1 Equipment - 2 Liquid Fuel - 3 Juggling props - 5 Dry Fuel - 6 Summary
4. NON-JUGGLING FIRE PROPS
FIRE EATING consists of using one or more flaming wands to transfer flames to the tongue and then light another wand with them, extinguish a wand, transfer small amounts of lighted fuel to the skin, hold a lighted wand in your mouth, and so on. Correct breathing technique is essential. Fire eating exposes your mouth and lips to a significant amount of fuel, so the use of anything other than the purest kerosene or grain alcohol will result in eventual poisoning. Even with pure kerosene, diarrhea and indigestion are common side effects.
FIRE-EATING WANDS are typically made of welding rod, with Kevlar wicking string tightly wrapped in layers around one or both ends for about two inches. Asbestos string is no longer available for sale, but you might come across a reel or spool of it that was purchased by a veteran. Don't use it.
Several books indicate that rags and gasoline are acceptable wicks and fuel for fire eating and spitting. They are wrong. It is possible to use gas and rags without getting hurt, but extremely unlikely. It is not possible to avoid poisoning from gasoline.
FIRE SPITTING, BLOWING, or BREATHING consists of putting a small quantity of fuel in your mouth, spraying a fine mist into the air, and lighting that mist into a cloud of flame. The technique is very specific, and any errors can be fatal. The danger here is several times greater than in any other form of fire performance.
In addition to increased risk of poisoning, chemical pneumonia from inhaled vapor and mist becomes a real danger. If you are doing daily shows, it is inevitable. This is similar to regular pneumonia, in that the lungs' ability to absorb oxygen is severely impaired. It takes several weeks or months of bed rest and medical treatment to cure. You will probably recover from an instance of chemical pneumonia, but each time you do, you will have less lung capacity for several months to several years afterwards.
Another risk in fire breathing is the "blowback," where the cloud of fire flows back to your mouth, igniting any fuel remaining there and exploding any fumes remaining in your lungs. This is not always fatal. Blowbacks are much less likely with kerosene because of its low volatility. It is also harder to spray kerosene into a fine enough mist to ignite it. So, some use Coleman or lighter fluid, and face increased risk of poisoning. (Let's be clear here, these fuels will poison you--but if you are very healthy you just won't feel the effects immediately.) Despite the greatly increased danger of blowbacks, grain alcohol is used by some in an effort to avoid poisoning. However, most professionals use kerosene.
1 Equipment - 2 Liquid Fuel - 3 Juggling props - 5 Dry Fuel - 6 Summary
A revised and expanded print version of Fire Safety for Jugglers is available now from
Flaming Sparrow
© 1998-2002 Eric Bagai
page last revised 11/20/2003