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I'm ordering my first fire hoop soon, and I had a few questions about using it in general. How does everyone fuel up their torches? Do you unscrew all of them and soak them all together in fuel before screwing them back in and lighting up? Or do you just keep them in the hoop and dip them individually? Do you just shake off the excess fuel into the fuel container and whatnot, or do you use a cloth to soak up the extra fuel? If anyone is planning on making a fire hoop video some time in the future, it would be the most fantastic thing if they could have a little intro showing the fuel process before performing. Anyway, just a few concerns about it. Thanks so much!!
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Knoxville
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Re: Torch/fuel question
Sun, November 2, 2008 - 10:11 AMI just dip each one, with it still attached to the hoop... I let it soak for about 3-5 seconds, then I lift it out of the fuel and kind of gently shake it to let the excess drip back into the fuel bucket. Before I light up I usually spin the hoop around my waist a few times to let any more excess fly off (away from people of course). -
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Re: Torch/fuel question
Sun, November 2, 2008 - 1:26 PMI do exactly the same thing as Emily. Also, when I spin off the excess fuel I make sure no one is near. Just fyi the fuel I use is a mixture of approximately 60/40 lamp oil/white gas.
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Re: Torch/fuel question
Thu, November 6, 2008 - 8:31 AMI do mostly the same thing as Emily. Attach spines to hoop, dip in my oil container for about 10 seconds, then shake off as much excess as I can back off into the container.
The difference though is that I do not spin off fuel before lighting. I have someone light me up and let the excess fuel burn off. It feels safer to me, because I do not get any fuel on me/anyone else by spinning off, and only it only takes about 10-20 seconds to burn off with 3ft of wick on each spine. It has worked well with lamp oil, but I have not tried any other fuels.
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Re: Torch/fuel question
Sun, November 2, 2008 - 3:07 PMIf you're really paranoid, and don't mind the fuss, you could use something like this:
www.bearclawmfg.com/catalog/...ts_id/263
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Re: Torch/fuel question
Wed, November 5, 2008 - 12:42 PMI was taught to limit the burn time on new wicks to approx 1 minute. Sort of like "conditioning" the wicks before a full length burn.
I use a two can method for fueling. After I dip the first wick, I bring it up out of the can, gently shake it, then rotate the hoop so that the wet wick is positioned over an empty can while the second wick is being dipped. After all the wicks are dipped, I walk to an open area, away from any fuel and open flames and spin the hoop with one hand to the side of my body rather than spinning it around my waist, thus limiting and better controling where the excess fuel flies. And for sure, spin off excess fuel away from people, pets, and plants whenever possible. Cheers, --s-- -
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Re: Torch/fuel question
Mon, November 17, 2008 - 5:04 PMthanks so much for all the info! The only thing I have to decide on now is the best type of fuel to use. Any suggestions? (I really want to get this right!) -
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Re: Torch/fuel question
Mon, November 17, 2008 - 6:04 PMI always use pure white gas... Coleman's camping fuel, available in the camping section at walmart. Some people like lamp oil but it just doesn't burn very long or bright.
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Re: Torch/fuel question
Sat, November 22, 2008 - 9:33 AMHi Glenda! Welcome to the addiction of fire dancing :) You should look at the NAFAA (North American Fire Arts Association)'s Wiki page on fuels-- nafaa.pbwiki.com/FuelBusters. Understanding and respecting the mediums you're working with can help you prevent a lot of avoidable accidents.
Also, (and I always feel like a broken record on these tribes), make sure you have a fire safety to watch you when you spin. More often than not, a performer can put him/herself out when they catch on fire. Sometimes though, the safety needs to intervene and save your butt. A safety should have a piece of fire retardant cloth (called duvatyne) or at least a 100% cotton damp towel with no fringy pieces.
Personally, I have a metal tool box with 2 paint cans in it. In the can on the left, I pour my fuel (I usually use white gas), and the can on the right, I use to catch the drips while I rotate the hoop counter-clockwise. I spin off sometimes, but I always feel guilty about throwing fuel all over the ground. Usually, I let the hoop sit for about 10 min, and then I do about 30 seconds of burn off (slow movements that wouldn't cause spitting of flame if there is still excess gas on the wick). Then I get started with the fast hooping and make eye contact with my safety to ensure I'm not spitting flames.
Hope this helps! Good luck and safe 'n' happy hooping :)
