Forums > Technical Discussion > How does the pain feel?

Posted: 19th Oct 2001
I personally haven't twirled with Kevlar yet but my towel wicks don't burn when I hit myself, except the wire. The wire leaves small burns but it's way too hot to feel it burn you. As for BTB stuff, I do it all and I personally don't think you should try it unless you are VERY confident in your moves. I never hit myself in the face, I think it''s very important to get out of that habit before you try that trick with fire. Only do moves you are familiar with, never learn a move with fire. I'm unrestricted when I twirl, though I used to only do a couple things, you'll learn and grow, it's all part of twirling.Eric

Its about talent, not make up or costumes.

Posted: 19th Oct 2001
i use kevlar - dont be afraid. the worst burn i got was singeing my hair. the fire does not burn at all when you just hit yourself. its like putting your finger through a flame. just have someone by with a towel for safety.only thing i would suggest (apart from a hat) is practice putting the poi down on the ground when you feel yourself going wrong.however, if u do hit yourself you will get a black soot mark, but it comes off in the washthere's nothing like fire, the feeling is amazing and the sound is awsome. ENJOY.

Posted: 1st Jun 2005
Towel wicks??
explain...more... cheaper alternative??
How do you make 'em?

"Don't be so humble, you are not that great."

Posted: 1st Jun 2005
Towel wicks:
are, not ironicly, just rolled up towels that are usually held together with wire. You get a bigger flame because they soak up more fuel. You also get a longer burn time per light. They're cheap, and easy to make, but the problem with them is that they're only good for a couple of burns and having to hold them together with wire makes it much easier to burn you because there is more exposed metal. The actual fire will cause a lot less minor burns while spinning than the heated metal of your wicks and chains will. Towel wicks can burn unevenly and unpridictibly and you also have falling embers to worry about. They are also only less expensive in the short run.

Kevlar wicks:
Kevlar is fire proof, so your wicks will last infinitely longer. Kevlar wicks generally have much less exposed metal. They have a shorter burn time because they hold less fuel, but saves you the hassle of making dozens and dozens of towel wicks. You don't have to worry about little flaming bits of towel raining from the sky. And the small fuel load can be solved by hybrid wick concoctions.
They are much more conveiniant, and the fact that almost everyone on this bord that spins hot uses kevlar wicks should, in itself, speak to the advantages of kevlar.
Because of kevlar's longevity kevlar wicks are much more cost effective in the long run.

Jesus helps me trick people.

Posted: 1st Jun 2005
Construction of a Towel Wick



Fold the piece of towel lengthways two or three times, so you end up with a long narrow rectangle.


Place two 60cm lengths of wire at one end of the narrow strip of towel with equal lengths sticking out of the top and bottom.


Roll the strip up tightly so that the wire is in the middle.


Fold the bottom two ends up to the top.


Fold the bottom two ends horizontal.


Intertwine the top ends with the bottom ends, then fold the top two ends down.


Thread these folded-down ends through the wire at the bottom of the wick, then twist the wire off tightly at the bottom.


Twist the wire off tightly at the top. The towel should now look as if it's in a four-barred cage. Curl some of the excess wire into a ring, so you can attach the wick to the end of a chain.


Cut off any excess wire so you have a neat little wick, without too many bits sticking out.

(from https://www.geocities.com/firepoi/construction.html#wicks)

Jesus helps me trick people.

Posted: 2nd Jun 2005
well, getting back to the topic, u wont really burn urself too badly spinning with fire if u are careful and only do moves u KNOW u can do, the worst burn i got was my own fault, i did a wrist wrap with double headed poi, wont be doin that again.
have fun.

It took a while, but once their numbers dropped from 50 down to 8, the other dwarves started to suspect Hungry.

Posted: 3rd Jun 2005
the worst burn i've got is a small second degree burn at my wrist while wrapping. i knew it would burn, but i had to try anyway it hurt a bit for a day or two, but the pain passed away shortly after that.

i happend to break the blister after 5 minutes so it gave a small scar, which is still decresing in size. i got the burn approx two moths ago.



if you get burn't its probably because of exposed metal (which it was in my case). apart from burns it doesn't hurt much at all. yeah, it's like hitting yourself with a stick, but you'll be too concetrated on the fire to notice it



sorry for incoherent english... i'm a swede.. i'm not supposed to talk this language...
EDITED_BY: Disc0 (1117807678)

fire is just light and heat.
it's you friend!

Posted: 3rd Jun 2005
I find that when my chains are unlit, it only hurts if i crack myself in the head (as with everything) or catch my skin between the chain as it wraps round my arm. It pinches a bit and thats nasty.
As said before, the fire itself wont burn you (unless you tangle yourself up and have your skin exposed to the fire for too long) but the chains will, as they get mega hot. All my worst burns are from the chains themselves.
Ditto as disc0, i got second degree burns on my arms from wrapping but they didnt hurt too much. I just flinched when it happened and thats about it. The pain is more short and sharp rather than prolonged (unless you burn yourself badly).

The main thing is not to do it with fire unless you are 110% sure you can.

Posted: 3rd Jun 2005
I thougth someone had bumped this today...


Thank you anyway

Posted: 3rd Jun 2005
My god its like a time capsule being unearthed dating back to a time when id never even heard the word poi and would never have dreamed that i could more than happily swing fireballs around myself. Nice find Catsmio and it seems to have alleviated treasure in the information kind from SickpuPpy. A shining beacon to what all bumps should aspire to


Im in a bit of a theatrical mood 2nite if you cant tell

fire leads to creation