MachineX Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 Currently I am using KNO3+Sugar+Paraffin. This works great, but paraffin is rather expensive. Any thoughts on other substitutes? If you leave the paraffin out, you still get smoke, just not as much and it burns really quick. Wondering if I could do something like coat the insider of the tube with a coating of some sort (laquer, wax, paint, etc.) then use some other form of fuel that would have a similar effect. Slow down the burn and produce lots of smoke. Any thoughts? I am certainly not a chemist, but my understanding is paraffin is an oil byproduct in solid form. Does it need to be. Could I use something like baby oil to wet the dry ingredients to form more of a paste, then use 50/50 KNO3+Sugar as a higher heat source to start the burn added just before setting it off so it doesn't get "wet"? I have no problem with using paraffin for making a bunch of smaller smoke devices, but say I wanted to make a really big one (think 1 gallon paint can, maybe larger). Paraffin would not be cost effective in this case. Not something I want to do all the time, just maybe every so often at a party or something to make some crazy smoke. Thanks,B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msantosh1989 Posted September 15, 2022 Share Posted September 15, 2022 You can use castor oil. Add some NaHCO3 to reduce the burn rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Posted September 15, 2022 Share Posted September 15, 2022 Things that matter for smokes.1 the compound exactly -usually they burn rich with little oxidiser2 the shape of the container. usually any fire must stay in the container and only smoke come out. If the flame comes out the smoke burns up and is lost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richtee Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 (edited) I’d imagine any oil. Perhaps even the “insect fogger” stuff for that particular use. You may need to adjust formulas slightly, but it’s not QUITE rocket science. On Edit..Dang that might be quite handy..the insect ones. It’s still firepit season and still mosquito season here. Hmm.. gonna be at a pit fire tomorrow night. Edited September 16, 2022 by Richtee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmjlab Posted September 23, 2022 Share Posted September 23, 2022 Perhaps coating the inside of the container with waterglass would slowdown any burn through on a larger smoke device, and to Arthur's point, help contain the flames? Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRAITH Posted October 20, 2022 Share Posted October 20, 2022 Currently I am using KNO3+Sugar+Paraffin. This works great, but paraffin is rather expensive. Any thoughts on other substitutes? If you leave the paraffin out, you still get smoke, just not as much and it burns really quick. Wondering if I could do something like coat the insider of the tube with a coating of some sort (laquer, wax, paint, etc.) then use some other form of fuel that would have a similar effect. Slow down the burn and produce lots of smoke. Any thoughts? I am certainly not a chemist, but my understanding is paraffin is an oil byproduct in solid form. Does it need to be. Could I use something like baby oil to wet the dry ingredients to form more of a paste, then use 50/50 KNO3+Sugar as a higher heat source to start the burn added just before setting it off so it doesn't get "wet"? I have no problem with using paraffin for making a bunch of smaller smoke devices, but say I wanted to make a really big one (think 1 gallon paint can, maybe larger). Paraffin would not be cost effective in this case. Not something I want to do all the time, just maybe every so often at a party or something to make some crazy smoke. Thanks,B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts