anonymimember
2 posts
Location: Georgia USA


Posted:
When I was doing a show at Glastonbury Fest a few years back, I saw the use of what was called 'tea-bags'. Basically they seemed to consist of a big wire-mesh poi head filled with steel wool and fuel. When burned and spun it produced a large cascade of glowing iron filings, a bit like a Catherine-Wheel
Clearly not a toy to be used anywhere near an audience (it had a spread of around 50 feet), but visually very striking.
Has anyone made one of these? Im wondering if there needs to be wick inside with the steel wool, and what the minimum guage of mesh should be on the outside, to hold in the steel wool but let out the sparks.
I'll experiment, and post the results, but if anyone has any experience they would like to share, I would be most grateful!

Cheerie

anonymi

tePOOKatoo - physical pyrotechnic performance


Bender_the_OffenderGOLD Member
still can't believe it's not butter
6,978 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
hello and cool name, mr tePOOKatoo! I sense great mischief-makingin your name!

these pois with sparks (let's for the moment call them 'Sparkly Poi', shall we?) will needs some wicking and/or fuel to set up the hot temperature for the wire wool to combust smoothly.

An open cage configuration may be difficult to regulate the flow of molten bits - perhaps it may help to search for the thread topic on 'Black Bush' Poi and the accompanying howto thread for it. It's the most thought out poi-that-is-sparkly IMHO, and there's even an amply illustrated website devoted to it!

Laugh Often, Smile Much, Post lolcats Always


musashiistarring Skippy the green llama
1,148 posts
Location: Seattle, WA


Posted:
do a search for sparkly poi, or steel wool..I think the latest design that's come up has been Black Bushs', and seems to be a nice design(I plan on trying it for my next pair). The wire mesh I use(seems to be pretty common in sparkly poi deezign) is the chikin wire with square holes about 1/4 in (r .635 cm) square. No wick necessary, just a qwik dip n burn..

First intention, then enlightenment..
Ars Pyronomica

" Life is programmed. Whether death is programmed or not is yet to be determined."


Bender_the_OffenderGOLD Member
still can't believe it's not butter
6,978 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
also larger poi-that-are-quite-sparkly have been previously made to hugeness, like that twirled by Knagi, others have referred to these large poi as fire pillows.

also, the Flaming Butterflies (WA, OZtralia) use material other than wire wool to bootifewl effect - they have a video on their site that demonstrate this.

Laugh Often, Smile Much, Post lolcats Always


telicI don't want a title.
940 posts

Posted:
Boo. I thought this thread was going to be about the actual teabags in Spinning in Paris.

E pluribus unum, baby.


fireninjamember
34 posts
Location: Portland, Oregon, USA


Posted:
Most people I know call this pyro crack. Not for the faint of heart. Wear a shirt with long sleeves.

one of the guys in my crew made a small set for a stage performance at Burning Man 2002:

Non-Https Image Link


-david
a.k.a. fireninja

tennisBRONZE Member
confused and abused
363 posts
Location: bristol, United Kingdom


Posted:
When you use wire wool it's crazy, any contact with anything cools the sparks down. I did it bareback and the sparks p****d all over me and i didn't feel them at all.

I found that if you only use wire wool though the poi are a little too light (to my liking anyway) it's good to use some denim or something slow burning, that does eventually burn, so the spin has a good amount of sparks all the way through your spin and lasts more than 30 secs.

The best way i have found is to wrap sheets of wire wool round with denim too


--------------------wire wool layer
____________denim layer just roll up together


Just wrap them fairly tightly around each other as wicks and burn!


Enjoy and don't be scared to spin them really fast (more sparks!)


Tennis

My cat's breath smells like catfood


Leatherbloodmember
11 posts
Location: M-town


Posted:
four steel wool pads made into a square with wire and leaving enough loose wire to make a circle harness, hang one on each poi,soak with fuel choice "mine being kerosene",ignite in manner of choosing. I suggest using the forward weave. You will get appx. fifty foot full circle screaming spark furry.burn time is close to a minute depending upon variables.

bones heal and chicks dig scars


bluecatgeek, level 1
5,300 posts
Location: everywhere


Posted:
morning toph... hug

never thought i'd see you here? (not enough dreads wink)

will email ya soonest from darkest NZ


love to you and yourr lovely ms kate.....
(ps theres a search function onHoP wink hug)
R

Holistic Spinner (I hope)


stevi beeBRONZE Member
member
4 posts
Location: glasgow, United Kingdom


Posted:
what about putting them out?
peace

DomBRONZE Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,009 posts
Location: Bristol, UK


Posted:
No fair! I thought this was going to be an interesting thread about spinning teabags, but no, it's boring old sparkly poi.

Teabag spinning is much more fun!

DeepSoulSheepGOLD Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
2,617 posts
Location: Berlin, Ireland


Posted:
Weren't you spinning tea bags on the picture on the spinning in paris download screen Dom?

I live in a world of infinite possibilities.


DomBRONZE Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,009 posts
Location: Bristol, UK


Posted:
Yep, but that wasn't on that video. Maybe when I finally get round to doing a video I'll include some bonus teabag footage.

Is anyone else giggling everytime they read the word teabag?

DeepSoulSheepGOLD Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
2,617 posts
Location: Berlin, Ireland


Posted:
I wasn't actually no....but I am now for some reason ubbloco
ubblol

I live in a world of infinite possibilities.


telicI don't want a title.
940 posts

Posted:
Yup, mostly because I've heard awful definitions of the verb-form. rolleyes

E pluribus unum, baby.


pyratemember
23 posts
Location: New York


Posted:
a dip isn't even necessary... just use very fine steel wool and it will burn on its own just fine

FrodoBRONZE Member
old hand
1,092 posts
Location: In a van, United Kingdom


Posted:
use the finest grade wire wool that you can, DONT dip, and dont light!!!

sound confusing? well just use a normal household 9V battery, thats what i use, dry wire wool and a 9V it makes an even brighter wall of wooll!!!


dont take my word for it, try it!!

frodo out

passing through, this world still lives.


*HyperLightBRONZE Member
old hand
1,174 posts
Location: Great Malvern [UK]


Posted:
Interesting suggestions with demin and the 9v battery - I'll have to try those. I've made what I call "wire-poi" which are basically what you guys are talking about - cages filled with fine wire wool. I couldn't find any chicken wire, but if you take a bird feeder, cut it in half, fold a few bits over (to close the bottom) and use some coat-hangar to clip onto, it works pretty well. I think I need to find a bigger bird feeder or something though as I only get ~20 seconds burn time ubbcrying

I wonder if the battery things works well because you're lighting right through the center of the wool?

Cake or Death?


squarefishSILVER Member
(...trusty steed of the rodeo midget...)
403 posts
Location: the state of flux, Ireland


Posted:
HeHeHe, tongue
*teabagging* ubblove
isn't it nice? ubblol

Kitveteran
1,269 posts
Location: middle of Troon


Posted:
*is confused about teabags....*

did i miss something? umm

random murbles

BELTANE FIRE FESTIVAL. 30th april ~ Calton hill - Edinburgh
SAMHUINN FESTIVAL. 31st October ~ Royal Mile - Edinburgh


general spinmember
52 posts
Location: England


Posted:
Im doing some experimenting with this at the moment, I want to come up with a really cheap, easily made home version. Are the black bush ones like a black tube with a cross of wick at the bottom to hold the wool in ? I saw them once but could never find the site again.
So far Ive tried a couple of bird feeder things, one a spiral construction the other a straightforward mesh construction. Bigger holes are needed as the wire wool clogs anything small up very quickly so Im about to have a go with some chicken wire.

I totally love the battery idea, what do you do with it ? just stuff it in there ? Ive noticed that the fuel spillage is copious when soaking wire wool so this is just great and should be shouted from the rooftops i think.

Non-Https Image Link

general spinmember
52 posts
Location: England


Posted:
the teabag thing is getting to me now as well
Non-Https Image Link

squarefishSILVER Member
(...trusty steed of the rodeo midget...)
403 posts
Location: the state of flux, Ireland


Posted:
general spin,

yep, tube with wicking, thems the black bush all right, the advantage is that the centrifugal force brings down a constant supply of wool to the burning end giving a nice constant stream of sparks.

Just make sure that the tube is metal and not plastic! biggrinif you cant find big black bush tubes the cans that tennis balls are supplied in work very nicely as well. tongue

general spinmember
52 posts
Location: England


Posted:
Beeeeautiful idea there square fish. Many Thanks.


Non-Https Image Link

TKOFmember
44 posts
Location: cumbria ENGLANG


Posted:
if you want to make blackbush but cant find the tubes try using tin cans (the ones that rice pudding come in are the best)
its cheaper and i find it works fine.
have fun

the end is nigh and now comence the time of the retarded badger


SkulduggeryGOLD Member
Pirate Pixie Crew Captain
8,428 posts
Location: Wales


Posted:
What flavour tea is best Dom? does it make a difference if they are herbal?



*walks away looking as innocent as she can* ubbangel

Feed me Chocolate!!! Feed me NOW!


NOnactivist for HoPper liberation.
1,643 posts
Location: ffidrac


Posted:
If you span..... teabags... and dipped them, then tea would fly everywhere and you'd get the same effect as sparkly poi but for the daytime, ubbidea if you did it in a white room, you'd also get tea splashes all over the wall, you'd get modern art! sort of like one of damien hirsts spin paintings but with an extra special poi dimension........... biggrin

i appreciate this thread has nothing to do with actual tea, but it's just as fun.

Aurinko freedom agreement reached 10th Sept 2006

if it makes no sense that's because it's NOn-sense.



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