Forums > Help! > monkey fists

Posted: 19th Oct 2004
Hairdryer.



never fails.

Posted: 19th Oct 2004
actually, well seasoned (as in burned several times) wicks generally won't absorb water. They actually become very waterproof because of all the oils in the fuel essentiually becoming part of the fabric.



I've had wicks underwater in a flood for hours that burned fine 8 hours later.



However, if they are relatively new wicks, then there could be some water absorbtion problems. and here you not only have the water and fire don't mix thing going on, but the water and fuel don't mix thing going on. damp wicks will not only not absorge fuel, it will actually repell it, just as seasoned wicks will repell water. if this is it, then they will probably eventually burn better later.



there could be all sorts of other reasons besides the water to. did you switch types of fuel that you were using? I can also imagine the damp enviroment permitted some sort of wierd mold or fungus to grow on your wicks that is inhibiting the burn, but I admit this isn't real likely.



after all I just said, it is probably the water, but I have never had this problem - even with wicks that I use to demostrate to people that there is no worry about confusion between the fuel bucket and water bucket by throwing my wicks into the water bucket - they float and water beads off them. then I take them to fuel bucket and soak em for 20 seconds, light up, and have a normal burn - 10 times out of 10.



this wick seasoning may depend on what fuel you normally use though - I know it works with coleman and parrafin.

-v-

Wiederstand ist Zwecklos!

Posted: 19th Oct 2004
While vanize has seen well used wicks get soaked but light without issue, I've seen, and had well used wicks get soaked and not light well.

I had a set of wicks that got soaked during a rain storm (didn't realize they were out in the rain.) I was spinning at a small show the next night, nothing important, just an impromptu spin, and my wicks only burned for like 30 seconds. I burned the fuel off, but the wicks were saturated with water. I let them dry out for a couple of days, and they worked just fine after that...burning for a full 3 minutes on colemans.

A couple of friends of mine got soaked wicks that same camping weekend, and tried to spin with them that night, and couldn't get them to light well at all....again, they'd light for 30 seconds, then burn out.

So vanize and I've had different experiences with wet wicks.

I wouldn't think sitting your wicks in a damp towel would soak them with water, though. I'd set them aside for a while, and let them dry out if that is the case.

Solitude sometimes speaks to you, and you should listen.

Posted: 19th Oct 2004
Depends on the fuel, I imagine.

Try drying them as well as you can and see what happens. Obviously damp absorbent won't be as absorbent as dry, so it's gotta be worth a shot!

Good luck!

What a wonderful miracle if only we could look through each other's eyes for an instant.
Thoreau

Posted: 19th Oct 2004
I once made the mistake of dunking my wicks in the sea, as I'd run out of fuel.

They took a lot of work to work properly again, I always assumed it was due to the saltwater, but maybe it was just the fact that they'd been soaked in water.

Have you tried leaving them over night in paraffin, that should up the amount they absorb.

I think once you get a decent burn out of them they'll be fine again.

"You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it."

--MAJOR KORGO KORGAR,
"Last of The Lancers"
AFC 32


Educate your self in the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!

Posted: 19th Oct 2004
I had the same problem with my monkey fists when they were left out in the rain at Falmouth and then put in a bag with a wet towel.

One burned fine but the other didnt. It is just water, just burn and burn and burn them until it dries. Dont spin them for the first couple of times you light them or they will go out too fast and not get a chance to dry. Just light them both and hold them together, after a while spin them. Then just keep on doing this until they are dry.

Aim high and you'll know your limits, aim low and you'll never know how high you could have climbed.

Posted: 19th Oct 2004
I have some monkey fists, and while I rarely find that one will not catch fire properly, I do often find that one will burn on longer than the other, usually on the first burn so its probably just the damp

Because ActiveAngel sounds like a feminine deodorant

Like sex, I'm much more interesting in real life than online.

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Posted: 19th Oct 2004
thanks, i will try them again soon......
fingers crossed that was the prob and it can be sorted!

Fear leads to anger; anger leads to hate; hate leads to suffering...

Posted: 31st Oct 2004
I once accidentally dropped my monkeyfists in salt water, left them under the sun the whole day and they were back to normal in the evening. hope it helps...

Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
-Franklin P. Jones

Posted: 2nd Nov 2004
i am about to get my first monkey fists and cant wait to have a decent burn. all this feedback is really interesting

* people who dont like cats were probably mice in an earlier life *

Posted: 2nd Nov 2004
mine work lovely again now.....

Fear leads to anger; anger leads to hate; hate leads to suffering...

Posted: 2nd Nov 2004

Written by: poiromaniac

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i am about to get my first monkey fists and cant wait to have a decent burn. all this feedback is really interesting

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Just be careful not to accidentally hit yourself with them. Those things are SOLID!

Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
-Franklin P. Jones

Posted: 3rd Nov 2004
hey thanx katch, good point, yes i dont ned any new bruises or body burns, being a learner and all!!!

* people who dont like cats were probably mice in an earlier life *