How to Create Fire in Your Hand

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Safely set your hand on fire with these science tricks
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Though extreme caution and adult supervision are always required when handling flammable liquids, a few spectacular fire tricks can be done with household supplies and simple techniques. You can impress your friends with circus-worthy tricks or fool them into thinking you're an Avatar -level fire-bender. Keep reading to find out exactly how to harness the power of fire in your hands!

WARNING: Use extreme caution. Handling flammable liquids without proper protection is not recommended. Only do so in the presence of an adult or an experienced professional.

Section 1 of 4:

Creating Fire in Your Hand with a Butane Lighter

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  1. It’s incredibly important to take serious safety precautions when working with fire—otherwise, you could set your home on fire or severely injure yourself. Find a place outside to do this trick, and look for a clear area without any brush or anything else that could catch fire. Keep a bucket of water handy in case you need to extinguish flames quickly, and make sure you also have adult supervision. [1]
    • While not required, you may choose to perform this trick while wearing gloves. Opt for an old leather glove or lined garden glove that’s tight-fitting with a hard palm surface.
    • While flame-retardant gloves are better to protect yourself from being burned, they will often extinguish the flame before it lights. Regular cloth gloves, on the other hand, can absorb the lighter fluid and increase the possibility that you’ll accidentally light the glove on fire and burn yourself.
  2. Make a fist, but leave enough space in the middle of the fist to comfortably insert the end of the lighter. Keep your fingers relatively tight, so the butane won't escape when you release it into your palm, and use your thumb to cover up the gap on the top of your fist (where your index finger meets your palm).
    • Try to imagine you were holding water in your palm and keeping as much of it as possible from escaping—this should give you the proper hand positioning.
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  3. Put the flame-end of the lighter into your hand, pushing it gently into the hole at the bottom of your fist. Insert the lighter far enough so that the butane will escape into and stay into the pocket created by your fist. The trick won’t work if the lighter is simply being held at the edge of your palm—it needs to be fully inserted into your fist. [2]
  4. To start the trick, hold down the red button on the lighter to release the butane gas. Do not strike the flint by rolling the thumb-roller—just depress the red button for approximately five seconds. [3]
    • Five seconds is long enough to give you enough flammable gas but short enough for the resulting fireball to be relatively brief (and less dangerous).
    • Different performers of this trick will hold down the button for longer or shorter, depending on the gas flow of the lighter and the size of the fire they want to create. To be on the safe side, it's best to hold it down for around five seconds.
    • If you eventually get more comfortable handling the lighter, you could then try to create a bigger fireball if you’d like. You could hold the button down for 10-12 seconds. But when you're first starting out, go small. This is a dangerous trick, and you don't want to get in over your head!
  5. After you've counted to five, you need to move quickly so the butane won't evaporate. Keeping your fist tightly closed, hold the lighter about 1 foot (300 mm) away from your fist, then strike the flint by rolling your thumb over the roller and holding down the gas button again.
    • Do not strike the flint (or light the lighter) while the lighter is still inserted into your fist. This is extremely dangerous.
  6. Quickly bring the lit lighter toward your fist, while simultaneously opening your palm one finger at a time, starting with the pinkie. This step has to be done very quickly in order for it to work. If done correctly, the butane that’s been trapped in your fist will ignite and quickly burn up, and you'll be able to "control" the fireball by quickly opening your hand to display it. [4]
    • The timing for this trick takes some practice. You want to "fan" your fingers away from the lighter, raising your pinkie first, then your ring finger, and so on to completely open your fist.
    • If you open all your fingers at once, the butane may not ignite. If you don't open your fist at all, however, you risk burning yourself. Under no circumstances should you leave your fist closed while bringing the flame to it.
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Section 2 of 4:

Creating Fire in Your Hand with Flammable Hand Sanitizer

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  1. The idea of the trick is to spread a small patch of sanitizer on a surface and light it, creating a small layer of blue flame that you can very quickly run your finger through and put out immediately. First, find a suitable flameproof surface on which to work: you need to go outside to do this trick, preferably on a very flat patch of concrete far away from anything flammable (e.g., small twigs, sod, bits of paper). You need to be very careful that nothing will catch on fire but the sanitizer.
    • Prepare your safety items, like flame-resistant gloves and a bucket of water, and set them next to your work surface.
    • Lastly, buy a flammable variety of hand sanitizer . Look on the label for “ethyl” or “isopropyl” alcohol—if you have the wrong type of hand sanitizer, this trick will not work. [5]
  2. Squirt a small amount of sanitizer on the concrete and thin it out evenly with your finger. Wipe the sanitizer off your finger to make sure that there's no chance your fingers will light prematurely. Then, use a lighter to ignite the goo so that it glows with a gentle blue flame. [6]
    • Keep in mind that this blue flame may be somewhat difficult to see. It's best to do this trick at night so that you can see the glow better, but make sure it’s still light enough out so that you can see what you’re doing properly.
    • Do not cover your hands with sanitizer and then light it—this will burn your hands severely and be extremely dangerous. The trick only works because of the speed at which you do it, not because the hand sanitizer is safe. [7]
  3. If you do it quickly, you can scoop up a bit of the sanitizer that's on fire, and it will look momentarily like your fingers are aflame. As soon as you do this, though, you don't have much time to admire it, because you'll burn yourself if you leave it on for more than a second or two . [8]
    • You should feel some heat, or a strange sensation like hot-and-cold. Hand sanitizer usually has a cooling feeling, which may trick you into thinking it's hot. Either way, you won't have enough time to really feel anything, because you will only swipe your finger through, look at it for a second, and put the flame out.
  4. The best way to kill the flame is by snuffing it out with a forceful flick of your wrist. [9] Blowing on it with a sharp gust can just move around the sanitizer, making it possibly dangerous. It can't be stressed enough: you need to put the flame out as soon as you touch it or you'll burn yourself. [10]
    • Keep water close by and dunk your hand in it, if necessary. Do not let the fire burn up all the alcohol, or you risk serious injury.
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Section 3 of 4:

Creating Fire in Your Hand with Dish Soap & Air Freshener

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  1. 1
    Prepare safety items and an indoor space free of flammable objects. Magic tricks and science experiments that involve fire can be extremely dangerous if not done safely. In order to avoid any damage or injury, proceed through these steps only in the company of an adult who has experience managing fire. Wear a pair of safety goggles and prepare a fire extinguisher and a bucket of water in case something catches fire.
    • Find an indoor space in which to do the experiment. Avoid doing the trick outdoors, as even a small amount of wind could blow the flame onto your face and burn it. Make sure there are no flammable items in the vicinity of your workspace.
    • If the ceiling in the room you’re doing the trick in is low, sit on a chair to ensure the flame won’t get too high and reach the ceiling.
  2. 2
    Fill a large glass bowl with water and a small amount of dish soap. Pour water into a large glass bowl so that the bowl is about ¾ full of water. Add a squeeze of liquid dish soap into the water, then stir the mixture until combined. [11]
  3. 3
    Submerge one of your arms up to the elbow into a bucket of water. Dip one of your arms into your water bucket so that it’s dampened up to the elbow. Make sure that this part of your arm is thoroughly soaked—the water will help prevent any burning or damage to your skin. [12]
  4. 4
    Spray air freshener into the dish soap mixture until bubbles form. Take your aerosol bottle of air freshener and hold the nozzle below the surface of the water in the glass bowl. Press down on the nozzle and spray into the water. Keep spraying until the water develops a surface layer of foamy bubbles.
  5. 5
    Use your soaked arm to scoop a handful of bubbles out of the water. Scoop a small amount of bubbles into your dampened hand, avoiding any of the foam on the surface of the water. Avoid taking a large amount of bubbles into your hand—you should only be holding enough to fit into your palm. [13]
  6. 6
    Hold the bubble far away from your face with your palm facing up. With the bubbles in the hand of your soaked arm, hold your hand above hair height and as far away from your body as possible. Make sure that your palm is flat and facing upward with the bubbles on top. [14]
    • Double-check that your palm is both as far from your body as possible and at least 5 feet (1.5 m) away from the ceiling and anything else that could catch fire. If your hand is too close to the ceiling, sit down. Don’t lower your palm closer to your face.
  7. 7
    Light the bubbles with a lighter and hold still until they’ve burned out. Gently touch the flame of a lighter to the bubbles and watch as they catch fire. Hold your palm and body still until the bubbles have completely burnt out. The flame should naturally die out once the bubbles are gone—if not, quickly immerse your hand in water.
    • If this trick is done correctly, the flames should not burn your hand because the water in the bubbles and on your soaked hand absorbs the heat instead. [15]
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Section 4 of 4:

More Fiery Magic Tricks & Science Experiments

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  1. If you’re brave and bold enough to do even more magic tricks after you’ve already managed to create fire in your hands, we’ve got quite the list for you! Below, you’ll find more tutorials to do tricks with lighters, fireballs, flames, and more:

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  • Question
    Can I do the fire trick without gloves?
    Community Answer
    You could, but you put yourself at risk of getting minor to severe burns. Safety and precaution go a long way until you are very experienced.
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  • Question
    How do I create a fire with perfume?
    Community Answer
    Spray perfume on a surface. Then light a match and put it where you sprayed the perfume and voilà! Be safe, though -- this should not be done without adult supervision.
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    Does this really work?
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    It does, but you need to make sure you have the right tools and read the instructions carefully. Always have adult supervision or someone to be there just in case something goes wrong.
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      Tips

      • You can also purchase specially-made magician products that are said to make a fire in your palm. Just make sure to thoroughly research any product and check the reviews for performance and safety information.
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      Warnings

      • For all of these tricks, make sure to hold your hand away from you and other people, so as to avoid burning yourself or anyone else. Make sure to also have a witness (and adult supervision) as you try this, so that this person can help you if you accidentally burn yourself.
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      • Stunts with fire require a lot of personal protective equipment, including fireproof gel and fireproof clothing. If you do not have the money to invest in any of this, then do not try any fire tricks.
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      • Always be careful when playing with fire. Do not practice near flammable items or little children.
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      Things You'll Need

      Creating Fire in Your Hand with a Butane Lighter

      • One butane lighter
      • A bucket of water
      • Gloves (optional)

      Creating Fire in Your Hand with Flammable Hand Sanitizer

      Creating Fire in Your Hand with Dish Soap & Air Freshener

      • Air freshener spray
      • A large bowl
      • Liquid dish soap
      • Lighter
      • Water
      • Fire extinguisher
      • Bucket of water
      • Safety goggles

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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/fire/home-fire-preparedness.html
      2. ↑ https://youtu.be/PXXTa2yC8yc?t=119
      3. ↑ https://youtu.be/PXXTa2yC8yc?t=126
      4. ↑ https://youtu.be/PXXTa2yC8yc?t=139
      5. ↑ https://www.fire.tc.faa.gov/pdf/TN10-19.pdf
      6. ↑ https://youtu.be/o_S2dgGJGnI?t=8
      7. ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2017/01/23/hand-sanitizer-stunt-gone-wrong-second-degree-burns-and-a-hospital-admission/
      8. ↑ https://learning-center.homesciencetools.com/article/10-science-experiments-this-year/
      9. ↑ https://learning-center.homesciencetools.com/article/10-science-experiments-this-year/
      1. ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2017/01/23/hand-sanitizer-stunt-gone-wrong-second-degree-burns-and-a-hospital-admission/
      2. ↑ https://mirjamglessmer.com/2019/11/20/burning-soap-bubbles/
      3. ↑ https://stevespangler.com/experiments/fire-bubbles/
      4. ↑ https://stevespangler.com/experiments/fire-bubbles/
      5. ↑ https://stevespangler.com/experiments/fire-bubbles/
      6. ↑ https://youtu.be/F6H4vwHvMDU?t=58

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