Uncle Timmy Zombie's How-Tos

Smoke and Fog Machines

One of the most effective atmosphere producers is a fog or smoke machine. There is a variety of machines for different effects which I would recommend. These can be bought or even rented from local theater suppliers or from the specific dealers listed in the Suppliers section in the back of the book. As you will also see, you can build a fog machine.

Machine Types

1. Oil based Type - A standard fog machine like those available from companies like Rosco or Martin start with models in fairly reasonable price ranges. These machines use a fluid or ''Fog Juice'' that is similar to vegetable oil, but don't use it on your salad, as it also contains chemicals to create a pleasing smell. It creates the fog by heating the fluid with an element that gets extremely hot. These machines are easy to operate and maintain.

If you operate one of these in the house for around 5-6 hours you will use approximately a gallon of fluid. It is recommended to clean these after every gallon of fluid used. To clean the machine you remove the tube from the fluid tank and insert it in a bottle of spring water. Run the machine as you normally would do, but have a towel for the steam below the nozzle when it comes out the end.

A flexible dryer hose can be attached to the end of the nozzle to extend the distance from the machine. If you do this, be sure to attach an extender to the end between the nozzle and one end of the hose. This is to allow the machine to draw in air. The machine, you see, draws the air in through the same nozzle it blows the fog out. If the hose has no gap, it has to draw the air up the entire length of the hose, therefore causing the fog to revert back to the oily juice and making a mess. If you look at Fig.1, you can see how to make an extender out of sheet metal. If you find the volume of fog is less than expected or you are having quite a bit of oil condensation in the hose, the hose might be too long.

If you would like to control the machine from another location, such as a control booth, many of these models include a remote control unit. Models like the Martin machine use a three prong plug which would enable you to use a standard microphone cord for your remote.

2. Dry Ice Type - This kind of machine uses dry ice and warm water to create the fog. This fog lies close to the ground and will leave the floor slightly damp after prolonged use. It consists of a cannister of water, a heating element, a wire basket for holding the dry ice, a flexible dryer hose, and a 'squirrel-cage' fan.

The heating element is soldered into the bottom of the cannister (I recommend using a 55 Gal. drum) and sealed to prevent the water from leaking. The fan is bolted to the top of the cannister with the hose extending from it. The wire basket is filled with dry ice (use your gloves), and when the water is hot, drop the basket into the water and turn on the fan. The smoke will, hopefully, issue forth from the end of the hose.

You have probably been reading this and thinking, ''I could build one of these !'' Yes, you can, but you will probably need the assistance of a welder and an electrician, and keep in mind that this is a very costly procedure. Below is a list of the materials needed for this project.

• 55 gal. drum
• Squirrel-cage fan
• Hot water heater element
• Flexible dryer hose (Appox. 8 Ft.)
• Wire basket
• Protective gloves (handling dry ice can burn unprotected hands)
• Water hose (for filling the barrel)

1. You will need to cut four holes in the lid of the barrel. The first is for the mouth of the fan to be attached so it will force air into the barrel. The next a 4' round hole for the hose to attach allowing the smoke to exit. The third is a square hole to load the dry ice into the basket, with a hinged lid over it. The last is for the chain on the basket to pass through, to allow you to raise and lower the basket into the water.

2. You will also need to drill two holes about 6 inches from the bottom of the barrel. This will allow you to install the heating element.

3. After you've installed the heating element, mounted the fan onto the lid, attached the hose to its opening, and strung the chain through the hole in the barrel, you need to seal the lid on with tape.

4. Fill the barrel a little over half way with water. (The heating element will need to be turned on and the water heated up.)

5. Fill the basket with the dry ice through the hole and close the small hinged lid over it. Turn on the fan, drop the basket into the hot water, and you've got smoke.

You will need to seal the holes around the heating elements to keep the barrel from leaking. You might also want to have some sort of drain plug in the bottom of the barrel for draining the barrel before storing it, to prevent rust.

3. Hazer Type Machines. A Hazer is used to fill a large area with a light smoke or ''Haze''. It won't look like a ''Foggy Ol' London'' movie set, but it'll create an atmosphere in the house as well as an ideal environment to use specialty lighting such as lasers or laser type, high intensity lights.

This machine will fill the entire house in an amazingly short amount of time. If you have ever seen a Las Vegas style production that uses lasers or this type of effects, the hazer was probably used to create this atmosphere.

Options

There are a few options in the line of smoke and fog machines to consider. If you use a type #1 ''Oil type'' machine, you might want to look into a chiller unit. This unit is used to chill the fog to cause it to keep lower to the ground. It also helps to keep it from dissipating too quickly. This is beneficial in graveyard scenes in which you want a low-lying ground fog.

You can either buy one of these units or build one. Guess what? I have included the instructions for building one right here.

• 14-16 gal. ice chest.
• 4-5 inch dia. computer or appliance fan
• Dry ice
• More dryer hose
• 2 pieces charlotte pipe (same diameter as hose) approx. 3-4 inches long.
• Epoxy

I'm not going to go into detail here because the diagram is fairly explanatory, but basically it goes as follows;

1. Cut a hole on each of the ends near the bottom of the chest through which the ÊÊÊcharlotte pipe will pass.
2. Glue the pipes into place on either side..
3. Attach fan to one side of chest at end of pipe.
4. Attach section #1 of dryer hose on other side of fan.
5. Attach other section #2 of dryer hose to other side of chest on end of pipe.
6. Attach opposite end of hose section #2 to fog machine extension.
7. Fill chest with dry ice.
8. Pump hot fog in from machine into chest and chilled fog out other end with fan.

Now you have a fog chiller unit for around $30 - $40 and the price of your consumables (dry ice). I would like to state that I haven't personally built it.

The above "How-To" is an excerpt from Tim Harkleroad's "The Complete Haunted House Book" for more information about this and other great haunted house reference books go to MoonLighting Publication's website "Haunted House Books On-Line" at www.hauntedhousebooks.com. You can e-mail Tim at moonpub@aol.com