Forums > Technical Discussion > Tennis balls..

Posted: 15th Apr 2002
This is just personal opinion and all, but i threaded wire through mine. it's like 19 gauge or so, and i looped it just a little on the otehr end so it didn't go back through, and then i made a nice circle on top so you can clip things to them, or thread things through them. Works beautifully

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Posted: 15th Apr 2002
Take a tennis ball, and cut a small slot on each end. Then take a ten inch peice of 16 gauge wire and fold it in half, leaving an "open area" at the bend, so that you can put an attachment (small key-ring, mini carabiner, etc) through it. Insert the wire into the ball, cut ends first, so that the loop sticks out about 1/4 inch, and the wire ends are sticking out the bottom hole by about 1 1/2 inches. take a small washer and put it around the wire ends, then (using needle nose plyers) bend the wire up around the washer (around the outside of the washer) and tuck the ends of the wire into the tennis ball by squeezing the ball down away from the washer. that way there are no sharp ends anywhere, and it is very secure.

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Posted: 16th Apr 2002
You could just wrap your streamers up with a rubber band.

Or, get a tennis ball. Make a smallish hole in it, enough for your swivel to get through, and no more. Now make a large cut in the tennis ball opposite the hole. Get a split ring (key-ring ring) and attach your swivel to it. How push the swivel through the hole in the tennis ball, through the larger cut, so that the split ring is inside the tennis ball and the swivel pokes out. Cutting up your tennis ball also makes it softer.

Posted: 16th Apr 2002
OOOOO!!! I like that way! I'll have to try it!

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Posted: 16th Apr 2002
Oh I just came up with a better one...if you are just using balls and no streamer.

cut ball as above, put chain through ball, (small cut first then big cut), hook big key ring to chain, and pull chain so key ring goes into ball.

if you are using rope you can just tie a really big knot!

YOU GUYS ROCK!!! Thanks Dom!

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Posted: 16th Apr 2002
I must not be doing it right.. I roll up my streamers, and put a rubber band on each end...sounds logical, but whenever they collie, the bands fly off

Posted: 16th Apr 2002
I was thinking of cutting two small holes in the same side of the ball, and just clipping my swivel to the ball directly

Posted: 16th Apr 2002
hey graphic, i have heard of peepsdoin that but instead of clipping your swivel directly to it, just hook a keyring thru the holes, and then you cn just clip the swivle on to the key ring, and later on if ya wanted you could add weight to the tennis balls by putting pennies in the ball. just to kind ofhelp you get the feel of what a fire wick with fuel on it would feel likee. well have fun!!

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Posted: 16th Apr 2002
just a heads up, if you are gonna use heavy weight or do fire ever, don't use key rings as part of your equipment- if you upgrade to fire upgrade the equipment too. the split rings will break under pressure

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Posted: 16th Apr 2002
We use the same eye-bolt and washer construction for our practice poi that we do for the wick'd ones; the only difference is that we drill a hole through the tennis balls to thread them onto the bolts instead of wrapping wick around the bolts. We use quick-links on each end to keep the chain from kinking up while spinning. One thing; remember to clip the bolts flush with with the nut to keep from tearing yourself up with the raw end!

Posted: 16th Apr 2002
I actually..didn't plan on using fire at all. - I was leaning more towards glowsticks in the end

[ 17 April 2002, 08:57: Message edited by: graphicvi0lence ]

Posted: 16th Apr 2002
whoa..three tx people. I'm up near Denton.

Posted: 12th Dec 2009
So I hope people will forgive the enormous bump on this thread, but I recently spent about a week and a half (plus more money than I reasonably should) trying to figure out a good tennis ball design for removable heads I could use on my fire chains or colecord poi. I know someone who suggested drywall hardware, but for various reasons this kept coming to a dead end. The solution I've gone with turns out to be considerably simpler:

I took about 18" of colecord and pulled a loop through holes drilled in opposite sides of the tennis ball (the holes were about 3/16", pretty snug for the cord). The loop coming out of the ball was enough to loosely fit around my thumb. With the ends on the other side I tied a chunky stopper knot (I can't find pics of the knot I used, sadly). I then attached the loop to a 1/8" quick link by twisting it into a twisted lark's head. Voilà: removable, weightable, and (I discover tonight) UV glowy as hell.

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