Forums > Social Chat > fire "breathing" spitting questions and sympathy :)

Posted: 27th Sep 2001
OUCH! I'm not the expert on eating and breathing YET but I will offer sympathy. I often chuckle that I burn myself doing OTHER things. You'd think if I can handle fire twirling I could make a pound of pasta without burning myself!

Well, shall we go?
Yes, let's go.
[They do not move.]

Posted: 28th Sep 2001
Well if you have a good mist down and aren't dribbling a ton down your face it sounds like you're pretty wel ready. What fuel do you plan on useing?? Though it's not my favorite for fire breathing I've found you can get decent fireballs with BioDiesel and there's not as much risk of blowback. when you do try it's really best to have an experienced fire breather there but at least have someone with a damp towl ready and have a smaller rag either in hand or on you to wipe with after a blow. Start with the tourch quite a ways away and only slowly work to see how close you are comfortable with, better to get a bad light than setting yourself on fire. Less than half a shot of fuel and same as finding where to place the tourch only slowly increasethe amount of fuel it's doesn't take a lot of fuel to get a good fireball. If there is a breeze blow with your back to the wind so it carries it away from you, don't try it if there is a strong breeze, it's just too much risk especially when you're beginning. Of the fire stuff I do i haven't found breathing to be difficult it's just too easy for something to go wrong and there's little you can do, the smallest thing like wind shifts can really screw you up. Your biggest risk is a blowback, if you aren't blowing with enough force the flame will come back to you and you can be in a lot of trouble quick.Any other questions??

How is it ever possible to feel safe and secure in a world in which everyone dies?

Posted: 28th Sep 2001
hmm I suppose it depends on what you term as 'decent' fireballs... ? with biodiesel I mean... DO NOT INHALE when breathing fire. Ensure the 'BOOF' has left the vicinity of your face and pretty much disappeared. Cause otherwise you have the danger of scorching your lungs (either with the fuel or with the fire) and then breathing feels as rough as sandpaper for too long. (My mate's experience there... I haven't gone there.... (thank God!))It's best to learn from someone who knows what they're doing... I certainly wouldn't recommend learning this kind of thing off an Internet discussion group but then each to their own I suppose. Please be careful.

The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.- B.B.King

Posted: 28th Sep 2001
Check out the Tips and Information section at: https://www.fyretr.com/

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. --Mark Twain

Posted: 28th Sep 2001
thanks,im not sure what fuel im going ot use yet... andi had no intentionstop learn it off the internet... i just want to know about how much fuel do i use what is my best choice of fuel etc. im still deciding weather im ready or not... i already know the horror stoies which is whats making me over cautious.. mthe only problem with over caution is that i tend to hesitate which is not waht you want to do when useing fire.. i just really really need POSITIVE enforcement.. as im sure it nothing like sucking the butane out of a lighter and "blowing" that.... (ahh the stupid things you do in grade 8)i totally appreitiate all of youalso YAY my topic is on the homepage *l* ------------------A Faeries Heart Beats Fierce and Free!!!!!

Teach tolerance, not competition.
Send food, not bombs.

Posted: 28th Sep 2001
i also went to that site already i didnt find it too helpful i found it a little sarcastic and i cant trust learnng from it..(my paranoia)also i apologize for my typos as i cant tpye my hand it incapacitated and im lazy to fix it (the typos)------------------A Faeries Heart Beats Fierce and Free!!!!!

Teach tolerance, not competition.
Send food, not bombs.

Posted: 28th Sep 2001
Alright Sorcha... upon doing a search there were74 threads that in some way mentioned fire eating/breathing. I did look through them (and participated in many) so here are the two that I think might be the most helpful. https://www.homeofpoi.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000769.htmlAnd
once you sort through the disagreements in this thread, skip towards the end there is a bunch of useful info.https://www.homeofpoi.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000074.htmlI would like to say that Mephisto's site is an amazing beginning for any fire eater/breather with tonnes of useful information. It is in no way meant to be mocking or sarcastic. It is set up so that only those who are truly determined will wade through the beginning BS and learn from him. I think this is a very wise decision on his part, from the liability perspective. It is set up like a book, where you must read page by page in order to get the information you desire. I have commended him for that.Anyway, there you go. The FAQ is coming. My life went the hectic route for some time and I admit (and apologize) for the slack in getting the FAQ sheet out but it will be done at least by 2002! ------------------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

Posted: 29th Sep 2001
With work I've managed to get pretty consistent 10-15 ft. blows with BioDiesel. I found the higher flash point gave more room for error to experiment around and improve my technique. I still prefer lamp oil for performances, but for first learning or just working on technique it's at least a little safer, especially if a person is going to attempt learning without an experienced fire breather there to help.I'm not one to say don't do it instead just pick the least dangerous way, have safety measures taken care of, make sure your insurance is paid up, and go for it. I'm wanting learn a few more of the sideshow acts and when looking for advice it's always the same thing "you'll probably get hurt", "are you sure you want to try this", and the classic "this is very dangerous” but little true advice.

How is it ever possible to feel safe and secure in a world in which everyone dies?

Posted: 30th Sep 2001
I have friends who do this... basically, one thing.. you can use regular, run of the mill lamp oil. My firends get blue lamp oil, so that when they put it in a used squeezy bottle (the pull top ones) labeled with LAMP OIL, they can see which one it is. HOWEVER: All lamp oils are not the same. DO NOT, EVER, buy citronella lamp oil. It's a bad plan. Always have a damp towel to put you out, and a damp rag to wipe you face with. Make sure your oil is CLEARLY labeled, especially if it's clear. Another tip... Have a ack of Ice BReakers gum in your pouch/pocket, cause it tastes NASTY. Another thing. Don't let the fumes leak out to much.. A friend of mine did that, and flambae'd his chest. No chest hair for a while, but thank god he was OK.Pracitce a great deal, and do try anything fancy til you get the first part down. Pics of friends of mine bl0owing fire of a double ended staff... https://www.geocities.com/ldyaileen/tree.html

I like the stars. It's the illusion of permanence, I think. I mean, they're always flaring up and caving in and going out. But from here, I can pretend... I can pretend that things last. I can pretend that lives last longer than moments. Gods come, and gods go. Mortals flicker and flash and fade. Worlds don't last; and stars and galaxies are transient, fleeting things that twinkle lke fireflies and vanish into cold and dust. But I can pretend.-Neil Gaiman, Sandman #48

Posted: 30th Sep 2001
Gikkwiny, don't let the fumes leak out of lamp oil? I am sorry but you have been misinformed. Lamp oil does not have ignitable fumes (I use it personally, and have used the blue one many times). The reason why lamp oil is so popular with fire breathers is because the toxcity, compared to other fuels (of the not-biodeisel/cooking oil variety) is very low and the flash point (the temperature at which it ignites, or the fumes ignite) is very high. You can put lit matches out in a vat of lamp oil, in fact. My guess would be your friend had flaming fuel drip onto him, or he was using something other than lamp oil.You also might want to inform your friends that the blue lamp oil is far more toxic than clear lamp oil. The coloring they use in it is actually more toxic than the fuel itself. I hold my fuel in a corked, clear glass bottle and since I switched to clear lamp oil from blue, a couple drops of food coloring does the trick.Actually eating after breathing is far better than chewing gum. There is a coating of fuel that is left behind in your mouth after breathing. Chewing gum will only perpetuate your spittle washing it down into your system. A few good spits and then food that is strong in carbs acts as a buffer in the stomach to prevent possible illness that can come from breathing as well as finishing to get the rest of the oil slick feel from your mouth. It will also help stave off the after Kero burps...yuk!The only real problem with citronella is that it tastes bad, and is more toxic than regular lamp oil. Much like the blue lamp oil it is the citronella additive that makes it worse, nothing else. However, many people are allergic to citronella and don't know it so this can actually have a reaction you would never expect.As for my credentials....I do this professionally at Ren Faires, and shows. It is my favorite and most researched of all my fire arts and is something I am extremely passionate about. I've done write ups on this board alot about fire eating and breathing and so won't get into it all again.------------------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

Posted: 30th Sep 2001
It's fine.. and no, it wasn't lamp oil.. the idiot was usuing everclear, my apologies for being as clear as an unwashed window.. *sigh* My mind kinda goes, and I don't think about. My apologies. As far as blue goes: THey didn't buy it blue. they are just trying to NOT make it look like water when they perform, because they keep it in said squeezy bottle. Gum is better then nothing, which is what there usually is. Where my friends perform is at a primitive campsite, at an event called Pennsic. They usually perfrom 2-4 times a night, and do fire bretahing, juggling (w/ fire and without), poi, staff, stilts, etc. I will remeber to take food with me, if I can but usually everye's hands are full w/ equip and saftey materials. They eat when they get back, and rinse with water, and chew said gum. They don't chew it stright w/o rinsing.. That would be.. Ewww. I'll let them know what you said. It may make people take rolls with them. ------------------"I like the stars. It's the illusion of permanence, I think. I mean, they're always flaring up and caving in and going out. But from here, I can pretend... I can pretend that things last. I can pretend that lives last longer than moments. Gods come, and gods go. Mortals flicker and flash and fade. Worlds don't last; and stars and galaxies are transient, fleeting things that twinkle lke fireflies and vanish into cold and dust. But I can pretend."-Neil Gaiman, Sandman #48[This message has been edited by Gikkwiny (edited 01 October 2001).]

I like the stars. It's the illusion of permanence, I think. I mean, they're always flaring up and caving in and going out. But from here, I can pretend... I can pretend that things last. I can pretend that lives last longer than moments. Gods come, and gods go. Mortals flicker and flash and fade. Worlds don't last; and stars and galaxies are transient, fleeting things that twinkle lke fireflies and vanish into cold and dust. But I can pretend.-Neil Gaiman, Sandman #48