of firebreathers cling to their "profession" so strongly...

I only realized now that whatever the performer is doing - no matter how cautious - s/he will inevitably inhale the remnants of the petrol into her/his lungs...

Read this article on petrol sniffing

Another from the .au ministry of health

the best smiles are the ones you lead to

Posted: 19th Oct 2009
Originally Posted By: Ms Vanityso you could this with one torch without fire and a 2nd with fire!

if i understand: you inhale,then do the brief dip,you wait 3-4sec and then exhale on the torch?

about the pain i remember the first time i did fire touching,now i dont feel anything!

Hmm,

To sustain the candle effect (flame from the mouth) you hold your breath in. The only time i exhale is when i am finished, if no flame this will expel any unburnt vapor, if flame the flame will flash brighter as the unburnt vapor is pushed passed it, thats the effect you see at the end of the capture as the flame leaves my mouth in the vid.

I also do touching/trailing/transfers and do not feel any pain, though am ultimately burned by the chemical anyway (something you cant really develop a tolerance for.), But having the flame in your mouth is different, skin in general has around 2-4 secs of exposure to flame before pain is felt and around 3-5 secs for a mortal before damage to tissue commences. So when you are doing transfers for one thing it's burning up and away from you so the hottest part of the flame is above the skin. When you place it in your mouth however the flame is lower than your lips meaning your lips are around the hottest part of it while it is in your mouth.

hopefully this makes some sense, been up way too long to be writing posts just now.

Really i think you should find someone in person to learn from, as hypocritical as that is coming from me who is self taught, the road to teaching oneself is fraught with (more)danger and (a lot) more pain than is perhaps necessary.


As for one torch with fire one without, yes this is possible, not just with torches, i have done fire shows were other performers have lit their poi/staff/fan from my vapor capture, though this does require all or part of the receiving wick to be dipped in a light fuel as used for the capture...
A friend of mine and I have been toying with the idea of lighting his fire breath from my vapor capture, but it would be absurdly dangerous and risky, to me mostly, so still not sure, but we'd have multiple cameras ready if/when we go through with it to catch the awesome/damage in HD from multi angles

One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.
- A.A. Milne

Don't join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects!
- Anon (I think)

Posted: 19th Oct 2009
Originally Posted By: Charlie FoxA friend of mine and I have been toying with the idea of lighting his fire breath from my vapor capture, but it would be absurdly dangerous and risky, to me mostly, so still not sure, but we'd have multiple cameras ready if/when we go through with it to catch the awesome/damage in HD from multi angles

Eeek? Sounds stupidly dangerous to me. Although, an interesting thread overall.

'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

Posted: 19th Oct 2009
Originally Posted By: aston

Eeek? Sounds stupidly dangerous to me. Although, an interesting thread overall.

That could be a slight understatement

The only way it could be remotely safe is to light the breath not off the candle in the mouth, but puff the candle out of the mouth so i can get out of the way, the puff tends to rise a foot or so before going out, that might be just enough.

One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.
- A.A. Milne

Don't join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects!
- Anon (I think)

Posted: 20th Oct 2009
Firetom> i dont like fire breathing too and is one of the things i dont want to do! i have done extremer things(like live piercings,taking blood,razorblades etc) but when i read in this site about how much dangerous fire breathing is,i decide to never try it

I read about petrol :S question: coleman fuel and petrol are the same thing?

charlie fox>i see,yes you right...the hottest part is above hands!

I understand the process and the whole idea! the point is to learn how to catch the fire,any tips on that?

i ll try to find someone who knows but its very difficult in athens...They arent many jugglers or performers..and 1-2 i knew they dont want to learn you stuff :S

"fire walks with me"

Posted: 20th Oct 2009
Originally Posted By: Ms Vanity
I read about petrol :S question: coleman fuel and petrol are the same thing?

Nope, colemans (and zippo) are actually more volatile than Petrol in regards to flammability and explosion risk, petrol though is far more toxic, so one can burn you better than the other can poison you better.

The key word is more, i.e. they are both toxic and flammable, one is just less worse than the other.

Originally Posted By: Ms Vanity
I understand the process and the whole idea! the point is to learn how to catch the fire,any tips on that?


Yes, practice practice practice!! It took me a couple of months to get it right, then, once i had it it becomes very easy, second nature even. While fire eating i breath out slightly, not to try blow the flame out, just to control the flame slightly better and keep most of the heat out of my mouth, for a capture though you must hold your breath, otherwise you are pushing the vapors out.

Originally Posted By: Ms Vanity
i ll try to find someone who knows but its very difficult in athens...They arent many jugglers or performers..and 1-2 i knew they dont want to learn you stuff :S

Its much the same here inn NZ, whilst i'm fairly sure somewhere else in NZ someone else can perform vapor capture tricks, i have yet to see it after many years of being in the community, thus i was forced to teach myself.

Have a scroll through mephistos site www.fyretr.com, i cant remember the exact contents, i do recall there was a lot of usefull safety information

One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.
- A.A. Milne

Don't join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects!
- Anon (I think)

Posted: 20th Oct 2009
I think zippo is better quality than lamp oil,when i put lampoil in my torches it takes time to get fire!!!do you thing i should put few zippo in the lamp oil? About petrol i have never tried,i want to find coleman!

I m going to practice,i wanted first to learn stuff about the process..


I guess is the same everywhere.The think is in greece people dont know about this stuff,they are only 1-2 juggling stores and they have expensive stuff (and ofcourse 2 color of flag pois,no fans or fire fingers,classic juggling stuff only)

i made a -new topic- about -fire teething- and i have included this video




in 1.10 she's doing the vapor capture!did she put the wand in her tongue or inside her mouth?

"fire walks with me"

Posted: 20th Oct 2009
Originally Posted By: Ms VanityI think zippo is better quality than lamp oil,when i put lampoil in my torches it takes time to get fire!!!do you thing i should put few zippo in the lamp oil? About petrol i have never tried,i want to find coleman!


Quality is not the correct to use here. What causes lamp oil to light slow, and Colemans or Zippo to light fast is the Flash Point. Put simply, flash point is the temperature a fluid needs to be before it ignites (though technically the fluid itself does not light, the vapor released at that temperature does.)

As mentioned earlier in this thread Colemans and Zippo have flash points of 5degC or lower, lamp oil is above 50DegC, kero is around 45 - 50DegC.

So, simply put, if the flash point of a fluid is lower than the current ambient temperature in a given environment you will have instant ignition, if the flash point is higher than the ambient temperature your ignition source first needs to heat the fluid up to it's flash point.

If your putting these chemicals on or in you i suggest doing a bit of reading first not only on the flash point but the hazards, some fluids can be similer in combustibility and solvent properties, like ShelsolT and Pegasol 3440, however the former is a LOT more toxic than the latter.

Originally Posted By: Ms Vanity
i made a -new topic- about -fire teething- and i have included this video




in 1.10 she's doing the vapor capture!did she put the wand in her tongue or inside her mouth?


Replied on the other thread

She is not doing any vapor captures (that i can see), they are all flame transfers, i.e. she holds the flame on a surface (longest one was her tongue, but several times on fingers) so some of the fuel transfers to the surface, this when the torch is pulled away the flame continues to burn, my favorite part of that are the speedy palm extinguishes when she finishes the part with the wands, watch closely as she grabs the ends to put them out. Definitely using Zippo or Colemans.

One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.
- A.A. Milne

Don't join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects!
- Anon (I think)

Posted: 20th Oct 2009
ok i understand the part about flash point!!! thats why i need more time with lampoil!!! the only problem with zippo is the cost

i have heard about mixing coleman with 20%lamp oil,that way it last longer!!!

about the video:
oh thats why she touch the torch on the tongue!!! i have never try to lick torch or to put fire,but its seem easier than vapor catch! i guess is like the classic trick with hands,for few seconds they are on fire and then you light up wands!

yes i saw the palm extinguishes!!!impressive and nice idea hoho
today i found the video but i have seen her live performing in athens few years ago! the umbrella looks interesting,i m wondering why the fabric isn't burn!

"fire walks with me"

Posted: 20th Oct 2009
Originally Posted By: Ms Vanityok i understand the part about flash point!!! thats why i need more time with lampoil!!! the only problem with zippo is the cost

i have heard about mixing coleman with 20%lamp oil,that way it last longer!!!

about the video:
oh thats why she touch the torch on the tongue!!! i have never try to lick torch or to put fire,but its seem easier than vapor catch! i guess is like the classic trick with hands,for few seconds they are on fire and then you light up wands!

yes i saw the palm extinguishes!!!impressive and nice idea hoho
today i found the video but i have seen her live performing in athens few years ago! the umbrella looks interesting,i m wondering why the fabric isn't burn!

Fuel for eating is always higher. How much do you value your show?? For eating you should always charge extra, this is due to A). the increased danger to you, and B). the increased cost of fuel.

A better quality fuel lets you do better quality tricks.

Eating uses very little fuel compared to anything else. if you are doing it with your fire fingers maybe just dip one or two into zippo or colemans and the rest in lamp oil. For every 4L of Fire Eating Fuel (Calite) I go through over 20L of Pegasol (which i use for performing) and 40-60L of Kerosene (which i use for practice).

For the umbrella, the fabric is Silk, like all natural fibres it is naturally fire resistant. if you wish to find one the trade name is a Parasol or Fire Parasol

One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.
- A.A. Milne

Don't join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects!
- Anon (I think)

Posted: 20th Oct 2009
yes it costs grrr
well i m not doing only fire stuff on a show,at the one you saw the video with fire fingers, i made a small lesbian part,then few acrobat moves at a swing,a little bit strip+milk bath at the end!

https://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/17/l_c2d6f34b7d3845a5bb7cfc092aa0fd5e.jpg

https://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/94/l_af3140e910cc4ceeb6bd5bbf040c0ecc.jpg

I charge 100-200euros per show (20-40minutes)! depends what i m doing and for how much time! for medical show that i m piercing my self i charge more! In special cases like band's live for 10-15minutes i get 80euros for a simply show (just dance and use grinder or torches)

...and i had a 2nd part with fire umbrella+Balloon show:
https://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/78/l_835c93302e4f4083ad70d9ed95e9a275.jpg

In shows that i use stuff that are only for the show i usually add the extra cost to the organizer (Fuels,confetti,
champagne,glasses,roses,ballons..etc)

What is calite?where i can find it? (i cant find anything at net about it)

I dont know what's pegasol,on the net i saw that it is:
------------------------------------------------------------
Iso-paraffin oil, also known as 'pegasol 3440 special'
Its MSDS lists it as Naphtha (petroleum), heavy alkylate. This is the Australian version of White Gas.
-----------------------------------------------------------

so with pegasol you mean the coleman(naptha or else white gas)

Kerosene i saw is the paraffin oil,it looks a lot like lamp oil,i use it for practice and for my torches!

----------------------------------------------------------------
"""For every 4L of Fire Eating Fuel (Calite) I go through over 20L of Pegasol (which i use for performing) and 40-60L of Kerosene (which i use for practice)."""
--------------------------------------------------------------
I didnt exactly understand what you mean..:S
it has to do with proportion of the total fuel you re using?
You using less calite and 5times more pegasol than calite?
-------------------------------------------------------------

so if i add silk to my handmade umprella do you think the silk wont burn? :D:D:D

this is the previous umprella

https://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/64/l_2c01334beff84fbe924632c66f171e8e.jpg

https://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/58/l_0e4561a9d8d24fabb234b63f74600d70.jpg

total failed,the fabric burned..
so i made this new one with aluminum structure and decorate it with gold string

"fire walks with me"

Posted: 20th Oct 2009
so we are there - at last I expected this to happen long time ago and was wondering. We go BD/SM. And really guys - no judgment from my side, I've seen "worse".

But please know one thing:

You put fuel in your mouth, your (physical) exposure to toxic substances is exponentially higher than simply inhaling the fumes.

Doing a "semi-" or "full-on-sensual" show for that kind of money you DO sell your self cheap. The price should be a mix up of the following factors:

How many people are coming to enjoy the show, how much entry charge is taken, how much are drinks, how much fuel is consumed and who's paying for it, how much do you expose of yourself whilst performing (in terms of health and ... privacy) and finally: who else (in your area) is capable and willing to do the same?

As I see it you got two factors running up here:

- do you want to make a living on this?
- how much does the attention pay you off?

If you do it for the infamous "5-minutes-of-fame" nothing wrong, if you never want to regret what you dun, better charge at least double the present rate. And that I'd still consider "cheap" - but that's just me and from where I'm from.

Technically speaking a fuel that has a high flashpoint does not necessarily indicate that it keeps burning on a high rate. From what I understand, exhaling (controlling the flame with CO²) is to "just" keep it alive without having too much heat transferred to your teeth. Meaning that the CO² in your exhale extinguishes the flame on the lower parts of the wick... thus the temperature is moderated and physical harm is (somewhat) "controlled".

It requires practice in order not to harm yourself - during which you *will* harm your self. Two ways: you enjoy the process or you charge for it when doing a show.

Licking a torch will not hurt your tongue.. it's an effect that makes people freak, because they can never imagine... but it's even similar to "body flames"... it just doesn't remotely hurt as much as the looks indicate. The saliva will protect your tongue... a reasonable amount of time. It gives you a certain "window" in which you can operate/ manipulate/ perform without doing physical damage... this said: applying fuel to your softer tissue will always cause some harm... and licking a torch will always transfer ... something to your soft tissue...

A certain *healthy* lifestyle apart from your profession could be advisable. Meaning, if you smoke, drink, eat unhealthy food, don't work out or provide your body with any means of ridding itself off toxic matter, it will accumulate. But maybe your body is of that fabric, immortals used to forge their weaponry from: eternal... harder than titanium and more enduring than diamonds... In that case please ignore my concerns...

I only see that a lot of organizers are happy to dwell their events on noobs/ twens/ enthusiasts who are willing to sacrifice in order to "get somewhere" or to "enjoy attention"... and there is nothing wrong with it - as long as you're S.M.A.R.T. and got a plan... or don't intend to cuddle your grandchildren.

Kindly take my words as from someone who ... c.a.r.e.s. for a fellow human being and member of the same community... nothing more, nothing less. No prejudice, no moralizing, no envy (if you'd know me you'd know me).

Just watch out for your self and stick around for some time.

Sorry it's half two am and I just returned from a few hours winning the pooltable and having a great time with perfect strangers ... so I'm "emotio...." don't ever say that !

the best smiles are the ones you lead to

Posted: 21st Oct 2009
I don't think she put it IN her tounge.

Lamp oil doesn't have the vapors to do the vapor tricks, its not a dirty fuel though. Zippo has the naptha you need for the vapors, it doesn't taste as clean as coleman's but if that's all you can find, then that's ok. I think between Tom and Fox it's all been said though. I explained the basics of how to do the trick earlier in the post, you don't need the entire chem lesson. Its a lot of feeling. The flames will get lower and when you take the torch out, exhale. That's a given so you don't inhale vapors. The force and shape of your mouth will determine what trick you do.

Don't mind me, just passing through.