And How To:

• Die a horrible screaming death.
  Or
• Really impress people without dying a horribly screaming death.

What are fire chains?

Put simply. Tennis ball sized pads soaked in paraffin hung from chain, set alight and twirled around to make pretty patterns preferably at night. Whilst it does work in daylight only at night does the full effect come out.

I have just recently discovered that firechains are related to 'Poi'

True 'Poi' is a New Zealand war dance done only by women with very short pom-poms. Though nowadays outside of NZ it encompasses fire chains. There is a Poi website here.
And a UK supplier of Fire toys.

Isn't the internet wonderful?

If you want to do this don’t try it after drinking or indulging in any other mind altering substance. Your co-ordination will be shot and you end up hurting your self or setting fire to something you really do not want to set fire to. (Bin der dun dat)

Secondly have a friend ready with a small fire extinguisher or blanket just in case it all goes wrong. This has to be someone who will recognise that you rolling on the ground in a ball of flame is not part of the act!

How to make the chains

You need:

• Two rags to make tennis ball sized balls.
• 2 meters of Fibreglass or Kevlar tape 2" wide.
• Two 0.25m lengths of 5mm cord
• 3m of fine wire. (0.025" if SS or about 1mm if galvanised)
• Two 0.75m lengths of approximately 4mm to 6mm metal chain.(could anyone be dumb enough to use plastic?)
• (I have seen 3/16" wire rope used instead of chain so you can use it if you have access to it.)

  Ball up the rag and cover with the fibreglass tape so no rag is showing. This prevents the rag from burning when the fuel runs out. Now wire the balls to one end of the chain. Go around like the lines of longitude on a globe. Don’t tie it too tight or it will not hold the fluid. But on the other hand if they are too loose you don’t want to be flinging flaming fire balls into the neighbours garden. At the other end tie the cord in a loop so you can grip it in your hand with it over your wrists or later as you get better, two fingers.

  Diagram of fire chains

  

Practice makes perfect

Now go and practice twirling them. You will find there are all sorts of patterns you can make. Funnily enough some of the really complicated ones are not as impressive as the simple ones. You will find that at first the balls keep finishing up either in a knot or thumping you on the back or worse. But in time a good set of moves can be built up with out too much damage to your self. You may find that you want to lengthen or shorten the chain to give a better swing, it all depends on your height.

Now soak them in paraffin

That’s Paraffin (Kerosene) NOT PETROL (GAS) or any other inflammable.

Have the friend set fire to them and start twirling.

Hints:

Have a small metal bucket with a lid and a metal paraffin container. Pour enough paraffin into the bucket to cover the balls and give them a good soak before you start. You can reload them by dipping them in the bucket one at a time to keep one lit. This can also be used to put them out. I also use a candle off to one side to re-light from.

You can also buy salts to make different colours of flame should you so wish.

If you really get into this fire act the next step is Fire Breathing. But that requires a little more study from a professional! Please don't try it unless you realy know what you are doing.

With thanks to Stan the Man for showing me how it's done.
Here's Stan in action

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