Fire Resistant String

So im making a fire yoyo but i think i should get some string that is fire resistant/ proof. Is there any, like, metal string ???

Um…

No.

What i meant by metal was like a small metal twine or something that wont allow the yoyo to fly away.

I don’t think that would work well at all. Also the string would be terrible.

Yeah i kinda thought so… So that being said, is there any string that is fire resistant?

Not that I know of. I don’t think yoyos are meant for that. :wink:

Yeah… but im making one :stuck_out_tongue: its going to be AMAZING. Im using side effects to hold the wick and junk. Good idea or bad?

I think it’s interesting.

Please don’t hurt yourself.

Dont plan to. im going to be very cautious. going to wear gloves, and its not like its going to be a huge fire ball. just a small flame coming out each side. ill post videos and pictures once i get the yoyo

I’ve always wanted a titanium throw so i could spark it over lighter fluid and throw a flaming yoyo.

So, chances are, that whisling YYF might be a good starting point. You can stuff it with material that can hold material to hold the combustible fluid. Have a modder cut more holes in it, probably some wedges in the top.

Then you’re going to need some fire retardant solution to soak the string into. I don’t know how well wool works as a yoyo thread string, but it’s naturally fire resistant. That doesn’t mean it won’t burn or smolder, as it will, it just tends to put itself out rather fast. They use it in NASCAR and other auto/motor sports for the uniforms due to the higher than normal odds of being lit on fire. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does… you want to be protected!

In general, I don’t think this is a good idea. What might be better is to modify a FHZ Pulse’s LED’s to be fire colors only. Fire poi works because they typically use metal or steel cables, chains or other non-flammable materials for the cable, and then the poi itself is designed to handle fire. Since we’re not bringing the object “back to the hand”, it’s significantly safer, at least safer to the performer.

Also, good luck on getting a fire marshal to sign off on this for performance purposes. I don’t want to even think what the insurance ding would be for an event that hired a flame yoyo’er. I know Polynesian groups that do fire poi, twirling and juggling have certifications and carry a lot of their own insurance to augment what the promoter brings on for the event.

I think you can do things to make it “safer”. However, “Safe” I don’t think is a suitable term. Safer, yes.

use kevlar string. kevlar is fire resistant. theres a couple of videos on youtube i saw a while back of people using fire yoyos. post some videos when you make it!

I’m not sure that a flamable solution is a great idea, since the centripetal force of the spinning yoyo would tend to fling the solution. Not sure that I would want that landing on my pants. :o

There is material that is designed to soak up and hold the fluid. They use it in fire poi, torches, juggling devices and other things. You also don’t use that much fluid either. I’ve had to be in shows where we’ve used the stuff so I’ve had a lot of exposure to it. There’s pretty much no leaking, dripping, splashing or flinging of fluid. If you use the right stuff, there chances of a problem would be tied to catastrophic equipment failure.

Yep, just didn’t want people experimenting and regreting it later.

I agree. This is not an area where DIY is a good idea for some aspects of the project. In some cases, no substitutions should be made.

well, good luck.

You might have to twist your own fireproof string - as far as I know, the only “Kevlar” strings on the market are Kevlar blended with polyester (which will obviously melt). One idea to look into might be making a blended string with Nomex thread as well as spun Kevlar. Nomex is another material often used in racing suits; it’s not quite as heat-tolerant as Kevlar (decomposing at about 600 F instead of 700-800 F), but it’s soft like polyester so it would make a yoyo string actually playable if blended, say, 60/40 with Kevlar.

I was planning to do the same thing as you for a long time, and even went so far as to get knit Kevlar gloves, but I never got around to having custom fire hubstacks made. Thing is, the string really just needs to be heat-resistant, not fireproof. You’re not lighting the string on fire, it just has to deal with radiant heat from the flames on the sides. Theoretically, even cotton would work for short periods because its ignition/smoldering temperature is higher than poly’s melting point.

Also, use a dry bearing and silicone response instead of a lubed bearing and sticker response, just for heat resistance and avoiding contamination… ;D

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Is Kevlar not Flame resistant? See if one of the string maker will make 100% kevlar for you. It’ll cut so you’ll need gloves, but that should work. I’ve seen fire performers use lengths of woven kevlar soaked in kerosene.

Here is one place I saw where you can get both Kevlar and nomex. http://www.thethreadexchange.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=TTE&Category_Code=fire-retardant-sewing-thread#product-selected

I think somewhere around a tex 40 would work well for yoyo string. I know buddy Jim has used a thread that was tex 40 and was 12 lengths