--OK first of all how do I get a pyrotechnician's license; i.e. where do I go to get what books and where do I take the test?

How about a tutorial on how to read and understand a MSDS sheet. I've tried to help write some safety stuff here, but MSDS sheets confuse the crap out of me. A good rundown of Flash point, Vapor information, toxic ratings, or some insight as to what OSHA's bizarre secret codes mean.

If it's to much to ask for a general rundown on organic chemistry, if someone could take a useful MSDS (like say, zenstoves.net/MSDS/ultra-pureLampoil.pdf ) and decypher useful parts, that'd be cool too.

I recently started eating fire. The torches I've used were homemade, not fancy, but did the job quite well. I no longer have access to them, however.

Can you suggest ways of constructing fire eating torches? Whether to use kevlar wick or braided fire cord or a thin fire rope? How to attach the kevlar so that it is secure and so that no metal is exposed, etc? They don't seem difficult to make and I much rather make than buy.

Thanks!

I have been looking for an outdoor alternative to my indoor propane fire ring jump. First, I need to find wick. I have found various prices. I also found a suggestion to try JC Whitney and use the stuff they wrap around mufflers. My jump is rather large and I am not sure how much I actually need to accomplish a good fire effect. Please advise. I only have a week and a half to get this done and I am very new to this.

My current jump is free standing, I have to also come up with an idea for this as well. I can send a photo of my current jump if that helps.

Thanks, Tracy

On very basics of safety:

i've been playing with fuego for years and have been around many seasoned fire players. this weekend i witnessed my first tragedy when a friend lit up his poi in a non-designated spin area (e.g. no wet blankets, no spotter, etc.) and wearing a synthetic shirt which caught on fire. he should be coming home from the hospital today.

can someone post a comprehensive list of very basic safety info such as:
~ what safety equipment should be on site (e.g. wet wool blankets, fire extinguishers, spotters, first aid kit, water, etc...) and what to do with the equipment.
~ what spotters should be looking for and when and how to react (e.g. cotton pants with a quick spark can be put out by spinner, but other contact ignitions need immediate intervention.)
~ what fabrics should *never* be worn while playing with fire.
~ how many spotters to have on site (eg- one or two to help victim, a third and possibly 4th for crowd control.)

any basic posts like this could be very helpful to a lot of people.

it wasn't pretty to watch this tragedy and any info that could minimize the possibility of this happening for others would be great. (Ted, don't you have a general safety website? if so, maybe post a link to it as a "recommendation" in this tribe.

hope all had a blast at brc & thanks in advance for your responses to this post.

I have been wondering if there are any environmentally safe fuels that can be used for Fire performances? Something along the lines of: X is to white gas, as bio-diesel is to diesel.

is it safe to store fuel in dip buckets (paint cans) for extended amounts of time.
i assume yes, but would like to know for sure.
thanks

HI, Tedward!
Has there been any new, updated info we need to know on the topic of "Travelling with Tools?" I and my friends are going to Fire Drums next week and want to be doubly sure our poi and things get there on the same plane we do. :)

--Working on a friend's art car and he's setting up a couple of torches on the roof. We've got the whole thing up and running with mechanical controls but he wants to 'automate' it; i.e. replace manual quarter-turn valves with solenoid valves. I've got some surplus 12v NC valves with 1/8" threaded ports, meaning an orifice of maybe 1/8". Question: assuming the propane is coming out of a standard 5 gal tank at maybe 60psi do I have an adequate flow to make decent fireballs? Many other questions but not all organized at present.

I know a read somewhere about the space that each person needs while spinning fire. But as I was spinning glow poi last night in a bar and looking at the ceiling clearance, I wondered if there was a recommended amount that is needed to spin with fire. Thanks!

Hey all, I just moved from California to Germany and can't seem to find any white gas. Any suggestions on a European fuel source that can be used with chain poi. I'm getting desperate here and could use any input you might have.

I'm interested in getting a fire orb, but I don't understand how your hands don't get burned whilst using it....?

I have a question about whether our poi heads conform to NAFAA standards for wick attachment (I think they may count as friction attachment). We have moonblaze wicks (spiral box knot) woven around a stainless steel threaded eyebolt. Near the eye there is a washer and a nut that can be tightened down when the wick gets loose. The bottom has another large washer (almost though not completely the same diameter as the wick) and a nut that is welded to the eyebolt. We haven't sewn the wick. Does it conform to standards, and if not, is there any easy way to fix it?

Thank you.

This post was deleted by Tedward

A friend of mine gave me some special lamp oil in hopes that we could breathe pink fire with it (yay!). However, it's NOT ultrapure, which is generally the fuel of choice. The ingredients are: glycerol, octadecyl alcohol, ethylene glyol, chloride, oleic acid, and distilled water. Would anyone still consider this a suitable fuel for breathing, or are some of the ingredients prohibitive? (Sorry if any of them are really obviously bad, I'm new to breathing. But at least I ask first, right?)

This post was deleted by Tedward

what is the best way to care for my wicks? I plan to use only lamp oil...is it best to let the wicks burn out completely the first time? what about subsequent times? will re-dipping my smoldering wicks after a burn improve their lives?

I've already made wick covers out of socks for when i am practicing unlit.

should i put tin-tape on my fire hoop by the base of the spokes?
any info about caring for wicks or fire hoops is much appreciated!

All,

I am looking for a better solution to my dip cans/fueling station. I would like to have a metal can roughly a gallon in size with a wide mouth (7+ inches in diameter). Ideally it would have some sort of locking mechanism on the lid, whether it is a twist lock or clamps. Once locked it should be vapor-tight. I do not like paint cans because the lids lose their seal over time with repeated opening and closing. Cans I have thought of are milk jugs (small), possibly a coffee maker, pressure cooker, ammo box (military style, metal with clamp and is airtight). I am fine with paying a good amount of money ($50, but probably not much more) to find something that will be safe and lock tight while I use it. Any ideas? Any places to get one? Thanks,

Kerry

tribes.tribe.net/firefaq/t...1fa5abec86

an attendee of our jam is a self taught fire breather. i had a question about the safety of citronella?

sorry to mess up the question/answer method. here's my post copied since it will be deleted...

hey folks! at our jam here in rochester we've been having some minor fire happeneing after dark. i personally have only spun with white gas. we've educated a few backyard spinners, and let some people who were ready have their first burn... all that was all familiar and simple

but one girl taught herself fire breathing on her own. and this seemed fine, she was spitting high enough for my comfort level. but i dont really know anyhting first hand about fire breathing so i was willing to trust her research and practice.... but she left her fuel behind one day, so when it came back to our house afterwards i took a look at it.

citronella tiki torch stuff! i think that in her research she read that she should use lamp oil, and i think plain tiki torch fuel IS lamp oil right? but what she ended up buying is tiki torch fuel with CITRONELLA. as soon as we read that at home, eyebrows went up! citronella is carcinogenic right?

i think she must have been trying to buy regular lamp oil but ended up with lamp oil with a carcinogenic additive assuming it was the same/cloe enough? the bottle's nearly finished, and like i said she's self taught, and she spoken to me about how she's very carfeul not to swallow any, but i'm worried that this fuel is harmful just being in her mouth!

she won't be there this week, and since i am a fire hooper who knows very little on the subject of fire breathing, i wanted to have some definite facts to tell her. i want to give her back what belongs to her, but i feel like i can't yet, since i have very strong doubts about the safety of spitting citronella...

am i right? help me help her to be more safe....

i dont want to squash people's enthusiasm by jumping all over them "what are you crazy? that's so dangerous to teach yourself!" because i know it is, but it's already done and practiced, so i'd like to set her down the proper path (before she gets mouth cancer or someting!!)
"
thanks and sorry