Coloured smoke looks like magic is being created. Just the thing for orange smoke rings.
“Continue reading” for coloured smoke rings and bubbles.
It has been tried before for smoke rings but I gather they are prone to leaving a coloured residue. Normal smoke generators will leave a liquid residue if aimed against a surface but it will eventually evaporate.
So here’s what I tried instead.
I used a standard boating flare that produces orange smoke. Under Australian maritime law it is required that you carry 2 red light flares for night and two smoke flares for day. This pack of 4 is available for AUD$70. Each smoke flare burns for 60 seconds. If you cut each flare into 1 inch slices with a hacksaw, then the 10 smoke flare slices will cost $7 each for 12 seconds bright orange smoke.
The left photo shows the flares with a section cutout. The next photo shows that it won’t work in open air as it just burns without orange smoke. Presumably oxygen must be excluded so the next photo shows a short aluminium tube as a firing chamber with ignition by my MAPP gas blowtorch.
Stick a burning flare piece in the smoke generator and you get a few good shots of orange smoke.
Clap the smoke ring is becoming an internet meme.
Related pages
Try something else
External links
Bill Beatty’s site Some basic plans and interesting conjectures.
Mt Etna’s volcanic smoke rings
Commercial Smoke ring toys Zero Blaster and Airzooka
Bill Grundmann’s 3 foot smoke rings
EastVoltResearch nice rapid fire version video
Youtube Japanese 10 m smoke rings
Photo Date: Jan 26, 2008