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  #1  
Old 10-05-2008, 07:24 AM
jthocker's Avatar
jthocker jthocker is offline
 
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Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
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Default Roll Your Own Smoke

I just completed my smoke system yesterday. Due to my friend Ken Rieder's 55 gal. drum of corvus/canopus/concrete form oil being empty i decided to test with some Jet-A. I put about a half gallon in the tank and verified the pump and solenoid were working, fired up the engine, turned on the pump, hit the stick switch and made some smoke. Cool! Cowled it back up and headed down to KLUK to meet up with "Greese","Joker","Wizz",and "Zinnie" for a 5 ship. In the air the Jet-A made some really good smoke.
Later after stealing some of "Greese's" smoke oil and testing it in the air I found that it makes REALLY GOOD SMOKE, with superior "Hang Time" to the Jet-A.
The dilemma now is, Jet-A = no belly residue and little hang time. Or Expensive smoke oil, great hang time, nasty belly.

I'd be interested in "Kahuna"s thoughts on mixtures/concoctions.

For anybody that has, or is building an 8, if you don't put a smoke system in that forward baggage compartment you are really missing out. It is so easy to do it's not funny.
If anyone's interested I'll compile a list of components and post pix of the system. Otherwise I'd say just get the "Smoking Airplanes.com" system and be done with it.

Here's a pic of the results.


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  #2  
Old 10-05-2008, 07:30 AM
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Geico266 Geico266 is offline
 
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Which is better for the environment?
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  #3  
Old 10-05-2008, 08:34 AM
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jthocker jthocker is offline
 
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Wink

Hey Larry
Maybe I should dispense with building and flying RV's as a hobby, and move to Chile and build a huge "Reed Sailboat" and sail it to Easter Island.
That would have the least environmental impact and keep me occupied for the next 10 years.
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  #4  
Old 10-05-2008, 02:52 PM
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Geico266 Geico266 is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jthocker View Post
Hey Larry
Maybe I should dispense with building and flying RV's as a hobby, and move to Chile and build a huge "Reed Sailboat" and sail it to Easter Island.
That would have the least environmental impact and keep me occupied for the next 10 years.
No need for that, I just asked a question. You might want to read the below link about using jet fuel for smoke. One spark and you are a bomb.

http://www.smokingairplanes.com/smok...m_smokeoil.htm

Also, using flammable liquids is not only dangerous to you, it is dangerous to those "who choose not to smoke". Inhaling unburned fuel vapors is dangerous. There are better, safer products to use that are certainly better for the environment than jet A.
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Last edited by Geico266 : 10-05-2008 at 05:37 PM.
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  #5  
Old 10-05-2008, 03:21 PM
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Default green oil

Hey, will vegetable oil work in smoke systems?
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  #6  
Old 10-05-2008, 04:51 PM
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RV6_flyer RV6_flyer is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by billnaz View Post
Hey, will vegetable oil work in smoke systems?
I want to say NO but it will work for a short time before it plugs your injectors.
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  #7  
Old 10-05-2008, 05:20 PM
N62XS N62XS is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Geico266 View Post
Which is better for the environment?
Staying home!
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  #8  
Old 10-05-2008, 06:12 PM
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jthocker jthocker is offline
 
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Default Cost of smoking

Jeff
I probably have around 300 bucks in the system.
60 for a pump 60 PSI 4.5 AMP .... NORTHERN HYDRAULIC
40 for a 3.5 gal. RV water tank.... Marine Supply
80 for a firesleeved teflon hose.... Local Hydraulic hose shop
65 for a solenoid valve..... Aircraft Spruce
The rest in switch,wire, pickup and vent hoses and fittings

The hardest part was coordinating with a guy to Tig weld
a fitting on the exhaust to accept a steel #4 AN elbow.
Underneath that elbow and inside the welded fitting I drilled
(3) holes in the exhaust to serve as my injectors. I used a #57 drill bit for
these holes.

IF I HAD KNOWN SMOKING WAS GOING TO BE THIS FUN I WOULD HAVE TAKEN IT UP A LONG TIME AGO!
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  #9  
Old 10-06-2008, 10:43 AM
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bhassel bhassel is offline
 
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Default Smoke System Oil

Some of the Piet folks use Baby Oil that they buy in bulk from Sam's Club. It smells good, is cheap and it works!

Bob Hassel
Santa Fe, NM

Hoping to get to LOE this weekend to drool over a 10!
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  #10  
Old 10-06-2008, 03:39 PM
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jthocker jthocker is offline
 
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Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
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Default Smoke Components

I took a few pic's of my smoke system today.
The first is a view looking down into the fwd. baggage well.



The next is the hose from the bulkhead fitting to exhaust



A closeup of the welded on fitting.



The last pic shows the vent line exiting next to the firesleeved smoke oil line. It makes it's way over to the breather tube and follows it down to dump onto the exhaust pipe(This will allow any of the Jet-A vapors to make their way down to the hot exhaust and spontaneously ignite.)




This is a pic of the instrument panel and the lights associated with the smoke system.




On the right of the panel at the bottom are 2 switches. The left switch is for turning on the smoke pump. It has an associated amber light labeled "Smoke Armed". The pump cycles on and off to maintain 60 psi.
Inline between the pump outlet and the firewall bulkhead fitting is a "primer solenoid valve". That valve is controlled by the pinky button on my "Infinity Stick", and the position of the valve is monitored by a green "Smoke On" light on the far left of the panel.
The system works great.

What can't be seen in the top view is the external pickup line. I used an AN842 hose elbow screwed and prosealed into the aft side of the tank at the bottom, 3/8 in. hose or tube from there up into the pump inlet.
The tank vents via an AN 823-4D elbow screwed and prosealed into the top of the tank, from there to the firewall bulkhead with braided hose(overkill I know, but I had it).

The tank threaded fittings have been blocked by PVC fittings from Home Depot except for the tank fill cap. The cap is made from PVC 1-1/2 in. threaded adapter and a cap glued to it. I used a grinder to make grooves for extra gripping. I also found an O-ring to help seal the oil in.

Hope this is helpful to anyone wishing to make smoking holes in the SKY!

By the way after totaling up all the AN fittings I used(40 bucks), the cost is probably closer to 400 dollars, and thats with free welding.

The smoking airplanes system might be a better choice.

But if you must "Roll your own", heres some links to the expensive items.

Smoke Tank

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|51|87367|315193&id=939855

Smoke pump

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w..._357081_357081

Solenoid valve

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalo...lsolprimer.php

In the words of Cincinnati's beloved Marge Schott---

"Smoke'm if you Gott'em Honey"
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