adamburns Posted November 9, 2010 Share Posted November 9, 2010 Hi,I am struggling to find something as simple as four bales of hay-I need them for a show in december and am based in London. I don't particularly want to get them direct from a farm as they may contain our little mousey friends and I am not sure the kids at the school will be too keen. Does anyone know a source of treated hay bales in the london/ish area and also does anyone know of a way to treat them(after flame retarding) so that they don't shed everywhere. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timtheenchanteruk Posted November 9, 2010 Share Posted November 9, 2010 not sure you will find ready treated proper hay bales, after all they are made as an animal food stuff.Having said that, after having horses for years, I have never come across any rodent in the middle of a bale... not sure about the fire retardent, Ive never supplied them, but a netting sees to work quite well to reduce the shedding, you will never stop it all, but it does reduce it quite a bit something similar to gardeners use to go over strawberries etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boswell Posted November 9, 2010 Share Posted November 9, 2010 Good spray soak with dilute PVA should stop the bits but don't give to animals afterwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted November 9, 2010 Share Posted November 9, 2010 I believe we've discussed this before - it is likely to be near impossible to fire retard hay bales - there's just too much density there to do so effectively.Whether you NEED to have them FR depends entirely on where you intend to use them and what else is going on around you. ANY use in the region of pyro at all and I'd tend towards the NOT using the bales.In fact I've sent hay bales away in our venue before because there was no easy way of securing them against the floor pars and the gerbs in use that week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roderick Posted November 9, 2010 Share Posted November 9, 2010 You'll find that 'green' ie. fresh hay and straw bales are virtually fire retardant. And I have tried it with a blow torch because I was rather sceptic.Doesn't help the shedding though.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaliaS Posted November 9, 2010 Share Posted November 9, 2010 I had to use hay bales in an outdoor Shakespeare production and I got them from College Farm in Finchley www.college-farm.co.uk 02083490690. They were around £4/bale. Although your problem is going to be making them fire retardant and I can't help you there, sorry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GridGirl Posted November 9, 2010 Share Posted November 9, 2010 I'm sure we've talked about this before, and I seem to remember a conclusion being to not use hay bales, but to stick enough hay to a box of some description to make it look like a hay bale, while being able to flame retard it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody2 Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 straw packed tight is almost impossible to set alight,hence its use in buildings.a scarf bar to tighten the strings should be fine as the machines never tie it that tight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 straw packed tight is almost impossible to set alight,hence its use in buildings.a scarf bar to tighten the strings should be fine as the machines never tie it that tightHmmm...Having tried to light a bale as a demo, and succeeded, I'll dispute that!! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley R Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 I was certin that we had covered this before (well something extreemly close), and it wasent just me :) A quick serch for Hay Bails in the serch bar in the top right threw up these topics on flameproofing Hay Bails and alternatives. http://www.blue-room.org.uk/index.php?showtopic=8437 http://www.blue-room.org.uk/index.php?showtopic=23896 http://www.blue-room.org.uk/index.php?showtopic=41913 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenW2 Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 straw packed tight is almost impossible to set alight,hence its use in buildings.a scarf bar to tighten the strings should be fine as the machines never tie it that tight Having kept horses, and done loads of events in farm barns they definately do burn, and fairly easily. I've never found a live rodent in a bale - you do get the occassional mangled rabbit that the baler chewed up though - but very rare! I would definately consider wooden boxes covered in hay or straw as dust can be a problem, especially with town kids who may develop "hay fever". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody2 Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 straw packed tight is almost impossible to set alight,hence its use in buildings.a scarf bar to tighten the strings should be fine as the machines never tie it that tight Having kept horses, and done loads of events in farm barns they definately do burn, and fairly easily. I've never found a live rodent in a bale - you do get the occassional mangled rabbit that the baler chewed up though - but very rare! I would definately consider wooden boxes covered in hay or straw as dust can be a problem, especially with town kids who may develop "hay fever". after been re-tied to remove the air? only ever used them to build a extension and tried to set light to them and they would not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlyfarly Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 You can hire hay/straw bales from Hackney City Farm:http://hackneycityfarm.co.uk/docs/about/hire.htm Don't know if they are Flambarred though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightsource Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 Hi,I am struggling to find something as simple as four bales of hay-I need them for a show in december and am based in London. I don't particularly want to get them direct from a farm as they may contain our little mousey friends and I am not sure the kids at the school will be too keen. Does anyone know a source of treated hay bales in the london/ish area and also does anyone know of a way to treat them(after flame retarding) so that they don't shed everywhere. Cheers. Be very wary, there are issues, as others have mentioned above....... we did a Country & Western night in an Art Gallery, where the Gallery manager used Hay bales to dress the stage. They had to be decontaminated prior to the event. It's wasn't rodents, or anything of that nature, more the microscopic things, you can't see........but then again, it was an art gallery, with priceless pieces of Art, so in a School environment, may not be an issue, so be aware there maybe contaminants that you may not be aware of. Also, they do shed everywhere, and leave quite a mess behind them ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerry davies Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 Lightsource almost got it there. Microspores, hay dust and moulds can give one a form of pneumonitis called Farmers Lung. In an urban environment there is more risk of a reaction as there is a higher prevalence of asthmatic problems, urban kids do not have the immunity of our rural oiks. Whether or not you find a rat (they run away unless dead), they will have been around the bales and rat and cattle urine can cause Weils' Disease. The recent death of Andy Holmes makes it too risky to open the way for parental paranoia which, unfounded or not, could make things difficult. I don't know what kind of straw Woody knows but our local retained fire fighters have asked me to source some as they are p155ed off putting out barn fires. One or two bales won't do it but straw and hay piled up damp can spontaneously combust due to bacterial action in the right conditions. http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/8462591.St...aw_bales_blaze/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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