Forums > Technical Discussion > STAFF - wick maintenance & refuelling
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Sporadically Prodigal
2,758 posts
Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia
Sporadically Prodigal
2,758 posts
Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia
Posted:
oo look! another staff topic...this is getting exciting!
so, we've all seen how easy it is for poiers to refuel and maintain their wicks, both during practise/performance and when in storage by simply leaving their poi ends in fuel containers etc.But I want to know what the staffers are doing. it drives me crazy that I have to leave my wicks dry all the time and drives me even more crazy that I can't leave each end in the fuel bucket for very long because fuel will start to drip down the handles causing them to be dangerously slippery and degredation of the handle's taping etc. Obviously, I can hold the stick at an angle to help alleviate the drip, but what if I want to soak for half an hour? I'm not going to stand there and hold it for that long!! flash's patience = minimal has anyone come up with a clever dual ended fuel thingy so they can soak both ends at the same time?what do you do with your sticks' wicks when you're not using them?------------------"she dances in a ring of fire and throws off the challenge with a shrug"
oo look! another staff topic...this is getting exciting!
so, we've all seen how easy it is for poiers to refuel and maintain their wicks, both during practise/performance and when in storage by simply leaving their poi ends in fuel containers etc.But I want to know what the staffers are doing. it drives me crazy that I have to leave my wicks dry all the time and drives me even more crazy that I can't leave each end in the fuel bucket for very long because fuel will start to drip down the handles causing them to be dangerously slippery and degredation of the handle's taping etc. Obviously, I can hold the stick at an angle to help alleviate the drip, but what if I want to soak for half an hour? I'm not going to stand there and hold it for that long!! flash's patience = minimal has anyone come up with a clever dual ended fuel thingy so they can soak both ends at the same time?what do you do with your sticks' wicks when you're not using them?------------------"she dances in a ring of fire and throws off the challenge with a shrug"HoP Posting Guidelines
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BRONZE Member
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA
Posted:
We haven't come up with an acceptibel refueling thingy but prior to show when initially fueling we lean it against something and walk away. When we want to do the other end we wrap damp a washcloth around the head and rubberband a plastic bag over that. It absorbs some of the extra fuel without taking too much and it keeps it from being drippy. I do a quick redip if I want to try to do the flash throw but other than that I spin them off in bags with cloths in the bottom of then. Then when I am going to store them I simply put the damp fuely cloth around the wick and re-wrap in tin foil for storage. I can use it as it is flashy and it doesn't dry out so badly.I do like those three section staves, despite the size (I like my spinning staves on the smallish side). You can fuel and refual them seperately. In fact I was just discussing with Malcolm whether there would be a way to adapt handles to make them into swinging torches as well.Okay, the only other idea comes from Prometheus....who suggested that we cut slits in the sid of a plastic container and fillit with fuel just to under the slit. Place one end of the staff in each container...then all you really have to do is make certain that the fuel level doesn't get too low for the wicks to soak. We haven't tried it yet though...I can't use plastic at Ren Faires, it isn't very authentic you know?So those are what we could come up with, though I am curious as to any other ideas.------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...https://www.pyromorph.com
We haven't come up with an acceptibel refueling thingy but prior to show when initially fueling we lean it against something and walk away. When we want to do the other end we wrap damp a washcloth around the head and rubberband a plastic bag over that. It absorbs some of the extra fuel without taking too much and it keeps it from being drippy. I do a quick redip if I want to try to do the flash throw but other than that I spin them off in bags with cloths in the bottom of then. Then when I am going to store them I simply put the damp fuely cloth around the wick and re-wrap in tin foil for storage. I can use it as it is flashy and it doesn't dry out so badly.I do like those three section staves, despite the size (I like my spinning staves on the smallish side). You can fuel and refual them seperately. In fact I was just discussing with Malcolm whether there would be a way to adapt handles to make them into swinging torches as well.Okay, the only other idea comes from Prometheus....who suggested that we cut slits in the sid of a plastic container and fillit with fuel just to under the slit. Place one end of the staff in each container...then all you really have to do is make certain that the fuel level doesn't get too low for the wicks to soak. We haven't tried it yet though...I can't use plastic at Ren Faires, it isn't very authentic you know?So those are what we could come up with, though I am curious as to any other ideas.------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...https://www.pyromorph.com
Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK
member
91 posts
91 posts
Posted:
Hey everyone,i was reading the above posts and geez you guys pre-dip your wicks for a long time. Obviously the flame will therefore last a lot longer but just how long does it last for? Flashfire, you said something about dipping a wick for half an hour! Do you do this before a performance or just when not in use to keep the wicks full of fuel? When i twirl with my staff i usually dip it for 5 seconds before going out to twirl and when i need to re-dip it only takes 3 seconds because the wick is hot. After soaking for half an hour how high are the flames? They must reach to the heavens above because mine roar after dipping for only seconds! And as for dipping staffs when not in use, people with three piece staffs such as myself could (although i don't) pull the staff apart and put each end in a fuel container and then before a show pull the two ends out of their containers, put them on a rack or something above the containers to let the excess fuel drain off and then go out and impress everyone with flames ablazing! So, could someone out there (preferably someone who has experience performing in front of crowds) please tell me how long do they soak there wicks before the show, how long the flames last afterwards (mine average on around 5 mins) and how large are the flames. If someone could tell me then it would be greatly appreciated because i myself want to get into performing at folk festivals and stuff and i think i need some advice from you veterans out there. Oh well, i hope my idea helped (although in the case of one piece staffs i havn't helped a bit!) and with some luck maybe someone out there will benefit from this. Catch you all l8r!:Chotys:
Hey everyone,i was reading the above posts and geez you guys pre-dip your wicks for a long time. Obviously the flame will therefore last a lot longer but just how long does it last for? Flashfire, you said something about dipping a wick for half an hour! Do you do this before a performance or just when not in use to keep the wicks full of fuel? When i twirl with my staff i usually dip it for 5 seconds before going out to twirl and when i need to re-dip it only takes 3 seconds because the wick is hot. After soaking for half an hour how high are the flames? They must reach to the heavens above because mine roar after dipping for only seconds! And as for dipping staffs when not in use, people with three piece staffs such as myself could (although i don't) pull the staff apart and put each end in a fuel container and then before a show pull the two ends out of their containers, put them on a rack or something above the containers to let the excess fuel drain off and then go out and impress everyone with flames ablazing! So, could someone out there (preferably someone who has experience performing in front of crowds) please tell me how long do they soak there wicks before the show, how long the flames last afterwards (mine average on around 5 mins) and how large are the flames. If someone could tell me then it would be greatly appreciated because i myself want to get into performing at folk festivals and stuff and i think i need some advice from you veterans out there. Oh well, i hope my idea helped (although in the case of one piece staffs i havn't helped a bit!) and with some luck maybe someone out there will benefit from this. Catch you all l8r!:Chotys:
See my vest.... see my vest...
693 posts
Location: Adelaide - South Australia
693 posts
Location: Adelaide - South Australia
Posted:
Hey Flash,A friend of Josh and mine made Josh a staff that spilts into two, by unscrewing in the middle.If you made it so your staff could unscrew in the middle you could keep both ends fueling for as long as you wanted. All you would ahve to do is too screw the two ends together when they are are done fueling.Anyway thats my piece of advice, as non-staffie person as I am
Gotta go, time to go home from work.Bye.------------------ ~*~ Katinca ~*~
Hey Flash,A friend of Josh and mine made Josh a staff that spilts into two, by unscrewing in the middle.If you made it so your staff could unscrew in the middle you could keep both ends fueling for as long as you wanted. All you would ahve to do is too screw the two ends together when they are are done fueling.Anyway thats my piece of advice, as non-staffie person as I am
Gotta go, time to go home from work.Bye.------------------ ~*~ Katinca ~*~ Love and Light
~*~ Katinca ~*~
BRONZE Member
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA
Posted:
Hey Flash Fire, a thought just occurred to me, what about shallow baking dishes? You would have to periodically return to check the level of the fuel but I was thinking along the lines of those toss away light aluminum pans from the supermarket, for baking cookies. They are shallow enough you wouldn't have to cruch a side down a bit to make a holder for the staff, just lay the wicks over what little edge they have and pour fuel over them, let soak, come back and repour voila...ghetto fueling!
I know it takes a bit more work than just dipping and walking away but I am just stumped on that.I still maintain the washcloth and tinfoil work well for storage though!------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...https://www.pyromorph.com
Hey Flash Fire, a thought just occurred to me, what about shallow baking dishes? You would have to periodically return to check the level of the fuel but I was thinking along the lines of those toss away light aluminum pans from the supermarket, for baking cookies. They are shallow enough you wouldn't have to cruch a side down a bit to make a holder for the staff, just lay the wicks over what little edge they have and pour fuel over them, let soak, come back and repour voila...ghetto fueling!
I know it takes a bit more work than just dipping and walking away but I am just stumped on that.I still maintain the washcloth and tinfoil work well for storage though!------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...https://www.pyromorph.com Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK
member
277 posts
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
277 posts
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Posted:
I think the real solution to fuelling staff wicks is with a squeeze container. I've seen a few of the NYC peeps (Skunk etc.) do this and I really think it is the way to go. Now if I could only find a decent squeeze bottle capable of holding petrochemicals I'd be all set.In the meantime, I've been using the following little trick to help with the dripping: I do about a dozen wraps of cloth tape arround the shaft about three inches from the wick. This is enough to absorb any excess fuel that would otherwise drain down the shaft. It is far enough away from the wicks that it doesn't usually burn, but close enough that any fuel will catch and burn off quickly.However, in many cases even this is not necessary with my staff design. I use two 2-inch wicks separated by about four inches on each end of my staff. Except when I feel the need for really big fire, I only soak the outer wick and the inner one catches all the exces fuel. The tape as described above is really only used when I soak both wicks on each end.-p.
I think the real solution to fuelling staff wicks is with a squeeze container. I've seen a few of the NYC peeps (Skunk etc.) do this and I really think it is the way to go. Now if I could only find a decent squeeze bottle capable of holding petrochemicals I'd be all set.In the meantime, I've been using the following little trick to help with the dripping: I do about a dozen wraps of cloth tape arround the shaft about three inches from the wick. This is enough to absorb any excess fuel that would otherwise drain down the shaft. It is far enough away from the wicks that it doesn't usually burn, but close enough that any fuel will catch and burn off quickly.However, in many cases even this is not necessary with my staff design. I use two 2-inch wicks separated by about four inches on each end of my staff. Except when I feel the need for really big fire, I only soak the outer wick and the inner one catches all the exces fuel. The tape as described above is really only used when I soak both wicks on each end.-p.
member
337 posts
Location: London UK
337 posts
Location: London UK
Posted:
pj i'm sure just a one of those plastic naya bottles with the squirky nozzle would work...btw I would also like some info on fuelling time... i dip for 10 secs or so, and this seems fine for me, is 30 mins really that beneficial?
pj i'm sure just a one of those plastic naya bottles with the squirky nozzle would work...btw I would also like some info on fuelling time... i dip for 10 secs or so, and this seems fine for me, is 30 mins really that beneficial?
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BRONZE Member
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA
Posted:
pj if you are concerned abou the fuel eating through the plastic there are bottles made for fueling gear at...https://www.dube.com/have fun...happy squirting!------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...https://www.pyromorph.com
pj if you are concerned abou the fuel eating through the plastic there are bottles made for fueling gear at...https://www.dube.com/have fun...happy squirting!
------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...https://www.pyromorph.com Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK
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