Fog is generated when rapid condensation occurs. You can make a small amount in a jar using hot water and ice, but if you want to make a lot, you'll need a liquid glycerin solution. To get mist that falls instead of rising, use dry ice or create a cooler for regular glycerin-based mist.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Create Mist in a Jar
Step 1. Heat some water to a high temperature, but don't let it boil
If your faucet produces very hot water, you could use it directly, without having to heat it further. Alternatively, heat some water in a saucepan, or put it in a glass container and then in the microwave.
- The water should be very hot, but not boiling. Try to bring it to a temperature between 50 and 80 ° C.
- You can check the water temperature with a kitchen thermometer. If you don't have one, just pinch your finger. The water should be very hot.
Step 2. Fill a glass jar with hot water
Start by pouring a small amount of water, swinging it all over the base of the jar. Then, fill it completely and let it sit for a full minute.
- It is best to start with a small amount of water to avoid breaking the glass due to the temperature range. Make sure you use food jars, which can withstand very high temperatures.
- Set a timer for one minute (60 seconds) while you wait. Use these moments to find a metal strainer if you don't already have it handy.
Step 3. Pour nearly all of the water out of the jar
Leave about 2.5 cm inside. Your goal is to make a very hot jar with a small layer of hot water on the bottom.
- If you have spilled too much water, you can use warm tap water to correct the amount, because the jar itself is already hot.
- If you have heated the water to a boil, you can allow it to cool slightly. However, use a pot holder to protect your hands as you pour the liquid. The hot jar could burn your hands.
Step 4. Place a metal colander over the jar, so that the funnel ends up inside the glass
- Do not let the strainer come into contact with water.
- The colander should reach the hot air in the jar, but not the water.
Step 5. Fill the colander with ice
Use at least three or four cubes, working quickly. Alternatively, you can put a few pieces of ice on the lid of the jar and then plug it.
- If the colander is too small to hold four ice cubes, use crushed ice.
- The contrast between the cold ice and the warm humid air inside the jar generates the mist.
Step 6. Watch the fog build up
When the hot air produced by the ice collides with the hot air inside the jar, rapid condensation should occur, causing mist to form in the glass. If you have a spray, such as hairspray, a quick sprinkle inside the jar will allow your mist to last longer.
- To create colored mist, add food coloring to the hot water.
- As the jar cools, the mist will disappear.
Method 2 of 4: Making Mist with Glycerin
Step 1. Mix pure glycerin with distilled water
The ratio of glycerin to water must be 3: 1. For example, mix half a cup of water with one and a half cups of glycerin. This solution is known as fog juice.
- You can find liquid glycerin at the drugstore.
- Make sure you are using pure, non-synthetic glycerin. The pure product is able to absorb water from the air and is therefore used to create fog.
Step 2. Add scented oils as desired
An aromatic mist can add a touch of class to your parties or theatrical performances. Use half a teaspoon of flavoring per liter of solution. Oils should be explicitly referred to as "fragrance oils". Don't use essential oils.
- For a spooky circus-themed perfume, mix together, in equal parts, anise oil and cotton candy oil.
- Create a swampy scent by mixing one part bonfire oil, two parts rain oil, and four parts soil oil.
- Try a crypt-themed perfume by mixing one part pickled dill oil with two parts soil oil and two parts amber oil.
- Give your fog the theme of a haunted carriage ride by mixing one part tall grass oil with two parts cedar oil and two parts pumpkin oil.
Step 3. Make several holes in the sides of a metal can
The purpose of the can is to hold a metal saucer over a candle flame. The holes allow air to pass, so that the candle can burn freely.
- Never use a plastic can, which can release toxic chemicals if ignited.
- The best solutions are a can of coffee or a can of beans.
Step 4. Cut off the top of a 2 liter plastic bottle
You will use the funnel part of the bottle to channel the glycerin mist. For best results, use sharp scissors or a razor to cut six inches higher than a plastic bottle.
- Hold the top and discard the rest of the bottle.
- Be careful when using a sharp blade. By wearing protective gloves, you can avoid cutting yourself.
Step 5. Use tape to secure the bottle neck to a foil saucer
You can use packing tape or any other type of duct tape. A small plate of foil is sufficient for this project.
- The liquid mist will touch the metal of the saucer inside the funnel to create the mist.
- Make sure the saucer is centered on the can so it can't fall out when you pour out the liquid.
Step 6. Light the candle
Ideally, you should use a multi-wick candle that can heat the surface of the saucer evenly. If you don't have a multi-wick candle, use multiple candles to achieve the same effect.
- If you decide to use multiple candles, make sure they are very close together to concentrate the heat in the same area.
- Place the saucer over the candle.
- Make sure the bottom of the saucer is close to the flame, but not in contact with it.
Step 7. Pour the liquid mist into the bottle
Pour 5 to 15 ml of liquid into the saucer, passing it through the neck of the bottle.
- A little liquid is enough to create a lot of fog. Resist the temptation to pour too much.
- You can add more liquid later if needed.
Step 8. Watch the fog build up
The heated solution should quickly turn to fog, come out of the bottle and fill the room.
- For an interesting effect, illuminate the fog with colored lights. If you want to get colored fog, the easiest and safest way to do this is to light it with colored lights as it comes out of the bottle.
- The transparent droplets contained in the fog will reflect the colored lights.
Method 3 of 4: Using Dry Ice to Form the Mist
Step 1. Fill a large metal or plastic container with hot water
Use 20-40 liters of water to produce fog for about 15 minutes.
- Try to keep the water at a temperature of 50-80 ° C. Also, do not bring the water to a boil, as it will generate steam which will mix with the mist.
- Keep the container warm using an electric stove, to continue producing the mist for a long time.
Step 2. Put 2.5-4.5 kg of dry ice into the water
Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide and has a much lower freezing point than water (-78.5 ° C). Dip it in hot water using tongs. Typically 500g of ice produces enough fog for 3 minutes.
- Warmer water generates more fog, but the higher temperature helps to melt the ice earlier and thus reduce its lifespan.
- Always handle dry ice with insulated gloves and tongs.
Step 3. Watch the fog build up
The extremely cold temperature of dry ice causes an immediate reaction with hot water, forming a dense fog curtain. The steam produced by the hot water, combined with the melting ice, creates the fog effect.
- Control the direction of the fog with a small electric fan.
- Fog is naturally heavier than air, so it has a tendency to descend to the ground when blown up with a fan.
Step 4. Add more dry ice as needed
Every 15 minutes or so, you'll need to add more dry ice to maintain the fog effect. To get a good volume of fog for a long time it is better to use small pieces of ice rather than large blocks.
- Try using an electric stove to keep the water from cooling down, or keep pouring more hot water into the container.
- Remember that water will bubble due to the reaction between dry ice and liquid. If you want to produce in the fog in the house, consider that the floor will become slippery.
Method 4 of 4: Creating the Fog with a Fog Machine
Step 1. Purchase the supplies at a hardware store
You will need some products to build a fog machine. You should find them in all stores that sell hardware and DIY items; they shouldn't be very expensive. If you don't want to use the fog machine for a long time, almost all of the items needed to build it can be recycled into other projects. Here is the list of what you need:
- A metal tube for stoves of 60 cm, of 15 cm in diameter. It will be the container where you will produce the fog.
- A 0.5 cm diameter and 7.5 m long copper refrigeration pipe.
- A 1 cm diameter and 15 m long copper refrigeration pipe.
- A 1mm diameter clear plastic tube, 3.5m long.
- A tube of 4 cm in diameter, 60 cm long (used as a model, then to be thrown away).
- A plastic tube of 7.5 cm in diameter, 60 cm long (used as a template, then to be thrown away).
- 4 clamps for the transparent plastic tube.
- 1 small submersible pump (400 l / h).
- A pack of plastic ties.
- A bucket of ice.
Step 2. Make two copper coils
One coil should be 4cm in diameter, the other 7.5cm. Form the coils by wrapping the copper pipes tightly around a PVC pipe. You should be able to wrap the copper around the plastic using your hands, but if you have a hard time doing this you can grab it with pliers.
- To create the inner coil, wrap the 7.5m tubing around the 4cm diameter tube 60cm long.
- To create the outer coil, wrap the 15m tube around the 7.5cm diameter tube 60cm long.
- Slide the coils off their respective tubes once created.
Step 3. Put the smaller coil inside the larger one
Slide it straight in and secure it using the plastic ties. This allows the fog to pass around the coils and inside them, to cool them in the best way.
- If fixing the smaller coil in its place is too difficult, you can also rest it on the bottom of the larger one.
- The coils must fit into the stovepipe, so pull them until they are about the length of the pipe.
Step 4. Put both coils in the stovepipe
Slide the larger one into the tube, using the zip ties to hold them in place. The goal is to have the two coils as much as possible in the center of the larger tube.
- Attaching the coils in this way allows the mist to pass around them and inside them, to cool them better.
- The machine also works without laces, but it does not offer the same performance.
Step 5. Connect the coils
Connect the ends of the coils, on one side of the refrigerant circuit, using plastic pipes and hose clamps.
- On the other hand, you need to connect the ends of the coils to a small waterproof pump, using longer plastic tubing and hose clamps.
- Cold water will come from the pump and circulate through the coils.
Step 6. Submerge the pump in a bucket filled with ice water
The pump should be fully submerged and there should be enough space next to it for a small fog machine.
- The water must be frozen for the machine to work, so it can take about 30 minutes after pouring the ice before you get fog.
- Put the fog machine in the bucket. The outlet pipe must face outwards.
Step 7. Turn on the pump
After about a minute, the cold water should circulate in the copper pipes.
- Test the temperature of the copper by touching it. You should feel the cold water flowing through it.
- Turn on the fog machine. Fill it with commercial liquid mist and activate the switch. You should produce some fog, which instead of rising like the hot one does, should come down to the ground thanks to the cooling mechanism.
Advice
Store dry ice in a cooler
Warnings
- Do not store dry ice in the refrigerator freezer. Its temperature could cause the fridge thermostat to turn off the freezer.
- Be aware that some people may have allergic reactions to scented oils.
- Handle dry ice with care.
- Do not store dry ice in vacuum-sealed containers, as the internal pressure can cause them to burst.
