Not Enough Smoke

[Trailbiker]

Have just built and am testing my own smoker, along the lines of lots ones seen on here and YouTube. I'm using a 15 ohm 1W wire wound resistor hooked directly to the battery and a small fan. It doesn't seem to make very much smoke at all, and with the fan blowing it's even worse. Has anyone got any ideas as to what I might have done wrong ? Does the resistor have to be in the draft of the fan, as I notice if you blow lightly on the resistor it appears to smoke a bit more. I've tried HL smoke fluid and 3 in 1 oil, neither make much difference.
Does a slight drop in battery voltage affect it in anyway ?

[tanker 242]

hi Trailbiker I suggest following strmnds posts on this one , I use johnsons baby oil in min get lots of smoke ,even more with proportional smoker with mini fan , tanker 242

[Trailbiker]

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll have to try that. It does seem like the resistor isn't getting hot enough, as I followed strmnd52 suggestions for the correct type. He did suggest that the IBU2 board would be ideal for using his acoustic smoker design based on using a small speaker.

[tanker 242]

hi trailbiker I should of mentioned I changed the wick as well to Kevlar string type, look somewhere under smokers, it could be under Kevlar wicks, or on one of the threds about smokers ,by strmnd52, tanker 242 .

[Trailbiker]

Thanks the wick I'm using is fire rope, used to seal wood burning stoves. Is that the same stuff ?

[tanker 242]

hi trailbiker, am afraid I cannot answer that may be another member can I was told about Kevlar wicks by another member so I looked on google for Kevlar wicks & found a shop in north London that sold it tanker 242

[strmnd54]

Thanks the wick I'm using is fire rope, used to seal wood burning stoves. Is that the same stuff ?

Are you talking about the 15 Ohms 1 Watts resistors that you mentioned to me in your Pm?
http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/through-h ... s/7629358/

If so, It does mention that those resistors have a " Flame resistant coating"..

I never saw that feature for the resistors I bought until now and I think that this coating might be interfering with the heat transfer to the surface of the resistor; thus producing less smoke than expected...

I do have some 15 Ohms 1 Watt resistors with normal ceramic coating that would perform better...

P.M. me your mailing address and I'll send you a couple of these with kevlar wicks...

[Trailbiker]

Strmnd54, You could be right about the "Flame resistant coating". I thought they might be good, as they're not going to burst into flames if they get too hot. Obviously they aren't getting hot enough.
Anyway, thanks for the offer of some, PM sent !
Richard

[jtracks]

I bought a pair of these, nice and quiet and plenty of smoke.


I would be happy to take photos of the internals if you would like. Let me know.

Joe

[Trailbiker]

Yes, please jtracks. That's how I'd like mine to work, but having a bit of trouble getting the same effect. I have two small 7V mini fans which don't seem to move much air, and a wire wound resistor, which is apparently flame proof and doesn't appear to get hot enough to produce very much smoke.
Did you make that yourself, or is it something you bought ?
I know a lot of work has gone into this by strmnd54, but sometimes the exact parts required don't seem to be available in certain countries, which means a compromise has to be used, with not brilliant results !