Smoke/Fog Machines - Education req.

RiftAmps

Looking to get a smoke machine for the workshop but don't know much about them. Ideally, one that is cheap and easy to use?

It needs to produce a lot of smoke that hangs around for a long time and some sort of triggering would be great

Has anyone here got any experience with them?

ESBlonde

The cheap ones using 'oil' stick in your throat and are hard if you are a singer. They leave a film of oil that builds up on electrical gear especially things with forced cooling (power amps, computers etc.). This makes fluff and dust stick and can lead to failure!

Get one that uses water based fluid, better to inhale and better for the electrical devices.

ThorpyFX

Im sure someone on here has one for sale... can't remember what area of the site its in though

Legionreturns

I investigated them briefly for my YBTB rig, but so few places allow them to be used now that the price of decent ones is prohibitive 

RiftAmps

ESBlonde said:

The cheap ones using 'oil' stick in your throat and are hard if you are a singer. They leave a film of oil that builds up on electrical gear especially things with forced cooling (power amps, computers etc.). This makes fluff and dust stick and can lead to failure!

Get one that uses water based fluid, better to inhale and better for the electrical devices.

I didn't know that, definitely don't want customer builds covered in an oily film! Do the water-based fluids produce the same amount of smoke as the oil ones?

ThorpyFX said:

Im sure someone on here has one for sale... can't remember what area of the site its in though

Thanks, I did a search but couldn't see anything

Legionreturns said:

I investigated them briefly for my YBTB rig, but so few places allow them to be used now that the price of decent ones is prohibitive 

It's only for my workshop so I'm sure I'll give permission! Will check H&S regs anyway in case one could affect my insurance

thermionic

When I was a postgrad student studying laser spectroscopy, the university wanted a photo of one of our experiments for the prospectus, with lots of criss-crossing red and green beams. Thing is, you can’t see laser beams unless they are scattered by something like dust particles in the atmosphere so they weren’t showing up in the photographer’s viewfinder. My PhD supervisor had the brainwave of getting one of the other students (known as a heavy smoker) to crouch down on the floor and blow as much cigarette smoke as he could over my experiment. Worked a treat!

Gagaryn

I think the fluid used in the water based ones is pretty similar to the fluid used in e-cigarettes - vegetable glycerine and/or proylene glycol. You could just get a heavy vaper in...

randella

Gagaryn said:

I think the fluid used in the water based ones is pretty similar to the fluid used in e-cigarettes - vegetable glycerine and/or proylene glycol. You could just get a heavy vaper in...

It's broadly the same - e-cig liquid usually has both (vegetable glycerine and propylene glycol) along with flavourings and nicotine.

I'm genuinely curious (nosy!) - what's the purpose of the smoke machine in the workshop?

thermionic

To simulate a 60s AC30 ran flat out?

FX_Munkee

Not exactly relevant but this did amuse me recently.

Smoker: Excuse me I'm just going to go outside for a smoke. Sorry I'll try to blow this way. I'll stand over here away from you healthy people. Sorry.

Vaper: BEHOLD MY CLOUD OF SELF- RIGHTEOUS PINEAPPLE.

RiftAmps

randella said:

I'm genuinely curious (nosy!) - what's the purpose of the smoke machine in the workshop?

Just for product photography and whatnot really. Want to do some cool things with smoke and backlighting

randella

RiftAmps said:

randella said:

I'm genuinely curious (nosy!) - what's the purpose of the smoke machine in the workshop?

Just for product photography and whatnot really. Want to do some cool things with smoke and backlighting

Ah cool, thanks - I did wonder if that was the case.  Should look good.

ThorpyFX

here you go:



@hotpickups has one for sale....

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/148942/fs-stairville-strobe-light-plus-mini-fog-machine#latest

hotpickups

ThorpyFX said:

here you go:



@hotpickups has one for sale....

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/148942/fs-stairville-strobe-light-plus-mini-fog-machine#latest

@ThorpyFX ;Thanks Adrian. Yeah still have it. Sounds about perfect for what you want it for Chris. How about a strobe light too

hotpickups

Might be able to arrange to get that cine projector to you too @RiftAmps ;

RiftAmps

hotpickups said:

ThorpyFX said:

here you go:



@hotpickups has one for sale....

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/148942/fs-stairville-strobe-light-plus-mini-fog-machine#latest

@ThorpyFX ;Thanks Adrian. Yeah still have it. Sounds about perfect for what you want it for Chris. How about a strobe light too

PM incoming

ESBlonde

If it's a one off photo session, just hire one off a DJ and then hand it back. No fuss or mess and one less thing to store and later sell.

Headphones

If you only want a small volume of smoke your local model shop may help out; there are a number of things on the market to simulate smoking funnels for model ships/trains.

hotpickups

Don’t get those small capsules that you light for smoke/fog. My photographer used some for something I was shooting and didn’t hang around for long

Here's the fog machine in action:-

https://i.imgur.com/4PjoDcE.mp4

soma1975

Only just seen this but what you want is a hazer, not a fog machine. Fog/smoke looks like smoke. Haze just gives you the ambience and light rays. 

The industry standard is a DF50 but they are a couple of grand. About £150 a day to rent and worth every penny. 

Alternately you can buy haze in a can which are about £10 each and are great for photography. 

RiftAmps

soma1975 said:

Only just seen this but what you want is a hazer, not a fog machine. Fog/smoke looks like smoke. Haze just gives you the ambience and light rays. 

The industry standard is a DF50 but they are a couple of grand. About £150 a day to rent and worth every penny. 

Alternately you can buy haze in a can which are about £10 each and are great for photography. 

Yeah, we went with a hazemachine in the end