Tribal Fusion Dance

Fuels for Fire Dancing

From April 2 workshop:

The most commonly used fuels are listed here. All of these fuels are extremely toxic, and unfortunately toxic for the environment as well (all are non-water soluble). Please take great care and responsibility using them. Do not pour excess fuels out on ground or down sinks, only back into fuel containers. Take time to learn proper use, disposal and recycling of liquid hazardous waste. Use clearly marked containers as these fuels are all clear and resemble water when unlabeled.

Fuels can be absorbed through skin. It is highly recommended to become familiar with emergency safety procedures for exposure to each fuel.

“The lowest temperature at which a liquid will give off a sufficient concentration of vapor to form an ignitable mixture with air near the surface of the liquid is known as the flash point.” (burnsurvivor.com).

The higher the flash point, the safer the fuel in terms of its combustibility.

Below are the most commonly used fuels by fire dancers. Other fuels not listed here include biodiesel, ethanol, and smokeless lamp oil.

Please consult http://www.nafaa.org and http://homeofpoi.org and http://hazard.com for further safety information.

White Gas (coleman fuel): Burns very hot and fast, ignites instantly, bright white flame. Can stick to clothing and ignite. Do not re-dip fire wicks while they are still hot or flaming!! Be careful transporting in car trunks – will expand and potentially explode. It can form flammable mixtures with air and flash at room temperature. Fuel vapors will ignite. The fuel vapors are heavier than air and therefore will can travel long distances to source of flame. Flash point is listed by manufacturer as <0˚ F.

Kerosene: Smoky, burns cooler than white gas, but can be difficult to light in cold weather. Very strong odor when burned which consumes an extreme amount of oxygen in enclosed spaces. Flames are a cool yellow and burn almost as long as lamp oil. Highly flammable. Flash point of 110F. Extremely combustible and fumes can also ignite.

Lamp Oil/Ultrapure: Slow burning yellow flame, slow to ignite, burns for a very long time. Most common fuel used on fire fingers and fans. Extremely smoky and oxygen depleting when used indoors. Potential danger when used in doors- oil will coat flooring after use, this makes for very slippery conditions. Safer for transport than other fuels. Flash point listed by manufacturer is 220˚ F.

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