[net.misc] Fog machine

jpexg@mit-hermes.ARPA (John Purbrick) (10/12/85)

> > I would like to make one of those fog machines for 
> > halloween....

I worked on a show once ("Ruddigore") where I was responsible for generating 
fog at six different locations simultaneously. What I did was this:

Get a styrofoam picnic cooler. Cut two holes about 4 inches in diameter in the
lid. Fill it half full with water from the hot tap. It will stay hot for a
fair amount of time, being styrofoam. Obtain a computer-cooling fan (often
called a "muffin fan" or "boxer fan". Then get about a pound of dry ice, put
it in a tray and break it up with a hammer so it's in pieces 1 inch or so
in size (big pieces-->small amount of fog for long time, small ones-->much
fog briefly); if you need to store the broken dry ice, put it in a styrofoam
bowl with another bowl inverted over it. Then, when ready to roll, dump the
dry ice into the water, put the lid on the cooler and put the fan over one
of the holes, blowing into the cooler. Fog will then gush out of the other
hole. The fog output will drop off after a few minutes as the dry ice 
vaporizes and the water cools down--I suppose you could use a metal container
on a hotplate to keep the water continuously hot. 

mahler@pur-ee.UUCP (Steve Mahler) (10/15/85)

I believe that mineral oil is used in some situations,  was
it something to do with moisture content differences (of the fog) ? .... Steve