Forums > Technical Discussion > homemaid fuel

Posted: 4th Jan 2002
Trying to make your own fuel sounds like a really bad idea to me. It just seems like there are way too many things that could go wrong to be safe. When you can pick up a gallon of coleman fuel or lamp oil for about $5 it's not really worth the time anyway.

Posted: 3rd Jan 2002
um buying some kerosine or campfuel or lamp oil is the best thing to do.. but i heard that antifreeze is baisicly a meth and ... hmm.. unless u want to dip ur wicks in bacon greese i don't know what u can use that is home made......PyroPunk

Posted: 3rd Jan 2002
Hi dianna,If you hope to twirl safely and responsibly, the concept of home made fuel must not comprise your thought processes, unless of course you are an experienced petro-chemist (or whatever the correct terminology may be).It is imperative that you read all the threads that discuss fuel and safety. https://www.homeofpoi.com/fuel.htmPerhaps
if you aren't able to invest the money in ensuring your own and those surrounding you's safety, you may be better off at this point sticking with non-fire alternatives. Ain't no shame in that! [This message has been edited by flash fire (edited 04 January 2002).]

HoP Posting Guidelines
Is it the Truth?
Is it Fair to all concerned?
Will it build Goodwill and Better Friendships?
Will it be Beneficial to all concerned?
If you can answer YES to these 4 questions then you may post a reply.

Posted: 3rd Jan 2002
ok frist i wanna appoligise if i may hurt any ones fellings!!!! BUT NO ONE EVER TOLD ME I COULD USE LAMP OIL AND PS.I AM REALLY TIRED OF THAT REGULAR POI OK I AM GOOD AND RESPONSIBAIL TO SPIN FIRE OK!!!!!!!!!!sorry sorry sorry sorry i had to let my fellings out so i will buy some lamp oil were can i buy it at a camping store??)

Posted: 3rd Jan 2002
Dianna,I really don't think you hurt anyones feelings, but most of the people here are pretty safety conscious. I do hate to sound like the safety nazi, but with all the enthusiasm you've shown toward twirling fire as of late, I think you may be rushing yourself a bit. Playing with fire is dangerous but there are a lot of things you can do to minimalize it if you are prepared. That's really the important thing anyway. You could have the craziest poi skills in the land and still not be prepared to use fire. Do a safety search on this site. Read about the charachteristics of the different types of fuels we use. Learn about how to keep yourself and your surroundings as safe as possible and please keep asking any questions that come up as were all more than happy to answer. Just please slow down a bit. The fire isn't going anywhere.

Posted: 3rd Jan 2002
One more thing. Try to find someone near you to learn from. If you look in the meet others section you'll find 9 people in Louisianna. I'd bet one of them would be willing to teach you if you asked.

Posted: 4th Jan 2002
I second LLCoolCat's comments. If you were ignorant of the fact that you could use lamp oil/kerosene, you are prolly ignorant of other important safety steps. Fire is not something that is safe to just jump into unprepared. I would say as a general rule any "move" that you try with fire you should be able to do at least 50 times without one screwup. But this is stated in many threads regarding safety. Please for your own safety, the safety of others, and for the fire community(one person's mistakes can make us all look bad!) educate yourself about spinning fire before you jump into it.Just my 2gp. (: Good luck!PLURRCRD

-=ÇrazyRaverÐude=-

Posted: 9th Jan 2002
i did it allready it went fine !

Posted: 9th Jan 2002
Hi Dianna, please don't take this the wrong way, we are all just being very worried that something will go wrong because there is no way of predicting what a homemade fuel will do."I did it already it went fine" is the main reason why lots and lots of people in this world (firies and otherwise) are dead.There are lots of dead fire perfomers who have been doing firearts for years. Unfortunately, just coz it went right once, doesn't mean it will go right every single time.As an example, if you use lamp-oil or kerosene, the actual temperature of the flame is low enough that a second of contact exposure is unlikely to cause bad burns, however I had some kerosene once that just burned hotter and brighter than any other stuff I'd bought. It's flashpoint was a little lower too, meaning it was more likely to light from a spark or a heat source without any contact.Variables are often out of our control, and the safest thing for us to do is always to be prepared for things to react differently to what we are used to. Even if it's always been the same the last two hundred times.The other one is to minimise the variables as much as possible, keeping everything the same, being wary of wind and other people.The other thing to consider is that if something happens to you and you don't have a safety, members of the public will rush to your aid, and this always results in them being badly burned and injured as well.The attitude of "well, i'll only hurt myself" is not true for fireperforming.This is, of course, really oppressive and dark and not warm and fuzzy, but I've seen too many people who weren't aware of the risks get hurt and heard of others who have died, so it is our concern for your safety that makes us seem all 'parental'.Back to the original issue, I think lamp oil is the safest and least stinky fuel to use for performing, and it's cost is fairly minimal, unless you use huge amounts of fuel like I do, however, I also charge people an hourly rate and for expenses too, so they cover any fuel costs...And congratulations on securing the gig! That's awesome!!!!!!!!!!!------------------Charles (INFERNO)newdolbel@hotmail.comhttps://juggling.co.nz[This message has been edited by Charles (edited 10 January 2002).]

HoP Posting Guidelines
* Is it the Truth?
* Is it Fair to all concerned?
* Will it build Goodwill and Better Friendships?
* Will it be Beneficial to all concerned?

Posted: 10th Jan 2002
at least bacon fat would smell nicer than kero...

Burner of Toast
Spinner of poi
Slacker of enormous magnitude

Posted: 10th Jan 2002
Err....I'd want to eat the wicks/fire too much. ------------------"Burning--the process of breaking things down into a simpler form." -Hitokage---FireStorm---(jimidawg@snet.net)

Live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live forever -Mahatma Ghandi

Burning--the process of breaking things down into a simpler form. -Hitokage-

Posted: 11th Jan 2002
hey im not gonna do it again untill our show that's a cople of months so i have lots more time to practice!

Posted: 11th Jan 2002
if i do it

Posted: 17th Jan 2002
I would not want to recommend this to someone who didn't want to do a bit of research, custom construction, and had some money and time to invest...There was a little bit of discussion archived about two years ago concerning hemp oil and other alternative fuels, but I haven't seen much on a more grand scale concerning people using distilled biomass or vegetable based oils for fuel. The viscocity factor of many vegetable based oils (canola, olive, sunflower, etc) might not have the best results. There is also quite a bit of cost involved. Brewing biodiesel (home-refined fry oil) might be good, but the vicosity issue, again.Ethanol might be too thin and might not burn very long. Imagine an alcohol fire.Anyone have any experience with any of these substances in vehicles or with fire arts?chaos

Posted: 17th Jan 2002
There's been some discussion on the subject (not home-brewing but biodiesel--do a search).Long story short, yes it works, it's hard to come by, it smells really weird, it's very smoky, it burns very long and very cool.

Laugh while you can, monkey-boy

Posted: 22nd Jan 2002
hey dianna did u use coleman fuel how long did it last 4 and how much did it cost u a litre i use kero and havent used anything else

the risk is the rush

Posted: 23rd Jan 2002
colemans is a sweet fuel to use, but you gotta be careful with it. it lights amazingly easy, which is nice. the spray evaporates quickly which means less slippery mess on the ground, but the ground spray will ignite really easily. looks cool, but will spread quickly so be careful. it also transfers onto modies a lot easier. you may find yourself on fire more often than with kero. it should be a little more expensive than kero, and it burns for maybe 75% of the time. hope that helps------------------Earth my body, water my blood, air my breath, fire my spirit

Earth my body, water my blood, air my breath, fire my spirit

Posted: 23rd Jan 2002
Rock on! Colemans is great, but it doesn't burn long enough for my preferences. It is about $2.50 for a gallon at Wal-Mart. Kerosene is no more than $1.40 or so at nearly every gas station I have seen. It burns longer, and it smokes too much to use indoors. It also has a smell that you either love or you hate, but it is hard to get away from once you start using it. So long as you don't let them sit still while lit, the smoke is nowhere near unbearable. Lamp oil (i.e. 99% or 100% pure parafin WAX-not petrol or anyhting like it) is too expensive for me to use regularly. The prices I see are $2.69 for 20 oz. or $10 or more for 2 gallons. That's 2 to 5 times as much as the other stuff.After doing some research on this a while back, I took some advice from Dangerboy, and mixed fuels. I have found that about 1/3 colemans to 2/3 Kerosene is bright, has a wickedly long burn time, lights quickly, and doesn't smoke alot. It doesn't stink up the outdoors, and the smell won't linger as long once you go inside.If you are going to be inside, Colemans all the way. It is the cleanest by far. And it is really bright, but it only lasts a few minutes at a time.And I will put a plug in for safety. If you are going to burn, HAVE A SAFETY!!! Have a small fire extinguisher by their side, and have a big wet towel in their hands at all times you are lit. Especially if you are wearing long sleeves and pants. Most importantly, make sure that you have their full and undivided attention. Use a fuel dump with a lid that is sitting on a flat surface away from where you will be. Make sure that you are comfortable, and check all of your equipment before every session. And above all...congratulations, damn-it! Have fun! I am working on getting some public performances coming up here in the spring and summer. So right now, I envy you! ------------------I feel more like I do now then I did when I got here.PLUR(RE) ---J---

FREE TIBET!!! (with the purchase of a 44 oz. drink)What do you want to be when you grow up?I want to be a kid again!I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.~~~J~~~