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What fuel do YOU use?
Lately, I have been experimenting with different fuel mixtures. Most people around these parts stick with plain old white gas, but I have found that it is not always the best, depending on what you are spinning. It burns the cleanest and wears on your wicks the least, so if you are spinning, say, a virgin pair of moonblaze poi, white gas is definitely your best bet.
However, white gas does have the notable downside of transferring and casting off fuel. Even if you spin your wicks off before lighting them, when the fuel heats up it can discharge if you are not careful. So, for the first minute or so of your burn, extra attention must be given so that you do not spin off burning fuel or transfer it to your body. Some people, like me, take advantage of this characteristic to perform flaming burnouts, which I will discuss in more detail shortly.
What I have been playing around with a lot lately is fuel mixtures containing lamp oil. I started with ultrapure and noticed that it behaves much differently than white gas. It takes a minute or so for the flame to reach its full size. It doesn't transfer or discharge fuel, even after it heats up. It burns much, much longer and at a lower temperature than white gas, making it ideal for contact tricks, or if you are spinning something like a rope dart where inadvertent contact with your prop is inevitable. However, while it burns at a lower temperature than white gas, the added burn time means your wicks get much, much hotter which I have found makes them more easily damaged. It is necessary to allow ample time for your wicks to cool down in between burns or they will literally fall apart. Executing ground strikes on concrete is not the best idea, either.
The next fuel I moved on to after ultrapure is another, newer product from lamplight farms called medallion. It is a lamp oil that contains naphtha, a mixture of hydrocarbons, so it is not suitable for firebreathing, but works great for spinning and it is much, much cheaper than ultrapure. It is not scented the way the citronella tiki oil is, but the naphtha gives it a lovely smell that I have become addicted to:) However, while the burn time is essentially the same as ultrapure, it lights up only slightly faster.
So, I got to thinking, is there a way I can combine some of the benefits of white gas and lamp oil? The first thing I wanted to accomplish was achieving a burn with lamp oil without waiting for the oil to heat up to flash point to achieve maximum flame. Second, I wanted to be able to execute a flaming burnount, which is impossible with pure lamp oil. The first thing that came to mind ended up doing both: soak your wicks in lamp oil, then dip them in white gas for a couple seconds before lighting them.
I must stress that at this point you must be VERY careful handling your wicks. First of all, the white gas will light up and almost instantly heat the lamp oil to flash point, so in about 2-3 seconds you will have a VERY big flame. At this point, you must spin your wicks out. I would advise that the first time you do this, you have a large, open area of concrete or asphalt, with no one nearby except your safety. Trust me, your burnout will behave much differently than if you were using only white gas. Having your wicks soaked in lamp oil will make the white gas literally slide off your wicks and travel much further and with greater velocity than what you are probably used to. However, this makes for lovely trails of fire that seem to dance on tiny little fire feet. Now that your wicks are spun off, the white gas has done its duty and your lamp oil will perform as normal, only a bit brighter. Just as if you were spinning with white gas, wait a minute or two before performing any tricks that involve body contact.
Again, let me stress that you must be very, very careful when performing a burnout in this manner. Only do it on a flat, level, paved surface, and only if the pavement is dry. If you do this type of burnout on wet, sloped pavement, your fire trails can travel in excess of 20 feet from your body, and in an unpredictable manner. Which could be cool, if you have a death wish. Even if the pavement is dry and level, make sure your audience (or anything remotely flammable) is a safe distance away: 20 feet in each direction should do the trick. If you have a fire extinguisher, I would keep that handy as well. Only use an experienced safety that is comfortable putting a fire out, not your buddy that you invited over to watch a spin jam in your driveway.
If this scares the crap out of you, good, because it should. Fire is scary. But don't worry, I have another idea to share if you aren't feeling quite up to giant flaming burnouts yet. Take your lamp oil and mix in 10-20% white gas. This will cause your wicks to light up almost as quickly as if you were using white gas alone, and you get to reap the benefits of lamp oil by having longer burn times and essentially no fuel discharge, which means no giant scary burnout.
Also, let me share one more bit of safety advice. I have a background in chemistry, so I have a pretty good idea of what fuels are safe to mix together. If you don't know anything about this sort of thing, consult someone who does before you start playing background chemist. For instance, two fuels I caution you never to play with in this manner are kerosene and gasoline. Both of these fuels have a low flash point and low vapor pressure, meaning they vaporize rapidly at room temperature and can hover around in fluid, gaseous clouds which can travel upwards of a mile. If at any point along this vapor trail, the cloud is lit, it can cause "flashback" causing flame to travel back to the fuel source, potentially igniting anything in its path. So, having containers of this type of fuel open for any amount of time, especially pouring from one container to another is a bad, bad idea. Check out Tedward's new video where he describes the phenomenon of flashback:
www.youtube.com/user/NAFAAtv
So, at this point, I open the discussion to you guys. Does anyone have information regarding a fuel or fuel mixture that they would like to share? This includes which fuels work best for certain props or tricks.
However, white gas does have the notable downside of transferring and casting off fuel. Even if you spin your wicks off before lighting them, when the fuel heats up it can discharge if you are not careful. So, for the first minute or so of your burn, extra attention must be given so that you do not spin off burning fuel or transfer it to your body. Some people, like me, take advantage of this characteristic to perform flaming burnouts, which I will discuss in more detail shortly.
What I have been playing around with a lot lately is fuel mixtures containing lamp oil. I started with ultrapure and noticed that it behaves much differently than white gas. It takes a minute or so for the flame to reach its full size. It doesn't transfer or discharge fuel, even after it heats up. It burns much, much longer and at a lower temperature than white gas, making it ideal for contact tricks, or if you are spinning something like a rope dart where inadvertent contact with your prop is inevitable. However, while it burns at a lower temperature than white gas, the added burn time means your wicks get much, much hotter which I have found makes them more easily damaged. It is necessary to allow ample time for your wicks to cool down in between burns or they will literally fall apart. Executing ground strikes on concrete is not the best idea, either.
The next fuel I moved on to after ultrapure is another, newer product from lamplight farms called medallion. It is a lamp oil that contains naphtha, a mixture of hydrocarbons, so it is not suitable for firebreathing, but works great for spinning and it is much, much cheaper than ultrapure. It is not scented the way the citronella tiki oil is, but the naphtha gives it a lovely smell that I have become addicted to:) However, while the burn time is essentially the same as ultrapure, it lights up only slightly faster.
So, I got to thinking, is there a way I can combine some of the benefits of white gas and lamp oil? The first thing I wanted to accomplish was achieving a burn with lamp oil without waiting for the oil to heat up to flash point to achieve maximum flame. Second, I wanted to be able to execute a flaming burnount, which is impossible with pure lamp oil. The first thing that came to mind ended up doing both: soak your wicks in lamp oil, then dip them in white gas for a couple seconds before lighting them.
I must stress that at this point you must be VERY careful handling your wicks. First of all, the white gas will light up and almost instantly heat the lamp oil to flash point, so in about 2-3 seconds you will have a VERY big flame. At this point, you must spin your wicks out. I would advise that the first time you do this, you have a large, open area of concrete or asphalt, with no one nearby except your safety. Trust me, your burnout will behave much differently than if you were using only white gas. Having your wicks soaked in lamp oil will make the white gas literally slide off your wicks and travel much further and with greater velocity than what you are probably used to. However, this makes for lovely trails of fire that seem to dance on tiny little fire feet. Now that your wicks are spun off, the white gas has done its duty and your lamp oil will perform as normal, only a bit brighter. Just as if you were spinning with white gas, wait a minute or two before performing any tricks that involve body contact.
Again, let me stress that you must be very, very careful when performing a burnout in this manner. Only do it on a flat, level, paved surface, and only if the pavement is dry. If you do this type of burnout on wet, sloped pavement, your fire trails can travel in excess of 20 feet from your body, and in an unpredictable manner. Which could be cool, if you have a death wish. Even if the pavement is dry and level, make sure your audience (or anything remotely flammable) is a safe distance away: 20 feet in each direction should do the trick. If you have a fire extinguisher, I would keep that handy as well. Only use an experienced safety that is comfortable putting a fire out, not your buddy that you invited over to watch a spin jam in your driveway.
If this scares the crap out of you, good, because it should. Fire is scary. But don't worry, I have another idea to share if you aren't feeling quite up to giant flaming burnouts yet. Take your lamp oil and mix in 10-20% white gas. This will cause your wicks to light up almost as quickly as if you were using white gas alone, and you get to reap the benefits of lamp oil by having longer burn times and essentially no fuel discharge, which means no giant scary burnout.
Also, let me share one more bit of safety advice. I have a background in chemistry, so I have a pretty good idea of what fuels are safe to mix together. If you don't know anything about this sort of thing, consult someone who does before you start playing background chemist. For instance, two fuels I caution you never to play with in this manner are kerosene and gasoline. Both of these fuels have a low flash point and low vapor pressure, meaning they vaporize rapidly at room temperature and can hover around in fluid, gaseous clouds which can travel upwards of a mile. If at any point along this vapor trail, the cloud is lit, it can cause "flashback" causing flame to travel back to the fuel source, potentially igniting anything in its path. So, having containers of this type of fuel open for any amount of time, especially pouring from one container to another is a bad, bad idea. Check out Tedward's new video where he describes the phenomenon of flashback:
www.youtube.com/user/NAFAAtv
So, at this point, I open the discussion to you guys. Does anyone have information regarding a fuel or fuel mixture that they would like to share? This includes which fuels work best for certain props or tricks.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Theodore Petrosky on -
Well, this is actually very interesting and entirely relevant to what I've been thinking about.
I want the longer burn time of lamp oil with instant light up of white gas... and haven't tried this mix yet. I'll do so in my next practice burn.
I made some rather large wicks based off the Isis Poi design that on a pure Lamp Oil solution give me a beautiful 5-6 minute burn time, but it takes forever to get them lit which is troublesome for full on performances. I like trying to find interesting ways to light the wicks, and if it takes 15 seconds of holding them ontop of an open flame it gets rather limiting.
So really, thanks for the info. I'm going to try out your Lamp Oil/White Gas 80%/20% mix, it sounds like it'll work for what I need. :)
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Permalink Reply by Joey N on -
My favorite mix is about 75% oderless mineral spirits and 25% lamp oil. Not many peole know about the mineral spirits. It burns nearly as bright as map, however there is absolutely no transfer...And burnoffs are still possible! It lasts much longer than map too. You can get it anywhere too, pretty cheap. I usually get a gallon from Walmart for around $10. However, they will not sell it to minors, as it is basically paint thinner. I still enjoy the looks I get when I get to the counter with nothing else but 2 or 3 gallons of it, LOL.
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Permalink Reply by Jonah Gasparotti on -
You can also try the method I described of soaking your wicks in lamp oil first, then briefly dipping them in the white gas. This will light them up the quickest. If you don't desire a burnout, don't saturate your wicks completely with the lamp oil, and spin them off after you dip them in the white gas. But definitely try the 80/20 mix and see if you like it. That's what I usually dip my rope dart in, since castoff can travel dangerous distances.
Theodore Petrosky said:Well, this is actually very interesting and entirely relevant to what I've been thinking about.
I want the longer burn time of lamp oil with instant light up of white gas... and haven't tried this mix yet. I'll do so in my next practice burn.
I made some rather large wicks based off the Isis Poi design that on a pure Lamp Oil solution give me a beautiful 5-6 minute burn time, but it takes forever to get them lit which is troublesome for full on performances. I like trying to find interesting ways to light the wicks, and if it takes 15 seconds of holding them ontop of an open flame it gets rather limiting.
So really, thanks for the info. I'm going to try out your Lamp Oil/White Gas 80%/20% mix, it sounds like it'll work for what I need. :)
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Permalink Reply by Jonah Gasparotti on
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It's funny, because I have thought about using mineral spirits before, but was not sure how it would perform and I haven't found any information regarding their use in fire performance. I will surely give it a shot. Oh, and you should have seen the looks I got at Walmart when I was doing my shopping for playa del fuego. My cart had duct tape, 9" metal tent pegs, 6 cans of white gas and two bottles of lamp oil. I'm probably on some government list now...
Joey Noneman said:My favorite mix is about 75% oderless mineral spirits and 25% lamp oil. Not many peole know about the mineral spirits. It burns nearly as bright as map, however there is absolutely no transfer...And burnoffs are still possible! It lasts much longer than map too. You can get it anywhere too, pretty cheap. I usually get a gallon from Walmart for around $10. However, they will not sell it to minors, as it is basically paint thinner. I still enjoy the looks I get when I get to the counter with nothing else but 2 or 3 gallons of it, LOL.
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Permalink Reply by monica ferroe on -
I experienced "flashback" last night. I was spinning with 2 people I've never spun with before and one of them used my fuel and DID NOT REPLACE THE LID!!! Next thing I knew, my paint bucket of white gas/lamp oil mix was ablaze. Nothing major- just 5-6 inch flames... but it did piss me off. Thanks for the post and video link- it was very informative.
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Permalink Reply by Jonah Gasparotti on
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Hum...it's unlikely that you experienced flashback with a white gas/lamp oil mixture, but I suppose it is possible. Are you sure the can was not lit by flaming discharge from whatever your friend was spinning? Did you see flame travel back to your fuel dump (i.e. a burning cloud of vapor), or did it simply ignite? Also, what was the ratio of white gas/lamp oil that you were using?
In either case, it is equally important that you close the lid to your fuel (obviously, you are aware of this) before you light up...I would simply like to satisfy my curiosity in regards to what exactly happened:)
monica ferroe said:I experienced "flashback" last night. I was spinning with 2 people I've never spun with before and one of them used my fuel and DID NOT REPLACE THE LID!!! Next thing I knew, my paint bucket of white gas/lamp oil mix was ablaze. Nothing major- just 5-6 inch flames... but it did piss me off. Thanks for the post and video link- it was very informative.
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Permalink Reply by monica ferroe on
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No one saw what happened, so it is possible that it was not flashback and just a bit of flame discharge...
The ratio was probably close to 50/50. I think I'm going to just use white gas alone from now on- I think the lamp oil burns sooty. And I'm going to put a decal on my lid that reads, "Always Replace Lid" as a reminder to myself and anyone that may want to use my fuel.
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Permalink Reply by Jonah Gasparotti on
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Lamp oil does burn sooty and is harder on your wicks, with the trade-off having a longer burn time. If you use ultra pure, the soot isn't so much of a factor, but ultra pure is expensive. White gas is probably the best all-around fuel to use...it is good for burnout tricks, but for that reason, you have to be careful of discharge. Personally, I use different fuels for different purposes, as I have described earlier in the thread.
monica ferroe said:No one saw what happened, so it is possible that it was not flashback and just a bit of flame discharge...
The ratio was probably close to 50/50. I think I'm going to just use white gas alone from now on- I think the lamp oil burns sooty. And I'm going to put a decal on my lid that reads, "Always Replace Lid" as a reminder to myself and anyone that may want to use my fuel.
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