I’d like to try a battery-operated soldering iron combined with a high-temp sponge soaked in liquid fog.
Its a smoke producing, order less, doesn’t stain, no heat involved smoke ‘bomb’ to use to check HVAC vents for leaks.
I cant find the link right now.
They are cheap, and there are a lot of different options for volumes of smoke.
Oh, I believe AJ bought some and said they didn’t work.
I love it when someone posts a “new” discovery that all of us old-timers tried 5-10 years ago.
The Wizard Stick is nothing new. It’s also nothing that will work. …but hey, don’t let me stop you. There’s only one way to understand why I’m saying that and it’s to try it on your own and find out. Bon apetit.
I believe the link RoachOnTwelve was looking for was this place. ( Tracer smoke generators provide smoke for leak testing and air flow studies ) Someone posted about this last year so I ran over and bought a box. I was impressed.
The Wizard Stick always looks so promising, but even the reviews for the stick itself are pretty weak.
Thats it Fifth
If we could find a cheep, EXTREMELY low flow pump that pumps at about the rate of 2-3ml per minute then figuring the rest out for a mini fogger wouldn’t be that difficult.
i once took a full volcano vaporizer bag to the head and puked off the balcony of a hotel.
yeah . . . . .marijuana!
has anyone tried steel wool and a 9 volt battery yet?
Fifthrider I’m sorry you couldn’t figure out how to use the wizard stick 10yrs ago with your old timer ways. A lot of things has changed in 10yrs so surely to god we can take the batteries, fluid and LED out of the wizard stick. I mean that’s what makes the fluid turn into smoke a dang LED. Not rocket science. And if we cant. We really should put a checklist on this site of ideals that work and don’t work for props. That way us “rookies” wont waste time looking at old ideas that don’t work. We should all get together and brain storm or something. Its like we are making this simple thing of making the trap smoke super hard to do. What the hell is wrong with us?
If the Wizard Stick uses a pump then maybe the heating element can be amped up to get better results. I think those using it as a vaporizer did some other modifications too. I’m hesitant to completely write off the Wizard Stick.
What I’m saying is for the last few years I read all these posts filled with talk about “what if” and no one ever makes one. Make one, post the video of it working reliably ( and without injuring anyone ) and you’ll get the respect you think is deserved. Until then, it’s just more of the same.
Goals previous builders have sought:
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Make it smoke
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Without causing injury or a health risk ( like the stuff that burned off silver nitrate, or whatever it was, that made breathing it toxic. )
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Able to activate at will, not by chance
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Able to turn off at will, not by sitting around waiting for it to burn down
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Able to emit at sufficient pressure to clear an opening in the trap.
I had these LGB train smoke stacks. I put them together, filled them with fluid and put an on/off switch between them and a power source. Sure enough, they smoked plenty. …outside of a trap. …but then put them in the trap and there wasn’t enough pressure to clear the trap, so I added fans which only ended up dissipating the smoke so that it never cleared the opening to get outside.
The Mini-Fogger is really the only known device out there that can do this but at $1,000 per unit, most people aren’t going to buy one. ( Funny, I’ll build a f***ing Ecto but damned if I’ll spend a grand on a smoking trap. I’ve got my limits. )
I’d invite you to check out GBfans and if you’re a member of Proptopia, their posts as well. There’s plenty to be found about smoking traps and those threads are rife with the well-intentioned. Who knows, maybe you’ll be the first? I’m not really trying to rain on your parade, if anything I’m just tired of hearing new people who clearly don’t read any of the previous info talk like they just thought of some brand new idea as if they’re the first to have thought of it.
Show us a working example of get in line.
I think this topic is starting to smoke..
How to make your trap smoke for under $5:
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Buy a Bic lighter.
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Set the ■■■■■■ on fire.
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???
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Profit!
The problem with using dry ice is that you have to drop it in water, but then you have the problem of spillage- correct?
Well, why not design a container system that uses flexible valves like the ones found in sippy cups for toddlers.(dads know what I’m talking about 
).
I think the expanding pressure would push the fog out of the nozzle valve, while also preventing the water from spilling out. You could toy around with container sizes/shapes and the number of valves.
You could even use flexible tubes that connect the device to hidden ports on the outside of the trap near the doors so you don’t waste fog filling up the inside of the trap.
I can draw up a diagram if anyone thinks it’s a promising idea, or maybe there’s someone who’s a professional engineer who can modify this idea to be better!
I like you.
Seems pretty easy. Design a water tank with sprayer, motorised or pressured. Add a fog tank where your dry ice would be along with a sponge to soak up excess water.
Or just make a small smoke generator.
Problem with Dry Ice is you need to find a supplier and deal with all the logistics of handling and all that.
You’re talking about the problems of finding a supplier and the logistical problems of handling dry ice, yet you talk of motorized sprayers and a multi-tank system and all the like? lol.
Anywho, I found 4 dry ice dealers in my area, and as far as handling, some gloves and a styrofoam container is all the logistics that would be required. I’ve redesigned and improved my idea and will draw it up and post it later today for all to see. If the concept works, it would be the simplest, most reliable, and cheapest method to date.
Well i bought the the wizard dill so i will deff try. And that is funny about the ecto. I would do the same thing. lol. And i believe somebody thought he was a funny guy and posted a video of the first smoking trap and we all watched the video in hope and then it blew up so i would say the bic idea was not a success (sadly ) But i will try somebody needs too. Once again the wizard invent made a piece of plastic fog with a button, batteries and a led and that works great.
Yeah designing and building the tanks and electronics would be no problem for me just the logistics of loading and unloading, handling, transporting and all that while at conventions.