Torches and Firebreathing

Step 6: Safety first

So youve practiced a bunch with the water, and feel confident that you are ready to start using the real thing. Before you do though I must first give some advice on handling kerosene.

So I used to carry around the kerosene in an 8 oz. flask thinking I was cool. However, after a few weeks the kerosene had affected the little piece of rubber (I think it was rubber) in the screw on lid, causing it to expand to many times its original size, and it fell out. Thinking I had a strong enough seal just between the metal cap and the flask I filled it up anyway, slipped it in my pocket, and biked over to my friends house. When I arrived at my friends house I noticed that my pocket was slightly damp and checked the flask, which was dry to the touch, so I didnt think it had leaked. I moved it to another pocket where after 20 minutes the same thing happened, but by this time my leg underneath the first pocket started to itch. I was fairly certain that the kerosene was giving me a chemical burn, but there was nothing much I could do about it.

I emptied out the flask, rubbed it down with paper towels, and replaced it in my pocket, but it was too late my pockets were already soaked with the stuff. I wasnt able to change my pants so I had to walk around for the rest of the day with my kerosene soaked pockets rubbing against the sides of my legs. A few days later the skin was incredibly itchy, and about a week and a half later the skin from the 5x2 inch red square on my leg started to peel. Once the peeling stopped my leg was fine again, but the point of the story is that this is a dangerous chemical and do not leave it in contact with your skin for a prolonged period of time.

Even more importantly TRY AS HARD AS YOU CAN NOT TO ACCIDENTALLY SWALLOW IT. HOWEVER, EVEN WORSE THEN GETTING IT IN YOUR STOMACH IS GETTING IT IN YOUR LUNGS. IT RESULTS IN A SICKNESS CALLED FIREBREATHERS PNEUMONIA (hydrocarbon pneumonitis) SOMETHING YOU DONT WANT TO GET.

Comments

[teawrecks]

Just don't be stupid and use camping fuel like me... ouch lol

[babanajoe]

WOW
Does it hurt?
Careful with the wind!!

[lvrofdragons]

I used white camp fuel and i almost burnt myself too. luckily for me, i walked away unburned.

[babanajoe]

You're so lucky

[lobo_pal]

I was at Philmont, and we just switched cooks, so I was helping the cooks learn how to use the stove. My friend couldn't get the white gas to work, so he asked me to do it. The problem is that he forgot to turn of the gas. I lit it with a match, and almost burned myself with a 6 foot flame. Other people from my troop were in a 10 foot ditch getting water from the river and could see the flame.

[Treupp]

There's one, pretty important thing that's missing. First-hand experience. Always breathe fire upwards. Never aim at the ground, as the flame will bounce back right in your face.

[all_thumbs]

Ah, yes, safety.

When I fooled around teaching myself breathing fire, I figured out/thought about the following safety precautions:

• Use 100% pure paraffine oil rather than kerosen, as (I think) the latter may contain all kinds of things you don't want to know about.
• Clothing may act as wicks, making you burn more easily. Paraffine oil on bare skin does not ignite as readily.
• Do not underestimate/forget the danger of "chemical pnemonia"! That is, it is probably much more harmful to get paraffine oil into your lungs than into your stomach.
• Don't do this when drunk.
  

With a big torch, fire-breathing might be possible with wheat flour. I have tried this, but failed. Someone else might succeed.

[twenglish1]

i did it with many things: wheat flower funnel cake mix pancake mix powdered sugar baking powder(not baking soda) and im sure there are many more

[Rishnai]

Using the same principle as a grain dust explosion? I never thought of firebreathing that way, but back in high school me and my buddies would light fires in an old metal drum and have fun spraying various powders into them and watch the fireballs. Powdered milk was fun, and non-dairy creamer does kind of an interesting ember thing inthe air right before it fireballs.

[twenglish1]

yah like i said before you can use the same principle for fire breathing. and you don't have to worry about putting that dangerous stuff in your mouth

[Rishnai]

I'll have to try that! I assume that you have to put a lot in your mouth, so your spit doesn't soak it and turn it to nonflammable goo?

[twenglish1]

yah pretty much, but if you dry your mouth out first you wont need as much and you will get the hang of it the first times i tried it i started choking on the powdered sugar lol! just when you put it in your mouth breath through your nose

[Emankcin]

I know you guys are using kerosene, but why not use alcohol? Wouldn't a mouthful of Jack, or Everclear give you a good enough fireball, without the risk of ingesting harmful chemicals? Worse thing that happens with Jack, is you might get a little drunk!! A little sidenote, I saw on one of those true videos shows, a guy trying to blow a fireball using gasoline. I laughed my ass off! Why? If he was dumb enough to use gasoline, he deserved to get laughed at. At least you are using a flammable with a high flashpoint.

[ainemoire]

alcohol burns EXTREMELY hot and is incredibly dangerous to use. Don't even think about it unless you want 3rd or even 4th degree burns and to possibly end up getting killed.

[Tetranitrate]

Paraffine oil is kerosene, they are the exact same thing, its just paraffin is the UK term for it. You are right though, you only want to use 100% paraffin oil / kerosene because any impurities can make you really sick And yes I probably should mention something about chemical pnemonia, you are right that it is actually more harmful to get this stuff into your lungs then your stomach. Its also known as firebreathers pnemonia, probably because no other hobby requires putting dangerous chemical in your mouth.

[killerjackalope]

Umm I have several hobbies that do... My favourite is called under the kitchen sink shots...

I have you to thank for getting me back in to fireblowing again... After the incident I had stopped and now I've started after seeing your two 'ibles float around for so long...

[hippieofvenus]

again kero is different than paraffin. kero is a carcinogenic and paraffin means its just oily fuel. you want to use Ultra-pure lamp oil it doesn't cause cancer

[the fat hobbit]

its good to know i probably wont get cut playing with fire i was worried for a sec

[spicy meat ball]

I know it aint the best thing in the world but ive been using kingsford charcoal lighter fluid (i have thick chemical burn in my throught already from working with very toxic chemicals my whole life so it doesnt hurt, just bad for ya).....Im going to pick up the real stuff before I goto the next music festival.