Forums > Technical Discussion > Nylon clothing?

Posted: 22nd Oct 2001
anything synthetic will burn very quickly (unless treated, and even then...) most synthetic materials are made from petroleum products, as are plastics and such. i wouldn't count on your skill keeping you out of the hospital. if you really want to wear them, go to a fabric store and buy some of the fabric and test it yourself. nylon has a tendency to melt, not good if it melts to your skin... how do you get it out? my guess would be by cutting, but that's just me... good luck!!

Posted: 22nd Oct 2001
yeah thats what i was expecting ); but wanted to check anyways

wulff

Posted: 22nd Oct 2001
Nylon doesn't even need to catch on fire to be dangerous - get the wicks too close, and you'll be shrink wrapped by hot gooey nylon!

-v-

Wiederstand ist Zwecklos!

Posted: 22nd Oct 2001
It's interesting, because I am working on a halloween costume made of lycra. I'd like to spin fire in it, but I know that's just asking for trouble.Anyhow, I called a local theatrical-supply company. The guy on the phone was very helpful. At first he suggested Flame-X S.33, but did some extra checking and evidently the flame-x causes allergic reactions in a lot of people; the manufacturer specifically recommends against using it on anything that would be in contact with the skin. Oh well.The other interesting thing is the guy I was dealing with said that a lot of lycra is now made with some flame retardance built in right at the mill. He stressed that I shouldn't take his word for it, of course, and "some flame retardance" still might not be enough for me to do crotch-wraps (!), but I thought it was interesting nonetheless.If anyone has any experience applying flame retardants to lycra, I'd be interested in hearing about it.cheers,

Laugh while you can, monkey-boy

Posted: 22nd Oct 2001
like i said tendancy to be blind like that ;)

wulff

Posted: 22nd Oct 2001
Nylon = BADNylon = BADNylon = BADNylon = BADNylon = BADNylon = BADNylon = BADNylon = BADNylon = BADNylon = BADNylon = BADNylon = BADNylon = BADNylon = BADNylon = BADNylon = BADNylon = BADNylon = BADNylon = BADNylon = BAD------------------Charles (INFERNO)newdolbel@hotmail.comhttps://juggling.co.nzPS Just because some people may have spun in nylon without hitting themselves doesn't make it safe. 100% cotton, closely weaved (not string vests or fishnet stockings) is the best option. The looser the weave the easier it is to go up in flames.But the more you spin fire, the greater the chance that something bad will happen, will of the gods or hidden problems with equipment etc.When it happens, make sure you aren't wearing nylon coz Nylon = BAD!!![This message has been edited by Charles (edited 23 October 2001).]

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Posted: 23rd Oct 2001
being told no is kewl.. but come on? make me feel stupid why don't you *feelings all hurt and stuph* i already expressed my understanding of the problem and that i had apparently overlooked that line in the article.

wulff

Posted: 23rd Oct 2001
you shouldn't feel stupid, but feel smart! it would have been stupid if you WOULDN'T have asked and ended up in the hospital for a few weeks for severe burns from nylon. It would be *extremely* painful to have your skin removed, grafs, scabbing that gets removed and other odd "joys" of being severely burned. One of my friends was burnt like that when we were younger, and what he went through I would wish upon NO-ONE. I think the "mental" burns were worse than the actual burns because they take years to mend, if ever.... play safe!!

Posted: 23rd Oct 2001
Kerri posted this on the old board and I thought you might want to read it. It is now at the very tail end of the article on clothing and such."I perform every show in a full length,flowing black skirt that is (rather riskily) made out of nylon. I do this cos I look shit iiin slutty short skirts and the long one looks oriental, dramatic, pretty good. To stop myself from becomeing a human pyre I soak it in BIOFAX 2000, a liquid flame retardant. Not RETARDand, but fire proof type retardant. It is clear and very smelly, (ammonia???)kinda like my cat's litter tray after a hard night on the leftovers, but it DEFINATELY does the job. Pretty expensive at about 50 bucks for 4 litres (that was a few years ago) but it is SOOOOOOO worth it and it llasts a really long time. I found it in the Yellow pages, of all places, i just researched the shit until I found it. You can spray it on any kind of fabric, but it mostly likes natural fabric tho it works fine for me on nylon. Test it by soaking your material, dry it out, then try to light it. It will not stop the material from lighting entirely but you really do have to try to get it to light, and so I have hit myself right in the ass with poi in a nylon skirt and not burnt abit, yay. Hope that helps someone. Also, soak a scarf in it and wrap your hair in it- my hair goes down to my ass and I have never lost a chunk despite clobbering myself on a regular basis when starting new tricks."It is worth looking into. And Adam, I like you the way you are...please don't risk it! ------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...https://www.pyromorph.com

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: 23rd Oct 2001
The strechy 95% cotton, 5% lycra cloths are totally useable from what I've seen. Pretty much as good as cotton, though you might be shortening how long the lycra inside lasts. At least I've seen it get lit from fuel splatters and nothing dramatic happened. Just sort of like normal cotton cloths. I'm sure a higher % of lycra makes it less flame resistant though. Make sure the mix is with cotton though, and not a synthetic fiber.

-v-

Wiederstand ist Zwecklos!