Fog Machine "Blaster"

[Kodey]

Hi, I was looking into fog machines for a project, and I was wondering a few things mainly considering the range of how far the fog can go. I plan on putting a heat-resistant flexible tube/hose to redirect the fog to leave out the of a solid tube which would be held by the operator, most likely a PVC tube. My goal is for the fog to leave the muzzle and reach a range of around 15 meters, if I can 18 meters would be best for accuracy to the real thing, but that sounds unrealistic and it just needs to have some range to it. The fog doesn’t need to last a long time for me, I’ll probably be using Propylene Glycol because all I need is the fog plume to be visible.

TL;DR: I want to shoot fog out of a tube and have it go around 15 meters on a good day, doesn't need to last long, just need the long cloud.

I have a few ideas on how to do this, including;

• A heavy-duty fan attached as a “stock” for the pvc tube
• Cooling the fog, goes in hand with the fan idea but I also mean getting a cooling component attached to the pvc tube, but I’m not sure how this would affect the fog, and if it would condensate too quickly in the tube.
• Having a projectile “guide” the fog out of the tube probably could try to use an airsoft AEG motor with a low-power spring. (ANSI eye protection is already being worn)

These are just the ideas I’ve had, but I wanted to just see what else might be possible, or if the solution to do this already exists, but I'm just blind and haven't found it.

 

[Maura N.]

Hy Kodey and welcome to our community!
Maybe this video could help you.

Keep us updated!

 

[Kodey]

So after some testing with just a vinyl hose and some glycerin, since all the glycerin would cost upwards up $60 cad, I found these things

- Fog had barely enough "propulsion" to leave the tube
- fog lasted for too long
- the little fog that left the tube had no power behind it.

At least from this first test, I'll likely need at least two fans, one for the end of the hose to suck out the fog, and another for the tube to allow it to shoot out of the nozzle. For the end of the tube, I was thinking of taking an electric duster and sticking it in the hose, cutting out parts that I'd need to expose, and the axial designs tend to be cheaper.

As for the stock, I'm still unsure of what kind of fan I could use, it's likely that I'll have to make my own fan for it. As for axial and centrifugal fans, it's still up in the air what I'll be using. However, even then I could reduce the fan count by attaching the fog hose to the fan that'd be attached to the tube, meaning the intake would provide a light vacuum so it'd be able to guide the fog into the tube. This could possibly be the best solution, but it would also drastically change the effect I'm looking for. That being said, it could be interesting to make a fog blaster design evocative of the Portable No. 2.

 

[Maura N.]

This sounds so exciting! I wish we were from the same town, I could help you with testing!
If you wish, you can create a series of short films "how to make a fog Machine", I think many people would love the stories!