ben-ja-menGOLD Member
just lost .... evil init
2,474 posts
Location: Adelaide, Australia


Posted:
ive been making staffs for a while and i keeps making them with bigger and bigger wick, most recently ive made a 1.5 aluminium staff with 30cm of wick on either end. its most insane to burnoff to say the least, the first time i burnt it off i was really dissapointed as i hadnt cured the wick properly (impatient i know but u know new toy n all) but the second time i burn it i thought i had set my back yard on fire. i had to burn it off 4 times before all the excess fuel had been spun out. after that it was a dream to twirl.

i have photos that i want to upload but i cant as i havnt reached 20 posts yet anyway ill get there and upload.

my problem though is that after three spins my stick has bent i was wondering if anyone had constructed similar sticks and knows of an alloy that is really heat resistant as the fire is really big and hot.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourself, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous and talented? Who are you NOT to be?


ben-ja-menGOLD Member
just lost .... evil init
2,474 posts
Location: Adelaide, Australia


Posted:
1 post closer to 20

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourself, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous and talented? Who are you NOT to be?


ben-ja-menGOLD Member
just lost .... evil init
2,474 posts
Location: Adelaide, Australia


Posted:
two posts to go

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourself, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous and talented? Who are you NOT to be?


ben-ja-menGOLD Member
just lost .... evil init
2,474 posts
Location: Adelaide, Australia


Posted:
yay 20 posts done now i can upload

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourself, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous and talented? Who are you NOT to be?


ben-ja-menGOLD Member
just lost .... evil init
2,474 posts
Location: Adelaide, Australia


Posted:
*sigh* now i have to wait for approval

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourself, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous and talented? Who are you NOT to be?


BurningByronmember
340 posts
Location: Australia


Posted:
careful with the burn offs!!

u can seriously burn yourself if the wind changes direction and you havent thrown it high enough.

Learn to do burn offs high in the air with maximum spin.

I used to do them almost directly infront of me with 20cm wicks on a 5'8 staff and twice got quite seriously burnt, once with a change of wind, once without any wind.

You may need to get a fairly thick steel staff to handle the force created by such large wicks heavy with kero especially if u plan to build up any speed with it! Dont worry about doing anything through the fingers unless u have huge beefcake hands other wise u can break fingers at high speeds if u screw up.

Keep it slow at first cause u will damage muscles if u push the speed too quickly. Power staff builds u up quick but is heaps more dangerous to urself and others around u!

I knocked myself out a year and a half ago when I increased my wick size!

HOW TO FLY 101:
step 1. Throw your self at the ground.
step 2. Miss.


ben-ja-menGOLD Member
just lost .... evil init
2,474 posts
Location: Adelaide, Australia


Posted:
i have been caught in the wind before with new wick but u know straight into the water and its all good. i was doing vertical instead of horizontal burnoffs for awhile with 5cm wick (i tried it with 10cm wick but got burnt to bad) but its so hard to time grabbing the stick. i was trying spinning round with the 10cm wick so the contact time with the skin is really short but its so hard to catch it after spinning round

when the staff is burnt off properly its actually really really light, the problem is though the heat causing it to burn, i like the lighter staff just cos i like to crank into it as fast as i can im hoping there is some sort of aluminium alloy. if worst comes to worst ill probably end up welding two golf clubs together with some sort of attachment on the end but im really hoping there is something out there

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourself, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous and talented? Who are you NOT to be?


BurningByronmember
340 posts
Location: Australia


Posted:
dont worry about the weight, in time u will be strong enough to spin just as fast as u can with the lighter staff. Once the momentum is up you will find it much easier to maintain a high speed too.

u will definately need a very thick but hollow steel or alumninium tube. Dont be put off by a large diameter staff, tt can handle heaps of weight and has a nice feel to it for throws and "wraps".

The larger the wicks and speed, the bigger the wow factor. I save intricate skillful spinning to poi and light double staff work.

HOW TO FLY 101:
step 1. Throw your self at the ground.
step 2. Miss.


ben-ja-menGOLD Member
just lost .... evil init
2,474 posts
Location: Adelaide, Australia


Posted:
what do u consider to be a large diameter? i make my staffs with a 20cm diameter 1.2 thick aluminium tube. i dont really like wooden sticks as they are much heavier and althought they can have a nice flow for dance/playing twirling.

i find twirling most meditative and enjoyable when im spinning really fast on the spot and not concentrating on the twirling. when i use a heavier stick (a relative term i know) i find it requires more effort to keep it spinning especially with drag infront type movements.

i also have an electroglo stick which is the exact opposite in that its super stupidly light but it has a 26 mm diameter which i find really clumsy (its also really short which doesnt help) i managed to break my hand with it doing a drag infront behind movement and catching the end of the stick in my pocket. was fun explaining to the dr what i was doing as it only broke the bone between the finger next to the little fingers knuckle and my wrist.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourself, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous and talented? Who are you NOT to be?


BurningByronmember
340 posts
Location: Australia


Posted:
Dont worry about exact mearsurements, because its all relative to body size and strength.

Just take into account a few things.

The thicker(ie larger diameter) the aluminium pipe, the greater the weight it can take but the harder it is to spin through your fingers.

The longer the wicks are the larger the flames

The thicker the wicks, the longer it will burn for.

The heavier the wicks the more your muscles will have to work (the more beef cake you get) but at the cost of speed (only at first though, you will be able to spin just as fast when your muscles are conditioned for it after a number of weeks.

Your 30cm wicks are large enough unless you are 6'9" and your staff is just as big. Something around the 26mm thickness for an aluminium staff would be just right for your wicks. Note* it must be hollow! A hollow staff doesnt not compromise the structural integrity and a solid staff is needlessly heavy. Also consider having a longer staff for better speed, less burns, easier throws, and increased muscle tone! I'm 5ft8 (173cm) and I spin a 165cm staff. So just proportion it to your own height/arm length (you still want to be able to corkscrew even if you have to lean forward).

Oh yeah love the pics! That burn off looks bloody painful!

HOW TO FLY 101:
step 1. Throw your self at the ground.
step 2. Miss.


ivan..member
165 posts
Location: Halifax, NS


Posted:
if you want a strong ( but heavy ) construction ... find dowling the thickness of the inside diamater of the thinnest walled alluminum pipe ...

hybrid wood/metal construction is very durable..

thats right i look like an albino ape that has had a bad day.. go ahead say something stupid... i dare ya !


ivan..member
165 posts
Location: Halifax, NS


Posted:
if you want a strong ( but heavy ) construction ... find dowling the thickness of the inside diamater of the thinnest walled alluminum pipe ...

hybrid wood/metal construction is very durable..

thats right i look like an albino ape that has had a bad day.. go ahead say something stupid... i dare ya !


ben-ja-menGOLD Member
just lost .... evil init
2,474 posts
Location: Adelaide, Australia


Posted:
burning byron: the vertical burnoff isnt painful IF u time catching the stick right, notice my long sleves .....

ivan: wouldnt dowl break easily inside the aluminium tube?

yay i finally got to upload pics check out the size of my flame

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourself, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous and talented? Who are you NOT to be?


Bender_the_OffenderGOLD Member
still can't believe it's not butter
6,978 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
hey benjamen, do you ever get bird falling out of the sky when you twirl that beast?!? top effort, matey!

Laugh Often, Smile Much, Post lolcats Always


ben-ja-menGOLD Member
just lost .... evil init
2,474 posts
Location: Adelaide, Australia


Posted:
once when i was twirling under a bridge in town the burnoff sprawled across the roof and set a few pigeons flying luckily for the local wildlife the stick usually only stays straight for 3-4 burns before it is all bent out of shape but ive found a nice broom stick to fit inside my aluminium rod so hopefully this time when i remake it it will stay made

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourself, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous and talented? Who are you NOT to be?


CassandraFroggie ... Ribbit !!!
4,224 posts
Location: Back in Paris... for now !


Posted:
Shibaki and I thought we had seen it all... i mean big wicks wise and all .... then we went to new york and met up with Skunk and the longest wicks I have ever seen ... 2 inches wide by possible 10 inches long ???? burnt for 10 mintues easy and we still cannot beleive it

shine on
Cass

"I want brown bread... no, that is diesel oil..."
"So I was raised in Europe, where History comes from ..."
"NON !!! La Plume de mon oncle n est pas Bingibangibungi !!!"


ben-ja-menGOLD Member
just lost .... evil init
2,474 posts
Location: Adelaide, Australia


Posted:
what was the stick made of?

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourself, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous and talented? Who are you NOT to be?



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