Coloring Smoke

My  guess would be back lighting with colored lens.

Don't think smoke, think lighting...

Dear GetSmart,

Firstly, I'm not aware of any Model RR smoke machines which are rated to handle "color smoke oil". Use of smoke oil with any contaminates in it in Seuthe or similar smoke gens is a recipe for clogging, spluttering, and possible burnout.

Secondly, while Pro Lighting/Event "smoke machines" (JEM Foggers and similar) are capable of "colored smoke" effects, the smoke fluid/"fog juice" they use is entirely different to that used by Model RR smoke gens. Therefore, it is highly reccomended not to attempt mixing/matching fog-juice<> smoke-machines/foggers.

Thirdly, in movie FX houses "colored smoke" is often achieved using chemical burners and forms of incendiary units (Yes, like fire/explosive type incendiary!!!), as opposed to glycol-based "foggers" or oil-cracking "smoke gens". Again, different technology for a different effect, do not mix-n-match,

SO, how can we get a "colored fog/smoke" without messing with the smoke gen, or the oil/fluid being cracked?
One solution, which has been in use in theatre and other "sensitive performance environments" for years is lighting.

Yes, you read that right. By firing a suitably-colored light thru a "white smoke" haze, "colored smoke" effects can be achieved, and relatively easily (and safely) manipulated/adjusted/tweaked.

In miniature form, a Seuthe smoke gen with extra-voltage feed and fan-forced "blast", + a high-brightness LED or 3 (preferrably equipped with "barndoor" to direct the light only where the smoke will be, not shining everywhere), can provide "colored smoke" effects with minimal environmental effects or smoke-gen contamination/damage...

Furthur Reading

http://www.theatrefx.com/funfacts19.html
(Look particularly at "Belief #2"!!!)

http://www.cinematography.com/index.php?showtopic=54055

http://looksolutionsusa.com/how-to-make-colored-fog/

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

Colored smoke.

I have wondered why the smoke is not available in black and gray-ish in addition to white. Especially for MTH diesels. There are already scented smokes stuff so your train can smell like cinnamon during the holidays, so why not different hues?

Lighting up...

Using smoke outdoors might be OK but I am hesitant to use generated smoke indoors because I question the wisdom of breathing it in.

Wife and kids have allergies already, I can't imagine the smoke helping too much.  What about long term effects from spending to much time in the layout room with the smoke generators going?

Also, if I can see it in the air won't it stick to everything it touches just like other types of smoke?

Wish this wasn't the case as it could look really neat to have smokestacks belching global warming crud into the HO atmosphere just like we do in the 1:1 world...or maybe not so neat?

The answers...

Dear Duck,

The answers as to "why?" are in the post above yours...
(click the "furthur reading" links... ).

I know of a show layout here (Google "D.I.R.T. steel works") that uses regular Johnsons Baby Oil instead of Seuthe smoke fluid, for both economy and appearance reasons.

Downside? As predicted they have far more "clogging" and "spluttering" issues that a smoke gen using "approved" fluids,

have-to employ a far-more-rigourous smoke-gen cleaning and maintanence regime,
(far in excess of what most any average modeller would consider "worth it"),

and the resulting haze is a far thicker and "oily-er" leaving an (arguably appropriate for the layout theme) crud on most any surface it condenses on...

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

Percentage of run-time, re-condensation, etc

Dear Kevin,

I've deployed smoke gens on my last few show layouts, and for both economy and "visual impact" reasons tend to not run them "full-time".

In the case of my first show layout "Broughton Vale Tramway", the sawmill had a top-loaded Seuthe gen in the boiler. I surreptitiously turned it on when someone (usually a youngster) got the point in the "can you find?" list to find a "steamy mill".

In the case of my On30 logger "Nine Mile", the highlead donkey (Ahem, that's "Winch" in aussie parlance!), had a bottom-feeder smoke gen in the underfired multitube boiler. This was fed by a ex-35mm camera film canister "oil tank" buried within the boiler barrel, with approx 30ml capacity. As the 16V smoke gen was only operating at around 6V to give a "wafting draft" effect, it was able to stay on for 8 hours continuously and only eat (drink?) < 10ml of smoke fluid.

In the case of my HO NYCH street switcher "Brooklyn : 3AM", I have 2 gens in play. The "steaming manhole cover" is a Faller gen with integrated "bowl" type oil resouvoir. As a 12V gen it operates on 5V, which conserves fluid. However, equally, the actual fluid storage capacity is relatively low, so is only manually triggered again as a view gets to the appropriate point in the "can you find?" boards.

The 2nd gen on "Brooklyn" is a special case, it's a Seuthe bottom feeder, plumbed using RC car/plane fuel tubing, to a fluid tank formed from a Walthers rooftop Air-con unit. (approx 25-30ml capacity). This gen provides "scale rave party smoke machine" effects for the rave party lazer and LED lightshow to shine thru. As such, the need here is for
- dense smoke
- which is enclosed in a "scale" model space
- and hangs in the air for a long time

as such, this gen it run maybe 10mins in every 60, just enough to "keep the smoke level up" without the warehouse structure. Without it, the lazer show just doesn't have the same impact.

Now, in all cases, I run the above "burn times" while in a relatively large open-area at train shows. Yes, it's still a hall or similar enclosed room, but relative to the size of the layout and the 1 or 2 smoke gens, it may-as-well-be a "open air venue".

When at home, I run the gens occasionally for personal effect, maybe for photo or video work, and if a visitor wants to see the layout(s). Otherwise, I just don't run them in the comparatively "enclosed space" which is the spare-room/modelling-room.

In terms of "re-condensation oil sticking to things", yes, that does occur to an extent. However again, it's the percentage of smoke fluid "burnt", the surrounding surfaces within "striking distance", and the "% burn time" which will givern whether this is "apparently non-existent", "occasional, but not a problem", or "grimy grotty and stops the trains running". In the examples above, even the "steaming manhole cover" gag which is locate right between 2x street-trackage sets-of-rails, all fall firmly in the "apparently non-existent" category. The "D.I.R.T. SteelWorks" layout I referenced earlier falls firmly in the "grimy, grotty, and can stop the trains if you let it" camp.

(That said, they are modelling a Steel Mill, where pawls of thick smoke blasting out at perscribed points in the production process are virtually mandatory, and their use of non-supported ultra-thick Baby Oil as "smoke fluid" only provokes the condesation issue furthur...).

In short, smoke gens are no significant risk to health or safety of either models or humans, IF:
- use appropriately
- used with approved smoke fluids
- deployed appropriately with respect to blast, draft, and smoke velocity

http://www.girr.org/girr/tips/tips3/smoke_tips.html

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr