Thanks all for the info. Some experimentation called for methinks.

In Canada… https://costronica.com/en-ca/product/costronica-pocket-smoke-toggle

Hi Yab,
The brand is "Costranica" and they can be found on Etsy. ( I have no connection with them other than purchases occasionally.)
They have a few different configurations and appliances, the most of which we wouldn't use, but some of the "hardware" as in the 90* tubing holder prevents kinks in the tubing but allows the unit to be placed remotely and the tubing run to the outlet. I didn't have room for the whole unit (including the batt compartment in one build), so pulled the wires from the compartment, cut it off the "business end" of the unit and hooked the wires to a switched buck converter set to 4.5V which lessened the volume that was much more consistent with the boat it was installed in.

Interesting to compare the different smoke effects. The fog machine produces lighter 'smoke' that appears to rise naturally, whereas the water vapour provided by a nebulizer is naturally heavy and tends to sink more rapidly. Is the fog fluid expensive and readily available? Any further details?

I'm a little late in this discussion, but have read the thread and no one mentioned the Cosplay Actor's fog machines.
These are pocket held little devices operating on four AA batteries which are contained within the device. Obviously they use heat to create the "fog", but it's not so hot it can't be hidden in a jacket pocket.
A real plus for them is they can push the fog down three feet of plastic hose and not loose any volume. This translates to remote mounting and not needing to be mounted under the stack. They operate in any position, and can be controlled by an ESC so long as their voltage remains under 6V. I don't operate mine all the time hence a channel activated switch to turn them on and off in short usage periods.
There are two in my tug, one for the main stack and one for Maude's cook stove. The one for Maude's stove has a drop of cinnamon roll baking essence (a candle making essence,) so if we're on the pond and an observer gets a whiff of it they're not offended.
In the video the air was stock still, but on the pond the slightest air makes the smoke more realistic.

Dick Tracy in 2/16 scale?
Lew

LewZ;
you are a great detective.
😎

I can attest that Yabbie's smoke generator puts out an impressive amount of "smoke" that is visable even in bright sunny conditions.

Cheers,
Stephen.

Liar, liar, pants on fire!

I got the vapor mister (in the video I recently posted) from Amazon. The mist is barely visible indoors, not even about 10% of that burst of "smoke" seen in the video.

So, I will give it a very bad review for a deciptive ad. However, I plan to keep it for the upcoming "Florida" hot summer days for which it should work.

Lew

Here is a thread on Facebook about smoke generators

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EVVmhJXvN/

Around 7 years ago I started doing some experiments with creating smoke and water for RC boat exhausts, as I had never seen an RC boat with a system like that, (smoke but no water) and posting them. A while later Graham93 joined the fun and between us we came up with some good cheap little units. Everything was on the site, but all the dozens of experiments and videos have now been deleted by admin (no doubt to save space) . The text for some of it is still there under 'smokers' in the search area, but without the pics and videos it's not much use.

Making smoke is easy, using 50/50 glycerin and water, but getting the two to work with an exhaust took a few goes to get working well. Most of the units used modified E-cig elements of various types and worked well. I have also made one with a 3D printer element, and using a timer with it I can pulse it on and off to save power. I also made one to simulate gun smoke.

Just a suggestion,-if you see a technical video or pic you like here, save the address or pic for future reference or they will eventually be removed due to space saving measures.
Here are a few vids of some of the models with the smoke and water exhausts, and smoker experiments working. The exhaust smoke/water exhausts have timers which allow the smokers then air pumps to start first with engine/sound, then water to simulate startup.

JB

Ohh just runting through my magazine collection, can't remember seeing that, and I read them several times.
Also, a friend has shown me this morning that he uses a smoker fluid in his trains called megasteam -- looks impressive in his trains.

Lew, I use 24v because the tug has a 24v drive motor and battery. But I have tested the smoker on 12v via a 5A XL6019 booster module. The current draw was 1.6 Amps (19W), a slightly higher power consumption because of the losses in the booster.

Yab, do you use a 24V battery for the humidifier element or run it at a lower voltage?
Lew

I can assure everyone that there is nothing innovative or special about "my" smoker, it is a conventional arrangement of parts as used by some commercial units of the past, with minor improvements. I provided full details in the August 2025 edition of Model Boats magazine (UK) and I think I would get in trouble with the editor if I repeated them here! However this diagram should explain the basics; it can be built quite cheaply if you are handy sourcing parts.

An interesting point is that the fan must always run forwards, even if the boat is reversing. Otherwise the smoke will be sucked back down the funnel and blown out of all the ventilators and openings on your model! Quite an interesting spectacle. I am assuming here that you have the fan slaved to the motor speed controller; the issue can be avoided by feeding the fan motor via a full-wave bridge rectifier.

Nebuliser:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006906832202.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.2.17ecxzk0xzk0V1&algo_pvid=faf0c722-6723-4d82-bbf4-8d07fab7820e&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22order%22%3A%22101%22%2C%22eval%22%3A%221%22%2C%22fromPage%22%3A%22search%22%7D&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A%7Cx_object_id%3A1005006906832202%7C_p_origin_prod%3A

Im more after burst of smoke at engine start and a little less while running (bit more than the china Henglong smoker).
More of a wall for me but with the ideas from everyone and some fruit of the mind I think I may just have and idea..

Do the vapes make continuous "smoke"? When I see people using the,they seem to be only puffs .
Lew
(Non-smoker.)

Some good ideas and comments -- my issue is forcing it down two horizontal tubes to the rear of the RSO... tried the electric misters even 4 at same time are not the part. In the process of stripping some smoking vapes.. My friend has one, and it looks like a fire from his shed door have some RC switches that are hopefully rated true🤔 (20amp). I update you all when it goes bang 😮

Gabbie:
That is some serious home made smoke generator.
You have to file. (PCT) for your invention.
“Patent Corporation Treaty.” Maybe you can make some money with that.
😎

Yab, any more info on the nebulizers?(Where do you get them, names, model numbers?)
Lew

Just to add to this discussion, I have been making my own misting smokers from room nebulizers. I find they are great in the cooler months, but less so in the warm months because the 'smoke' dissipates too quickly. Their fan is slaved to the throttle.

For comparison, they have a 200ml water tank which lasts about 30 minutes. That works out at about 7ml per minute. They consume 650mA on 24 volts (16 Watts) but can be run at lower voltages via a step-up voltage converter.

Shown fitted to my 1:24 scale tug Wattle.

Rod, et al., this is a misting unit, not vaporizing. The big difference is that there should not be any heat involved. That equals longer battery time. I don't know how the boat would take all that mist, but being that it is on the water and moving I don't think the boat would get too wet on the superstructure.

Update:

Title:
HandFan 5200mAh Upgraded Handheld Misting Fan, Portable Mister Fan Rechargeable, Spray Water Mist Fans, Electric Hand Cooling Ice Fans for Summer Beach Travel Concerts, Gifts for Women(Royal Blue)

Description:
Warm Tips: Please add tap water or mineral water, DO NOT add Purified water, distilled water.
A larger battery capacity inevitably add to the weight, which is also why it boasts an extended range.(Weight: 8.64oz)
🔋 Up to 24 Hours of Cooling Power: Equipped with a 5200mAh high-capacity battery, enjoy continuous airflow for up to 24 hours on a single charge—perfect for shopping, camping, or long outdoor work sessions.(Usage time: 6-24hours)
💧 2.0ml/min High Mist Output: Delivers 2.0ml/min of ultra-fine mist that cools you down rapidly, keeping you refreshed even on the hottest days.(Water tank: 34ml; Spray Hours: 25-30min.)
🔘 Independent Controls for Fan & Mist: Separate controls for fan and spray allow you to run each function alone or together—flexible operation.
📿 Foldable & Neck-Hanging Design: Easily fold and wear around your neck or hold in hand. Enjoy hands-free cooling while walking, commuting, or traveling
💨 3 Wind Speeds for Your Comfort: Choose from low, medium, or high settings to match your needs—from a gentle breeze to powerful cooling.(Max Wind Speed: 13.4ft/s)

Lew

Was able to download (and shorten to 30 sec.) a video.

I'll throw my support behind the Dean's Design units. I have two of them and they work well.
Best part is that when I test them in the house, I don't set off the Fire Alarm! The local gents seem to appreciate that.😊

Oh good! And if it looks promising pls post a link to the Amazon data or at least enuff info that we can go looking for it? Your link will be for the USA site but will present me with the choice of continuing with US site or switch to Canadian.

Looking forward to your ongoing posts abt this.

I just ordered a handheld fan misting unit, battery operated from Amazon. Going to see if it will work out as a "smoker". The video looks like it spews out a lot of mist for several hours.

Lew

Hello everyone,
I don't want to prolong this topic but I have some information which might be of help. As Lew states the only way at the moment to get black smoke is to burn something. I had a lot of success generating white smoke/vapour using parts from a vape device. I bought spare parts like coils etc and a computer fan plus batteries. My only problem was that I never pursued it further and make the whole thing into a compact unit. You can buy coils or wire of varying resistance which give give different volumes of smoke. Someone on the internet was doing just this to make factory smoke on a model railway. My stumbling block was insulating the hot wires from plastic funnels etc. This was similar to the Robbe unit.
Best wishes Tim

---- BEWARE of this smoke generator (Coalcaine) ----

From a video:
"You don't want to run this in your house."
"Non toxic." (what?)
"Made from a fine coal powder."

Coal dust for $155.00 US - not for my lungs!

Black non toxic smoke for rc vehicles. The holy grail still remains unreachable.

Lew

Thanks James....Rod

Any machine is a smoke machine if you use it wrong enough... drawback is that it only works once...

For black smoke this is available for rc trucks to simulate rolling coal, it might work for a ship. https://www.110rodshop.com/products/1-10-rod-shop-coalcaine-injection-simulator

LewZ, perhaps powered by a LiPO?? A lot of stuff nowadays can be "cordless" thanks to lipo batteries.

I've seen some of these ultrasonic vaporizers, especially in doctors offices. I guess that battery operated as I did not see any wiring. They seem to be lasting quite a bit, and the best part is "they don't stink".

Lew

DavidE, these are same technology as the ultrasonic home humidifiers. The white smoke is just a very fine mist of distilled water. I purchased several transducers, and a couple of ultrasonic driver boards from various Amazon vendors, they were all very disappointing...either difficult to get started, or not running very long, or ran once or twice for a very short time then quit. As I posted earlier, Garth at Confederation over in Burlington an hour west of us had one working literally for hours & hours on static display. I gave up on those, currently looking into the hot resistors that vaporize vegan glycerin on a fiberglas wick, glycerin which I got off Amazon.

And a $50 vaping unit , I bought a vape canister that has NO nicotine

You can get some smoke generators which use water
They throw out a lot of white smoke

Try ebay search which should throw up some results
I think howes might do one as well

Regards
Dave

Sorry I didn’t mention the fuel. I’m assuming you’re asking about the fluid in the heating chamber. There are many brand’s available so source one near you. Oil based products smoke very well when heated. Remember that a wick needs to be wrapped around the heating coil to soak up the oil. I used glass fibre rope for that purpose (ex steam engine supplies)
I hope this helps

Jav... What do you use as "fuel"? Lew

Hi Rod
I’m scratch building a WW2 Destroyer for which I have constructed a home built smoke generator. The model is 1/60th scale so there is plenty of room in the hull just below the funnel. I used a shallow glass jar with metal screw lid. The heating coil came from an old electric heat gun, some other heating elements should work just the same. I use 3s lipo batteries connected via an ESC to the heating coil. You will need to work out by trial and error how long your heating coil needs to be without over heating to match your power supply. A resistor may be needed to limit the power drawn from your supply. A small electric fan provides air flow and blows smoke out the funnel. I get as much as I need and it can be varied by controlling the esc via rc. Just scale things down for smaller boats.
Good luck and make smoke.

AdBlue is a brand name for products and services related to exhaust aftertreatment in diesel engines using selective catalytic reduction (SCR). This exhaust aftertreatment enables a reduction of emitted nitrogen oxides (NOx) by up to 97 percent.The aqueous urea solution required for this process is standardized in ISO 22241 as AUS 32.

I found that on Wikipedia. It's still allowed here.

It's the same as DEF.

Is AdBlue the same as DEF fluid? Over here the Americans are now allowing it NOT to be used to reduce the costs for farmers...remove the costly sensor

Hello Rod, the number of electric cars is slowly increasing. For trucks, AdBlue is mixed into the diesel fuel. This reduces emissions. Otherwise, the trend for electric trucks is also moving towards electric vehicles.

Wolle, regardless of that I wud like to hear how the Germans do it. We hav RAM pickups belching black smoke...1min of a RAM wud cause more environmental concern than a hundred models operating for 5 seasons.

I think it's referred to as "rollin' coal"

I would also prefer black vapor. But in the German forum where I am still active, I was advised against it, as it is not well-received in Germany due to environmental concerns.

I think that you will find it very hard if not impossible to make black smoke safely.
The black in smoke is caused by incomplete combustion of a carbon containing fuel. In other words that is carbon or soot. This means that you would have to burn something like wood or an oily rag to get the black smoke effect. It may be possible but I wouldn't do it in a plastic or wooden model.
Good luck Tim

The Denes Design MSU takes 150mA not 1-2 amps. There is no coil or any other annoying thing in it. Just pure water.

...and don't forget the battery. Most of these s.g.'s use a resistance coil requiring more capacity which means more area and weight.
Lew

I tried a couple of things to create black smoke, but no luck. If anyone knows anything, or have an idea for a technic please let me know.

I wouldn't use in my models any glycerine or oil based smoker, and I would recommend it to anyone.

I think many wud like copious black smoke

I purchased a HengLong and a bottle of vegan glycerine...and I'm very disappointed

Previously I tried the ultrasonic disc's that spit fine water droplets...hard to tune, and they didn't last very long (failed). All off AMAZON. I was able to return that stuff. Kept the HengLong hoping for another try.

Hav tried incense, the sticks don't produce much and I'm looking now for the brown cones of my younger days, they will hav a larger burn zone so shud produce more smoke.

Bought a vape device but haven't figured out how to trigger it in a boat. Works good in my hand altho the duty cycle isn't anything to write home about.

My first trip to Hamilton Steam and Tech museum I saw an ultrasonic one working very well, it belongs to Garth who is a member here. Perhaps he'll see my post here, and comment further.

Hello Everyone,
A while back, I bought a couple of these steamers from Dainesh. They have a decent capacity, but only fit in larger boats. Since then, I’ve seen that he also makes smaller steamers. Mine work perfectly.
I find that you have fewer problems with water than with the “oil-fired heaters.”
Gotta stop here; I need to get back to work at our club marina.
April 26 is fast approaching.
Ciao tutti!
Michel-C.

PS: The film shows two units coupled together, with the motto: Full steam ahead!!! I installed this in the Mississippi steamboat.

Hi! I'm very happy with the unit. I've also set it up so that more smoke comes out when I accelerate.

The video is the smoke generator in my Britannia.

Hi Wolle

There are some videos on the YouTube about the Denes Design products please feel free to check the or check denesdesign.co.uk there are many information there. I wouldn't trust the cheap eBay things. I bought a blue one once and sent it back straight. I just want something which is able to alternate the smoking effect according to the throttle arm position and able to connect to the receiver on the same slot as the esc.