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Forums > Technical Discussion > rope torch, finally lit
Login/Join to ParticipateBRONZE Member
member
134 posts
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
member
134 posts
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posted:
Well, I started talking shit about this almost a year ago, and I finally lit up a rope torch (that's the name we use 'round these parts for a rope dart-styled tool with a wick on the end) on Monday night. We were shooting an audition video for Buskerfest, so there was no more time for farting around and training. It was great!
It felt super-smooth, and I didn't tangle once (thank goodness - they have a tendency to tie themselves around a leg and not let go). For anyone who wants to try this, I can provide details on how to make a good one at fairly low cost that won't result in the rope catching fire.I'd recommend a narrow wick (note: this is in relative terms. By this I mean NORMAL-sized. My troupe and I seem to be having an unspoken competition to see who can spin the biggest, fattest wicks and still live to tell about it. So far my friend Kyla is in the lead. She tied an entire sheep to each chain and lit them up. I've got my eye on some used Queen-size mattresses down at the Salvation Army store, but Kyla's already started saving up to buy a pair of round hay bales in the summer)I'd also recommend using kevlar or new cotton. The wicks I used were cotton and had been burned a couple of times. They ended up blowing out while I was doing spinning kicks, where the wicks end up moving really fast at about a four to six foot radius. Kero's the least likely to blow out, isn't it? Or is it Camp fuel?Many good burns to all.-Rickp.s. anyone who doesn't know what a round hay bale is, ask someone from the country. 
Well, I started talking shit about this almost a year ago, and I finally lit up a rope torch (that's the name we use 'round these parts for a rope dart-styled tool with a wick on the end) on Monday night. We were shooting an audition video for Buskerfest, so there was no more time for farting around and training. It was great!
It felt super-smooth, and I didn't tangle once (thank goodness - they have a tendency to tie themselves around a leg and not let go). For anyone who wants to try this, I can provide details on how to make a good one at fairly low cost that won't result in the rope catching fire.I'd recommend a narrow wick (note: this is in relative terms. By this I mean NORMAL-sized. My troupe and I seem to be having an unspoken competition to see who can spin the biggest, fattest wicks and still live to tell about it. So far my friend Kyla is in the lead. She tied an entire sheep to each chain and lit them up. I've got my eye on some used Queen-size mattresses down at the Salvation Army store, but Kyla's already started saving up to buy a pair of round hay bales in the summer)I'd also recommend using kevlar or new cotton. The wicks I used were cotton and had been burned a couple of times. They ended up blowing out while I was doing spinning kicks, where the wicks end up moving really fast at about a four to six foot radius. Kero's the least likely to blow out, isn't it? Or is it Camp fuel?Many good burns to all.-Rickp.s. anyone who doesn't know what a round hay bale is, ask someone from the country. -Rick aka Loki
oh, man, a signature?... uuh... this is like coming across wet cement... uuh, shoot, I had something clever I was saving... I hope I don't run out of sp
BRONZE Member
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA
Posted:
Hey there Rick!Long Time buh-dee!Glad to hear you are still doing well!Damn, Kayla is going to have some massive biceps after those haybales! Were you planning on rolling up the mattresses or just leaving them flat to burn?I've seen people use this dart method for their meteors (though not live and not lit up). Do you actually use a chain or a rope for the length?Camp fuel burns longer than white gas. I always felt that was the real definition behind long burns...and wick size, soak time, not necessarily wick material, as both Kevlar and Cotton have yeilded long burns for me. Just my opinon though.I'd love to see the specs on the dart you figured out!BTW, I am moving this to technical...it seems to be better suited to there.Nice to see you again!------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...https://www.pyromorph.com
Hey there Rick!Long Time buh-dee!Glad to hear you are still doing well!Damn, Kayla is going to have some massive biceps after those haybales! Were you planning on rolling up the mattresses or just leaving them flat to burn?
I've seen people use this dart method for their meteors (though not live and not lit up). Do you actually use a chain or a rope for the length?Camp fuel burns longer than white gas. I always felt that was the real definition behind long burns...and wick size, soak time, not necessarily wick material, as both Kevlar and Cotton have yeilded long burns for me. Just my opinon though.I'd love to see the specs on the dart you figured out!BTW, I am moving this to technical...it seems to be better suited to there.Nice to see you again!------------------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
BRONZE Member
member
134 posts
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
member
134 posts
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posted:
I was actually planning on using a cathedral fold on the matresses (and a really big friggin' eye bolt) to get a really big surface area.The design I used for the rope torch goes like this:materials:-soft nylon braided rope (NOT twisted- it'll twist up while being spun), as thick as you feel will be comfortable wrapping around your neck (apx. 3/8" to 1/2" or 9mm to 13mm or so), 8 to 12 ft. long (mine is 12ft (don't mean to brag, a haw haw haw (dammit, the yuppie laugh just doesn't translate onto the keyboard), but the whole length is only used for very wide horizontal moves and multiple wraps.)-a reinforcement loop for rope and cable (I'm not sure of the official name. this is looks like half of a small metal tube bent back on itself. The loop of the rope fits in the groove.-small rope clamp or cable clamp. for this I used a rope clamp with tightening nuts so it was removeable. This needs to be small enough not to interfere with wraps and swinging.-split ring, chain link, or carabeener-short length of chain. about 8" or 20cm long. This is to provide a buffer zone between the fire and the nylon rope.[From here on in, use whatever you normally do for poi heads. Here's my gear:]-split ring or chain link.-swivel snap. This is a spring-loaded closing snap like what's seen on dog chains, with a swivel at one end. **remember to check anything with a spring in it extra carefully what doing routine equipment checks... y'all do routine equipment checks, right?.. Springs wear out. Also, certain styles of snap (like those for dog collars) are only recommended if the link onto which they're snapping is thick enough not to slip out of the snap if the snap or torch is bumped or the link slides around. Check your format to make sure.-and last but not least: your wickity wick or practice head![Here's the recipe I use for practice heads. They're durable, weight-adjustable, and feel just fine wonking off most parts of the body:]tennis ball, slit in one end, hole in the other. Feed an eye bolt through the hole, squeeze the slit open, put at least one (several depending on weight desired) wide washer on the eye bolt. Secure with a nylon-insert nut or by twisting on a nut, lock washer, and another nut. All the heavy gear stays inside the ball. Ta-da! The bolt's eye can hurt, but what's a game without any risk?And on to the building of the rope torch...-tape, backlash, burn, or otherwise prevent the ends of the rope from fraying.-loop one end of the rope around the loop reinforcer and secure it with the clamp. you now have a looped end that won't quickly wear out.-attach the chain to the loop with a split ring or link or carabeener, and attach another to the other end of the chain.-add the swivel snap*you're done!* the wick or practice head snaps onto the swivel snap.If you want, you could build a practice tool without the metal bits. It would be safer. I'm into using the same equipment for practice as I do for performance, though. Same weight, same feel. More fire.The way I use this tool is to tie one end around my neck (I'm not kidding) loosely, then run the rope from the left hand (usually) to the right hand. The left hand and/or whatever length is wrapped already controls the length of the rope being used, the right hand controls most of the movement. There are variations, of course. Always in the works, yo...For rope torch moves (leg wraps, arm wraps, neck wraps, kicks, spins, tangles, Flaming Death(tm), etc.), check out the movies mentioned for such in the Martial Arts Movies article, or look at COL1.We can discuss moves later. I'm hungry.Cheers.-Rick "He Who Has No Fancy Signature Macro For All His Posts" Gladwin[This message has been edited by Rick (edited 12 December 2001).]
I was actually planning on using a cathedral fold on the matresses (and a really big friggin' eye bolt) to get a really big surface area.The design I used for the rope torch goes like this:materials:-soft nylon braided rope (NOT twisted- it'll twist up while being spun), as thick as you feel will be comfortable wrapping around your neck (apx. 3/8" to 1/2" or 9mm to 13mm or so), 8 to 12 ft. long (mine is 12ft (don't mean to brag, a haw haw haw (dammit, the yuppie laugh just doesn't translate onto the keyboard), but the whole length is only used for very wide horizontal moves and multiple wraps.)-a reinforcement loop for rope and cable (I'm not sure of the official name. this is looks like half of a small metal tube bent back on itself. The loop of the rope fits in the groove.-small rope clamp or cable clamp. for this I used a rope clamp with tightening nuts so it was removeable. This needs to be small enough not to interfere with wraps and swinging.-split ring, chain link, or carabeener-short length of chain. about 8" or 20cm long. This is to provide a buffer zone between the fire and the nylon rope.[From here on in, use whatever you normally do for poi heads. Here's my gear:]-split ring or chain link.-swivel snap. This is a spring-loaded closing snap like what's seen on dog chains, with a swivel at one end. **remember to check anything with a spring in it extra carefully what doing routine equipment checks... y'all do routine equipment checks, right?.. Springs wear out. Also, certain styles of snap (like those for dog collars) are only recommended if the link onto which they're snapping is thick enough not to slip out of the snap if the snap or torch is bumped or the link slides around. Check your format to make sure.-and last but not least: your wickity wick or practice head![Here's the recipe I use for practice heads. They're durable, weight-adjustable, and feel just fine wonking off most parts of the body:]tennis ball, slit in one end, hole in the other. Feed an eye bolt through the hole, squeeze the slit open, put at least one (several depending on weight desired) wide washer on the eye bolt. Secure with a nylon-insert nut or by twisting on a nut, lock washer, and another nut. All the heavy gear stays inside the ball. Ta-da! The bolt's eye can hurt, but what's a game without any risk?And on to the building of the rope torch...-tape, backlash, burn, or otherwise prevent the ends of the rope from fraying.-loop one end of the rope around the loop reinforcer and secure it with the clamp. you now have a looped end that won't quickly wear out.-attach the chain to the loop with a split ring or link or carabeener, and attach another to the other end of the chain.-add the swivel snap*you're done!* the wick or practice head snaps onto the swivel snap.If you want, you could build a practice tool without the metal bits. It would be safer. I'm into using the same equipment for practice as I do for performance, though. Same weight, same feel. More fire.The way I use this tool is to tie one end around my neck (I'm not kidding) loosely, then run the rope from the left hand (usually) to the right hand. The left hand and/or whatever length is wrapped already controls the length of the rope being used, the right hand controls most of the movement. There are variations, of course. Always in the works, yo...For rope torch moves (leg wraps, arm wraps, neck wraps, kicks, spins, tangles, Flaming Death(tm), etc.), check out the movies mentioned for such in the Martial Arts Movies article, or look at COL1.We can discuss moves later. I'm hungry.Cheers.
-Rick "He Who Has No Fancy Signature Macro For All His Posts" Gladwin[This message has been edited by Rick (edited 12 December 2001).] -Rick aka Loki
oh, man, a signature?... uuh... this is like coming across wet cement... uuh, shoot, I had something clever I was saving... I hope I don't run out of sp
Ninja Rockstar!
1,100 posts
Location: Denver, Co. U.S.A.
1,100 posts
Location: Denver, Co. U.S.A.
Posted:
Thanks for posting this.My friends and I were, just last week, debating about the best way to keep the wick from burning the rope. I guess they decided chain whip wasn't dangerous enough after watching an old Jet Li movie with an intricate rope dart scene.Good Times.
Thanks for posting this.My friends and I were, just last week, debating about the best way to keep the wick from burning the rope. I guess they decided chain whip wasn't dangerous enough after watching an old Jet Li movie with an intricate rope dart scene.Good Times.
Jesus helps me trick people.
BRONZE Member
member
134 posts
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
member
134 posts
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posted:
Hey, what was the name of the movie? I'm always looking for new input for moves."The Shaolin Temple" is supposed to have a good rope dart scene, but I can't rent it here.Peace and fire.-Rick
Hey, what was the name of the movie? I'm always looking for new input for moves."The Shaolin Temple" is supposed to have a good rope dart scene, but I can't rent it here.Peace and fire.-Rick
-Rick aka Loki
oh, man, a signature?... uuh... this is like coming across wet cement... uuh, shoot, I had something clever I was saving... I hope I don't run out of sp
member
2 posts
Location: Denver Co.
2 posts
Location: Denver Co.
Posted:
The movie is Shaolin Temple. The best way to get it is to order from some place like Media PLay or some store like that. If you cant find a store as such in your area than im sure oyu can find it on the web.
The movie is Shaolin Temple. The best way to get it is to order from some place like Media PLay or some store like that. If you cant find a store as such in your area than im sure oyu can find it on the web.
BRONZE Member
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA
Posted:
Hey Rick...let me know how those mattresses pan out. If you really want to kick Kayla's bum in this...try one of those chinese wooden barges...I bet they canbe adapted rather easily!Thanks for the directions as well."Romeo Must Die", another Jet Li movie has him using a fire hose in rope dart fashion. It's worth checking out.------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...https://www.pyromorph.com
Hey Rick...let me know how those mattresses pan out. If you really want to kick Kayla's bum in this...try one of those chinese wooden barges...I bet they canbe adapted rather easily!
Thanks for the directions as well."Romeo Must Die", another Jet Li movie has him using a fire hose in rope dart fashion. It's worth checking out.------------------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
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