Fire Walk: Newsletter Challenge (09/12/06)

Is that a walk over hot coals?

We already covered that one with the hot frying pan and dancing drop of water.

For the hot coals your perspiration creates an insulating steam barrier. Also, you need to keep moving! Ash may also play a role as an insulator.

For the firewalk trick they use lava rock that is quite porous. The voids trap air which makes an insulator. This prevents the underneath heat from transmitting to the top and burning your feet.

The firewalk will be uncomfortable but not necessarily dangerous.

Firewalks do not use lava rock or any other kind of rock. I guess you can say anything you want, but those who have actually experienced the build up of the bed of hot coals from hardwood fires know that you are buying in to someone's superstition if you believe that there is any "trick" to firewalking. The fact of the matter is that consciousness, when properly directed and focused, can do many seemingly "miraculous" things, from healing serious illness or disease, to overriding the "normal" function of human tissue, in particular, skin cells and their substructures. When not properly directed and focused, the same experiences that unfold "miraculously" could unfold as disaster; in such a case, firewalking is, indeed, extremely dangerous, which is why those who facilitate and supervise such experiences are meticulous in their care, preparation and attention to detail during a firewalk, and is also why they prohibit anyone who hasn't achieved the proper level of altered consciousness from participating in such an event.

You may consider trying it before you assert your "knowledge" about it. I have.

I think the answer could be explained by simple physics. Embers are red hot on the inside but relatively cool on the surface. As you walked across the coals, you were never on a cinder long enough for the heat to burn your feet. If a material that had a higher rate of heat exchange, such as coal or aluminum, you would be severely burned.

Oops, I think words we are looking for is heat exchange rate.

Could be this. Might be that. How do you prove something like this definitively? It seems physically impossible by natural laws.

Magic, what else.

The definition of magic is;

You don't understand the technology!

Damn, Masu's found my secret.
I just thought miracles and magic happened all the time.

It's a case of mind over matter

I don't' mind and nothing else matters!

Is it not to do with the relatively high specific heat capacity of the soles of your feet, i.e if you dont linger on the coals you dont get burned.

Another fun trick that is not quite as dangerous as fire walking: Pick up a hot coal from the camp fire and toss it around. As long as you keep it moving, it won't burn you. This one amazes and astound the others around the camp fire as well.

Actually, you're all right, well... except for the "magic" guy, haha. But beyond the two main components (heat source and foot) there is also a third... conditioning, both mental and physical. Regarding the first two, when two items of different temperatures contact, the hotter one cools and the cooler one heats at rates dependant upon their thermodynamic properties (conductivity, capacity, mass and temp.) Regarding the source, it is definitely critical to select the correct material to be heated and its configuration. I leave it to you all to debate why the source will continue to cool as it is below it's flash point and how 100's of individual coals will have a greatly reduced mass as compared to, oh let's say a single metal grate covering the same area so thus their heat capacity will be less. Also the difference in thermal conductivity between coals and metal effects how much of the heat source transfers heat to the foot. Because coals have low conductivity, only the portion closest to the foot will contribute. As for the person's foot you can talk about the Leidenfrost effect (both objects separated by water vapor) but I don't apply too much of that effect to this condition as the source material is porous and not exactly flat so it would very difficult to trap the vapor between the two objects. Plus the mass of the body is heavier than the pressure the vapor would produce over such a small contact area so it would not generate enough force to initiate the needed separation. I'd rather focus on the mass of the foot compared to the very small mass of the nearest part of the coal to the foot. Plus, as the heat transfers to the foot, it spreads out thanks to blood flow and becomes distributed over an even greater mass allowing the surface of the foot to absorb more heat with the next step. Regarding transfer, the heat absorbed by the cooler body must be the same as the heat given off by the hotter one, the final temperature will be more equal to the one with the greater mass. Finally, regarding conditioning if your foot has never seen the outside of a shoe, I don't recommend it. I play sand volleyball every chance I get and only wear shoes when I have to. I can walk down a gravel driveway an not feel a thing where my brother, can barely stand it and has to walk in the grass. But even I had problems walking on the beach during a recent visit to Belize during the noon sun. But the maintenance person and manager of the hotel I was at had no problem as they are native to that area and probably have never worn shoes. My feet are pretty tough but their's were like thick weather-hardened leather! Finally, mentally... you've got to be in the right frame of mind and be knowledgeable in how to walk across hot coals. Even the most experienced person with the thickest of feet will get burned if they stand in the same spot for too long and move their feet around to bury them deeper into the coals.

It is a combination of porous lava rock not being a good conductor of heat and having sweaty feet. The moisture on the soles of the feet has to be converted to vapor. This conversion uses up the heat energy. It also helps to move quickly, if you stand still too long you will get burned.

Masu, I think it is " If you don't have a mind it does not matter."

I had an experience with hot coal that was from a furnace which was used for cooking food for marriage party, and I unknowingly jumped into it thinking that it was cool. I had severe burns in my both legs as I was six inches deep in coal that was very hot inside.

I jumped out of the mesh, when I felt burning sensation and by that time it might have done all the damage. I had large blisters and some are was peeled off like boiled potatoes. I was scared and was in terrible pain for a month. Other who walk don't wait longer on coal and total heat exchange may be just safe.

I was 8 years then and I am 55 now. It is terror even now as I have these faded marks.

Well, all firewalkers seem to undergo some form of "ritualistic" preparation without it which they would burn. Its definitely not mental nor physical. Could be spiritual I suppose

You are all partially correct....but it has more to do with the amount of alcohol they consume prior to doing something so foolish.

Without proper concentration you will get burned. People who do the fire walk without the proper training get burned. Even if they move very fast and step light. They have to believe that they will not get burned. People who are skeptical but do it anyway, get burned. I believe that it is mind over matter. Many will find this hard to accept but when you think about all the things that we as humans have accomplished mostly by starting with the attitude that it can be done, why would we doubt the power of the mind?

it sure helps having leathery feet and the mind needs to block pain sensors in feet

no gain no pain

I suspect you mean WITH minimal damage. P

Please offer verified proof of your assertions concerning the physical phenomenon attending firewalks, both those you claim that occur in the body (such as perspiration on the feet) as well as those you claim for the coals (the barrier). If you look to determine the validity of your claims, you will find that these assertions have no basisi in scientific study whatsoever; the phenomena you claim is made up.

Also, it would be helpful if you actually completed a firewalk. Have you? I seriously doubt it, because if you had, you would know that your assertions are false because they defy the truest test: human experience.

I had the opportunity to be there myself and observe from a distance of about 8 feet and less. The coals were hot, most of them even red hot, smoldering, transferring heat which you could not bear even from a foot away. The bed of hot coals was about 4 feet wide and twenty feet long. This woman walked very slowly with caution, the red flames were licking at her feet, some of the edges where her foot stepped were red hot. I took her about 2 minutes to walk the length, long enough to cook a steak to medium rare. I was there, so I had a chance to investigate and check things out after the walk; It was hard to believe, but I saw it and felt it.

Time.

Give it enough time and he will become a steak.

Wangito

I have firewalked several times, my first time i was pretty scared, i wasn't even sure i wanted to do it. We built a huge fire and then came back to it raking out the hot coals into a large flat pile. the ambers glowed and trust me it was hot. you could feel the heat around it. there was a drum beatting and chants going on, all of a sudden i felt like i was ready and took my first step not knowing what to exspect. it felt like walking on wood chips, no pain or heat on my feet, i must of walked over that coal bed 30-40 times going in circles picking up the coals etc. it was a very positive experiance for me. before i go on about how magical it was i'll admit your feet wont melt off, however you can get painful blisters as many people get. that night i did not and it was the coolest experiance ever. The next time i went i took my girlfriend and i was so cocky I didn't think i could get burnt, i thought it was just something anyone could do without being in the right frame of mind. I walked all cocky and sure enough painfull blister, i only walked across twice that night. I do other explainable stunts, like breaking an arrow with my throat walking on broken glass etc. I aknowledge your feet melting off isn't really possible, but the only way i can explain not getting burnt is somehow your body prepairs itself, I think fear can do this. I had my septum pierced at the very least its suppost to hurt real bad and your eyes tear up some people pass out etc. I was so scared getting it pierced but it was pierced and i didn't feel it i thought he was joking even. he messed up and was putting jewelry through it in and out, plus pierced it 3 times, i felt no pain, no drugs or alchol either. That is what i think it is, your body prepairing itself, fear can trigger it. I wouldn't be suprised if a person could do self surgery without drugs or numbing agents. Nothing I care to try but i think its possible.

chris from detroit chris9137@aol.com

200/240 degree C temp is not enough to cause damage to tissues with wood charcoal and walking very fast , it is also foot skin of adult that is thick , specially those who usually practice barefoot walking or running for few miles regularly, let these guys walk on there hands body upside down with little walking practice for faster movement won`t prevent them from burning dangerously