Car Radiator Boiling Over

[stevedexteruk]

I need to create the effect of an overheating car radiator boiling up with lots of realistic steam or smoke coming out of it. I will be video taping the effect outside using a real car and then projecting the footage indoors. Any suggestions will be gratefully received - thanks

 

Moderation: CAPS removed from post title.

[david.elsbury]

Off the top of my head:

- Dry ice in the tank, would work and bubble over

- Ducting a smoke machine pipe into the tank, so that the smoke appears to be coming inside the tank

- Piping extra water into the tank, so that it overflows occasionally

 

David

[Freddie]

2 words: Superfluid Helium

 

EDIT: SPEEL CHUNKED

 

EDIT EDIT: If you do this, you are incredibly stupid and should not be allowed to work ever again.

[ChrisD]

If you're daft enough to let turns handle gas state helium, let alone fluid helium. Also, not to mention that it has to be stored in a thermos flask with about 20-30 skins and would just evaporate instantly on stage.

 

If you want a very precisely timed effect, you would have to have some sort of control, so dry ice probably wouldn't be a good plan, unless you piped warm water into the radiator. If you can't have anything connecting the radiator to the wings, you could possibly use some sort of washing-up-bottle-attached-to-hose-connected-to-radiator technique with one of the actors subtley squeesing it, that or a radio-controlled pump of some description.

 

HTH

[the kid]

I think that it might have to be either dry ice of you could investigate in to liquid nitrogen. I'm sure I have a number about of some one in the freezing profession who can tell you all you need to know about safety etc etc.

[paulears]

stevedexteruk posted the following back - but somehow it got misdirected. Below is transcript of his post to the list. paul

 

 

 

 

thanks for the help people - its given me enough to think about and its appreaciated - of course any other ideas will be greatfully recieved - cheers

[Stuart Basson]

stevedexteruk posted the following back - but somehow it got misdirected. Below is transcript of his post to the list. paul

 

 

 

 

thanks for the help people - its given me enough to think about and its appreaciated - of course any other ideas will be greatfully recieved - cheers

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Smoke machine & ducting sounds safest. Alternatively, a Le Maitre "large coloured smoke" concealed under the bonnet will go on for 30 seconds or so - I am informed of this by an acquaintance who, for a jolly jape, claims once to have wired said item across the fan circuit in the bonnet of another guy's car. Off he went down the road until he pulled up at some lights, and the fan kicked in... B-)

[ThaiLD]

I would duct a glaciator into it and see what happens...:)

[Guest lightnix]

...of you could investigate in to liquid nitrogen...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Poor grammar apart, liquid nitrogen is NOT recommended for safety reasons :)

 

 

I would duct a glaciator into it and see what happens...:huh:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Surely, as a heavy fog generator, a Glaciator would produce the wrong effect. Having seen a rad boil over, it's quite a wispy effect, as the steam is at a high temperature.

 

One thought that's just forced it's way to the surface is, why not see if there's some library or other footage around that you could use

[ThaiLD]

Sorry I don't drive...:) hey if the country is quite cold get a shallow tank of water and a whole load of immersion heaters... that probably won't work but since all that stuff is generally lying about houses anyway you could try it before getting out a smoke machine...:huh: (sorry I am really full of bad ideas today...)

[Guest lightnix]

OK, next idea: how about a straight forward electric kettle or two (can you still get ones which don't switch off automatically?), with pipes jubilee-clipped to the spouts and fed up through the bottom of the engine to the relevant point?

 

...hey if the country is quite cold...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good point, it's going to be harder to do convincingly as the weather gets warmer.

[Stuart Basson]

Having seen a rad boil over, it's quite a wispy effect, as the steam is at a high temperature.

 

A well-observed point - the few times I've seen one go, it has tended to be wispy - not at all like the classic "boiling-over" effect where there's thick, smoky steam everywhere, unless there's some sort of catastrophic hose failure, say - in which case the expelled steam condenses pretty quickly and wispiness (?) follows.

 

I see where you're at with the electric kettle thing but the fact that real steam is chuffin' hot worries me - from a safety point of view I'd be inclined to go down a smoke effect route. Perhaps the wispyness might call for a hazer of some sort, on full pelt?

[Kate Bonney]

We have a tiny little radio controlled smoke machine about the size of my shoe. I think it's German, possibly made by a company called Tiny. I can't tell you for sure because it's downstairs and I am lazy.

 

We bought it from Blacklight in Edinburgh. I reckon that would do the job nicely.

 

Needless to say that I have never sat it in the engine compartment of someones car, fired it from a safe distance and laughed heartily at the result. Never ever. Honest Guv.

[Jivemaster]

A lot depends on how realistic you need the effect to look.

[Gabzqc]

Just use a smoke machine and piping with fast dipersing smoke, plus you said you were filming it outside, so it will escape real fast anyway.