Tori's Pyrotechnics ;-)

[Tori]

I know there are lovers of a good fire on here (You know who you are! :lol) So I thought I'd share my photos of last nights antics!

Fire spinning!



That's me in the middle!

[GringoRojo]

cool. how'd you do that then?

[Tori]

I just pm'd you on facebook, but it's no secret really. It's basically plumbers steel wool (Highly flammable when rubbed with a 9v battery :lol) stuffed inside a metal cage (I use a cheap metal cooking whisk thing) Then a metal chain attaching the whisk, then spin spin spin!! The faster you go, the more oxygen etc, the more sparks. If you pack the wool less tight you get more sparks too. It's fun, but you must where a hoody an tuck your hair in a hat lol. I got a little singed!!

If you do't fancy getting incinerated, you can also do it with battery operated fairy lights. My fairy lights last night were nor very sucessful They were not bright enough really. I'm working on that ;-)

[Fazerider]

Bloody hooligan. :rollin


(Love that middle one in particular.)

[Tori]

Lol! We all went out in black hoodies. The bridge was on a railway footpath. When some people came down the footpath, they turned around and walked back the other way. I think we probably looked like we were up to no good! A few folk did stop and express interest though, which was nice. We had a brief visit from the police, but nothing was said, they just watched for a bit!

[Kosmic Kartman]

Bright sparks  :eek

[Fazerider]

Like most of my friends I was a keen amateur pyro as a kid. Unfortunately in those pre-internet days, finding information was harder than getting hold of the chemicals so my trial-and-error approach to firework making was somewhat hazardous. Inevitably, at the age of 13 things went a bit wrong and what was planned as a pretty fountain made an impressive bang instead. The police were probably a lot harder on the chemist I grassed up as the source of my supplies than on me. These days a similar sized explosion would probably have got us all shot as terrorists. :lol

[Tori]

:lol Hilarious!

[martynR]

Steel Wool Poi

[Tori]

That's it! ;-) If you just spin the sparks are going away from you. In tunnels, it's raining down on you, so be careful if you try it. And like it says, don't try it at home, try it at somebody elses lol

[His Dudeness]

i used to do that as a kid. the key is not to buy the steel wool that has soap in it.  :rollin we used to used to wrap it around a wire coat hanger and spin it around. wasn't as fancy as your one

[erix2]

Impressive stuff....you`ll make the local papers yet.... :lol

Eric  :eek

[BIG MAC]

I like that... I wonder if the steel wool had some copper swarf in it ...Hmmmmmmm I feel an experiment looming

[Tori]

Thanks I don't know what copper swarf is? Or how it'd burn? Does anything burn blue? That would be quite impressive!

[Fazerider]

Yes, copper (or copper salts) can give blue or green colours in firework compositions, but it might be hard to get copper swarf to burn in air... I don't think it gives off enough heat to maintain the reaction without a more concentrated source of oxygen. Usually it's used as an additive to a mixture which provides the high temperature rather than being the active reducing agent.

[pitternator]

maybe the music should be " firestarter " !  :lol

great vid btw.... 8)

[John Silva]

Steel Wool Poi

If only you could play a musical instrument while doing this,  :eek you could be the next Rammstein.

[BIG MAC]

Apparently copper chloride is needed but it's naarsty stuff giving off noxious fumes when burnt.

[Tori]

lol

I'm having another go at this on friday, but could do with some ideas for some 'non noxious' additives! ;-) I'm thinking of adding my fairy lights to make some more colours, but they may get a bit burnt. Any ideas appreciated!

[Fazerider]

You could try including aluminium swarf or filings which might give some bright white sparks to contrast with the yellowish ones from the steel wool.