Forums > Help! > Spinning in snow? Northern spinners, please read!

Posted: 6th Dec 2002
Hi there
I have spunn in the snow a lot before.

Make sure you are on level ground, the snow tends to be slippry, and on a hill you might fall on your @$$. The carpet sounds good, but you probably will be dancing right off of it.
Also It is a bit harder to light your poi in the cold so you want to maby put some white gass in your Lamp Oil Mix.
I find that Lamp Oil burns the longest in any weather and white gass sparks easy.
Do Not Wear Flease!!! It Will Melt to you if hit by fire. (I know you where not going to but I thought I'd say it.) I usually took off my outer layer b/c I was so warmed by the flames anyway, a Dark turtle neck would do. Also you don't smell as bad when you put something on after the show not splattered with oil.
As for the fuel on the snow burnning. Its not going to work! Try the carpet (hehehe)

~fire spirit

FIRE IS ALIVE!
IT LIVES AND BREATHS!
IT CONSUMES, AND DISTROYS!
BUT WE CONTROL IT,
AND DANCE WITH FIRE!!

Posted: 6th Dec 2002
I learned to spin in the snow.

It's really not much diffirent, just colder, and you are surrounded by one giant spotter. If you do catch fire you can just take a roll.

You can still use a wet towel even in the cold. It will freeze, but the warmth of your wicks will thaw it out very quickly. So long as the towel is not sopping wet, that is.

Kero works fine once you get it lit. You may want to have a tiki torch or something it will be much easier to light your toys with that then a zippo or a bic (I will not recommend white gas as I have issues with it).

If you spin with kero synthetic long underware shouldn't be a problem, as kero doesn't tend to splatter flames if you hit yourself like other fuels. I have never had a problem with my clothes catching synthetic or not using kero. I usually spin in Dickies with sweat pants underneith, and an old army jacket with a hoodie underneith. I have an old T shirt that I cut into a head wrap to keep my ears from freezing (and to keep my toys from hitting my cold ears, I have a mild coliflower ear on my left side from getting hit in the ear while it was cold.) and I have a few pairs of those dark blue jearsey gloves that you can get at 7-11 for about a buck fifty with the finger cut at the second knuckle. It been working great for years, and I haven't started on fire once (exept my hair).

You shouldn't really have any trouble with your wicks putting them out in the snow, god knows I've dropped my staff into the snow more times than I care to admit. Fuels like kero and white gas are solvents, meaning that they tend to displace water, so If they look really wet just soak them in your dip bucket for a couple of minutes and stir them around the water comes out like it was never there.

The carpet is a good idea. If your friend's driveway is paved be shure that the carpet won't slide on any ice that may be underneith. If it's dirt or if you spin on grass you may not need it at all. Doc martins might not be the best things for traction either, my doc's slip like a mother f*cker. I use an old pair of those converse chuck taylor all stars with about three pairs of socks underneith.

Hope it helps.

Cheers

Jesus helps me trick people.

Posted: 7th Dec 2002
I agree Sick pup with you on having issues with white gass, Blowing fire and all, but it does make it a lot easyer to light the wicks when it is colder than a witches tit out. Just use a little (a 2 or 3 count in your dip bucket) and you will be surprized!!
As for Karo? I use-to use it, but found that Lamp Oil is a little cleaner, and a lot less stinky!
You can also find it almost anywhere. Using Karo I always had a 3-5 gallon tank of it, so I wouldn't have to go back to the Karo dealer i could never find. (but its all prefrance.)
I must have missed the doc's thing, Hiking boots or anything with any traction would work much better.
~Fire Spirit

FIRE IS ALIVE!
IT LIVES AND BREATHS!
IT CONSUMES, AND DISTROYS!
BUT WE CONTROL IT,
AND DANCE WITH FIRE!!

Posted: 7th Dec 2002
nothing in the world is more beautiful than a slow poi routine in the snow....mmmm...i love it.

i never have spun in the snow...but i have seen it done before...so i cant really throw much out there...i just love the way it looks..

its to dying in anothers arms and why i had to try it......

Posted: 7th Dec 2002
for a good fuel i recommend 1 part firesol (if u can get it over here, its a pure hydrocarbon, works a treat for breathing, tastes a lot better than anything else almost minty. anyway getting off the beaten path) and two parts kero. this mix lights instantly and burns for a long time, and unlike most white fuels it does quench out really well. have fun spinning.

ps. firespirit right dont ware fleece, i set my hood on fire once when it was on my head, i had a bald spot 4 weeks

phAllIc::.

regret nothing, learn everything

fire_light_movement

Posted: 7th Dec 2002
OUCH!! ya don't spin fire with flece!

~Fire Spirit

FIRE IS ALIVE!
IT LIVES AND BREATHS!
IT CONSUMES, AND DISTROYS!
BUT WE CONTROL IT,
AND DANCE WITH FIRE!!

Posted: 7th Dec 2002
i live up in edmonton alberta, and i spin in snow everyday during the winter(their long winters), it's not bad but maybey because i'm used to it, all i can say is drop and roll is much easier

Dicipline Focus Damage

Posted: 8th Dec 2002
Tigur, I was just through Edmonton, AB. comming down from Alaska. Cool place! We stayed at the Mall there for a week and still didn't see everything(ran out of $, and was stranded there). I couldn't find any poi there though? And people didn't know what I was talking about when I asked. O-well Great place, Ill look you up I i go back through.

~Fire Spirit

FIRE IS ALIVE!
IT LIVES AND BREATHS!
IT CONSUMES, AND DISTROYS!
BUT WE CONTROL IT,
AND DANCE WITH FIRE!!

Posted: 8th Dec 2002
if you keep the blanket indoors and bright it out right before you light up I don't imagine it will really freeze up hardly at all by time your done spinning. Unless you plan on redipping spinning some more.

Posted: 9th Dec 2002

quote:

---

Originally posted by Astar:
if you keep the blanket indoors and bright it out right before you light up I don't imagine it will really freeze up.

---

I'm sorry Astar, i'm not quite sure what you are referring to...

Thanks for info, all y'all, and further suggestions are always welcome!

Definitely no fleece involved, i've been assuming that it would go right up and melt on me pretty badly. Natural fibers all the way, baby!

I usually use, i guess people mostly call it Coleman fuel/camping gas, is that actually kero? I don't usually use lamp oil, but can if it works better in the cold. I've never heard of firesol, it may be an Ozzie thing (ya lucky bastids! ) Good idea on the tiki torch, Sickpuppy, thank you.

The driveway is not paved (the house is actually about a 1/2 mile from pavement ), and there's a bit of a side-to-side slope to it, i'm going to find the flattest area available to throw down my carpet. I may use my cheapo hiking boots instead of my Doc's (but NOT my nice Vasque Vista's! They are for real hiking/backpacking only, i don't even wear them around town...).

Tigur, what part of E'ton are you in? I was up there for Labour Day weekend last year, stayed with a darling guy i met when he and pals were down here to see their childhood chum play hockey with the Avalanche. I loved E'ton, would seriously consider moving there if weren't for the winters. Please don't be mad i asked, but are you a hockey fan?

We got the MikeZ in the house, woot!Glue the ham, hat baby!

Posted: 9th Dec 2002
Bright=bring

Things don't freeze instantly. Poi do not burn long enough for a wet blanket to freeze stiff. If you plan on redipping and burning again then it may freeze but not on a single burn.

also https://www.homeofpoi.com/fuel.htm

For a distinction between colemen/whitegas and kerosene/lamp oil/parafin

Posted: 9th Dec 2002
There will probably be snow all around folks. And if you spinn them out by the end of the show you won't need a towel, but if you insist on the towel, just use HOT WATER and it will not freeze before the end of the show.
I think we are making a big deal out of something as simple as spinning in snow.

You just need to realize that your poi will not burn as long, and will be hard to start. Find a flat spot to put a carpet, and make sure that it will not slide around while piviting on it. (I would just through sand down)

P.S. Colman fuel is very diffrent than Karo. Although Karo and Lamp oil are very much the same, however Lamp Oil is less smelly. I would put, as I said before, some Colman fuel in with your Karo/Lampoil mix. This will help the poi light quickly.

~FS

FIRE IS ALIVE!
IT LIVES AND BREATHS!
IT CONSUMES, AND DISTROYS!
BUT WE CONTROL IT,
AND DANCE WITH FIRE!!

AnonymousPLATINUM Member

Posted: 16th Mar 2003
I highly recommend using kero and a blowtorch, it has treated me well in the frigid cold for years. I have not tried other fuels, however.

Posted: 17th Mar 2003
Spinning in the snow is one of my favorites.......
it's to cold for anything else than smooth slower moves (wear to much clothing to do anything really )....Just pack yourself in in wool and go for it.....Good thing the poi's are on fire so you can warm your fingers now and then.....
Snow and a full moon ....the sound of the fire mix with the sqeeqy sound of stepped-on-snow.....
some additional herb's....and it's like magic.....
Dont need music really.......Who need a beach ey..

Peace

I like Fire.. :)