Smoking beard

[Crash_Override]

Hi,

I'm in need of a little advice on how to create a smoke effect.

There is a "dead" guy laying on his back and holding a candle. One of the actors tries to light a cigarette from that candle and "accidentally" cigarette end or something falls on the dead guys beard and it should start smoking. I have no idea how to do that :S I was thinking about Vape pen, but how to get the smoke coming out from the beard? He is being dragged around the stage and even "sits" on a bench.

 

Any advice?

[cedd]

Have a look in The Workshop for my how-to video on vape pen smoke machines. I’m just awaiting a shipment of air pumps from China then I’ll be making a load of machines with radio control. They’ll definitely be pocket sized.

Something similar with a rubber hose over the end of the vape pen (they’re practically made for it) run up through the costume to the beard and you’re sorted.

[alistermorton]

Alternatively, look solutions have fag packet sized smoke machines that can be hidden in costumes and ducted. Might be worth a look (though Chris is the master of crafty special effects)?

[sunray]

When I were a lad we used to get joke things from a local shop, one of these was a plastic ping pong ball. The intended use was to play ping pong but if it was hit or bounce hard enough the internal device broke and a chemical reaction occurred (a bit like light sticks) and smoke would start coming out of a tiny hole for about 20 minutes. One in a school locker or behind a cupboard was very effective at getting out of classes for a while. there was also a smoke bomb which gave a lot of smoke for a very short time,

 

Have a look in The Workshop for my how-to video on vape pen smoke machines. I'm just awaiting a shipment of air pumps from China then I'll be making a load of machines with radio control. They'll definitely be pocket sized.Something similar with a rubber hose over the end of the vape pen (they're practically made for it) run up through the costume to the beard and you're sorted.

how about the rubber balls used for the old blood pressure cuffs.

[bigclive]

A video I put up a couple of years ago that used a disposable e-cig and cheap eBay pump to create smoke on demand.

 

[Crash_Override]

I have looked at the Look Solutions machine but it's rather expensive.

Main problem is, that I can't find any this kind of disposable e-cig's like Clive has. That would be perfect.

Only automatic e-cig has air holes on the sides and I can't blow thru it. Also the pump I have doesn't have an air intake pipe, so I cant have it sucking the smoke out. Everything else looks same as Clive's. Nobody sells those pumps in our country, only from China.

I have something built allready but that little big for that application.

 

Chris, how much will it cost after you have built it?

Maybe I need in near future a back-up.

 

Thanks!

[cedd]

If you buy the type of pen shown in my video with the 510 thread then the air pump is pushing air through the vape, not drawing it from it. The output hose is then simply to move the smoke to where you need it emerging from.

I’d considered sekling the little machines, especially in to the magic community. It’s a long bumpy road though - CE marking, EMC testing etc. etc. I think I’d rather just share how it’s done and let others build their own. Once I’ve got them done I might consider a “how to” guide and some shared 3d printing files.

[ImagineerTom]

Side note to the OP and to Cedd - there are already a LOT of mini smoke machines in the magic industry already. If you can’t build one yourself then contacting a major magic dealer / shop in your country should get you several off-the-shelf options.

 

The newest release everyone is talking about is joao miranda’s smoke cube (a smoke machine the size of a postage stamp) but there’s dozens of other systems that have been released.

[sunray]

If you buy the type of pen shown in my video with the 510 thread then the air pump is pushing air through the vape, not drawing it from it. The output hose is then simply to move the smoke to where you need it emerging from.I'd considered sekling the little machines, especially in to the magic community. It's a long bumpy road though - CE marking, EMC testing etc. etc. I think I'd rather just share how it's done and let others build their own. Once I've got them done I might consider a "how to" guide and some shared 3d printing files.

If you are using items already CE marked etc and the assembly that you are going does not affect the original devices operation then your limits of 'liability' (probably the wrong term) are minimal. This is why so many devices use an external wallwart power supply.

[bigclive]

The vaping device I used in my version was described on eBay as an e-shisha back when they were trying to circumvent eBay's ban on naughty things. They do still appear to be sold:-

 

eBay listing

 

But they are rarer to get in the disposable form now (noting that the "disposable" ones do usually use a rechargeable cell!)

 

It's odd that the e-shisha name seems to have stuck.

[cedd]

Side note to the OP and to Cedd - there are already a LOT of mini smoke machines in the magic industry already. If you can't build one yourself then contacting a major magic dealer / shop in your country should get you several off-the-shelf options.

 

The newest release everyone is talking about is joao miranda's smoke cube (a smoke machine the size of a postage stamp) but there's dozens of other systems that have been released.

Yep, I've seen the smoke cube - it's a very nice piece of kit and I certainly can't get mine quite that small. Local magic circle are still interested in how I build mine though as they're significantly cheaper.

 

To the OP, another option might be to use SSS (Sleeveless, Silent Smoke) by Shin Lim. Again it's from the world of magic. Tiny smoke generator that can be positioned anywhere you like.

 

 

[cedd]

Super quick video of my prototype mini smoke machine.

It's not quite as small as the Smoke Cube, but it also cost less than 20 quid to build. Got to watch the run times a bit as the vape heaters aren't meant for 100% duty cycle, but it's good for an 8 or 10 second blast at least, and the atomiser unscrews and swaps in seconds. Atomisers from China are nearly measured in pence each.

[Crash_Override]

Thanks for all the help. Here is the picture of my first build. https://www.dropbox.com/s/bkmcgbr99k9i3l9/2018-09-24%2019.54.19.jpg?dl=0

I have ordered a new RF controlled relay. This time a 5V one, I could get only 12V locally, then I can lose the step-up converter. The power is coming from USB power bank.

I have developed an interesting problem with that. At first it worked almost whatever way it was pointed. I need it to be pointed up, but now I can get it running decently only when it's pointed down.