Forums > Technical Discussion > salt burning

Posted: 28th Jul 2011
burn time with alcohol is a slightly shorter but not a problem. Be very aware of how flammable it is when lighting up, unlike kero it goes up very quickly so be careful and don't lose your eyebrows!
Another point to be aware of is excess fuel near the start of the burn, remove as much as possible before you burn as A- excess drips unlike kero come off ON FIRE and B- if you hit yourself near the start of the burn you are more liable to be lit up by a transfer of lit fuel to your clothing so wear suitable clothes have a fire safety etc.
As you mention, yes it does burn hotter so be careful and avoid wraps. Also the heat is bad for your wicks, they'll degrade much faster, I have an old battered set of cathedral wicks i use for it to preserve my good set.
As for your question about tricks, slow movements/using pendulum combos etc can be used to make the flame rise up a bit. If your using a different colour on each head try using lots of hybrids/triquetras etc to show off the contrasting colours in a pattern

even chuck norris can't pin you down if your on fire

Posted: 1st Aug 2011
As to above - to get a good clean colour do NOT use an old set as the old Kero on the wicks will yellow the flame and initially will wash out the colour.

For a bright colour use a single set of wicks PER COLOUR and use them for nothing other than the colour mentioned, the colours will get brighter with use as the salt solution soak into the wicks and the unused slats crystalise in there to burn the next time.

Be aware that the fumes from coloured salts are worse for your breathing than normal kero as well so try not to inhale too many or use a cloth face cover

A couple of balls short of a full cascade... or maybe a few cards short of a deck... we'll see how this all fans out.

Posted: 1st Aug 2011
you guys rock for your help! they are unused wicks. I was going to do a practice run before the big show to see which is more visualy pleasing ( one green the other red). If i prefer one over the other, can I do a clean burn with just alcohol to burn off the residual salt before dipping it in the alternate dye? or is this not suggested? would you suggest dabbing off excess alcohol to avoid transfer of fuel to skin or clothing or will it not matter due to it's flammability? which alchol/brand gives the best burn?

Posted: 2nd Aug 2011
I would suggest you stick to using a single colour per wick.

Either get / make a second set of wicks so you have 1 set for red and 1 for green, or have 1 head red and the other head green and mark up the handles. Your first coloured burn will likely be fairly faint but the more you use the salts the brighter the colour should get as the wicks build up the residue.

I don't know what will happen if you mix salts on a single head (could get a muted mix of colours or it could end up as nothing as the yellow alcohol burn may be brighter than the colour) as what you would be doing is mixing chemicals and I wouldn't want to breathe what may come off as I doubt you'll get ALL the salts / solution out of the kevlar in a short time and you would be mixing chemicals under extreme heat maybe try a tester on a scrap of kevlar in a safe outdoor environment first with small amounts.

A couple of balls short of a full cascade... or maybe a few cards short of a deck... we'll see how this all fans out.