Factory Smoke Advice

Seuthe used to make smoke machines for factories and smaller structures.  I used two for factories in my HO days (back in the middle of the last century) and they were acceptable.

Thanks! Their website seems to have a huge selection. I think I was searching the wrong words. Smoke generator or machine is what I needed to search. I think these will work! 

Seuthe smoke units aren't going to put out much smoke, if you're trying to make it look like a real factory, a fan driven smoke unit is the ticket.

Ah ok. I searched real quick and just saw they had a huge selection. I haven't combed through in detail. I assumed they had one available.

I'll have to see if they make fan driven smoke units for this. I mean there's nothing obvious in my mind saying I can't use a smoke unit from an engine. 

I've been buying MTH fan smoke units when I see them on the Bay. Used one on my engine house and piped it in using aquarium tubing with valves so I could adjust the smoke. Don

This is a bit of an aside, but...

Has anybody ever tried one of those little ultrasonic mist makers instead of a real smoke generator?

https://www.amazon.com/Gumps-g...YY4/ref=sr_1_88_sspa

These things are available in many shapes and sizes and produce an impressive amount of cool water vapor. No chemicals except H2O. I don't know if the moisture would create any issues, but I kind of think not. 

I've been meaning to give this a try, but have never gotten around to it. Anybody have any data?

@scale rail is there a specific part number for the MTH units? 

@Avanti I'll have to look into it. I thought about a fog machine but wasn't sure if it would look right. 

Moisture and metal, I don't think that is a good combination.

@RRAddict posted:

Moisture and metal, I don't think that is a good combination.

Kind of depends on the metal, no?

Or if the metal is painted/sealed. 

But actually, the vapor could do alright in the case of open hearth stacks. They're going to be very high off the layout. So as long as the vapor went up, it might not matter. Refilling it with water instead of smoke fluid is appealing too. 

@Avanti posted:

This is a bit of an aside, but...

Has anybody ever tried one of those little ultrasonic mist makers instead of a real smoke generator?

https://www.amazon.com/Gumps-g...YY4/ref=sr_1_88_sspa

These things are available in many shapes and sizes and produce an impressive amount of cool water vapor. No chemicals except H2O. I don't know if the moisture would create any issues, but I kind of think not. 

I've been meaning to give this a try, but have never gotten around to it. Anybody have any data?

Not crazy about water around my layout.  Too much bad experience with rust (and mold and mildew).

Unless you intend to force overtime on your little 1:48 worker guys in the mill, I think the water vapor issue is minimal. The vapor generator can be arranged only to be running "on demand" when you show off your layout to friends and neighbors, not running all the time, three shifts a day and weekends.

@Arthur P. Bloom posted:

"I love the smell of smoke pellets in the morning!"

Well, I guess that is one disadvantage of water vapor. 

Plenty of pellet smoke as the ol' 2055 passes the power plant. I have the original bottle from 1953, with a few pills left. A forty-year hiatus ensured that I still have some left since Santa Claus brought the first layout.

Hahaha they would probably only work partial shifts a few days a week. 

What I've gathered so far is I'm going to have to build some smokestacks and try some things

Look at Harbormodels.com for smoke generators.  They are a site for the r/c boat hobbyists. There are a few different smoke generators listed some are 12 volt and some 6 volt . Watch because a few need r/c servos for them to work.  Might be pricey but you get up to 3 hours smoke output with a single 1/2 ounce filling. Also they're designed for multiple smoke stacks/chimneys using flexible plastic tubing and fittings.

Possibly one unit could provide enough smoke for all your stack. 

@third rail those like like they would be perfect because of the tubing option! Plus the length of time you can run them. I think that's gonna be the winner for me. I will have a number of stacks so this would be an efficient way to make them smoke! 

Chris from the Lehigh Valley Hirailers has an atomic power plant cooling tower on a module that uses water vapor.  I believe it has about half a dozen similar ultrasonic generators in the base.  Puts out an impressive amount of fog, really looks cool.  It does have it's advantages, it's odorless and should dissipate without leaving moisture on everything.  The times I've seen his cooling tower in operation I didn't see any water issues.

I mean I think water vapor would be plausible since open heart stacks were high up. I run a dehumidifier where the layout will go so I feel like that could work. I guess that a nickel track shouldnt rust.

I'll be making a decision sooner than I think I tore out most of the cruddy shelves that were in the way. A weekend worth of wall painting and I should be able to start bench work and figuring out how to fit this all on the layout. I lost this weekend because I had to work