Difference between revisions of "How to make a fire brand"

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You will need:
+
{{menu2}}
  
* Wood (not too short or you're liable to get burnt, and somewhere
+
Worked together via Steve G., Blue H., etc.
between too thin when the wood gets burnt through and too thick, when
 
it's inconvenient to hold - something about the thickness of 1.5 broom
 
handles but maybe slightly shorter)
 
  
* Tinfoil (a fairly thick variety - its job is to protect the wood under
+
== Materials ==
the torch)
+
* Wood - not too short or you're liable to get burnt, around 150cm, and somewhere between too thin when the wood gets burnt through and too thick, when it's inconvenient to hold - the thickness of 1.5 broom handles, something about 1.5 - 2 inches. Must be green wood - old/dead wood is no good, it will burn too quickly.
  
* Chicken wire (the smallest mesh you can get - this is to stop bits of
+
* Cotton or linen (but definitely natural fibre) sheets.
fiery cloth going everywhere)
+
 
 +
* Tinfoil - a fairly thick variety - its job is to protect the wood under the torch
 +
 
 +
* Chicken wire - 25mm hex or the smallest mesh you can get - this is to stop bits of fiery cloth going everywhere. 60 cms wide x 10 metres
  
* Something like staples to hold the wire in place and a device for
+
* Staple gun + fence staples (or double ended horseshoe shaped nails and a hammer)
putting them in with (we used those double ended horseshoe shaped nails
 
and a hammer once, but the Big Stapler is better)
 
  
* Something to cut the wire with, and gloves.
+
* Wire cutters
  
* Cotton or linen (but definitely natural fibre) sheets.
+
* Gardening or leather gloves
 +
 
 +
* Bow saws (2) - need to cut a notch for the bow otherwise it might slip.
 +
 
 +
== Steps ==
 +
* Tear the cloth up into strips about 2 to 3cm wide and as long as you can. Make 3 to 5cm deep incisions along the short edge of the sheet in to strip stubs. Bunch alternating strip stubs into two groups. With two people, one person grabs one set of strip stubs and the other the other. PULL! If one person, ripping them to make them 10 to 15cm strip stubs and put one bunch under one foot, balance and pull
 +
 
 +
* Cover around the top 30cm of the wood with two layers (minimum) of aluminium foil
  
Cover about the top foot of the wood with two layers (minimum) of
+
* Start winding, taking care to leave some wood exposed at the top
aluminium foil and then proceed to tear the cloth up into strips about
 
an inch wide and as long as you can.
 
  
Start winding....
+
* Keep doing this. This is boring, really - hence all the dubious jokes.
  
(check to see if you have something that looks like one of the pictures
+
* Eventually.... stop
on Flickr, if not - tie another bit on, and wind again)
 
  
Keep doing this. This is boring, really - hence all the dubious jokes.
+
* Cut out enough chickenwire mesh to wrap round the end and staple it in place.
  
Eventually.... stop
+
* Go to the pub for a bit.
  
Cut out enough chickenwire mesh to wrap round the end and staple it in
+
* Dip the end of the torch in paraffin for a good long time (you can determine this by making more than one torch and having a test burn or two, good ends to start from are two hours and overnight)
place.
 
  
Go to the pub for a bit.
+
* Light it!
  
Dip the end of the torch in paraffin for a good long time (you can
+
In an ideal world, it should burn for about half an hour or so, but once it's gone out you can sometimes restart it by swinging it wildly round your head so that any paraffin in the centre is flushed out to the edges. DO NOT do this near people, or with torch balls (they tend to go flying off unpredictably).
determine this by making more than one torch and having a test burn or
 
two, good ends to start from are two hours and overnight)
 
  
Light it!
+
== Etc. ==
 +
See also http://www.night-watch.net/content/Documents/FireBrands
  
In an ideal world, it should burn for about half an hour or so, but once
+
And maybe http://www.night-watch.net/content/Documents/TorchBall
it's gone out you can sometimes restart it by swinging it wildly round
 
your head so that any paraffin in the centre is flushed out to the
 
edges. DO NOT do this near people, or with torch balls (they tend to go
 
flying off unpredictably).
 

Latest revision as of 20:40, 2 July 2014

Worked together via Steve G., Blue H., etc.

Materials

  • Wood - not too short or you're liable to get burnt, around 150cm, and somewhere between too thin when the wood gets burnt through and too thick, when it's inconvenient to hold - the thickness of 1.5 broom handles, something about 1.5 - 2 inches. Must be green wood - old/dead wood is no good, it will burn too quickly.
  • Cotton or linen (but definitely natural fibre) sheets.
  • Tinfoil - a fairly thick variety - its job is to protect the wood under the torch
  • Chicken wire - 25mm hex or the smallest mesh you can get - this is to stop bits of fiery cloth going everywhere. 60 cms wide x 10 metres
  • Staple gun + fence staples (or double ended horseshoe shaped nails and a hammer)
  • Wire cutters
  • Gardening or leather gloves
  • Bow saws (2) - need to cut a notch for the bow otherwise it might slip.

Steps

  • Tear the cloth up into strips about 2 to 3cm wide and as long as you can. Make 3 to 5cm deep incisions along the short edge of the sheet in to strip stubs. Bunch alternating strip stubs into two groups. With two people, one person grabs one set of strip stubs and the other the other. PULL! If one person, ripping them to make them 10 to 15cm strip stubs and put one bunch under one foot, balance and pull
  • Cover around the top 30cm of the wood with two layers (minimum) of aluminium foil
  • Start winding, taking care to leave some wood exposed at the top
  • Keep doing this. This is boring, really - hence all the dubious jokes.
  • Eventually.... stop
  • Cut out enough chickenwire mesh to wrap round the end and staple it in place.
  • Go to the pub for a bit.
  • Dip the end of the torch in paraffin for a good long time (you can determine this by making more than one torch and having a test burn or two, good ends to start from are two hours and overnight)
  • Light it!

In an ideal world, it should burn for about half an hour or so, but once it's gone out you can sometimes restart it by swinging it wildly round your head so that any paraffin in the centre is flushed out to the edges. DO NOT do this near people, or with torch balls (they tend to go flying off unpredictably).

Etc.

See also http://www.night-watch.net/content/Documents/FireBrands

And maybe http://www.night-watch.net/content/Documents/TorchBall