Let it Burn - The Art & Science of Steel Wool Spinning | Pics & Tutorial

How To Spin Steel-Wool - An extensive in-depth tutorial with some UNSANE example photos taken by your boy @synrg

Hello Steemians, I am sure many of you have seen these types of photos, they can lend themselves to quite a dramatic effect and is relatively easy and cheap to pull off.

Of course when dealing with fire it's always important to observe common sense when it comes to safety... although sometimes you just have to...

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Jokes aside, this is NOT something you want to do when it's really dry out or with material nearby that can easily ignite, as the steel wool will have the power to ignite dry grass, brush and other readily combustible materials. The other thing to watch out for as well is that there will be little bits of molten metal that may potentially fall on you. Use of a wide-brimmed hat or at the very least a hoodie to protect you from falling sparks. Someone I knew got a bald spot from doing this. Another thing that could happen is a chunk going down the back of your neck into your shirt. Not likely but you don't want to test muphys law with this. All information provided is simply for entertainment purposes and I assume no liability for any damage, injury or even death that may occur if you decide to try this yourself.

Things that you will need:

• A kitchen whisk
• A length of rope approximately 4' long.
• Some Steel wool. Be sure to get as fine of a grade as possible, like 0000 'finest' or at most 000 'extra fine' grade, otherwise it will not stay lit if it's too coarse.
• A lighter or a 9V Battery as an ignition source
• A Camera with manual control over shutter/aperture and a Tripod
• A hoodie or a wide-brimmed hat to protect you from falling sparks
• A place and a time to do this - and an IDEA for a photo
• OPTIONAL: An assistant, or a wireless release for the camera. Otherwise you will need to time your photos with the countdown timer.

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After the rain or in winter are probably the best times to do this, but on a dewy, humid evening, night or morning are also good times to pull this off. Sometime when you're not about to spark a fire. Just be aware that sometimes you'll have bits of molten metal that can stay hot for a considerable amount of time, and if it's really dry out, I could see one of those molten bits landing in a pile of dry leaves, pine needles, brush, etc.. Just have your wits and your senses about you when doing this. I've seen how much heat those bits can contain and it's impressive that you can basically make molten metal with nothing more than a kitchen whisk and some steel wool and a lighter. With great power comes great responsibility.

Instructions:

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Prepare your whisk with rope like so:

^{Two whisks I prepared. One thing to watch out for is to SECURELY tie the cord to the whisk. Don't just rely on the metal loop at the bottom. Make a knot around the handle like I did in the photos.}

Second thing is you'll have to do is prepare your steel wool. If your steel wool comes 'individual' then you can start with a whole 'scrubber' and go from there. Otherwise grab a bit and stuff it inside the whisk.

^{Handling the steel wool I am not the biggest fan of. If I have to tear it, the sensation is not a pleasant one. Same with the smell of the stuff when it burns - smells horrible. I think there is oil left over on the steel wool after it's been manufactured... Needless to say it doesn't smell pleasant lit on fire however it's kind of something that comes with the territory, wear a gas mask if you're that kinda guy/girl/person!}

We have ignition!!!

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Lighting the steel wool - provided you have the right kind - is very simple. This can be done 'traditionally' as with a simple 'cheapo' lighter - torch or regular, or even with a 9v battery. I've even used 2 rechargeable AA batteries to light the steel wool when I realized I had nothing else.

A 9v is very convenient because it happens to have two *conveniently * exposed, almost too conveninently if you're not careful, terminals which when come into contact with the steel wool will cause it ignite. That little 'spark' generally dies out pretty quickly but not always and at this point it's very important to point something out.

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WARNING

DO NOT carry your batteries and steel wool in the same pocket! This could result in a very unpleasant and unexpected situation very quickly! Nobody likes a pocketful of molten metal! Yowza!

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Once there is a bit of oxygen getting to the burning wool, it starts to burn much more violently and gives off showers of hot metal which create the effect.

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As far as camera settings go, you'll have to play around with this a bit but to start off, try somewhere around f8, 25s, ISO 320... of course there's lots of leeway will all the variables but like always, that's photography, it's all about playing around and having fun. Being able to immediately see your work via the advent of Digital Cameras is an amazing thing.

Enjoy yourselves! Check out some examples of what's possible with this technique:

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^{Be aware of your surroundings and take all necessary precautions to protect yourself by wearing proper safety equipment and attire. Keep bystanders and pets well away while you are doing this. You assume all risk of injury or damage to property if you decide to try this yourself.}

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Thanks for stopping by! Happy Spinning 😄