# How to make fire more fun? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 1, 2013, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-fire-more-fun/670123 "2013-10-01T19:15:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-fire-more-fun/670123/1 "2013-10-01T19:15:34Z")
For Trick or Treat we normally sit in the driveway to give out candy. This year (weather permitting) I was thinking of bringing out the fire ring from our back yard to help me stay warm and create some ambiance. For extra effects, does anyone know if there are some common chemicals or substances you can SAFELY toss on a fire to make it change color or do other cool things? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-fire-more-fun/670123/2 "2013-10-01T19:18:59Z")
Could you make it move around and maybe glow in the dark? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-fire-more-fun/670123/3 "2013-10-01T19:20:43Z")
You can buy sprinkle boxes of pellets for this purpose. They create multi-colored flames but a container doesn’t usually last that long. > **[Amazon.com: Seymour Mfg. 30-525 Color Flame Crystals, 16 ounce : Home &...](https://www.amazon.com/Seymour-30-525-Color-Flame-Crystals/dp/B001BWNAQ2)** > > Just sprinkle these crystals on fire for an array of colors. 1 lb. Packaging may vary. Common household chemicals can also change the flame color. “To create white flames, use epsom salts. Find these at a grocery or drug store. To create yellow/orange flames, use table salt. To create purple flames, use water softener salt. Find this at a hardware. To create light green flames, use borax. Find this in the Laundry aisle at a grocery store. To create green flames, use copper sulfate. Find this at a Home Improvement store. To create blue flames, use copper chloride. Find this at a rocketry or fireworks supply company, or at a chemistry lab supply company. To create red flames, use strontium chloride. Find this at a rocketry or firework supply company, or at a chemistry lab supply company.” > **[Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos](https://www.yahoo.com/)** > > Latest news coverage, email, free stock quotes, live scores and video are just the beginning. Discover more every day at Yahoo! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-fire-more-fun/670123/4 "2013-10-01T19:28:06Z")
Seriously, though, having pumpkins with different colored lights inside to match the current flame color would be cool. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-fire-more-fun/670123/5 "2013-10-01T19:30:15Z")
Probably not what you have in mind, but spraying a mouthful of Peppermint Schnapps (or your favorite liqueur) into a fire can produce some nice fireballs. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-fire-more-fun/670123/6 "2013-10-01T19:32:40Z")
… or some little bitty fireballs when you have the kids do it. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-fire-more-fun/670123/7 "2013-10-01T19:36:13Z")
Do you have acorns around? Gather up bunchs of them, and toss a few at a time into the fire. They work like great big popcorn, giving off a nice startling _POP_, good for a few jumps from the unwary. And cheap to boot. Combine with some nice blue flames and start telling stories about summoning djinns. (Is that the right plural of djinn?) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Righteous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Dr.Righteous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Righteous)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-fire-more-fun/670123/8 "2013-10-01T19:48:19Z")
They also [sell](http://www.plowhearth.com/color-cones-that-create-blue-and-green-flames-in-the-fireplace_p67.html) [pine cones](http://www.woodlanddirect.com/Fireplace-Accessories/Fireplace-Scents-Colors/Magical-Color-Pine-Cones-2-5-lb-bag) coated in stuff that make colored flames, if you’re not feeling up to playing with chemicals. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-fire-more-fun/670123/9 "2013-10-01T19:53:32Z")
Salt substitute (potassium chloride) is a cheap purple. It takes a while to kick in, though. About 20 minutes after you cuss me out in your head because it’s obviously not working, it will start working. A handful of coffee creamer (the dry kind) tossed just above the fire makes great alcohol free fireballs. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-fire-more-fun/670123/10 "2013-10-01T20:45:33Z")
> [@Dr.Righteous](#): > > They also [sell](http://www.plowhearth.com/color-cones-that-create-blue-and-green-flames-in-the-fireplace_p67.html) [pine cones](http://www.woodlanddirect.com/Fireplace-Accessories/Fireplace-Scents-Colors/Magical-Color-Pine-Cones-2-5-lb-bag) coated in stuff that make colored flames, if you’re not feeling up to playing with chemicals. Cool! ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-fire-more-fun/670123/11 "2013-10-01T21:27:25Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Cool! When I was a kid and dinosaurs roamed the earth, my dad always had a bag of these around come Christmas time for the fireplace - we loved it. ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-fire-more-fun/670123/12 "2013-10-02T12:30:39Z")
All kinds of cool ideas! I knew you guys wouldn’t fail. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-fire-more-fun/670123/13 "2013-10-02T12:36:53Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > You can buy sprinkle boxes of pellets for this purpose. They create multi-colored flames but a container doesn’t usually last that long. Actually, the colored flames chemical bags I can buy in New Hampshire last a surprisingly long time. They mostly turn the flame green-blue. The chemicals you give will perform that function, as well. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-fire-more-fun/670123/14 "2013-10-02T14:17:42Z")
Cinnamon will throw some sparks, but like the coffee creamer fireball, it only lasts for a second or two and has to be manually initiated. ---
**Author:** ![sentrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@sentrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sentrix)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-fire-more-fun/670123/15 "2013-10-02T15:13:32Z")
with kids around i wouldn’t toss anything on a fire. one year i had round paper lanterns of different colours with candles inside. cut some eyes in them and mouth to make them look more halloweenish. not as much fun as throwing metho on the fire but safer. ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-fire-more-fun/670123/16 "2013-10-02T15:43:08Z")
A few inches of old extension cord makes a nice color show in a fire. ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-fire-more-fun/670123/17 "2013-10-02T21:26:55Z")
How do you feel about a fire tornado? (Jump to the end to see when they really get it going…) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/OL_VUh4gzIk/maxresdefault.jpg "FIRE TORNADO!!!!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL_VUh4gzIk) ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-fire-more-fun/670123/18 "2013-10-02T21:42:26Z")
> [@tanstaafl](#): > > How do you feel about a fire tornado? (Jump to the end to see when they really get it going…) > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL\_VUh4gzIk](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL_VUh4gzIk) Nice. I wonder what they used for fuel. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-fire-more-fun/670123/19 "2013-10-02T21:53:04Z")
I think the sort of thing you need to know is, do people want fire that can be fitted nasally? ---
**Author:** ![j\_sum1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8baadc/32.png) [@j\_sum1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j_sum1)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-fire-more-fun/670123/20 "2013-10-03T03:47:23Z")
I am sure you could use a can of butane and some bubble mix to good effect. The bubbles that drifted close to your fire would then make lovely little explosions. Acetylene would also work nicely although it would be a bit sooty. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-fire-more-fun/670123.md?page=2)