Forums > Technical Discussion > flares

Posted: 1st Oct 2003
If you can get hold of magnesium ribbon you'd get a very bright light from that and it costs way less than flares do. The emergency services can have a bit of a strop (and rightly so) if you let off flares without there being a good reason to do so.

There is a slight possibility that I am not actually right all of the time.

Posted: 1st Oct 2003
Flares are very very dangerous!

before you consider using them please get someoneperance to give you some training, never point them anywhere near yourself or anyone else or anything else for that matter. Thease things are very hot!

play safe.

T

This is a post by tom, all spelling is deleberate
-><- Kallisti

Posted: 3rd Oct 2003
Did some research on this myself a while back, but no real joy to speak of.

Most of the hand held flares that ive seen seem to have a nasty habit of producing hot molten slag (heehee )which is caught by a sort of gutter arrangement around the top of the handle.

I shudder to think what would happen if this was to spatter into your audience or go down the back of your shirt while doing poi or staff, ARRGGHH!!!

Posted: 4th Oct 2003
nah i was just thinking of running round manically chaseing camera ppl while holding lit flares

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourself, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous and talented? Who are you NOT to be?

Posted: 1st May 2004
hey ben-ja-men hows it going.. on the flares thing i am a sailor and have done about 30 set of the hand held flares they are so intense you have to be bloody carefull the burns i have had from these are insane they burn at 1800 degrees and are oxygen absorbing i think so when they hit you they eat you literally and even a brush is painfull.. had one in the face just trying to start the second one so if you can get the ones which have a string to pull then its easier to get them going.. (rather than smaking them on one end) i have some photos i could post ..
like all the others i cannot reccomend them ..
the other thing is they only burn for 60 seconds which is just not long enough for me so am looking into the american safety services that throw them on the ground when there is a car accident... in the uk it is very illegal to use the red ones unless in distress but if they were flying around your head you could argue that they were and on that note dont do it on top of a hill as people will think you are in distress.. enough of being mother as there is some hope as the white ones are purely for attracting attention and thets what you are trying to do heyhey..
the people ive been doing it infront of are totally red difficient after doing this so everything is green after they go out but dont stop as the metal tubes which are glowing white hot are still really good to carry on with.. when they burn the slag that bcomes off is not hot but it does get in your eyes and it feels like its really dusty..
i find its best to do these when there is a good breeze blowing and the smoke tails are awsome plus the dust doesnt land on you..

a finall word of warning the burns from these is excessive and i mean excessive be bloody careful tape up the handles and keep everything safe they will kill some one if they hit them as happened in the football stadium here in dubai( a rocket and no it wasnt me) please please dont mess if you are not sure i am a trained yacht captain and have used these for the real purpose the only other thing i can add is they are extreemly noisy lets keep this as a discussion and come back to me

Posted: 2nd May 2004
ok.

few words of warning.

it's illegal to use these near the coast. not inland. we *always* try to warn the rescue services we are using them if we think ew are somewhere where its possibly a problem.

yes they are [censored] hot and very dangerous, and make you blind for a short while after wards.

we do NOT use them as poi. thats the most stupid thing i can think of....

but we've probably let off about 1000-2000 flares without any injuries or problems with authorites.

the important thing is knowing exactly what you are doing. we have people properly trained by naval bods, who then train the rest of us. nobody goes and uses one without prior knowledge.

smiles
R

Holistic Spinner (I hope)

Posted: 2nd May 2004
Sorry bluecat lets just say it is totally irresponsible to use these hand flares (not rocket flares) .. for anything else than what they were designed for.

Posted: 2nd May 2004
Thats like saying we should use Kevlar and wire wool for what they were designed for...

Let's turn those old bridges we crossed into ashes.
We'll blaze a new trail,
and torch the rough patches.

-Me

Posted: 2nd May 2004
ICoN,
Watch out there dude you're dangerously close to getting this thread closed down!!
-M-

Posted: 2nd May 2004
This was not supposed to cause any trouble just that its a dodgy thing to do.. all i am trying to do is answer the original question which was does anyone know about flares and i do.. sorry to any offended by my reply....
i have posted some photos that arnt really very good of these flares in action as poi and in very cotrolled circumstances..
https://captg.photostep.com/3553527

tell me what you think....

Quote:

---

be good and if you cant be good be bad and feel good about it

---

Posted: 3rd May 2004
Heyup...

Flares eh?

I've never had a problem with them...yeah read the instuctions (well...duh?)...yeah they burn hot (uh...duh?)....don't get the light ones mixed up with the smoke ones (toxic nastiness)...make sure you're in a well ventilated space (inescapable toxic nastiness).

I've seen flares used as poi (FireCrazyMatt @ Crusty Demons)...kinda a clubs/poi hybrid (handles, swivel, rod, flare) ...yeah very erm....fire crazy - but what an effect. I think my first words to him were "thank god you didn't fuckup!"

Cool thing with red flares is that after watching them for a bit, flames look green for a while (saves having to find all those chemicals to change the colour)...does tend to hurt your eyes tho...

I think the best saftey tip/story I can add to this thread is when I saw a flare dropped into a bucket of water to put it out....Result: the bucket of water boils until flare goes out (luckily it was metal) - they are designed to be dropped into the water and continue to burn...so effectively you cannot put them out!....danger! danger!

play safe
dave

ps "about 1000-2000" is a hefty varience Roberto

Posted: 3rd May 2004
of course it is.

i know we've been given over 2000 by a company in edinburgh.

and that we haven't used all of them. but for all i know steve is stashing them in a basement somewhere


disagree tho that they should *only* be used for what they were intended.

we use out of date ones which it is illegal to stock your craft with. and otherwise they would be destroyed; which i think most would agree is a waste when they could be used for performance...

R

Holistic Spinner (I hope)

Posted: 3rd May 2004
just to explain how hot these things really are in a way thats easily understood, i melted a hole about an inch deep (3 ish cm) in my garage with one because it got started too early, water wont put one of these out, not easily and i burnt myself in the process
i have no words to emphasize how hot or how dangerous flares can be when improperly used

Jesus saves sinners and redeems them for cash and
prizes

Co-Founder of Keepers of Light

Educate yourself about the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!

Posted: 3rd May 2004
Hmm,
if water won't work, how abot freon or halon ? I doubt that CO2 would work as magnesium burns quite readily in this gas, making a crackling noise and producing large amounts of soot
And I expect that most flares are beased around a magnesium compound of some sort.
If however they comprise a mix of fuel and oxidant in the one container, they may well be impossible to extinguish, making them one of the most dangerous things in respect to their capacity for property damage.

-M-

Posted: 3rd May 2004
I was using the emergency car kit flares all the time last year and I was OK. but heres the deal... LEATHER EVERYWHERE... jacket, gloves, and custom headwear (leather or kevlar they can be found online). wear thick jeans and don't expect to leave with clothing intact. I ruined five pairs of jeans and two pair of gloves, so be carefull,

however, those who say "just don't do it" don't seem to understand that this is a dangerous art in any form. There is no "safe" way to spin fire. Do it long enough and you will be burned. don't talk about how its stupidly reckless, because fire poi is reckless. so don't try to harsh on a further version of what most of us already do. just be carefull... think carefully... weigh the risks... and if you still want to, do it. remember, though, if you screw up its your fault. no one else chose to do it to you. so, just be careful.

Q:What's the difference between the Great Highland Bagpipes and the Northumbrian Pipes?
A:The Great Highland Pipes burn longer.