Forums > Social Chat > how would i make a "portable" fire staff?

Posted: 24th Dec 2000
Funny you should ask. I'm working on a collapsable design right now. I haven't quite got everything working, but the general idea is this:Three sections of large-ish diameter aluminum tube; two "stubs" of thinner aluminum tube, just the right diameter to fit in the larger tubes. Weld or braze the stubs into one of the larger tubes, so they stick out halfway. Attach wicking to the other ones. Slide the other tubes over the stubs, and drill holes all the way through. Use screw-posts to hold things together. Sooner or later (hopefully in January) I'll be retailing this design.Good hardware stores will have a few sizes of aluminum tubing, and any decent-sized city will have a metal supply shop with more. For even more selection, check out www.aircraftspruce.com

Laugh while you can, monkey-boy

Posted: 8th Jan 2001
I have been thinking along these lines too !! My aim is a combination backpack frame/fire pole/dog leash/ fire poi/bondage gear set ! (grin)Seriously, I have a few plans that I can scan and post for you somewhere, but they require access to a decent workshop and a reasonably sound understanding of tools. Don't know how 'handy' you are with tools but it should be a snap for anyone who's mechanically inclined.Think along these lines: poles can be sectioned and screwed together, much like a professional pool cue, or held together with bayonet type fixings (easy to make, really) ... The physics behind it is to insert one section into the other so that there is no possibility of movement/vibration, and to distribute the strees of the join over a larger area. I am assuming you will be using aluminium poles, yes ?Get poles that will fit tightly together, One pole with an outer diameter of 1 inch, another with an inner diameter of one inch.The centrifugal force of a spinning pole will hold bayonet type fixings in place, if you want to get fancy, it's easy to incorporate a spring and make it 'bomb proof'.Or try this: Get a long, threaded bolt. Really long. Get enough nuts to completely 'fill' the bolt. The nuts should be able to fit tightly into your sections of aluminium. Insert the nutted bolt up to half its length into the section A (you may wish to mix up some epoxy resin or somesuch and actually glue the nuts to the inner wall of the aluminium tube). Drill a hole where the first nut would be and where the last(or head) would be, drill right into the nut(or head) and fix said in position with screws. Neatness counts.Reattach remaining nuts to bolt, insert into section B, clamp your work, fix nuts in section B in place with screws (and glue), voila ! Unscrewable sections! You'll need to get a washer or something to prevent it from unscrewing during a performance. Be careful with the glue after fixing all the screws, unscrew the sections and clean of any excess glue. The same thing can be done with wooden poles but reqires requires a bit more skill.I have a tri-sectional staff which I would ideally like to be able to either join or seperate mid-performance, Cha-ching ! However screwing them together is not an option as it takes too long, and the chains would tend to 'fray' the bayonet fixings. Damn.At the moment the three sections are held together with carabiners (snappers, I think), which is kinda cool because you start out twirling two short poles, and then snap them onto the third section and do the tri-sectional thing ...Conceivabley, you should be able to juggle three short poles like clubs, spin two short poles simultaneously, do jungle sticks, Tri- sectional, short and long staff, all with the same impliment !!Hmmn,where's my drill ....[This message has been edited by Bish_the_Ding (edited 10 January 2001).]

Hasst du etwas zeit fuer mich?... Dan singe ich ein lied fuer dich ... -Bjork/Nena

Posted: 9th Jan 2001
Although I still haven't quite got my original collapsi-staff design working, I'm already thinking of something that would permit what Bish has in mind:Taking the description I mentioned above, and instead of screwing the sections together, have a length of chain running inside, anchored near the ends. Somehow (how? dunno) have a way of tensioning this chain using a button or lever or something, so that when it is taut, the staff holds together as one piece; when slack, it is like a tri-nunchuka. Blind people use collapsible canes along these lines, held in place with elastic. I don't think elastic cord would quite work here, but that's what gave me the idea.

Laugh while you can, monkey-boy

Posted: 10th Jan 2001
tongue-in-cheek:before you get on the bus, put your staff in a pool cue case and post it to your destination?waiting for bish to get his head around the mechanix - being less technically inclined.sounds cool tho. i agree with adamrice's idea of the sections joined by something flexible inside, like 'shock-corded' tent poles which you just shake out from folded into one long piece...what about a bicycle cable through the three sections, an eye bolt joined at each end (with the eye end facing toward the centre section and inside the tube) and a wide (fender) washer on each bolt to fit square against the end of the tube, held in place with a wing nut and a lock nut?i can see cuts on my head from the edge of that washer (bad memories from poi design 101)l8ro-o

Posted: 9th Jan 2001
i used a swiffer mop and ripped the mop end off!!!it folds up into 3 pieces!

Posted: 10th Jan 2001
Hi Jeff, Howz Canada ?Um, what's a 'swiffer mop' ? Is it like those telescopic feather dusters one gets, the ones that work similar to an automatic car aerial ? Aren't they a bit flimsy - I mean can they handle a soaked wick at full tilt without flying apart ?Also, um, there's really no kevlar to be had here in Africa withouth paying A LOT of money, if you manage to source it at all. We usually make wicks out of denim (jeans that have just become too old/dirty/perforated to wear) and bind that in place with baling wire (makes for interesting blisters/scars if you screw up). All in all it's usually quite a heavy arangement ...Quothe the Odious One ..."what about a bicycle cable through the three sections, an eye bolt joined at each end (with the eye end facing toward the centre section and inside the tube) and a wide (fender) washer on each bolt to fit square against the end of the tube, held in place with a wing nut and a lock nut?"O_O, I swear there's times only a doctor would understand you, man Seriously, I would be far too worried about things snapping, or centrifugal force undoing the joins, it all sounds too complicated ...I think adamrice still has the sanest idea, if you don't mind screws protruding from your pole -as oposed to using screws (in his design) I could use 'pins' like those on a hand grenade to hold the sections in place. Yank out the pins and the pole collapses into a tri-sectional. Any damage to the joins (fraying, etc) could be repaired after the performance. Soon as I get over this flu I'm hitting the hardware store, see if I can make one.(Obscure reference by O_O to 'Poi 101.' The very first set of 'practise poi' O_O had were tennis balls impaled on eye bolts (and fairly fargin BIG eye bolts they where!!). The assembly also included a 40 mm (???) dia. fender washer right at the end of the bolt!!! Must have weighed at least 300g and it was sharp all the way around- the tennis ball, punctured as it was, would give way easily, the washer would not. Ouch.)

Hasst du etwas zeit fuer mich?... Dan singe ich ein lied fuer dich ... -Bjork/Nena

AnonymousPLATINUM Member

Posted: 13th Jan 2001
If you think building your own collapsable staff sounds a bit too tough then why don't you folks just buy one?I've got a catalogue from juggleart (juggleart.com), melbourne in front of me and they have a selection of 3 different 3-piece fire staffs....only one of which is displayed on their online catalogue.Here's how they describe them in the photocopied catalogue they sent me through the post(no pictures included): PureFlame 3-piece fire staff/ 4" wick/ adjustable...$88.64 (aust $s ofcourse) PureFlame 3-piece staff Deluxe/ 4" wick/adjustable with screwless wick...$120.00 Firestaff Pro Multi-piece/ smll,med,lge/ aluminium...$129.09....receiving the catalogue this morning was quite a surprise for me - after hunting around for so long i hadn't expected to actually have a choice of 3 different staffs to choose from!.... they do seem a little pricey but we should all be used to equipment prices by now and they are pretty much par for the course.Hey, unless it gets nicked then one staff is probably all you will ever need....so why not splash out - i'm tempted myself.i hope you'll find this info useful(god knows it took me long enough to hunt it down for myself).

Posted: 17th Jan 2001
hey there is a north american chain of stores called metal supermarket these stores are owner operated and the folks are generaly helpfull these guys have every imaginable kind of metal and will cut it to size as well as to drill holes in each end some of their stores will charge you a cut fee or a drill fee this can usually be avioded if you offer to pay cash(dont wait till they have written or wrung your orderin though)hope this is helpfulljessejames

burnin down the house