Forums > Technical Discussion > 25mm kevlar rope sufficent for home made sknakes?

Posted: 15th Apr 2005
I've never made snakes, but do 'not' just dip part of it and swing it by the rope, the rope is a *wick*, so it will wick the fuel up as it absorbs it.

As for connecting, you could splice a loop in the rope and lash it with kevlar string to provide an attachment point for a small bit of chain and your handle. I'm sure there are other better ways though that other people know far more about

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Posted: 16th Apr 2005
Splice and lash are an option, but it's quite hard to do. I've just made some that have jubilee clips making the loop and carabiners fixing the wick on to monkey fist handles. I'm sure it's not the best way as it has mettle near the handles but they work for me!

There's too many home fires burning and not enough trees

Posted: 16th Apr 2005
EDIT
EDITED_BY: quiet (1113993284)

ture na sig

Posted: 16th Apr 2005
Well I know theres a limit to how far it will absorb, and it probably would work just fine but there are a lot of potential problems that push it into the not worth it catagory for me.

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Posted: 17th Apr 2005
quote: It's true that the rope is a *wick*, but it's not true that the fuel will just be absorbed throughout the entire rope. There's a limit to how much fuel capillary action will pull up (this is why chromatograms work . . .)

yea but if you dont soak the whole thing the ubsoaked wick will just burn and break up after some time, and you dont want flaming rope snapping on you and taking out someone watching..
the simplest way ive found to make decent fire ropes would be to use double thickness rope thats looped over a chain at one end, with a small amount of normal wick wrapped around the other end (tube core stylie) to give it a little weight where its needed and to stop the ends fraying
I would use the 1 inch diameter, and consider more than double thickness for the full desired effect..

progger

Posted: 17th Apr 2005


2. I spun this rope for at least half a year before I lost it; I never had any problems with the method that I used.



EDITED 'cos I think I'm wrong about the rest



e
EDITED_BY: quiet (1113993239)

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Posted: 17th Apr 2005
woah woah woah, I never said it was gospel so theres no need getting in a tissy about it. I never said it would wick fuel through the entire rope, I'm sure it would work and I even posted it would work but I would still advise against it. It's just asking for trouble if you ask me. You do what you want to do. I prefer to lean towards the side of caution

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Posted: 17th Apr 2005
EIDT (ditto) [sigh]




EDITED_BY: quiet (1113993330)

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Posted: 17th Apr 2005
No worries. I could just see someone dipping the wrong end of their rope or something similar only to light up and get a nice surprise

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Posted: 19th Apr 2005
quote:
1. if you don't soak the whole thing, the unsoaked wick will NOT burn. think about it: it hasn't been soaked, and yr spinning it. ipso facto, it's not on fire: hence it can't burn. QED, damnit.

hmmm not really.. fair enough its being spun, that should stop the flame being in that much contact with the unsoaked bit of rope, but its still gonna burn it some every time you spin and then start to degrade

quote:
3. please, please, don't just make stuff up: you don't have enough evidence to claim that 'the unsoaked wick will just burn and break up'. I've tried, and it doesn't.

i am talking from experience, my old fire ropes had wicks sewn to end for a little weight, but since the wicks burned for longer than the rope itself, the rope right at the end next to the wick eventually burned through since it didnt have the fuel to protect it.. luckily i noticed that it was breaking up and stopped using them..
you might be able to get away with it for a while with single pieces of rope, but they really should be lasting a bit longer than a year

quote:
https://www.homeofpoi.com/articles/wick_care.php
"Once all the liquid fuel is gone the fire will move onto burning the wick. Even KEVLAR® and other man made fibers will burn or smolder degrading the fibers once the liquid fuel is gone."

progger

Posted: 19th Apr 2005
EDIT the cool light of day



https://www.fibreglast.com/documents/349.pdf,
if you're interested.



apologies to whoever I suggested was making stuff up



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EDITED_BY: quiet (1113993436)

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Posted: 19th Apr 2005

Hmmm....

I make a lot of these things for local peeps, fire snakes, blades, braids whatever you want to call them, wouldn't recomend relying on the kevlar rope on it's own to remain intact, I saw one snap and go flying into the audience, fortunately no one was hurt, it seemed to have degraded internally, difficult to spot from the surface.

Posted: 19th Apr 2005
^^ so how would you make them?
I want to make a set as well but cant think of a solid, safe way to attach a small length of chain to the rope...

Posted: 20th Apr 2005
fold the rope in half so youve got a loop at one end and two end bits at the other- loop a chain around the loopy end and wrap abit of kev strip round the other.. thats how i usually do it

quote:
apologies to whoever I suggested was making stuff up

nice one quiet, im just trying to share some info here, fair enough if you thought it was incorrect..

progger