smoke.
smoke.- special effects and filmmaking
Kinda sound stupid but I woundering if there is any way I can make a smoke machine or smoke something with out dry ice. Any way thanks. Sounds a little dangerouse but anyway
[This message has been edited by **Movieman** (edited 05-28-2000).]
ptgr, i dont know how safe that is, or how long that will be up here. and that is pyro.
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Not up for very long!
One of the materials mentioned has a number of dangerous properties.
Jeff F
moderator
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movieman, you can rent smoke machines, or sometimes you can buy one relatively cheap (used of course)
later
TOm
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[This message has been edited by Jeff F (edited 05-28-2000).]
If only Phil was quicker!!!!
I decided to do a little experimenting with my spare kettle, some electrical tape and the guinea pig hutch. To cut a long story short, the kettle is bust, I burnt my hand trying to retrive it, the guinea pigs are sulking with me.
Oh yeah and it looked nothing like smoke.
(More like a steaming guinea pig hutch 
)
Chimp
chimp & lou - points well taken!
Building a dry ice fogger is not tremendously difficult. Handling dry ice itself is where the risk comes in. Never place dry ice into hot or warm water - it can shatter! BIG OUCH!
Glycol (water based) foggers (cracked oil foggers are long defunct due to their various hazards) aren't something easily built. Each manufacturer heats their particular glycol fog formula to a specific heat to produce the moisture-encapsulating fog. Overheating any fog fluid will cause it to break down, going from a relatively human friendly vapor to a toxic one.
Only use the fog fluid made by the manufacturer for their machine!
Don't try to use the cheapest fog fluid to save a few bucks. Fog machines are avaiable for a reasonable rental rate from theatrical suppliers (check the yellow pages or call local theaters & ask who they rent stuff from) and DJ supply stores.
Get a constant duty fogger: the intermittent duty ones let out a blast of fog, then shut down the output fan while the heating chamber re-cycles. Annoying and sometimes problematic. Continuous foggers do just that: output fog continuously, with few if any pauses in operation. Don't keep your talent/crew in the fog for extended periods, have them move out into clear air between takes, and use fans to clear out your set when a wait of any length is going to take place.
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Jeff F - Magic and FX
Amazing the Masses
A very cheep way of producing smoke is to use barbaq bricks. Impregnate them with a little smoke machine type oil and away you go. Obviousley you can't control the output but it does work for general smoke effects.
Don't be shy, give it a try.
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That's not really such a good idea. The fluids used in a smoke machine are not oil, and the temperature of charcole burning is too high. Adding oil to charcole is not a good idea either. It will release smoke, but that smoke can cause cancer.
Smoke machines in the uk use synthetic material which is fine, i've found under the right cir***stances.
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I Thank You
[This message has been edited by Critter (edited 05-29-2000).]
[This message has been edited by alucard (edited 06-02-2000).]
drat, foiled again!
its cool wit me, though.------------------
"Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats."
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yeah, Cancer-schmancer! You've got to die of something!
Mineral oil is carcenogenic?! news to me.
Traditional "Oil Crackers" heated Light Machine Oil #3, producing an oil vapor that was rather bad for other equipment (particularly sound & lighting boards), a serious breathing hazard (harmful to the lungs), and a suspected carcinogenic.
Mineral oil is traditionally used in model train smokers, and is workable (but less dense than Machine oil) as a fog oil, but is also a breathing hazard and harmful to the lungs. It tends to coat the contacts of dimmer boards, requiring cleaning and maintenance, but not as corrosive or damaging as machine oil.
Water based fogs have food grade glycols as their primary component, and are considered to be safe for short exposure periods. All manufacturers advise users to avoid prolonged exposure to the fog. I have a friend who worked in a night club years ago who was exposed to large amounts of water based fog (heated properly and used in the proper fogger) for about 3 months running and continues to experience respiratory difficulties to this day. Overheating glycols causes them to break down into a toxic compound. If you eat commercially prepared foods, you digest pounds of glycol every year, but your lungs aren’t identical to your stomach.
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Jeff F - Magic and FX
Amazing the Masses
Small but mighty... the bee smoker. Apiarists use it to calm the hives when they are extracting the supers to get the honey out. They're immensely controlable, put the smoke right where you want it, and they can use a number of different fuels - solid, not oil. Also, specialty houses have pellets that you can burn to give you a nice haze without the hazards of tobacco.
Or, try incense.
Sarge
Usage en different types of Smoke machines is described in 'Secrets of hollywood special effects' by McCarty (available from amazon.com).
I noticed radio shack carries a variety of fog machines at some of their stores. I don't recall how expensive they were, but maybe one will work for you. Otherwise you might be able to convince a DJ or party rental place to help you out.
OK, we all know dry ice is dangerous and too much hassle. There are several other options. First, like has been mentiuoned earlier, you can use a smoke machine. They can be rented, but are cheap enough to buy. I got mine for $112. It last for hours on just one pint of fluid. Check with Spencers gifts or a party store. They should have them. Another method, is smoke in a can. They sell this at novelty stores like Spencers gifts. You can also check out likeastory sponsor: Studio Depot. Their website is http://www.studiodepot.com One final solution I might suggest is simple flour and baking soda. Just use a fan or an air compressor to blow it around. Perfectly safe and easy to use. I wish you good luck.
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