# Fog Juice recipe



## frontierflyer

I just did a search on here for fog juice recipes and did not come up with anything. Just wondering if anyone is using home made juice. I have been using a mix that I make for about 3 years now that seems to be as good or better than store bought kind. More importantly, its MUCH MUCH cheaper. I found it online and its ridiculously simple to make. Its just glycerine that I bought from Walgreens, and distilled water. Here is one mix I found: http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/aa010603c.htm

Just google fog juice recipe. There are many out there.


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## Hellrazor

what a great link. I never thought of searching this. i took for granted you HAD to use what you HAD to purchase. thanks for the link, gives me something to think about.


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## Beepem

hey,

from what I have read, there is legal issues concerning using glycerin in this manner. I know vlad hates people making there own machines or fog......I bet he responds =p


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## Vlad

They should have taken you up on that bet. Making your own fog juice is definitely cheaper, and definitely dangerous. Store bought fog juice is made form near pharmaceutical grade chemicals, it's specifically blended to burn at fogger temperatures. One of the chemicals released if things go wrong is formaldehide (a colorless, toxic, potentially carcinogenic, water-soluble gas). I'd hazzard a guess, that if it the home made stuff seems to produce more fog than the store bought, it's because the home brew isn't mixed in the proper proportions, probably too much glycerine. It's just not worth the risk of poisoning yourself or TOTers. This topic gets brought up on every forum sooner or later, it goes hand in hand with the make your own fogger theory.


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## frontierflyer

carcinogenic REALLY?? but you can buy glycerine from Walgreens. The other recipes i have seen are supposed to be the dangerous ones. NOT store grade glycerine just mixed with distilled water.


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## Vlad

It's not carcinogenic when you buy it from Walgreens, it's carcinogenic when you mix it with water at improper ratios, and burn it.


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## Dr Morbius

I guess using it for bongwater is out of the question!


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## Dr Morbius

Ok, from the VERY SITE you linked to, here are the warnings, and they are consistant with what Vald said:
Chemistry of Smoke Machines

Part III: Atomized Glycols More of this Feature 
• Part 1: Introduction & Dry Ice
• Part 2: Liquid Nitrogen
• Part 3: Atomized Glycols
• Part 4: Water Vapor

Related Resources 
• Chemistry 'How-To' Guide
• How Things Work
• Weird Science
• Chemistry Articles
• Home Experiments

Elsewhere on the Web 
• Making Fog Juice 
• Build Your Own Fog Chiller 
• Got Fog? - Build a Fog Chiller 
• Homemade Iron-Based Fogger 
• Fog Juice Recipe 
• Smoke Machines - Wise Owl Answers
• MSDS MDG Dense Fluid Water-Based Fog
• MSDS Fantraxx Water-Based Liquid Smoke

Atomized Glycols

Many commercial smoke machines use 'fog juice' that consists of glycols, glycerine, and/or mineral oil, with varying amounts of distilled water. The glycols are heated and forced into the atmosphere under pressure to create a fog or haze. There are a variety of mixtures that may be used. See the reference bar to the right of this article for Material Safety Data Sheets on some example types. Some homemade recipes for fog juice are:

15%-35% food grade glycerine to 1 quart distilled water 
125 ml glycerine to 1 liter distilled water
(glycerine creates a 'haze' at concentrations of 15% or less and more of a fog or smoke at concentrations higher than 15%)

Unscented mineral oil (baby oil), with or without water
(I can't vouche for the safety of using mineral oil for fog juice)

10% distilled water: 90% propylene glycol (dense fog) 
40% distilled water: 60% propylene glycol (quick dissipating) 
60% water: 40% propylene glycol (very quick dissipation)

30% distilled water: 35% dipropylene glycol: 35% triethylene glycol (long-lasting fog)

30% distilled water: 70% dipropylene glycol (dense fog)

The resulting smoke should not smell 'burnt'. If it does, likely causes are too high of an operating temperature or too much glycerine/glycol/mineral oil in the mixture. The lower the percentage of organic, the less expensive the fog juice, but the fog will be lighter and will not last as long. Distilled water is only necessary if a heat exchanger or other tubing is used in the system. *Using a homemade fog mixture in a commercial machine will almost certainly void the warranty, possibly damage the machine, and possibly pose a fire and/or health hazard*.

Important Points

This type of fog is heated and will rise or disperse at a higher level than dry ice or liquid nitrogen fog. Coolers can be used if low-lying fog is desired. 
Changing the mixture or conditions of dispersion of atomized glycols can result in many special effects that are difficult to achieve with other simulated smokes. 
*Glycols can undergo heat denaturation into highly toxic substances, such as formaldehyde. This is one of the major problems with homemade smoke machines - they may operate at a temperature that is incompatible with the substances being used. Also, this is a danger with homemade fog juice used in commercial machines. *Glycols, glycerine, and mineral oil can all leave an oily residue, resulting in slick or sometimes slightly sticky surfaces. Be aware of the potential safety hazards, especially since the smoke may limit visibility. Also, some people may experience skin irritation from exposure to glycol fog. 
Some glycols are toxic and should not be used to create smoke. Ethylene glycol is poisonous. Some glycols are sold as mixtures. Medical or pharmaceutical grade non-toxic glycols only should be used in smoke machines. Do not use antifreeze to make a fog mixture. The ethylene glycol types are poisonous and the propylene glycol types always contain undesirable impurities. 
If water is used, it needs to be distilled water, since hard water deposits can damage the atomizer apparatus. 
Some of the chemicals that can be used for this type of smoke are flammable.


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## gmacted

I think I'll stick with my VEI Fog juice! It's fairly cheap at $15.99 a gallon. One gallon lasts a long time.


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## Zombie-F

I just wait for the day after sale a our local party store and get my fog juice for half price. I lump this in with the "make your own air cylinder" as being something dangerous and to avoid it at all costs.


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## meestercranky

gmacted said:


> I think I'll stick with my VEI Fog juice! It's fairly cheap at $15.99 a gallon. One gallon lasts a long time.


gmacted, do you have a link to this fluid? I found some for about this price but only if I bought 4 gallons.


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## gmacted

meestercranky said:


> gmacted, do you have a link to this fluid? I found some for about this price but only if I bought 4 gallons.


Here's where I bought it. Coolstuffcheap.com


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## Beepem

Vlad said:


> They should have taken you up on that bet. Making your own fog juice is definitely cheaper, and definitely dangerous. Store bought fog juice is made form near pharmaceutical grade chemicals, it's specifically blended to burn at fogger temperatures. One of the chemicals released if things go wrong is formaldehide (a colorless, toxic, potentially carcinogenic, water-soluble gas). I'd hazzard a guess, that if it the home made stuff seems to produce more fog than the store bought, it's because the home brew isn't mixed in the proper proportions, probably too much glycerine. It's just not worth the risk of poisoning yourself or TOTers. This topic gets brought up on every forum sooner or later, it goes hand in hand with the make your own fogger theory.


haha i knew it!

and good find moribus with the hazards on their page....

and im gonna buy fluid from that cool cheap stuff place thats an amazing price


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## Hellrazor

hmmm glad I bought all the fog juice I could at 2.50 per litre her. 

Thanks for the warnings!


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## Black Cat

Party City is still selling fog juice for $14.99 a gallon. We noticed they are carrying fog machine cleaner as well this year for $9.99.


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## Beepem

i bought a quart for 10 bucks! i still cant believe how ripped off i got


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## IshWitch

Black Cat said:


> Party City is still selling fog juice for $14.99 a gallon. We noticed they are carrying fog machine cleaner as well this year for $9.99.


Thanks for this tip! I hope to make it to the Big City this week to check out ours. We have 3 foggers that worked last year and 4 that didn't. Just keep buying new ones when they stop, 'cuz nobody carried the cleaning fluid!

On the issue of homemade fluid~~~ie: glycerine, mineral oil, baby oil (scented or unscented) lets put this in LAYMAN'S TERMS...
Picture coating your lungs with oil and imagine how well they will work afterwards!

Any questions?


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## Revenant

IshWitch said:


> Picture coating your lungs with oil and imagine how well they will work afterwards!
> 
> Any questions?


It's not the oil per se that's dangerous, it's the droplet size. Home-made oil crackers put out a pretty hefty droplet size and that stuff can coat the inside of your chest if you breathe it for a length of time (made obvious by the residue they leave on the surroundings). Oil-based foggers like the Mole-Richardson put out a very fine droplet size which gives a dry smoke; with the ultra-purified oil fluid the smoke is as safe to breath as water-based fog (some say more safe, some say less, some say same... it's a very Coke/Pepsi emotional disagreement for some). Hollywood FX people use oil based smoke almost exclusively. But they don't make their own foggers, they buy the good stuff (the aforementioned Mole fogger runs about a grand and change).


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## ZombieLoveme

Test and Halloween only.


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## brifro

Juice tastes good.


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## Warzonepaintgames

I find it funny, eveyone states how making your own fog juice is so dangerous, yet Froggy's Fog sells glycerin and Propylene Glycol by the gallon on their site and on Amazon.com


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## Ron P

Vlad said:


> They should have taken you up on that bet. Making your own fog juice is definitely cheaper, and definitely dangerous. Store bought fog juice is made form near pharmaceutical grade chemicals, it's specifically blended to burn at fogger temperatures. One of the chemicals released if things go wrong is formaldehide (a colorless, toxic, potentially carcinogenic, water-soluble gas). I'd hazzard a guess, that if it the home made stuff seems to produce more fog than the store bought, it's because the home brew isn't mixed in the proper proportions, probably too much glycerine. It's just not worth the risk of poisoning yourself or TOTers. This topic gets brought up on every forum sooner or later, it goes hand in hand with the make your own fogger theory.


1.https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/glycerol#section=Taste


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