colouring Smoke machine liquid

[Jivemaster]

The possibility of becoming the legal importer of kit with descriptions like that isn't my favourite thought.

[WiLL]

Do you mean smoke or dry ice? As they are very different things. Smoke is made by a machine burning a fluid and pumping the exhaust out onto stage,

To be pedantic there is no such thing as a 'Smoke' machine.

 

From wikipedia...

Smoke is a suspension in air (aerosol) of small particles resulting from incomplete combustion of a fuel.

 

In a 'smoke' machine their is no combustion. The stuff coming out of the nozzle is simply a suspension in air of small particles (as above) but is produced by vaporisation and/or atomisation alone.

 

And you really don't want to be adding any old dyestuff to that. I hate to think what nasties will be produced when some dyes are heated. And then inhaled.

 

 

 

hmmm, well I tend to use smoke machines and repair them when they go fizz, fizz, splurt, rather than look up dictionary definitions for them so do excuse my rather layman knowledge of them. Although I would have to say that 'incomplete combustion' IS still a combustion of some form. They use a heat source to raise the temperature of the fluid to a point where it seperates, and some portion is released as air-bound debris, and some is evaporated. I could have said that admittedly, but rather than sound over complicated to the person who asked this question who is obviously inexperienced with smoke machines I kept it simple and said 'burnt'. It's always best to keep things simple when explaining to people who don't have the relevent knowledge. I know this as I've worked in theatre education for 8 years ;)

 

On the whole 'smoke machine' front, I know that these days they're called 'fog machines' but you'll notice I'm not the only one on here who calls them smoke machines and I doubt I'll be the last to do so. I also call vacuum cleaners 'hoovers', so sue me, I'm a creature of habit.

[Ike]

...I would have to say that 'incomplete combustion' IS still a combustion of some form...

But even incomplete combustion should never occur in a well maintained smoke machine, it would be like saying combustion was occurring in kettle of boiling water. (Really bad analogy but its early!)

 

I use the phrase smoke machine as they are often used to simulate smoke but admit "artificial fog generator" is probably more correct.

 

;)