Forums > Technical Discussion > poll - the difference in what we spin

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shen shuiSILVER Member
no excuses. no apologies.
1,799 posts
Location: aotearoa, New Zealand


Posted:
alright.
what do you spin on the end of your poi?
why?

what i'm trying to ascertain, you see, is the relative differences between, say, a monkey fist and a cathedral and a tube core fire head.

i really like the look of those monkey fists, but dont know enough about any of them to know whats what... apart from those monkey's being heavier...

anyway... whats your deal?

those that know, dont say. those that say, dont know.


Y.T.SILVER Member
hopeless addict
121 posts
Location: nodnoL, United Kingdom


Posted:
monkey fists,

they're heavy, you get a great flame and they burn for ages and ages,

i wouldn't go without mine now smile

s-luke

Ninjas NEVER give up!


ImmortalAngelSILVER Member
Scientist!
578 posts
Location: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada


Posted:
I spin tube core right now, but only because it's all I've got right now. I have some towel wicks that resemble monkey fists (spherical shape) and burn well...

I want to get my self a pair of monkey fists when I get some more money ^.^'

Educate your self in the Hazards of Fire Breathing <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> STAY SAFE! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hug.gif" alt="" />


mattpoiBRONZE Member
member
20 posts
Location: davis, CA, USA


Posted:
i spin monkey fists

i love the weight.. it forced me to use much more wrist, less fingers.

+ the roundness is cool because sometimes i'll whack my leg with them and they will sorta roll off (be deflected) rather than hurting real bad... this probably isnt unique to monkeyfists but i like it smile

mtbeerGOLD Member
ARRRR!
529 posts
Location: Charlotte, NC, USA


Posted:
I use a little of everything: monkey fists, tube cores, rope, cathedrals and hybrids.

Monkey fists produce big flames but the weight can be a problem. To compensate for the weight I spin slower and mix in a lot of isolations. Deep ominous music goes well with this type of spinning.

Tube cores and ropes are light and fast, lending themselves nicely to high energy spinning. Techno and metal music are a good match. The tradeoff with these is the small flame but fast spinning with a lot of direction changing should be enough to impress the audience.

Cathedrals and hybrids sit on the fence between fists and tubes. They are capable of slow isolated movement and can easily change tempo to explosive displays. Not quite as fast as tube cores and not quite the flame of a monkey fist but a well balanced choice. These are probably the wicks I use most for their versatility.

"My skin is singed but it heals my heart and with glowing pride I'll wear my scars." -Davey Havok


MikeIconGOLD Member
Pooh-Bah
2,109 posts
Location: Philadelphia, PA - USA


Posted:
Its pretty much like this:

2.5" Tube Core: Light weight, small flame, short burn time.
4" Tube Core: Light-Medium weight, medium flame, short-medium burn time.
Cathedrals: Medium weight, large flame, medium burn time.
Monkey Fist: Heavy weight, medium flame, long burn time.

Ive tried all but the 4" tubes first hand and I easily prefer the cathedrals. I really love the flame size and burn time on them. 2.5" tubes are just too weak for me in all areas. Monkey fists are decent but just not for me cuz you get smaller flames than cathedrals (which sucks when you want nice big 'uns) and they burn for longer than I can stay conscious spinning those heavy things (trust me, its hard to spin those for 10+ mins without breaking for tea and a breather).

Let's turn those old bridges we crossed into ashes.
We'll blaze a new trail,
and torch the rough patches.

-Me


DoktorSkellSILVER Member
addict
475 posts
Location: Van Diemans Land, Australia


Posted:


I am glad you made this thread, because i have two sets of cathedrals on order from HoP and they should be here by friday.

I now know they are a good choice ^_^

Fair luna bright, fair luna moon
it shines at night but fades too soon
fair luna moon, fair luna bright
forever we dance
we dance under starlight


shen shuiSILVER Member
no excuses. no apologies.
1,799 posts
Location: aotearoa, New Zealand


Posted:
wow thanks for all the information.
gotta love these forums...

sunny bounce ubbrollsmile bounce sunny

those that know, dont say. those that say, dont know.


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


Posted:
i like the way monkey fists look when they spin, the roundness somehow makes the flame look different, but they are so heavy. I had some nice smallish ones which weren't much different in weight to my tube core ones, unfortuantely they were crapply made and have now met with their end...

Aurinko freedom agreement reached 10th Sept 2006

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


BirdGOLD Member
now available in "advanced"
6,086 posts
Location: Cornwall, United Kingdom


Posted:
I have a lovely pair of cathedrals, they give a massive flame!! biggrin

My state of mind is not yours to define!

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."


shen shuiSILVER Member
no excuses. no apologies.
1,799 posts
Location: aotearoa, New Zealand


Posted:
does the amount of fuel you soak your danglies in alter the size of the flame?
or if you put more fuel on does that just mean that dollops of flame jump onto innocent observers?
or does it mean that they burn for longer?
or all of the above?
or none of the above?
or some of the above?

those that know, dont say. those that say, dont know.


MikeIconGOLD Member
Pooh-Bah
2,109 posts
Location: Philadelphia, PA - USA


Posted:
Well, all of the above really. Too little fuel and youll go out fast with small flames. Too much fuel and it will spray as you spin (and depending on which fuel you use, could ignite your surroundings/spectators).

Amount of fuel really shouldnt really be an issue though if you soak them the rght way as follows:

Saturate the entire wick with fuel until it can hold no more. Then spin the excess off. This can be done a number of ways but the easiest and most common way is to just take both poi in one hand and spin them hard and fast until the fuel stops spraying off. This, of course, should be done in an open area away from the fueling area and performance area. Once you have spun your wicks of the excess fuel, you now have loaded wicks and may light them at will.

This is the ideal way to soak a wick and should be the basis for any flame size/burn duration comparison. The size and burn time of the wick really depends solely on the size and style of the fold.

Let's turn those old bridges we crossed into ashes.
We'll blaze a new trail,
and torch the rough patches.

-Me


shen shuiSILVER Member
no excuses. no apologies.
1,799 posts
Location: aotearoa, New Zealand


Posted:
but icon, doesnt this mean that you're polluting the environment with the excess fuel?

those that know, dont say. those that say, dont know.


MikeIconGOLD Member
Pooh-Bah
2,109 posts
Location: Philadelphia, PA - USA


Posted:
Yes, I suppose it does.

You can also just take an empty handled bucket, hold the bucket handle with the poi dangling half way into the bucket, then spin your arm at the shoulder so the excess fuel just spins off into the bucket. It can then be replaced into your fuel can.

Let's turn those old bridges we crossed into ashes.
We'll blaze a new trail,
and torch the rough patches.

-Me


vanizeSILVER Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,899 posts
Location: Austin, Texas, USA


Posted:
I use whinny the pooh and piglet (too) stuffed animals for my practice poi, Glo-toobs (shrouded with surgical tubing and big globs of clear silicon padding to make them less deadly) for glow play, and homemade boxed cathedrals for my fire wicks.



I box in the cathedral folds so that they last longer - about the time normal cathedrals are getting ratty (couple hundred burns), my box is just starting to burn away and the cathedral fold is still underneath pretty much still in great shape. the box also makes them flow smoother and burn longer (at least in the beginning)

-v-

Wiederstand ist Zwecklos!


darkpoetBRONZE Member
Irish
525 posts
Location: Dallas.........ish, USA


Posted:
DONT USE TUBECORE!! IT SUCKS THE BIG ONE!
tubecore=evil! they look HORRIBLE, they only burn for a very short time and the metal can burn the hell out of your skin
TUBECORE=BAD!!!

cathedrals are the alternative to monkies in weight and flame size, but they spin through the air making an odd sound which is rather annoying...because of this spin char. they take a little bit of getting used to

monkies overall just look better and get a much longer burn time
and to compensate for the weight of the monkies...spin with something weighing 2x as much for an hour every day.....
say....double poi, or just tennis balls filled w\coins...use heavier chains..anything you can do to make the weight almost un-spinnable...then practice...when you come back to using plain monkies they will feel light as a feather

Jesus saves sinners and redeems them for cash and
prizes

Co-Founder of Keepers of Light

Educate yourself about the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!


nearly_all_goneSILVER Member
Pooh-Bah
1,626 posts
Location: Southampton, United Kingdom


Posted:
Pah, I like my tube core tongue For a realativley light fire-user they're all I need. The burn time's not too much of an issue as I like the fact I'm not commited to a long burn with them, and I can always re-dip. and they seem damn heavy to me, although they are too long and they're on huge chains.

And I've never burnt myself on my tubecore, only on the chains tongue

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


darkpoetBRONZE Member
Irish
525 posts
Location: Dallas.........ish, USA


Posted:
tubecore hardly weigh a thing.....and they honestly just look TERRIBLE...and they have the smallest flame of any of the wick types....only saving grace i got out of my tubecore was when i took the wicking and put it on a staff...thats it...they suck for spinning..period
get cathedrals or monkies

Jesus saves sinners and redeems them for cash and
prizes

Co-Founder of Keepers of Light

Educate yourself about the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!


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


Posted:
I've got a set of tube-core I built myself. There's about 2' of kevlar on each wick, and they burn about as long as I can spin for. The only exposed metal on mineare the bolts, and they're sunk into the kevlar, so they're nice and safe too. I use much smaller cores than the ones I've seen on the net - 6mm diameter!



Why are monkies so heavy? I've not made any (yet), but surely they're just some wicking wrapped around a hollow core of some sort? How thick is the wicking you use?
EDITED_BY: FireGeeK (1106672756)

Cake or Death?


DuncGOLD Member
playing the days away
7,263 posts
Location: The Middle lands, United Kingdom


Posted:
my old 4inch tube cores give a pretty good flame, infact the older the better they seem to get. But my monkey's are by far the best.

The monkey fists wicks I bought from HoP were exactly 113 grams each so not to heavy to play with either, you easily get used to them, infact I didn't notice the difference in spinnage except that the shape they make is much nicer and they stay covered in yellow right up until they go out.

Let's relight this forum ubblove


nearly_all_goneSILVER Member
Pooh-Bah
1,626 posts
Location: Southampton, United Kingdom


Posted:
Written by: darkpoet


they suck for spinning..period
get cathedrals or monkies



No. I like them. If I was spinning for big flames I wouldn't spin monkies either.

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


nearly_all_goneSILVER Member
Pooh-Bah
1,626 posts
Location: Southampton, United Kingdom


Posted:
Written by: nearly_all_gone



Written by: darkpoet



they suck for spinning..period

get cathedrals or monkies




No. I like them. If I was spinning for big flames I wouldn't spin monkies either.






And btw - if you think tubecore can't look good, check my gallery out. Nothing but tubecore in there. 3905 Views and 55 Comments can't be wrong wink



Damn - sorry, that was meant to be edited onto my previous post! Sorry!
EDITED_BY: nearly_all_gone (1106673332)

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


darkpoetBRONZE Member
Irish
525 posts
Location: Dallas.........ish, USA


Posted:
hahahahahahahahahaha...looking good while spinning and looking good in a photo are two VERY different things...
time lapse photography is a niche that im rather proficient in
im still 100% against tube core

Jesus saves sinners and redeems them for cash and
prizes

Co-Founder of Keepers of Light

Educate yourself about the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!


MikeIconGOLD Member
Pooh-Bah
2,109 posts
Location: Philadelphia, PA - USA


Posted:
Too bad youre into time lapse and not extended exposure... Time lapse has about 0 relevance.

Hehe, just bustin yer balls.

Let's turn those old bridges we crossed into ashes.
We'll blaze a new trail,
and torch the rough patches.

-Me


nearly_all_goneSILVER Member
Pooh-Bah
1,626 posts
Location: Southampton, United Kingdom


Posted:
Oh well, that's fine but I don't care to be honest. I love my tubes.

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


UCOFSILVER Member
15,417 posts
Location: South Wales


Posted:
"DONT USE TUBECORE!! IT SUCKS THE BIG ONE!"
frown

Im with the nearly all gone one on this one.....

I ubblove tubecore wicks.
I have 2.5inch ones...and I have never looked back since I got them.

smile

as for the arguement that the other sorts of wick last longer, then you havent dunked your tubes for long enough/ span off too much

rolleyes

shen shuiSILVER Member
no excuses. no apologies.
1,799 posts
Location: aotearoa, New Zealand


Posted:
so tell us, you poisters of myth and legend, why does tubecore rule so much?

those that know, dont say. those that say, dont know.


UCOFSILVER Member
15,417 posts
Location: South Wales


Posted:
um..

cos they both fit neatly into a netella jar, side by side.
you can do burn offs with them.
They extinguish before you get too tired.
They dont drink your paraffin like monkey fists do.

ubbangel

nearly_all_goneSILVER Member
Pooh-Bah
1,626 posts
Location: Southampton, United Kingdom


Posted:
Written by: Unregistered


they both fit neatly into a netella jar, side by side.




EXACTLY! biggrin

Plus they're easy to repair, they fix to the chains about as securely as humanly possible, they're not seriously heavy (my point earler was about my fat chains, you may notice), they burn for a perfect amount of time for that "one more spin" factor (at least for unfit sods like me) and.. I dunno, they're just lovely.

And loads of people swear by monkies or cathedrals. I'm just saying you can't slate outright because you're not into them.

And, as I said, I've never once burnt myself on the tube core, only on the chains which would be the same for any type of head.

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


shen shuiSILVER Member
no excuses. no apologies.
1,799 posts
Location: aotearoa, New Zealand


Posted:
thanks.
yay.
so prompt, too.

those that know, dont say. those that say, dont know.


nearly_all_goneSILVER Member
Pooh-Bah
1,626 posts
Location: Southampton, United Kingdom


Posted:
Written by: nearly_all_gone


Written by: Unregistered


they both fit neatly into a netella jar, side by side.




EXACTLY! biggrin

Plus they're easy to repair, they fix to the chains about as securely as humanly possible, they're not seriously heavy (my point earler was about my fat chains, you may notice), they burn for a perfect amount of time for that "one more spin" factor (at least for unfit sods like me) and.. I dunno, they're just lovely.

And loads of people swear by monkies or cathedrals. I'm just saying you can't slate outright because you're not into them.

Besides, as I said, I've never once burnt myself on the tube core, only on the chains which would be the same for any type of head.


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


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