Forums > Social Chat > getting in a tangle!..... please help!

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elliwmember
25 posts
Location: lincolnshire


Posted:
hey, ive recently started making and occasionally selling poi. they look great but i simply sew the string to either end and when swung it winds up. is there any better material to use or better way to attach it some how? id appreciate any help , thanx , ellie.

little miss firefly, burning bright,lights your way all through the night.


adamricepoo-bah
1,015 posts
Location: Austin TX USA


Posted:
Fishing swivels. You need to work a fishing swivel in there somewhere. You can spend as much or as little on these as you want--I've got some that cost about US$ per six-pack, others that cost US$6 each.

Laugh while you can, monkey-boy


Qmember
42 posts
Location: about 30 min from NYC, New York, USA


Posted:
Yo Adam!Question about the fishing swivels. I'm building fire poi for the first time, what would be the optimum weight limit for me to buy? and are they available at fine sporting goods stores everywhere?

adamricepoo-bah
1,015 posts
Location: Austin TX USA


Posted:
I won't buy any hardware for fire-poi that isn't rated to about 100 lbs. I admit that I've broken my rule a few times and used swivels rated to 90 lbs. You can probably find swivels at a sporting-goods store, Wal-Mart, that sort of thing. I've gotten mine from a fishing/hunting shop and from an online commercial-fishing shop.Also, FYI: if you are really into this, get Sampo brand swivels (which may not be easy to find). They're made of stainless steel with ball-bearing actions. They're little gems. Yes, that makes them pretty pricey, but they really do rotate better.

Laugh while you can, monkey-boy


Qmember
42 posts
Location: about 30 min from NYC, New York, USA


Posted:
thanks bro, is it ok if im using chains that are rated at 95 lbs?I'm willing to spend that kind of money on swivels. I want this set to last me a while.

adamricepoo-bah
1,015 posts
Location: Austin TX USA


Posted:
I'm sure 95 lb test weight is fine. For that matter, 50 lb would probably suffice. Call me paranoid.

Laugh while you can, monkey-boy


NYCNYC
9,232 posts
Location: NYC, NY, USA


Posted:
Remember the math guys. Spinning at two beats a second, according to my calculations you're pulling 9-11 Gs which is 9-11 times the initial weight. I did an experiment with a force meter a while back and found it's quite easy to hit 14+ Gs while spinning. If you've got a 4 lb poi (once it's been soaked in fuel) you're over 50lbs of force. And that's assuming that you're spinning at a constant speed without tweeking or doing tricks. I'll bet if you really snaped your wrists, had long chains, and worked up a sweat, you could pull 20+ Gs. This implies that you could have 20x the weight of your poi worth of force.Gee, I'd hate to see those chains snap. wink

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


adamricepoo-bah
1,015 posts
Location: Austin TX USA


Posted:
NYC--I've done the math, but I never counted on 4-lb wicks. Even 2-lb would be extremely heavy: the biggest wicks I've made weigh about 20 oz soaked. The other thing is that the heavier the wick, the slower you are going to be swinging it (most likely). I did once make a special rig, which I mentioned on these boards, that had 5 wicks on each side and weighed about 5 pounds soaked per side, IIRC. I could barely swing it at 30 RPM.

Laugh while you can, monkey-boy


NYCNYC
9,232 posts
Location: NYC, NY, USA


Posted:
You would surely know better than me. I remember this famous home video of these BASE jumpers who tried a pendulum off of a bridge and failed to take into account the centripital force of the pendulum.Also, 30 RPM and 2 feet of poi are only true when you're spinning at a constant speed and direction. If you're turning or changing direction of poi you're going to be peaking forces quite radically as you change radii.I'm not disagreeing at all, mind you. Just don't want to have a stress rating falsely comfort someone.If adamrice says 50lbs, I'm sure 50lbs is fine. smile

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


elliwmember
25 posts
Location: lincolnshire


Posted:
GEASEY CREASEY! i had no idea there was so much maths involved, but cheers for the advice guys, ill give it ago. hopefully l can swing happier now. thanx again,ellie------------------little miss firefly, burning bright,lights your way all through the night.

little miss firefly, burning bright,lights your way all through the night.


elliwmember
25 posts
Location: lincolnshire


Posted:
GEASEY CREASEY! i had no idea there was so much maths involved, but cheers for the advice guys, ill give it ago. hopefully l can swing happier now. thanx again,ellie------------------little miss firefly, burning bright,lights your way all through the night.

little miss firefly, burning bright,lights your way all through the night.


adamricepoo-bah
1,015 posts
Location: Austin TX USA


Posted:
NYC--Actually, I appreciate your skepticism. I could always be wrong, and you've got more formal scientific training than I do. If people were making unfounded assertions here that went unchallenged--that would not be a good thing. Your point about turns and directions changes is something that I never thought of.To be honest, I can't remember the exact formula I used to work this out, but my estimate was that even a fast spinner with normal equipment would be putting 10-15 lbs of force on the chains.I remember those little "newton meters" from high-school physics class. Maybe we should rig up a set of poi with those built-in and get some empirical data.

Laugh while you can, monkey-boy



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