Forums > Social Chat > Staff Questions

Posted: 17th Jan 2001
howdy there chrisi use 4 foot alluminum(and am six feet also) pipe you can get at any metal supermarket and ahve htem drill holes through each end of the staff for grips i just tightly wrap some bike innertube around the middle 6 inches or so of the staffalthough i have used wicking on the ends of mine since i made them i was contempating using tennis balls to put over the ends when practicing indoorsunfourtunatly for me i think that the balls would just make my staff too desirable to my doghope this helpsjessejames[This message has been edited by jessejames (edited 18 January 2001).]

burnin down the house

Posted: 17th Jan 2001
Staff rules!OK, here are my preferences:1. my first staff was about 4 ft long, but I also have a couple of 5'10 ones. For sull size fughting-style staff, it should come to your forehead.2. material is your choice. aluminum (electical conduit piping) is heavier and has has really nice momentum, but if it's too long, it'll bend when it goes spinning out of your hand. You'll need some ehavy duty metal for a long staff. Wood is better for beginning anyways. You can buy a fighting staff froma martial arts supply store for around $30, or get some dowling and make your own.3. I use electrician's tape or making tape for my grips. I like to do open-palm spins, so i don;t want my grip to be too...well... grippy.4. I'd advise wrapping some fabric around the end and taping it in place. That way it's like a wick in wieght and feel.Spin on.------------------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: 17th Jan 2001
hey!I think you've just invented a new kinda staff - with dangling wicks!!! (ouch!!)A beginners staff is soooo easy to make - a broom handle covered in electrical tape (different colours so it looks cool when you twirl it) and then a grippy thang dead central of the stick - badminton grip is wicked as its sticky and padded too! Experiment with different lengths of pole and weights too - remember once wicks are on the ends it adds more weight to the spin............fire staff seems a bit less dangerous than fire poi as it doesn't continue to wrap around your limbs if you hit yourself :eek just make sure you're good at running and jumping and you will be fine!)

Posted: 17th Jan 2001
I have a practise staff made from 22mm wood dowling. It's about 120cm (4 feet) long and i find that it spins pretty comparably with my aluminium fire staffs, so i didn't really need to weight the ends. I just used thin tennis grip for the grip and put some rubber stoppers on the ends to stop it from damaging things. You can pick up rubber stoppers from most hardware shops (designed to go on the bottom of chair legs).Ðraevon

Posted: 17th Jan 2001
Thanks guys, i'll go out tommorow in search of staff making supplies. I think the future is just experimenting with lengths of staff and different moves like what i did for poi - till i find the right thing for me.I'm not goin' to buy one though - making your own gear is just too much fun!!Cheers, Chris.