# Fog Machine Vortex Generator



## dynoflyer (Oct 8, 2006)

The site below describes using a Holiday Light Projector to create a vortex effect through a fog machine's cloud. I've got an old slide projector in the attic and wonder if anyone's ever tried this effect with a slide projector? Could it be that simple?

I did a search here and only found discussions on the 'vortex' fog machine chiller - p.s. I built a fog chiller today from a kitty litter bucket ($15 for the litter, but the bucket's free! or, was that $15 for the bucket and the litter's free?? anyway it works great!

http://www.gotfog.com/vortex1-1.html


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## JustMatt (Jul 13, 2006)

I've been thinking about that prop for about a year but haven't build one yet. Let us know how it looks! Post pictures and a video, if possible.


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## Zombie-F (Apr 12, 2004)

From what I understand, wind absolutely destroys the effect created here. I've wanted to create one of these effects for quite some time, but I was warned long ago by another haunter that the slightest wind ruins this effect.


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## dynoflyer (Oct 8, 2006)

I'll give it a go, I don't think the wind would be a problem as long as the fog is plentiful. Since the image would be static the wind blown fog across the lawn might even enhance the effect. I'll take some old 35mm slides and paint circles on them, project across the lawn through the fog and see if I can get a digital photo. 
Taking a digital photo of a 35mm slide, that's like looking into the past.


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## JustMatt (Jul 13, 2006)

I'll be inside of a carport/tent I purchased for my haunt, so wind shouldn't be a problem. Hmm, 3 weeks to go, plenty of time for one more prop!


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## CRHaunting (Jul 15, 2006)

I created this effect in my garage last year and it was a huge success for how simple it was to set up. Go for it!


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## dynoflyer (Oct 8, 2006)

Laser Pointer / Fog Machine Vortex Generator
I found this site last night and just got back from Radio Shack with a small 12V computer fan ($4.79 on clearance). I already have a small laser pointer and a small mirror. Hope it works, if it does I might get a more powerful green laser for next year. 
The slide project vortex generator is now the backup plan. 
http://www.instructables.com/id/E8V840XE40ET9K5F3F/


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## stretchnuts (Oct 17, 2006)

i am currently working with my stepson who is an electronics wiz and pc expert and our project will be using projection l.e.ds heres a link to the l.e.ds its alot safer than lasers and cheaper. id hate to blind a child for a prop.

http://theledlight.com/LuxeonLEDs.html


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## SpookySteve (Jul 30, 2008)

stretchnuts said:


> i am currently working with my stepson who is an electronics wiz and pc expert and our project will be using projection l.e.ds heres a link to the l.e.ds its alot safer than lasers and cheaper. id hate to blind a child for a prop.
> 
> http://theledlight.com/LuxeonLEDs.html


Which LED's are you using and how are you using them. Are you substituting the LED(s) for the laser but using the same set up as the Laser vortex? I was looking into building the laser vortex but decided not to for the same reason you are not using it. Any help on an alternative would be greatly appreciated.


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## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

dynoflyer said:


> The site below describes using a Holiday Light Projector to create a vortex effect through a fog machine's cloud. I've got an old slide projector in the attic and wonder if anyone's ever tried this effect with a slide projector? Could it be that simple?
> 
> I did a search here and only found discussions on the 'vortex' fog machine chiller - p.s. I built a fog chiller today from a kitty litter bucket ($15 for the litter, but the bucket's free! or, was that $15 for the bucket and the litter's free?? anyway it works great!
> 
> http://www.gotfog.com/vortex1-1.html


I have the exact projector they're using on that site. Found it on the curb last year after a neighbor moved out. May have to play with this in the off-season.


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## Fester (Sep 17, 2006)

I'm planning on doing the laser version of the vortex in one side of my garage. I picked up a 5mw green module on the Internet over the weekend and have most of the other needed parts. The real challenge looks like getting the fog right to get a consistent effect.

While looking into the vortex I came across the liquid sky effect. This would be very cool off the front of the house over the graveyard. I know that it would take absolutely 0 wind, but would be worth it to pull it off. But then again Halloween night two years ago Mother Nature laid down her own fog that would have been have been perfect. 
[nomedia]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-HwbPl3LJ4[/nomedia]

The blue lasers are really cool, but 10X the cost of even the green.


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## SpookySteve (Jul 30, 2008)

Fester,

I think the liquid sky over the grave yard would look cool, if the wind cooperates. It would also be safer since green lasers can be dangerous to the eyes and the liquid sky keeps the laser beams flat and below eye level. Just make sure it is lower that a tots eye level and not right in it.


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## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

So do you just use one of those laser room levels that scans a flat plane out from the unit?


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## Fester (Sep 17, 2006)

My plan is to put the laser on the neighbor's roof across the street and shoot the plane just over the top of my front gutter line on the second floor. This will put the plane ~20' over the Tots heads and keep the laser off of traffic. It's maybe 100' across. I'm looking at a 50-100mw unit to make this shot.

I don't know if you can use a level or not. I don't think the laser would be much more than a 5mw that is in most pointers. I created the effect last night in my kitchen with a fog machine and the 5mw module I got in last night. Just shoot a small burst of fog and wave the laser back and forth quickly and instant liquid sky out to 10 to 15'. I just can't wave my arm all night . It was a good demo to help convince my wife that I just GOTTA have that 100mw unit now.

If you already have the level give it a try, if not it only costs about $40 to build a unit with a 5mw laser. It's not much more than a laser pointer and a computer fan with a mirror glued on.


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## itsjustme0770 (Jul 22, 2008)

So the question is are you also going to have low lying fog too? If so, where will you put a separate fog machine for the non-chilled fog? I really like this idea and think it will look great, but I am thinking two fog machines are a must, no?


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## Fester (Sep 17, 2006)

Ideally the fog for the laser effect would be coming off of the roof and the grave yard would have one for the chilled fog. But if I had to scrimp on the ground fog to get the sky effect to work I would. It would most likely take more than one machine on the roof to get a decent spread as well as getting the depth to make the effect a decent size. And of course no wind. I know it will require extreme luck with the weather, so I am not banking on getting this to work, but I would like to try


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## fg4432 (Sep 18, 2007)

I followed the Instructables how-to in a general sense and used a computer cooling fan with wall wart instead of a smaller motor with batteries and zip ties instead of beam clamps. One thing I realized is that the batteries die within an hour so I would have to constantly watch for when the batteries start dying. So instead of shutting down the Haunted House for minutes while I change it out, I decided to use 1/2 inch pvc with a small piece of cardboard to help push the ON button down. The clip that holds it a shirt pocket like a pen makes it fit snug into the 1/2 inch pvc tube. I can slip it out, change batts and back in within 30 seconds. The pvc pipe is zip tied into place and I just adjust once it is back in to hit the center of the mirror.

I didn't use a chiller because I want the fog to quickly head upwards to get the right swirling motion. If the room is just full of fog it is just a green glow and not really all that interesting. I have my laser light vortex in a 5x10 room that was previously all closed in with plastic and curtained entrance/exit. I had to remove the roof to let the fog move out quicker.

One other thing that I noticed is the pc cooling fan. It was suggested to use that but to cut off the fan blades because of the sound it could make. If the fan is turning in the right direction pulling the fog towards the fan, it could actually make the swirling effect even better. However, I don't really know since I had cut the fan blades off before testing it. Maybe even just cut half of the blades off might work well too. That is something to try when this pc cooling fan dies and I have to get another motor to turn the mirror.

I use a 400 watt fog machine in an enclosed room so I can't really speak for outdoors. However, I am hesitant to try any fog outside since it is so windy in Michigan at the end of October.

For the person that wants to build a flat plane of laser light with fog effect, what about a mirror mounted to something that is more of a cylinder. Maybe a few mirrors...

Take a vertical dowel of some kind, glue some mirrors to a horizontal row all the way around, and when it spins, you could get a 90 degree reflection on a level plane. If that doesn't make sense I drew up a picture.

Flat Plane laser pointer fog effect on Flickr - Photo [email protected]@[email protected]@http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3187/[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@59b615a82d

I thought those tips might help someone else.


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## NickG (Sep 12, 2006)

all this is very interesting.


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## Moon Dog (Oct 3, 2006)

Pass the salt...


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## Fester (Sep 17, 2006)

One thing I had a problem with using the Instructables was the duty cycle on my pointer module. I had ordered just the module, not an assembled pointer/pen. I can only get about 15 minutes of constant on before the diode starts to over heat and it goes dark. After about 5 minutes of off, it will work again for ~15 minutes. I picked up a lab module off of ebay for $70 that some are running as high as 140mw. I am only running mine about 20mw for my garage vortex. It's a brighter than the 5mw, but can also run for hours at a time.

Here is a shot at the power setting I am planning on using compared to the 5mw pen module.









And this is at full power. It has to warm up about 10 minutes at a lower setting before I can crank the pot up without it pulsing.








Damn. That shot really shows all the crap on my garage floor. 

I also used a computer fan to spin the mirror, but I did not cut off the blades and I don't seem to be having any problems.

On the flat plane setup. I have seen some just using a motor with a single mirror glued to the motor shaft perpendicular to the beam. I guess if the motor is spinning fast enough you do not see the dark time when the laser is shining on the back side of the mirror. It seems that with three mirrors you would be reflecting all the time. I had some across a place selling what looked to be parts out of a laser printer with a six sided mirror for ~ $30 that I was considering. I decided not to risk the weather problems with fog and go with the semi-enclosed garage vortex this year.


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## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

Using a pointer laser for a vortex effect isn't going to cause eye damage. Standard pointers have a beam of 5mW or less, and the fact that the beam is spinning around means that even if you look right into it the beam is only shining at you for a fraction of the time. It's like the laser scanners at the supermarket. That being said, a person could still be flash-dazzled by it like they would if any kind of light were shone into their eyes.


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## ithurt (Jun 23, 2008)

I built one a few weeks ago. I used a read laser that plugs into a wall wart, they are used for garage parking. Red is not as visible as green but it was a $1 at thrift store. The problem I have is it looks great as long as my crappy target fogger is running and pointed right at it. but disapears almost instantly when fogger stops. Any breeze at all and nothing.

My question to you all is what is the best way to point the fogger?


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## ithurt (Jun 23, 2008)

sorry for the double post. something stupid is happening here, prolly on my end.


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## Fester (Sep 17, 2006)

I position my fogger a little behind and off to one side of the laser/mirror setup point down the path of the cone. I do get some fog in between the mirror and the laser, but other than being able to see the beam a little, no harm seems to be done. 

What kind of fog juice are you using? Is it the Target kind? If so, that is your problem. I tried some of that stuff and even with a 1250 fogger I cannot get a decent fill. It might be a little late to try and get some Froggy's but maybe somewhere local has something better than the Target fluid.


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## Rascal (Sep 24, 2008)

This is cool, think I will try it. 

Funny enough, this is similar to an effect we used to do to open our nightclubs - I used to be in that business.

We'd first fill the room with smoke, alot of it with all the lights off. We would then have a light called an Intellibeam (basically a fancy light that makes patterns) make a light pattern of a spinning vortex. This was placed in front of the DJ or person who would kickoff the night.

To accompany the light, we would play a soundtrack of a train. It would start off low, like the train was in the distance and the light pattern would be tight. As the noise got louder and louder, the pattern got wider and wider. Finally, the noise would change from the engine/horn combo to a loud blast of the horn and at the same time the vortex would switch to a bright spotlight. 

It was great and would often make people jump. The funny part is that the people would be memorized by the light, just staring into it wondering what was going to happen. Of course since it was a club, as soon as the spotlight turned on, the music would kick in and the club lights would turn on.


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## arcuhtek (Oct 5, 2007)

So for 2008 I decided after spending THOUDANDS of dollars over the years....no new props this year. UNTIL, this thread sucked me in....

The reason I got sucked in is because I seemingly have almost all of the tools and items required to build this prop, already on hand with the exception of a mirror (which is easy to find).

I thought of several things that coudl be used as a motor (CPU fan, etc) and suddently I had a epiphany! 

A DREMEL.

Sure....dremels are not cheap, but many of us hobbyists already own them. They offer several advantages and one disadvantage over the DIY motors presented in the links for this prop. The advantages are that the motor is already built, ready to plug in and most of all is variable speed. You would only need to run it on the slowest setting. Additionally, the way the bit/shaft is on these things, it allows you to attach the mirror pretty easily, especially if you sacrifice a cheap accessory which has a flat disc already built into it.

Disadvantages.....you run the thing all night ( my haunt is one night only) and it burns the motor out....whew expensive option! Two, you have to find a way to hold the on button on continuously. But in this prop we already have the instructions on how to hold the laser pointer on button down...so why not just repeat that for this device too?

Just thought I would throw this idea into the mix.


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## Fester (Sep 17, 2006)

The only other thing I would think off is mounting might be a little more of a challenge.

If you have not already, you might want to look into front side mirrors (also called first surface). These have the reflective material on the front instead of the back. This has two advantages. The first is that a regular mirror will give two reflections. Shine a pointer into a standard mirror and you will see two dots. The second is the laser must pass through the glass twice with a regular mirror, causing a loss of power.


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## rbrittigan (Sep 8, 2008)

Well, I hit this thread and decided to play with it a bit. First I used a ~$5.00 'party laser light' I picked up at target, on the end isle clearance rack (usually $24.99). It's adjustable, makes many different designs, but alas - a bit too spastic for me. Then it came to me - a laser level with a 'flat' line. I happen to have two (Harbor Freight is my friend). they are ~15 inches long, shaped like a level. Produce a flat line, use AAA batteries. I position one at each end of my enclosure, both at the same level (roughly 7 feet high). Fog machine is off to the side, at about 7-1/2 feet high & is aimed at a slight diagonal. Not really the vortex, but more of the 'liquid air' type of feeling. When the fog machine blasts, it looks like fire (red). Next year I may turn it into dragons breath...
Thanks for the ideas - now if I can only get a bit more time & the weather to calm down! (High Wind advisories on the east coast today & tomorrow - gusts expected to be in the 45-50 mph range)


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## Fester (Sep 17, 2006)

Here is a short video of my laser vortex this year. It is in one side of my 2 car garage and is about 15-18' deep. I was wrong about the fog juice in my last post. I had first tested my vortex a few weeks ago with my 1741 fogger and ancient Party City fog juice. It was perfect. I have been unable to get a timer that works with my 1741 so I tried a couple of different fog fluids with different foggers, but found that the very thin stuff worked the best. I did try with a Party City 400w fogger, but it was only about to push the fog less than halfway down the vortex. Back to the 700w fogger with Target fluid.

Also. I must have picked up a bum laser module the first time around. Everybody that I talk to that is also running a pointer is able to get a much longer duty cycle. A guy stopped Friday night to talk and mentioned that he is also doing a vortex this year, but outside, and is able to get 2 hours before the battery dies. He was struggling with wind though. I'm sure the only reason that I was able to get such a deep vortex was that it was mostly enclosed.

Deletepartiallyof1112008_202626.flv video by madavis5 - [email protected]@[email protected]@http://vid213.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid213.photobucket.com/albums/cc161/madavis5/[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@cc161/madavis5/Deletepartiallyof1112008_202626


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## waldiddy (Aug 4, 2008)

I quickly assembled most of the ingredients for a vortex this afternoon. I'm not sure where it's going to go on October. How exactly do you show a vortex off? 

Just off one's front porch or inside a garage seems to make sense, but do visitors walk towards it from the front or from the vortex's side? In general, what's the closest you'd want visitors to the mechanisms?


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## Heaven Net (Jul 9, 2009)

Got Fog? Vortex Effect
vortexAs your trick or treaters walk into your fog filled yard, they see ahead of them a swirling vortex glowing in the air. This is a really eerie effect that is guaranteed to impress your trick or treaters. You only need a Fog Machine and a Holiday Image Projector to create this great effect.


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## Devils Chariot (May 23, 2007)

Frickin Lasers baby!!!

I got all the parts for this too, just need to figure out how to stick it on a wallwart and or if i need at timer to control it since someone mentioned thier laser times out when it gets hot.


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

I still wanna try this but I'm worried it'll be a waste because of the intrusive streetlights ruining the effect.


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