Fireknife FAQ's

Most beginning knife dancers use a broomstick with towels or other materials wrapped around the ends and secured with electrical or duck tape. There should be enough material to simulate the weight and size of the blade and the end wick.

Even experienced dancers learn and practice new moves with these sticks until they are comfortable
Hey, the knives are sharp and there's no sense in getting hurt.

Ready for a Knife ?

For competition, three knives are required: one single and two doubles.
The single knife must be 37.5 inches long from the tip of the hook to the end of the handle, and the blade must be 14.5 inches long from the tip of the hook to where the blades fits into the handle. All knives must have at least two metal rivets to hold the blade to the handle.

Double knives must be 35 inches long, with blades at least 13 inches long. All the knives must have hooks large enough to hook the knives together and yet be free at all angles. For more info on competition knife and dancing specs, click here.

Knives are hard to find, but lucky for you we have them for sale......

Now for the Fire !

After you've learned your moves and are comfortable with the knife, it's time to light it up !
First, you need to wrap the knife. You'll see three holes down each side of the blade, and two more holes at the other end of the knife.
Decide on your material, most common is the plain cotton towel, cut it into widths and then tightly rolled to make a 10 inch by 2 inch wick. Another very good material, and one that lasts a long time, is the Kevlar wick used by circus performers. Kevlar wicks however, are expensive. Some people like to use pressboard, but you must be careful that the board you get does not contain toxins. It's also a good idea to wrap the board in a single layer of towel to prevent fly-offs. We usually recommend plain, thin 100 % cotton towels - they soak up a lot of gas and cotton is not toxic. Just be sure to shake off the excess gas. A combination of cotton towels underneath a Kevlar wick also works well.

For the blade end, cut three two inch long pieces of some tie- wire. Thread each piece of wire through each set of holes, creating three half circles of wire crossways down one side of the knife.

On the other side of the knife will be the three sets of open wire ends, ready to twist over the wick.
Place one wick lengthwise through the half circles until it is in position, then turn the knife over and pull the wire ends tight.
Place your other wick into position and, using two pairs of pliers, pull the wires as tightly as you can and then cross and twist them.

Cut off the extra wire and then twist the wire again with a pair of needle nose pliers until you are sure it is very tight. You should be able to grab the wick and yank hard without it moving.
For the other end of the knife, cut another two pieces of tie wire and thread one through the top hole and the other through the bottom hole.
Wrap this end with enough two inch wide pieces of material to make the size wick you like. Twist one set of wire ends over and secure, then pull the other side as tight as possible over the wick and twist, using pliers as before. Cut off the excess wire, twist and test as you did the other side, and you're finished !

What Kind of Fuel ?

The most commonly used fuel for fireknife dancing is White Gas, Also known as Naphtha. Naphtha is used in Coleman stoves and is easy to light, burns clean, and vaporizes very quickly.
Naphtha is very volatile, it can explode or get out of control if proper precautions are not used.
You cannot dip smoldering knives into naphtha because that will set the contents of your fuel bucket on fire. Even approaching your fuel while holding smoldering knives can cause the fuel to explode. You must completely extinguish the knives with a damp towel and wait at least thirty seconds before redipping your knives when using naphtha. Some performers use a mix of white gas and paraffin for a longer burn. Naptha is toxic, so be careful about getting it on your skin, or swallowing it if you are doing a mouth transfer of the flame.

NEVER USE GASOLINE !

Gasoline is highly explosive and creates a large, invisible vapor cloud that can be easily ignited. Gasoline is also highly toxic and if ignited, almost impossible to extinguish. To learn more about the dangers of gasoline click here.

Lighter fluid can also be used, and it is easy to carry. When using lighter fluid you will need to soak your wick very well at least five minutes before you perform.

Always remember - you are working with fire and you are responsible for your safety and that of your audience.

Light it Up !

Soak your knives in a plastic or steel bucket well away from the stage and people....you want a safe staging area well out of the way.
When your knives are ready, SPIN THEM OFF !
Spinning the excess fuel off the knife helps prevent you from getting lit gas on yourself or your audience. Be careful not to get the gas on yourself, and always have a damp, not wet, towel handy.

Always make sure someone is there to spot you, to help put your knives out, and to watch for any problems. The banana leaves which you often see wrapped around a performers neck and legs are soaked in water, this helps minimze any burns which may happen...and you WILL get burned sometime. Wear as little clothing as possible, and make sure they are not highly flammable.

If you want to see champion fireknife dancers in action, you can
order the World Fireknife Championship DVD here.

When you have practised awhile , go to the Flaming Sword of Samoa Website and find out when our next World Fireknife Competition will be held.
Entry forms will be available online.

You can learn even more about the Samoan Fireknife Dance, it's history, and the man who invented it in this book: "Flaming Sword of Samoa - The Story of the Fireknife Dance)