Fireballs you can Hold in Your Hands!

Ooh, fire. One of the biggest fascinations of man since the beginning of time. Doesn't it seem so cool to be able to hold it in your hands? You've probably seen the video of this stunt before. If not, check it out here and be amazed.

Many of you have reported being burned, scarred, hurt etc. I've made these, and tested them with different fluids. I will show you in detail how to make these, explain how they work, and share my notes on the best kind of flammable fluid to use.

This trick is really fun to perform, and a great way to reuse an old t-shirt. It is still fire, though, so be careful! If you want to know the science behind it, check out step two.

Step 1: Supplies

Most of these things you should already have laying around your house. If not, a quick trip to a craft store will get you the things you need.

100% cotton t-shirt or fabric
100% cotton thread - make sure it's thick enough to hold the ball of cotton together, but not so thick that it won't fit through your needle
Needle with eye big enough to fit the thread you are using
Scissors
Lighter
Some kind of flammable liquid (details on this in step 8)

Not much, huh? Make sure everything is all cotton. See the next step for reasons why. Skip to step 3 to get straight to work.

Comments

[ababypenguin]

awesome :o I must try this

[ebees2]

if i used polyester but didn't hold it and put it in my catapult would it matter?

[Bob the dog]

I did this and my mom totally freaked out.

[zstensland]

Tryed it turned out great scared the hell out of some of my friends!!

[twonkie12]

i have string but im not to sure if it is 100% cotton. any way to tell if its cotton or not. also mybrother sprayed axe on my hand and lit it. it will burn and it gets a pretty good flame.right in between 70% alchohal and91% ALCHOHAL i recomed it for people who are to scared of 91 alchohal but bored with   70% alchohal
 

[-Chrimson_And_Clockwork-]

you can tell by how it burns, if you put a flame to it and it burns to ash its full cotton, if it shrivels up and gets hard when the fire gets near its likely nylon. as for the axe, the reason its flammable is due to the propellant i don't remember what it is at the moment (i wanna butane) but its a common propellant, however for health reasons you shouldn't use it, the deodorants and preservatives in axe can emit toxic fumes when burned that can cause brain damage, asthma, and even cancer.

[1up]

You can't tell, really. You could dip it in some rubbing alcohol, light it, and see if it melts. If not, it should be fine to use.

[strcrusher]

hey you play assault cube? just askin

 

[aburgess6]

How about using some walmart brand hair-gel, and rubbing it on your hands? It's fire retardent I believe, you could rub it on your hands and have it be clear, then keep the fire ball in one place and even use a hotter liquid for more impressive fire?

[bfloobis]

didn't kipkay make this too?

[bounthsy]

lighter fluid with naphtha works best

[batonas]

can hold in hand few seconds when useing alcohol, with other flamable licquids its too hot to hold in hands.

[Veteran65]

Can I rub my hands with Vaseline ?
Will that help?

[I3uckwheat]

dont do that you will end up in the hospital it burns and is very hard to put out

[1up]

Isn't Vaseline flammable? Or am I mistaken? :P If it's not, go ahead and try it.

[ToddisI]

LOL... Vaseline bottles even say right on them.... Pure Petroleum Jelly... I would guess the stuff is like napalm...

[Shadoww]

Could you hypothetically make a big one, like the size of a baseball? that would be impressive.

[HANKS965]

i did it with those water balls and it soaked it in and didnt go out for a while, we even played soccer, but trying not to light are shoes on fire!!!

[1up]

Sure, but it might be a bit difficult to put out. ;)

[hintss]

what if you dumped it into a gallon container of water (with the top cut off)?

[hound55]

be careful i burned my eyelashes. otherwise very fun if you use 100% or more.

[hintss]

yay, %120 rubbing alcohol. tell me, did you get the doctor (doctor who) to help you?

[hound55]

no i was playing haky sack with my fire ball. it smelled bad but that is all.

[hintss]

still, more than 100%??

and they make kevlar ones for playing flaming-hackey-sack with...

[CeGarra]

I hate getting burned so when i make min i am wearing oven mitts, has antone just done that b4? also is there a way that i can add another chemical to change the color? or will it not work?

[hintss]

I got an idea for a flat pad of cotton, that you soak in water and set the ball on top of

[J@50n]

you could maybe put copper inside the ball somehow, im unsure tho

[ihaveguitarskills!]

Copper is bad,because since its a soft metal, it burns easily. Practically all metals except gold oxidize when heated, and release toxic fumes.

[1up]

Oven mitts would be ok, but probably a little difficult to maneuver in.

As for color, try this Instructable:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Colored_Flames/

[CeGarra]

Hey, here is something else for fire, i heard that if u spray windex on batteries they blow up i am not sure if it works, and if so how big or how long it takes to explode

[1up]

I think that might just be a myth. ;)

[hintss]

windex is ammonia based, right?

[King Julien]

What about gas from a car? I will try it. jk

[hintss]

how's you're little JJ doing :P

penguins of madagascar is awesome

[W trouble]

so you light it and throw it at your sisters hair or something?

[nitsuj1098]

In this particular situation, wouldn't the thread be the Mr. and the needle be the Mrs.? Just saying... ;-)

[imgeek1337]

can you use ronsonol?

[Jimmy Proton]

you could probably use anything with a cool flame (all flames are hot but some more than others)

[claclarina]

can I use alcohol in making that fireball? PLEASE ANSWER FAST :(

[1up]

You mean like beer? :P Maybe, there might be too much water.