Forums > Social Chat > Questions Wanted

Posted: 8th Jun 2001
ok i'm just going to list a ton for you:~ what is the best/safest fuel to use?~how long should i practice with water before i use fuel?~what are some health hazard that may result in swallowing some fuel?~ how much fuel should i put in my mouth?~does trailing hurt?~what is trailing?~when you eat fire does it burn you gums or lips or tonuge?~how would you advise a beginner to learn to eat fire?i think thats enough for a start. i'm sure you'll get more from everyone else.this faq part of the page is a good idea, lots of people have questions and its a good why to get them all in one page.------------------the music feeds my soul that glows and grows with every spin i take.

the music feeds my soul that glows and grows with every spin i take.

Posted: 8th Jun 2001
OK, Im going to jump on Pele's post here and ask, what are some general poi/staff twirling Q's? Experienced BBoarder's, here's your chance to tell me what questions are asked too often. Beginer's here's **your** chance to ask whatever questions you were afraid to.-PSM sXe------------------"One can only see what one observes, and one observes only things which are already in the mind."-Alphonse Bertillon

One can only see what one observes, and one observes only things which are already in the mind.-Alphonse Bertillon

Posted: 9th Jun 2001
Cheers Pele,I have a couple of questions for you regarding transfers: Can you create patterns of flame on your skin? (e.g. can you put a "design" on your skin in fuel and then light it?)Can you transfer flame to your tounge and light a poi or staff head? (someone on another thread mentioned this possibility and I'm curious to know how it's done )Are you also covering fire fingers in relation to tranfers, and what can be done with them, or is that another faq?That's it for now, thanks for volunteering to do this.

Posted: 9th Jun 2001
PSM...How do I do a.... butterfly, anything behind the back, weave, thread the needle, anything over the standards 3 beats?What should I use.... for fuels, for wicks, for handles, chains/cables or strings?How big are your... wicks, chains, stavesWhat should I wear?What should I do with my hair?These are the ones I can think of PSM. Personally, I am glad you are doing the poi staff one and not me! Thanks Okay, so we have a vote in for a FAQ on fire fingers, I know someone wants to know about fire fans, meteors and multi-wicked things.Any other tools we should cover?PSM, do you wanna take wraps or should I?Wow...we have our work cut out for us!!! ------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...[This message has been edited by Pele (edited 10 June 2001).]

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK

Posted: 9th Jun 2001
since i am researching it this week can i do ..."how do i make..."towel/kevlar/ poi staff fingers etc etc?regarding eating...since i dont know how to do itdo you put the whole wick out in your mouth (like a match) or blow it out?does the heat wreck your teeth forever? (kind of tired of dentistry this week)do you burn your nose if you breath through it? (no seriously!)REPULSE!Pere

Posted: 9th Jun 2001
Pere: There are a lot of good construction sites on the net. Adam Rice's site (https://www.crossroads.net/fire-gear/) is probably the best, with the HoP and https://www.geocities.com/firepoi/construction.html
following close behind.There are a lot of details left out, and lots of construction tips left for the builder to learn, but you'll pick them up fairly quickly after building a few sets. At some point I'd like to document all my tips and techniques, but it might be a few weeks before I get to that. Now that I have decided that the Renegade Juggling wick is far superior to anything else I have yet seen, I'm gonna pop for another roll RSN.-p.

Posted: 9th Jun 2001
Pele- Right on, those would be all the little one I would overlook.Peregrine- Go for the standard construction, I can take the "speacial" ones like sparkly, veggie, etc...-PSM sXe------------------"One can only see what one observes, and one observes only things which are already in the mind."-Alphonse Bertillon

One can only see what one observes, and one observes only things which are already in the mind.-Alphonse Bertillon

Posted: 10th Jun 2001
Here are some things I think should be in a fire/spinning FAQ: What are the different kinds of fuel in wide use, and what are the naming differences in different countries (i.e., "paraffin" doesn't mean the same thing in the UK as it does in the US). That second part can be pretty important! What are the characteristics of each fuel: how vaporous/volatile is it, how bright and long does it burn, etc. How much practice do I need before I light up? (With poi, with staff, with fire fans, fire fingers, diabolos, etc.) How do I make my own poi? What are the benefits and drawbacks of different materials (ex.: ball chain vs. dog chain vs. steel cable) and construction methods (ex.: tube-core vs. interleave wick)? Where are good places to buy Kevlar wick? (There must be others besides HOP and Renegade, yes?) What types and sizes of glowsticks are best for spinning? What are the benefits and drawbacks of various strings (shoelaces, nylon/cotton twine, etc.)? How long should a staff be for spinning, with or without fire? What if I want to use two? These lengths should preferably be expressed in terms of the spinner's own body (i.e., "as long as your arm", "no higher than from teh ground to your chin" or some such). What items are good to use for beginners' practice? (For poi, I highly recommend the Zuni over the "Beginner Poi" on this site, as they have more heft and hurt less. For glowsticks, using a bicycle handlebar-padding tube may work, and again, it would hurt less than whacking yourself repeatedly with a hard plastic glowstick. I don't know what to tell the staff people.) How long do I need to dip my wicks to soak them? How long should I spin them off before lighting up? (Note: The answer to the first question will probably vary according to wick type. I feel the answer to the second should be simply "Until no more fuel is coming off them.") What things should I never wear for a fire performance? How often should I check my equipment for wear and safety?Fuel types that I think are worth covering: kerosene white gas/Coleman fuel lamp oil paraffin naphtha/lighter fluid charcoal lighter fluid?And there should be a big note on a spinning/twirling FAQ that says that if you want to do fire eating, breathing, blowing, or swallowing, you should ignore this part and seek a FAQ dedicated to fuels for that activity instead, as the fuel requirements are very different.And fuels that we don't use much, which should be noted along with the reasons why: gasoline alcohols: ethyl (the drinking kind), methyl and isopropyl (the rubbing kind) others?Obviously, this list isn't complete (and I'll admit it's slanted uncomfortably towards fire and poi; those are what I know). But I hope it will help.I'm willing to help out with writing a fire/spinning FAQ. I know nothing about fire eating/breathing or body transfers (although I'd love to learn about body transfers!), but can still help by providing proofreading and copyediting if that's desired.

Posted: 13th Jun 2001
i have a question in wick construction...last night i made my second pair of wicks...my first was from denim material from old jeans using the method on the websitemy second pair, i decided to go kevlari searched for kevlar, and only found kevlar safety gloves at local army surplus...so i cut them up, and sewed the material into aprox. 5'' long by 1'' diameter tubes using thread from the discarded fingers...in this sock, i stuffed t-shirt material (100% cotton) rather tightly...i then sewed the end shut around a keyring...all the sewing was extensively done, as to avoid any part of the wick coming apart...and i spun with them last night without incedent...and a very nice flame relative the denim wicksi can think of no reason this kevlar sock idea would be bad for fire poi...any feed-back for a newbie?

this fire and i dance among the stars

AnonymousPLATINUM Member

Posted: 12th Jun 2001
yeah I have some feedback on that idea.I reckon after some use the bottom of the sock is going to give way, allowing all the fuel soaked cotton to come flying out as you spin.why? cuz everytime you scrape your poi on the ground (and it happens to EVERYONE! ) you will be wearing away the base of your sock. Eventually it will give way. it will probly happen very quickly, and a bunch of flying burning fuel soaked cotton is probly not what you want as the finale of any set you do.Josh

Posted: 13th Jun 2001
thanks...i'll keep an eye out for wear from the ground...though i'm 6'1'' and seems like any wear from the ground would be a slow process...plus the kevlar is pretty tough material...i think it's knitted or somethingpossibly look into a second layer on the tips for re-enforcement...also noticed that i have to soak again after five minutes or so...is this normal?...i'm using coleman[This message has been edited by the streaking wombat (edited 13 June 2001).]

this fire and i dance among the stars

Posted: 13th Jun 2001
Pele-You can take wraps, as I am clueless on wrapping. I'll either steal it, and credit you, or link to you. Either way.-PSM sXe------------------"One can only see what one observes, and one observes only things which are already in the mind."-Alphonse Bertillon

One can only see what one observes, and one observes only things which are already in the mind.-Alphonse Bertillon