Making Fire Swords: A Project

Fire swords can be constructed relatively quickly and easily, assuming that they are not intended for contact use (contact requires specific construction techniques to keep the wick from being damaged - not covered here).

Resources and tools required:

Flat kevlar wick - 2 x length of the blade; slightly wider than the broadest point on the blade
Kevlar multi-strand string - ~ 2 x length of blade
One (or more) sword(s)
Extra-large canvas needle with large eyelet
Strong scissors

Tthe project shown here required:

two (2) Thai practice dha (steel) with 26" long blades
7' x 2" x 1/8" woven kevlar wick
6' x 8 strand kevlar cording

The ends of the woven wick is taped to limit fraying. The cording is composed of five pairs of kevlar thread that can be separated into lengths for sowing.

First, the full length was cut in two to provide two lengths, one for each sword. It was initially decided to have the sheath extend all the way to the hilt.

Some thought was given to how close the flame should approach the hand - on a Thai dha, the hand is right up to the hilts even though the grips are quite long.

The wick was laid flat, with the sword on top, and the other half folded back. The width of the wick is as wide as the widest part of the blade.

The trick for the rest of the blade lies in folding back the wick inside the sheath so that the shape of the blade is retained without adding ugly bulk or awkward lines.

Starting on the back at the tip, one side of the sheath was closed. a doubled length of kevlar thread was used in a half-knot stitch to strengthen the seam.

The wick was folded back on itself at the tip to follow the line of the blade. This added a bit of buik at the tip - not a bad thing as this means it also hold a bit more fuel.

Finally both dha were completely sheathed and the threads knotted off. Two nearly full threads were used on each side of each sheath - requiring the full 8 strands of 6' kevlar thread to finish both swords.

Fuelling the swords is not easy - many use the popular turkey baster or squeeze bottle while held over a paint can. An alternative is to fold a 4' piece of 8 or 10 " flashing at each end - each end is bent back on itself and extra left at one end to add feet and elevate. Caution must be exercised when folding - repeated folding introduces holes easily in the tightest corners.

There is room for both swords to be basted from above - the tray catches the excess which can be poured back. Another approach is to fill the tray as a bath and dip swords. However, this means quite a lot of extra fuel is exposed between burns and may pose a spill or flash flame hazard.

After their maiden spin, the two dha show slight singeing. Some suggest that freshly wicked toys be allowed to soak for at least 30 minutes - thereafter, they can be fueled in a few minutes. Also, it is suggested to light, extinguish, and refuel in very short periods to help burn-in the wick.

The wicking right up to the guard didn't prove to be a serious problem. Gloves were worn in any case but the flame was relatively easy to manage (using a 60/40 white gas and lamp oil mix). Burn time was roughly 2.5 minutes. Spin-off was achieved by putting the swords in a garbage bag and spinning them hard for a few seconds.

In contrast, a sword can be wrapped, instead of sheathed. This is allows for more wick and can be done faster. The chinese broadsword pictured here can burn up to 5 minutes if properly soaked.

The wick is overlapped so that there is a double thickness. It is wrapped tightly with a criss-crossing steel wire holding the wick in place.

The wire is bound at the base to finish. Due to the amount of fuel that this sword can carry, over 6" is left bare ahead of the hilts.

With Radiant Heat, maelstrom members spin sword in regional festivals (like Illuminares) and other events (such as Burning Man).

Many thanks to Lori Miller of Luxotica for much advice and help bringing my swords to light!!