Fire Tornado!!!!
July 3, 2012 7:52 PM   Subscribe

 
ok. awesome. Thanks for this.
posted by exlotuseater at 8:07 PM on July 3, 2012


Dude, that rates somewhere between OH YEAH! and OH FUCK YEAH!

Very cool. Thanks!
posted by eriko at 8:09 PM on July 3, 2012


I didn't see a "don't try this at home" warning, and so I think I might just try this at home... or a barely used parking lot seems like a much safer bet. Wicked stuff.
posted by thetoken at 8:14 PM on July 3, 2012 [2 favorites]


I need to do this. Oh so badly.
posted by MrBobaFett at 8:18 PM on July 3, 2012


Can any experienced pyrotechnicians explain why they're pulling the fans away later in the video?
posted by explosion at 8:19 PM on July 3, 2012


So that's what Stonehenge was for!
posted by sneebler at 8:20 PM on July 3, 2012 [1 favorite]


Can any experienced pyrotechnicians explain why they're pulling the fans away later in the video?

It looks to me that once they have the PILLAR OF FIRE, they're able to see that the air vortex is pretty rough and they adjust the fans until they get the airflow just right.
posted by -harlequin- at 8:20 PM on July 3, 2012


How long until the hipster version, with those Dyson fans?
posted by ceribus peribus at 8:22 PM on July 3, 2012 [2 favorites]


Mesmerizing. Really cool to watch the currents oscillating in the column.
posted by arcticseal at 8:22 PM on July 3, 2012 [1 favorite]


Can any experienced pyrotechnicians explain why they're pulling the fans away later in the video?

I would also assume that the fire tornado is kicking out ginormous amounts of heat that are most likely incompatable with plastic box fans.

See also: Fire Triangle for a quick primer on basic pyrodynamics.
posted by JimmyJames at 8:24 PM on July 3, 2012 [2 favorites]


Can any experienced pyrotechnicians explain why they're pulling the fans away later in the video?


1) Too much wind will just disrupt the spiral.
2) Too much heat will melt the fans.
posted by eriko at 8:28 PM on July 3, 2012


It's all very well until you put someone's eye out.
posted by Sing Or Swim at 8:31 PM on July 3, 2012


And the Lord said unto the Israelites, "Check this out, yo" and the Lord didst plug in a multitude of fans and arranged them encircling a bonfire, and the flames whirled about and lit up the sky in the midst of the desert. And the Israelites were like, "Whoa."
posted by XMLicious at 8:31 PM on July 3, 2012 [24 favorites]


Being the proper fire for roasting spiral-cut hot dogs.
posted by ceribus peribus at 8:34 PM on July 3, 2012 [8 favorites]


question two: Any experienced pyrotechnicians want to explain what the heck they're burning to pull out flames that tall?!?
posted by rebent at 8:36 PM on July 3, 2012


rebent: It says in the comments several bottles of lighter fluid.
posted by aubilenon at 8:40 PM on July 3, 2012 [1 favorite]


This was really beautiful. I will not try this at home. Thanks!
posted by rtha at 8:42 PM on July 3, 2012


son of a BITCH. I hadn't even said anything yet... my wife looked up, saw me watching this, and immediately vetoed me doing this tomorrow.

I responded with "well, yeah, of course. We don't have that many fans".

She then vetoed me doing it ever.

I find her lack of faith disturbing.
posted by Stunt at 8:48 PM on July 3, 2012 [35 favorites]


I await the SciFi, er SyFy, movie: FireNado.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:48 PM on July 3, 2012


Is it just me, or was that a Fire Goddess swirling in flame?
posted by likeso at 8:54 PM on July 3, 2012


Why is this so mesmerizing?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 8:54 PM on July 3, 2012 [1 favorite]


Looks like I'm going to Sam's Club tomorrow.
posted by mondo dentro at 9:02 PM on July 3, 2012


i am totally doing this on my camping trip in August. We'll just plug the fans into the AC adaptor and Bob's your uncle.
posted by SLC Mom at 9:06 PM on July 3, 2012


I. I. I. will create the fire. Not i.
posted by SLC Mom at 9:07 PM on July 3, 2012


Here's a larger scale version using liquid propane.
posted by pombe at 9:08 PM on July 3, 2012 [3 favorites]


I am carefully avoiding showing this to my wife because I want to avoid explaining to law enforcement tomorrow just what that 30' pillar of fire was doing in my quiet neighborhood...
posted by straw at 9:23 PM on July 3, 2012 [1 favorite]


Tell the cops to come back after you're done receiving the commandments from the Lord.
posted by horsewithnoname at 9:32 PM on July 3, 2012 [5 favorites]


man i just burned the *shit* out of my ceiling
posted by facetious at 9:39 PM on July 3, 2012 [1 favorite]


Sometimes SLYT is awesome.
posted by cribcage at 9:43 PM on July 3, 2012


Cue re-invigorated nationwide rash of all-consuming wildfires . . .
posted by barrett caulk at 10:01 PM on July 3, 2012


why'd you burn up old lady semple's pension check, trashy?
posted by elizardbits at 10:11 PM on July 3, 2012 [8 favorites]


Suck it, CGI! Now this is a practical effect.
posted by bicyclefish at 10:24 PM on July 3, 2012 [1 favorite]


pombe linked to video of the guys I photographed years ago.

Large and dynamic fires are hard to photograph well without a tripod.
posted by chairface at 10:53 PM on July 3, 2012


If you just happen to have a dozen box fans laying around doing nothing a nice way to spice up the campfire I think I'll stick to s'mores.
posted by pdxpogo at 1:04 AM on July 4, 2012




Someone needs to show this to Arthur Brown
posted by TedW at 3:43 AM on July 4, 2012


Call me old-fashioned, but I still think the homemade fire tornadoes are better than the store-bought kind.
posted by twoleftfeet at 4:16 AM on July 4, 2012


This is kind of like the reverse of blowing out the candles on a birthday cake, isn't it? Instead of having one blower trying to shut off a bunch of candles, you have a bunch of blowers trying to turn on one candle.
posted by twoleftfeet at 4:20 AM on July 4, 2012


What is with us humans? We can sit and watch youtube clips of fire for hours into the night.
posted by the noob at 4:36 AM on July 4, 2012


Musta been a defining moment in evolution when Zog ran toward the fire.
posted by likeso at 4:41 AM on July 4, 2012


The nature-made kind.
posted by Soupisgoodfood at 5:00 AM on July 4, 2012


Dumb question: Philip Glass, yes?
posted by middleclasstool at 5:32 AM on July 4, 2012


Speaking of Don't Try This at Home, that appeared to be indoors. (?)

Details here
posted by MtDewd at 7:06 AM on July 4, 2012


OCD rage:
THAT ONE FUCKING GUY: "Oh, we're pulling fans back? I got this!" [pulls fan back, reaims it directly at the column]
OTHER GUYS: [politely, unobtrusively reorient fans in correct tornado-potentiating direction, moving them back, slightly, to save TOFG's feelings]
THAT ONE FUCKING GUY: "Oh, we're pulling fans back? I got this!" [pulls fan back, reaims it directly at the column]
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj at 7:14 AM on July 4, 2012 [5 favorites]


Been there, done that.
posted by gimonca at 7:34 AM on July 4, 2012


jjjjjjjijjjjjjj, much to my husband's annoyance I could not stop myself from yelling at that guy. "What the fuck are you doing? Stop it, you're not doing it right!"
posted by misskaz at 9:00 AM on July 4, 2012



I think that guy had the right idea, but mis-aimed a bit. The fire was blowing over to the right too much. I think his idea was to tighten up the angle on the one in front until the fire tended toward the back, then turn in the ones on the right a bit, going around the circle like that. He was going for a monster, but everyone else kept backing them off to keep it steady.

While everyone else is home laughing about that fire tornado they had that one time, this is the guy who's going to be secretly, obsessively chasing the perfect fire tornado.

Next up: fan platforms that can rotate and slide towards or away from the fire. Linked to a central controller. With a laptop, be able to set vortex center point and inner radius. Start off with the fans blowing around in a wide circle and then turn them in to accelerate the vortex little by little.
posted by ctmf at 9:50 AM on July 4, 2012


Maybe another set of fans on platforms about six feet high.
posted by ctmf at 9:53 AM on July 4, 2012


I dreamt of dragons last night, likely in part due to this. It was immensely satisfying, A++++ would dream again.
posted by elizardbits at 11:16 AM on July 4, 2012 [1 favorite]


I heard my husband listening to this from another room and thought it was a Rolex commercial.
posted by daisystomper at 8:49 PM on July 4, 2012


Because, ya'know.... fire tornado.

It's my new catch phrase, we'll see how it does. I just never really liked racecars all that much.
posted by RolandOfEld at 6:03 AM on July 5, 2012


Music by Carly Comando of Everyday video fame. As I recall, her profile used to say, "I am not Philip Glass."
posted by berber at 10:42 PM on July 5, 2012


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