How to choose 100% PURE KEVLAR® wicks and ropes

Start with four questions

Play sells 100% PURE KEVLAR®, designed and made in Italy: flat wicks, spun rope that soaks fuel, and smooth rope that must stay dry. You do not choose a “beginner Kevlar” and a “pro Kevlar”. You choose the form and the size that match the knot or the wrap you are about to build.

1. Are you building a knotted head, a folded or wrapped wick, a tether, or a sleeve over cable?
2. Must the fibre soak fuel, or must it stay dry and only resist heat?
3. Which width or diameter do specialist builders use for that prop?
4. Do you need a cut by the metre, a 50 m roll, and sewing thread?

This page does not replace fire training. Play sells Kevlar® for people who already know how to build and burn, or who work under a competent teacher. Always have a safety person, a fire blanket and an extinguisher. Never train alone. Extinguish before the wick smoulders. Do not soak tethers, handles or hardware. The full talk is on the fire safety guidelines.

Why builders pick this Kevlar®

Play Kevlar® is 100% Kevlar® — not a cheaper mix of aramid and glass fibre. It is made in Italy to Play’s own specification. The weave is compact on purpose: maximum fuel soak, a firm body, and edges that stay intact. Thicknesses of 3 mm and 5 mm on the flat wick mean you use less length; Play notes that 50 cm is already enough for a good torch or fire chain.

The quality is checked and held to the same standard on every metre. That consistency is why so many specialised fire-prop makers — workshops that spend hours on a single knot — buy this Kevlar®. They can count on the same weight, the same hand, the same dimensions, and no surprises from one order to the next.

With remote suppliers it is common knowledge that weight, feel and size drift from one shipment to the next. For an expert who builds high-end props for performers, that drift is the real nightmare: a monkey-fist that comes out 20 grams heavy, a wick that no longer fits a spoke, a tether that will not pass a 6 mm handle hole. Play exists so that batch does not become a redesign.

Wick, spun rope or smooth rope

What you are making	What to order
Folded or wrapped flame (staff, dragon spoke, hoop wick, fan, torch, chain)	Flat 100% Kevlar® wick, 3 or 5 mm thick.
Knotted head (monkey fist, Isis / crown sinnet, rope-dart head, long braid)	Spun 100% Kevlar® rope — it is made to soak fuel.
Tether, leash or handle that must not soak	Smooth (not spun) Kevlar® rope, or Technora® if you want a fire-safe leash with less stretch.
Cover on chain, cable or a hot spine	36 mm Kevlar® tubing.

Spun rope is carded so the fibres open and hold fuel. Smooth rope is a 48-spindle braid on non-carded yarn: compact, slick, heat-resistant, and not a wick. Specialist workshops developed static Kevlar® leashes so contact-style throws and stalls can be done on fire without a chain. Keep fuel off that leash.

Flat wick sizes

Play lists seven widths. The second number is thickness.

Width × thickness	Typical build, in specialist workshops
20 mm × 5 mm	Compact staff ends, hoop or dragon spokes, small torches.
25 mm × 3 mm	Lighter wrap on a spoke or hoop wick; more surface, less bulk.
25 mm × 5 mm	The usual compact wrap when you want soak and a firm edge.
30 mm × 5 mm	Staff ends and medium torches that need a wider face.
50 mm × 3 mm	Staff, torch or chain: Play’s own “50 cm is enough” size.
70 mm × 3 mm	Wide staff faces, fans, larger wraps.
100 mm × 3 mm	Large fans, wide staff or ceremonial wraps.

Workshops that wrap a staff or a dragon spoke fold the wick, hide the hardware in the fold, and sew with Kevlar® thread so a burnt stitch does not open the whole seam. They keep metal recessed: the burn that hospitalises a performer is usually hot steel, not the wick.

Spun rope sizes

Play sells five diameters of spun rope. Lengths below are what specialised knot shops actually cut — they are not a Play “approved length” rating.

Diameter	Typical knot or braid	Length they cut
6 mm	Long braids: fire sword, Thai staff, slim decorative wicks.	About 10–15 m per sword.
10 mm	The default for monkey fist and Isis poi heads.	About 6 m for a pair of 4-pass monkey fists; about 9 m for a pair of Isis heads. Workshops often weigh this size at about 37 g per metre.
13 mm	Larger monkey fists, Isis staff heads, rope-dart and meteor heads.	More rope per head; the extra diameter is the point.
17 mm	Heavy heads and large custom knots.	Cut to the knot, not to a catalogue pair.
25 mm	Very large props and thick braided cores.	Cut to the knot.

A monkey fist is a spherical knot; a 4-pass fist on 10 mm is the common poi size. An Isis (crown sinnet) is longer than it is wide and throws a taller flame. The same 10 mm rope does both. You change the knot, not the fibre.

Smooth rope, Technora® and handles

Smooth Play Kevlar® comes in 4 mm and 10 mm. Play intends 4 mm for poi handles and 10 mm as a leash for contact fire poi. Anyone who drills a hole in a fire handle usually keeps it to about 6 mm (¼ inch): 4 mm Kevlar® or 6 mm Technora® will pass; 8 mm Technora® and 10 mm leash will not, unless the handle is built for it.

Aramid ends do not melt. Bind them with 100% Kevlar® sewing thread (0.5 mm / 2000 denier, or 1.25 mm / 9000 denier). Knot each stitch so one burnt loop does not unzip the work.

Metre or 50 m roll

• By the metre — you are building one pair, one staff, or testing a knot.
• 50 m wick roll or 50 m rope roll — you run a workshop, or you already know the size you repeat.
• Thread — add a roll if you sew folds or bind aramid ends.
• Tubing — add 36 mm sleeve if chain or cable will sit in the flame.

A size that is not in the list

Play can make virtually any wick or rope. The catalogue is the stock that builders already repeat, not the limit of the loom. We are glad to take ideas and requests for new widths, thicknesses and diameters.

Backing the creativity of the many small and large fire-prop makers is the job. Minimum production quantities are not prohibitive. Write to sales@playjuggling.com and ask. There is no need to be shy.

By situation, not by “level”

First pair of knotted poi

Spun 10 mm. A 4-pass monkey fist if you want a ball; Isis if you want a taller flame. About 6 or 9 m for the pair. Smooth 4 mm or Technora® 6 mm for the tether. Do not soak the tether.

Staff, dragon, hoop or fan

Flat wick. 20–30 mm × 5 mm for compact spokes and staff ends; 50–100 mm × 3 mm when you want a wide face. Fold, sew, hide the metal. Play’s 50 cm note is a starting cut for a torch or a chain, not a staff formula.

Sword, Thai staff or a long braid

Spun 6 mm, and plan 10–15 m for one sword. The fibre stays the same; the length is the work.

Contact fire, throws and stalls

Spun rope for the head; smooth 10 mm for the leash if you want a static, hardware-light setup. That leash is heat-resistant, not a wick. Keep fuel on the head only.

You already build for performers

You already know the knot. What you cannot afford is a 10 mm that is 9 mm next month. Order the same Play size you specified last time. Use a 50 m roll if that size is your standard.

Before you add to cart

• You know whether the fibre must soak fuel or stay dry.
• The width or diameter matches the knot or the wrap, not a guess.
• Handle holes are about 6 mm unless you built them larger.
• Tethers, knobs and hardware will not be dipped.
• Thread is on the order if you will sew or bind ends.
• If the size you need is missing, write to Play: custom runs are welcome and the minimums are not prohibitive.
• A safety person, blanket and extinguisher will be there for the first burn.

Next: flat wick · spun rope · smooth rope · thread · tubing · wick collection · rope collection