Great Balls of Fire Instructions by Arya Kermanshah 1 Introduction
This manual will describe to you, in a step-by-step format, how to create and control
your own personal balls of fire. This skill is very useful in party settings to entertain a crowd.
Creating fireballs is also a great way to impress your significant other. There is nothing more
attractive than a man or woman who can handle their fireballs.
Human beings first began tampering with fire over 125,000 years ago. Since the Middle
Ages there has been rumors and myths of great sorcerers, and dragons that could create and
control fire on command. This manual will help you become the modern-day sorcerer you have
always dreamed of becoming.
Today we know that fire has less to do with magic, but more to do with science. Fire is
made up of heated gasses from combustion. In this experiment you will be igniting fuels that
have a lower combustion point. Fuels such as naphtha and kerosene (found in lighter fluids) are
great because they are highly flammable and liquid at room temperature.
Creating your own ball of fire will take no more than five minutes. Before beginning,
one must make sure to be comfortable with their fire-handling skills. Please keep all long hair
away from the materials being used, and away from all live-flames. The fireballs should only be
created and used outdoors away from dry wooded areas, and other flammable materials.
The trick can also be performed indoors, but make sure to stay away from carpeted
flooring and to always have a bucket of water at hand. Those wishing to proceed with this trick
will need to soak a strip of cloth, which has been rolled into a tight ball, with lighter fluid. Once
ignited, prepare to have fun showing off the neat trick!
When playing with fire you must remember to always adhere to the safety of yourself
and the people around you.
2 A Cautionary Note
Please adhere to all text that is color-­‐coded in RED. Playing with fire has always been a dangerous pastime and there have been many fire-­‐related incidents that have resulted in death or injury. Please play responsibly and do not let your actions cause injury or danger to yourself or others around you. 3 Some Useful Terms
Ordered Chronologically
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Combustion-­‐ The process of turning carbon based molecules in our
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Ignite-­‐ •
Flammable-­‐ Something that is easily set on fire. •
Tongs-­‐ A tool used for gripping and lifting objects that are usually too hot to touch. •
Engulf-­‐ To swallow up. To surround completely.
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Surface Area-­‐ The total area of an objects’ faces and curved surfaces. •
Nylon-­‐ A compound that looks and feels like plastic, only more silky.
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Naphtha-­‐ A form of highly flammable gasoline. •
Kerosene-­‐ AKA “paraffin,” kerosene is a light fuel oil made from distilled petroleum. •
Alcohol Rub-­‐ Alcohol which is perfumed and used as an antiseptic. •
Butane-­‐ atmosphere into heat by the addition of oxygen.
To set on fire! Another constituent of petroleum that is used in a bottled form as a fuel.
4 Lighter Fluid Materials:
A typical can of lighter fluid (133mL) will
cost $1.99 from any local drug store or
supermarket. Make sure the ingredients
read naphtha or kerosene. Butane will burn
too hot.
Scissors
Any size works fine, the scissor will
only be used to cut the strip of cloth.
Strip of Cloth
Rectangular and approximately 2” by 5”.
This can be torn off of an old T-shirt, or
other article of clothing that is no longer
being used. It is very important to use 100%
cotton for safety reasons.
5 String
It is always a better idea to use a darker color of string for the
purpose of being able to see it while you are experimenting.
The length used will not exceed four feet. A length of thread
like the one seen in the photo can be bought at any general
store for no more than $1.19.
Bucket of Water
The amount of water used is to be determined
at the users’ discretion for purposes of safety.
Any container will work; the water just needs to
be ready to be splashed on any flame that gets out
of control.
Needle
It is a good idea to have a needle
at hand for the purpose of tying the
string around the length of cloth.
6 Frying Pan
Any regular cooking pan will work. These will be
found in your kitchen cabinets. The purpose of the
frying pan is to serve as a surface to apply lighter
fluid to your fireball, and to ignite your fireball.
Any hard and clean surface will work, but using
a frying pan has proven to be the safest method.
Safety Matches
These can be purchased in stacks of 250 matches
for $1.65 from any general store. The matches
will be used to light the ball on fire.
Tongs
Any patty flipping, barbecue tongs
will work during this experiment. A
substitute for this item can be a metal
spoon, or a makeshift form of tweezers.
Any metal based items can be brought
together to create the pinch that is
necessary for the purpose of this
activity.
7 Steps to Creating the Ball of Fire
1. Thread the needle with the dark colored thread you have. To do this, you must tie one end of the thread through the loop on the end of the needle. 2. Tear off a rectangular length of cloth. Ideally the dimensions should be about 2” by 5”, this does not have to be exact. The importance of this step is to be able to roll the cloth into a ball later. 3. Tightly roll the length of cloth into a ball. 4. Pierce the cloth ball with the needle, and bring the needle out through the other side. 8 5. Now wrap the thread around the cloth ball multiple times. To ensure that the fireball does not fall apart, wrap the ball with at least two-­‐feet of string. 6. End the wrap by running the needle completely through the ball once again (as seen in step 4), and then breaking the string. 7. Set the tightly bound ball onto a flat surface. The surface must be free of all flammable items, and the surface itself must not be flammable. A frying pan or marble kitchen tops are two examples of great surfaces to try this on. The flat wooden surface shown below works as well. 8. Soak the ball in lighter fluid. To apply the lighter fluid, gently turn the valve on the lighter fluid bottle. Now lift the bottle and turn it so that the hose is positioned above the cotton ball. The lighter fluid should be dripping on to the cotton ball at this point. The ball will absorb most of the fluid. 9. You should stop applying the fluid once the majority of the surface area of the ball has been soaked. 9 10. WARNING: do not ignite the ball while it is in your hand. While the ball is on the chosen fireproof surface use one of your safety matches to light the ball on fire. It is better to let the fire follow its own path as it engulfs the ball in flame. ***CAUTION***
Do not, under any circumstance, apply lighter fluid while the ball is on fire. The flame could potentially travel up the liquid stream and into the fluid bottle. This will cause a small explosion which will seriously injure you. 11. You now have a fireball! If you want to pick up the ball of fire, a good idea is to use your tongs to pick up the fireball and to gently place it on your hand. You should expect the same heat from a fresh hot pizza, without the melted cheese. Make sure to slowly lower the burning ball onto your palm to test the heat and to not startle yourself. Once you have gotten used to the burning ball in your palm, you can then try picking it up with your bare fingers. 10 Troubleshooting Tips
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If the ball feels uncomfortably hot, do not panic. It is a good idea to douse the flame by suffocating it, blowing it out, or using the water you have on standby. Set the ball aside and allow for the fuel to run out, you will notice this when the cotton begins to “blacken” from being burned. An alternative to solving this issue is to start over from step one. Before restarting, make sure that you have enough materials to redo the experiment. A possible explanation for the flame being too hot is that too much lighter fluid was added. To reduce the heat during your second attempt, soak only the surfaces of the ball in lighter fluid so that the core remains dry. The ball melted and burned my hand. The only explanation for the ball to have melted is that a fabric was used that was not 100% cotton. Fabrics like nylon contain plastic and will melt, and produce unpleasant odors and consequences. The ball is still too hot and it hurts. The trick to attaining the right temperature may boil down to the fuel that you are using. Naphtha and kerosene lighters work great and burn at relatively low temperatures. Butane and rubbing alcohol work as well but burn too hot. 11 Fun Tips
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The ball will continue to burn until the fuel runs out. An indicator of the fuel running-­‐
out is when you can notice that the cotton is starting to blacken. At this point you can put out the flame. The balls are reusable, but in order to do so, you need to put out the flame by suffocating it. After the fire has been put out, simply soak the ball in lighter fluid again and repeat steps 8 to 11. The ball can be thrown and passed around. You can even do tricks with the balls depending on how well they have been made. It is important to note that when playing with the balls, they are hottest at the flame tip and just above the ball. 12 Works Cited http://pad1.whstatic.com/images/thumb/1/1e/CutStrip-­‐Step-­‐3.jpg/670px-­‐
CutStrip-­‐Step-­‐3.jpg http://fishslapsababy.com/wp-­‐content/uploads/2011/01/mario-­‐fireball2-­‐
pv.jpg http://www.maniacworld.com/how-­‐to-­‐make-­‐a-­‐fireball.jpg http://www.freeimages.com/assets/183034/1830338589/lighter-­‐fluid-­‐1-­‐
1113410-­‐m.jpg http://www.redorbit.com/media/uploads/2004/10/25_365e8c1575c16e3d9
3d7f99c73a20162.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Sewing_needle.png http://www.wpclipart.com/household/chores/sewing/needle_and_thread.pn
g http://cdn3.fiverrcdn.com/photos/744187/medium/fireball.jpg?133541308
5 http://www.wikihow.com/Image:100_1227_893.JPG http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Rj_i1hn_ZoY/TITIVrpz_bI/AAAAAAAAKy4/p33oqV
k4EOY/s1600/llamas.jpg http://dictionary.reference.com 13