Forums > Help! > How set yourself on fire???

Posted: 14th Aug 2002
It's called trailing. Do a search for it. I think it's definitely not Kerosene!

Posted: 14th Aug 2002
Kerosene is definately not what you want. White gas would be the closest thing you would want to use because it evaporates quickly so it won't burn you.
I know there was a post about lighting your hand on fire a while ago so do search.

Odi et amo: quare id faciam, fortasse requiris. Nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior. -Catullus

Posted: 14th Aug 2002
OK, I wasnt really lucky with my search, but what is white gas and where can I get it? Or would it maybe work with a mixture of alcohol and lamp oil? I think i need something what is explosive and doesn't burn slow...I think kerosine would, but whatever.

And would it be necessary to spread something under the flame fluid, like oil or wax or so? Cause my plan was to finish my firechain performance with setting myself on fire so I have to make sure that the gas stays on my skin and doesn't go inside...at least for three minutes.

thanks for the help

Charlotte

Posted: 14th Aug 2002
white gas can be found at wal mart or army navy (or your countrys equivelent.It is fro the little coleman stoves.i forget what its called on the can but coleman make it.

There are no obstacles only challenges.
Very funny scotty now beam down my pants.
[colour."green"}What would willie do?

AHH theres too many wee leprechauns i cannae squash them all

Posted: 14th Aug 2002
Kerosene does not evaporate quickly enough and it will burn you. I've lit my hand of fire using white gas (colemans) successfully. I would only suggest white gas because it evaporates quickly and won't burn you. However for that reason I don't think it will stay on your skin for too long.

Odi et amo: quare id faciam, fortasse requiris. Nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior. -Catullus

Posted: 14th Aug 2002
I don't know that i'd use white gas, but that could work..i guess

70% ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL

works wonderfully, not very dangerous, availible at your local drug store.

also, try serching "other toys" for a thread called "tracing" there might be some info on there....

Keep your dream alive
Dreamin is still how the strong survive

Shalom VeAhavah

New Hampshire has a point....

Posted: 14th Aug 2002
it also stays on ur skin a little longer. don't light standing liquid on your skin tho unless there is a lot of liquid, b/c then you will burn yourself.

Keep your dream alive
Dreamin is still how the strong survive

Shalom VeAhavah

New Hampshire has a point....

Posted: 15th Aug 2002

quote:

---

Originally posted by Kyrian:
I don't know that i'd use white gas, but that could work..i guess

70% ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL

---

That form of alchohol is very bad for the skin and kinda toxic if it gets anywhere else... I found out recently...

JUGGLEwithyourmind!

Posted: 16th Aug 2002
if that's true then why the hell are they using it in doctors offices????

i don't just mean vet clinics (where i work) altho we certainly get it on ourselves, but they use it in most dr's offices i've been in too......

i dunno if ur right or wrong drome, but if ur right that would be beyond scary.

what about 99% Isopropyl? (rubbing alcohol)

anyone try that?

and wouldn't fuel be bad for ur skin too, just curious.

Keep your dream alive
Dreamin is still how the strong survive

Shalom VeAhavah

New Hampshire has a point....

Posted: 16th Aug 2002
I'm not sure if I got this right. You want to put something flammable on your skin while you swing fire poi and then ignite it? I remember doing the old hairspray trick when I was a kid, but you have to put that out yourself. One girl I knew did put it out soon enough and got burned pretty badly (since her whole hand was on fire.) I think you would need some sort of base if you could ever manage to pull this off. Wax seems like a bad idea since it melts easily (sorta like your skin).

Two wrongs don't make a right but three lefts do

Posted: 19th Aug 2002
It's expensive but try some kind of drinkable alcohol cos there are so many tricks you can do with the stuff.
Maybe cheap brandy or something i have done it before (just as a dare on the piss) but i've poured brandy on my arm and lite it and it looks ok through really blurry eyes. Needless to say i haven't done this as a performance but it may be a start.

tennis

Never think you think too much make sure you think about the right stuff

My cat's breath smells like catfood

Posted: 20th Aug 2002
I think I know what you're talking about. You want to use an insulative chemical on your skin and a fuel. I'm pretty sure that what you are looking for is available as a magic shop item. I don't know what it would be called though.

I tried experimenting w/ vaseline
...didn't work tho

good luck to you... if you figure it out let me know!

When there is no place that you have decided to call your own then no matter where you go you are always heading home -Soseki

Posted: 21st Aug 2002
By the way, isopropyl alcohol isn't bad for your skin. It will irritate the skin a little if you leave a lot on for a long time and don't wash, but that's about it.

Thought I'd set your mind at ease.

As far as putting it anywhere else, you shouldn't drink it, siphon it up your nose, or use it as an eyewash, but then, why would you?

Don't use kerosene, it has a very high flash point (hard to light) and unlike coleman fuel (also known as white gas) which burns off fumes a few milimeters off of your skin, kerosene is more likely to burn off a few milimeters of your skin

Happy self-combustion!

When there is no place that you have decided to call your own then no matter where you go you are always heading home -Soseki

Posted: 22nd Aug 2002
I think you need to do a lot more research on this subject before attempting to try it.

The sort of fuel you are looking for is something that evaporates fairly quickly thus minimising the risk of actually getting burns. With these fuels it is normally the vapour that burns and the burning vapour will heat the remaining fuel allowing it to evaporate and burn away from the skin.

However you were talking about having the fuel on your skin for a considerable ammount of time (ca 3 mins), by this time a suitable fuel would have probably evaporated and therefore not ignite. I am not sure wether there are any professional gels available for this sort of stunt but that might be worth researching.

Setting fire to fuels which are in contact with the skin has got to be one of the higher risk performances and I wouldnt even think about trying something like this unless I could get some kind advice from someone that it well practiced at this type of display

Mark P

Posted: 22nd Aug 2002
As long as you don't swallow it or do anything unspeakably stupid with it (like deeply inhaling the fumes), isopropyl alcohol is essentially harmless. I used to wash my hands with it when I'd leave lab. It dries very quickly. It's also used to wipe your skin when you get a cut or before you get a shot.

However, I found that 70% isopropyl alcohol burns quite hot and too quickly for tracing. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to do it. Hey, I guess there are advantages to having almost no body hair, after all.

-Mike

Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella



A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura

Posted: 22nd Aug 2002
Mike that was way to much info about you!!

I have used white gas before, I would set my Poi alight with a small flam from my hand. *shrugs*

Have fun dont do anything too stupid!! Make sure you have a safty when doing body transfer.

Some Jarhead last night: "this dumb a$$ thinks hes fireproof"

Posted: 29th Aug 2002
Hey everybody...

Thanks really a lot for the help but I guess I got to talk to a stuntman or so to be sure about this what I want to do.

Charlotte

Posted: 23rd Jan 2004
ok, i have done this many a time, what is safe to use on skin, and flammable??? spray on deodorant, if you cover your hand so that its dripping off you can light it up and have it butn for about 10 seconds before your hand starts to bake, youll stink a whole lot afterwards but it works fine. the more deodorant you have on there the less it hurts, and if you sway your hand around a little it will slow the burn, and a lot of swinging will put it out easily.

a little trick i learnt in japan froma fellow b-boy was to get your lighter, and depress the gas button thing while the bit where the flame comes out is held above your fist, but with a hollow bit like the size of your index finger of the other hand,, anyway after youve held it there for a few seconds, 3-4 flick the flint, and then open up your hand, slowly is better i think and youve got one of them demon holding a fireball kinda things going on.

Posted: 23rd Jan 2004
At 70% they use it for disinfecting things like surfaces and sensitive equipment.

Spoiling Christmas for small children since 2003.

Posted: 23rd Jan 2004
Hmmm....

I am going to have to itemize this so that I can remember to cover everything.

- Methyl and Ethyl alcohols are not recommended for close proximity fire (fire on flesh) because of many reasons. Of course there is the fact that there are fumes associated with burning Methyl alcohols (varnish, turpentine, rubbing alcohol, white spirits, etc.) which should not be inhaled. Left on the skin these can cause cracking and rawness actually. Then there is the added contents in Ethyl alcohol which can render it not burning (water), or leave a nasty residue behind (colors, flavors, etc). There is of course the fact that the burn temperature for those which will work in this instance being high enough that it creates the ever unpopular with performers blue flames, which are neither big nor bright enough for a show.
The only benefit is the low amount of smoke given off.

- White gas, which is a naphtha fuel much akin to Zippo fluid (otherwise known as camp stove fuel) is a popular choice. It does not pour out the black smoke like kero derrivitives, or has as strong an odor. It is, however, not good to leave on the skin and can cause extreme irritation, rashes, etc. Because of the burn temperature it does leave a very lovely orangey coloured trail which is good for audiences. It does burn hot and it will burn you before the point it evaporates/boils off you. I have the marks to prove it.

The burn times of both of these fuels for this art is conciderably less than a minute.

Barrier Creams, such as Vaseline (a petroleum product and so should not be combined with fire, btw) or waxes should not be used as they can cause worse burns than the fire and fuel alone.

- Stunt gel. I believe this is something you are looking for. It is hard to come by and should be used only by trained professionals.

Please do alot more research on this topic before attempting it.
Key words you can use:

Trailing, Pooling, Palming, Close Proximity Fire, Painting, Fire on Flesh, Fire to Flesh, Fire Transfers, Skin Transfers

Pele

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: 10th Jul 2004
has anyone tried out biodisel? what is the most earth / human body friendly burnable substance out there for poi?

Posted: 11th Jul 2004
Biodiesel sounds like the most environmentally friendly fuel, but I haven't used it yet. Because of the weight/burn time of the fuel(similiar to parrafin), I wouldn't recommend it for transfers.

Without the use of fire gel, in most cases I follow a 3 second rule for transfers on bare skin(notably hairless skin, as hair burning tends to get uncomfortable very quickly), any longer than 3 seconds(again in most cases) starts to burn the skin, this time can also vary depending on where you are doing the transfer, as areas where the skin is thicker(callouses, some peoples backs have extremely thick skin, etc). I used to think too that alcohol was a colder burn, but it's actually hotter than white gas/lighter fluid(any naptha based product), so the transfer fuel of choice is still white gas for me. But again, naptha is very toxic, and you are absorbing a certain amount through your pores any time your perform a transfer.

First intention, then enlightenment..
Ars Pyronomica

" Life is programmed. Whether death is programmed or not is yet to be determined."

Posted: 11th Jul 2004
um, i think there is an article on here somewhere about fuels, and about burning times of various stuff - leather, skin, cotton, nylon etc. not the same article, but both would prolly be helpful.

"beg beg grovel beg grovel"
"master"
--FSA

"There was an arse there, i couldn't help myself"
--Rougie

Posted: 11th Jul 2004
don't use biodiesal - it is extremely difficult to light and has a very high heat capacity (to the point that even unlit fuel spray from poi can burn sensitive skin - feels like fry vat grease spatters).

all the fire tracers I know use isopropal alcohol in combination with quick dips in water, but they do have the problem of short burn time (which is probably a good thing). I actually think the water helps extend the burn time by keeping the alcohol from burning off quite so quickly and/or stopping it from absorbing into the skin before burning.

Back when i did staff (which I had to quit because of shoulder burcitis, which poi doesn't seem to agrivate) I used to light one wick, then squeeze some excess fuel out of the second to do a hand transfer of flame from the lit to unlit wick. Over the course of a second and a half or so, a handfull of burning white gas (coleman fuel) can get rather hot, but I never really got a real burn from it. I did find that white gas does irritate my skin quite a bit though (actually think I developed a mild allergy to it over the first couple years of fire performing - my skin doesn't dislike parrafin nearly as much - any comments on that Lightning?).

Anyway, I find that you should always listen to what Pele has to say if she bothers to put in a long comment on a topic.

-v-

Wiederstand ist Zwecklos!