Forums > Help! > Fire Water

Posted: 16th Aug 2002
have you tryed useing lamp oil? it works okey and has no oder or tast

Dont bern yourself.it herts.

Posted: 17th Aug 2002
it's real pricey but i hardly twirl without it. just over $6au a litre but it's a bigger flame n least odour of all fuels. i have no idea what it tastes like. I get mine from Juggle art, Melbourne, and they won't reveal the 11 herbs n spices I don't know if i would firetwirl as much cus kero is toxic as all hell and the smell is quite unappealing.
i leave the consideration and dwarf tossing to you..

Laugh Often, Smile Much, Post lolcats Always

Posted: 16th Aug 2002
what aboot white gas (coleman). very little smoke or odor. pretty bright flame as well.

you can't have a war against terrorism because war IS terrorism.it's not about worshipping fire. its about making the fire want to worship you.

Posted: 16th Aug 2002
Hi crimson from south oz. As far a fuel goes, I would not use or recommend shellite (white gas). Yeah, I know they sell it as torch fuel, but it’s extremely flammable and can be explosive

I agree with Bender. Firewater is the best fuel around. It's pricey (A$25/5L) and you have to get it from juggleart in melb, but it's great stuff to use.

I use Shell Sol TX. It burns cleaner than kero and is not as dangerous as shellite. I buy it in a 20L drum from a shell depot (not a petrol station) for $65.00.

While kero is cheap and smelly, the so called, pure lamp oils are over 10 bucks a liter. From what I can gather, citronella torch fuel, is basically kero with some citronella oil. Bio-diesel is another alternative

There is a heap of info on fuels if you search this site.

Good Luck

[ 17 August 2002, 14:29: Message edited by: Stone ]

If we as members of the human race practice meditation, we can transcend our fear, despair, and forgetfulness. Meditation is not an escape. It is the courage to look at reality with mindfulness and concentration. Thich Nhat Hanh

Posted: 21st Aug 2002
From what I know, Fire water is generally used for breathing, and is too expensive for poi and other things...It is actually a solvent, and is called Solvent OMS, odourless mIneral Spirit, and it's industrial application is a cleaning solvent for things like Printers presses, where they have to clean the rollers regularly indoors, and getting exposed to the fumes is bad news. It is available for about AU$80 a 20L drum from company's that supply industrial chemicals. (Solchem- see yellow pages) in Australia.
I guess it is a good thing to use for torches/poi etc especially for indoor gigs as there is no smoke/ smell etc, however all who I know have usually used Kerosene...I suppose it comes down to persponal preference.in a well ventilated area, I cannot see kerosene being too much of an issue- but it does stink!
As I said OMS is generally used for fire breathing as it has no flavour, or smell, like water. Hence "fire water"....it is also OK to swallow, it just causes explosive runny botty/ pain/ upset tummy! HOWEVER, if inhaled (ie: you drown on it(I think that as happened a bit around here lately-Pele, Liam??)and it goes into your lungs) you are in serious trouble and should get to an emergency room ASAP, even if you feel fine. At best youll get Pneumonia, pleurisy etc....at worst....because it is a solvent, it strips your lungs, eats away at the lining and practically disolves the lung...death/ intensive care/ major hospital blues....chunks cut off...bla, bla, bla.

I have a question for others about this...I know that OMS causes major lung damage when inhaled...is it the same with Kero, and Parrafin? I am not sure what fuels most of the accidents were using....

Free your mind and your ass will follow!

Posted: 21st Aug 2002
yep i hear kero causes lung damage as well if inhaled, pneumonia etc but i havent heard anything bout parrifin. man i really gotta get me some lamp oil

Posted: 21st Aug 2002
There is an urban legend about odorless mineral spirits being the most toxic solvent because you cannot smell it. This is not true. Odorless mineral spirits is less toxic because harmful aromatic solvent has been removed. By using odorless mineral spirits (OMS), you can cut down on your exposure to solvent vapors. During a three hour session, only 15 - 20% of OMS evaporates in the air around you. Compare that with the evaporation rate of turpentine, which is so fast that during a three hour session, approximately 80 - 90% of the turpentine evaporates.
PEL - "permissible exposure level," is a measurement of how much solvent is considered safe to work around. The higher the PEL, the safer the solvent. For turpentine, the PEL is 100 parts per million (ppm) and 300 ppm for GAMSOL, the pure 100% odorless mineral spirits from Gamblin Artists Colors Co. (Gamsol is so pure that it is used to clean machines that process food.) Not all brands of OMS have a PEL of 300. Request a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) from manufacturers. OMS is not absorbed through healthy unbroken skin.

Many oil painters and crafters use OMS.... I DONT recommend it for Fire breathing what so ever.

Here's a few stats on other fuels.....
Kerosene, "Coal Oil", in the UK "Paraffin" (as named by its Patentee, James Young), "lamp oil" to many. Technically: Specific gravity: 0.775 to 0.78; Distillation Initial Boiling point: 340 deg. F minimum; Distillation final ("Dry Point"): 550 deg. F maximum;Flash Point: 115 deg. F. minimum.

OK DId any of this make any sense??
I wanted at one time to be a bio chemist...I knew paying 500.00 for text books would come in handy LOL

And all my days are trances And all my nightly dreamsAre where thy gray eye glances And where thy footstep gleams-In what ethereal dances By what eternal streams. Edgar Allan PoeThe prophet is a fool and the religious man is fucking mad, and for the multitude of your sense and your inequity, and the great hatred......NANCY BOY