Could Rice Cooker + Distilled Water + Vegetable Glycerin = Fog Machine?

[FuzzyPancake]

I did my best to find out whether or not whether or not this has been done before with Google, but it seems there is only one other guy on the planet that has documented his trials. (see images)




From my understanding of rice makers (an intuitive explanation can be found here) this shouldn't work at all as vegetable glycerin's boiling point is 554 degrees Fahrenheit, and rice cookers only heat their contents to a strict maximum of 212 degrees Fahrenheit.

Could it be perhaps that when distilled water is mixed with vegetable glycerin that its boiling point changes to that of water by some kind of chemical magic? Or would the water definitely just evaporate and leave a pool of hot vegetable glycerin behind?

I'd go ahead and try it, but I don't have distilled water and vegetable glycerin on hand, I don't have a use for them otherwise (I could drink the water, I guess...), and I can't easily go to a store and get them where I live.

Anyway, I can't shake the awesome possibility of having a cheap, portable, simple, safe, and efficient fog machine for my laser beam viewing and Halloween party needs without buying a standalone fog machine. Does anybody think this is even worth trying?

 

[Snecho]

The sciencey part is always cool. There is also propylene glycol which has a thinner consistency than VG but has a lower boiling point at 370°F

I learned about this kind of stuff when researching vaping. Also a quick fog source in a pinch

As far as whether it's worth it or not...ehhhh...I'd say not.

I use mini 400W fog machines offered during Halloween for dirt cheap with professional fog liquid from Amazon. It creates a ridiculous amount of fog and it's far more portable and simpler than a rice cooker lol. Just plug it in and push a button.

And you can get a slightly higher quality version from еBay for about $20-$25.

Does remind me of one of my favorite quotes though. "Any machine is a smoke machine if you operate it wrong enough!"

 

[tedcs]

[...]
I can't shake the awesome possibility of having a cheap, portable, simple, safe, and efficient fog machine for my laser beam viewing and Halloween party needs without buying a standalone fog machine. Does anybody think this is even worth trying?

Propylene Glycol boils at a much lower temperature: 370.8°F and is non-toxic and safe for fog. Some water would help but a rice cooker will not be able to get hot enough unless the thermostat is bypassed - probably not a great idea.
I would try heating fog juice in a pan on the stove. Use a candy or meat thermometer to find out the temperature required to boil the fog juice. A 110V standalone burner is not very expensive, but should not be left unattended, it is not idiot proof.

 

[FuzzyPancake]

The sciencey part is always cool. There is also propylene glycol which has a thinner consistency than VG but has a lower boiling point at 370°F

I learned about this kind of stuff when researching vaping. Also a quick fog source in a pinch

...

it's far more portable and simpler than a rice cooker lol. Just plug it in and push a button.

I actually have been using my RDA (rebuildable drip atomizer) to blow "fog" as of late, but the nicotine I'd inhale from blowing enough fog to fill up a room would be... unhealthy to say the least.

Also, you overestimate the complexity of rice cookers. They also work by plugging them in and pressing a button.

... a rice cooker will not be able to get hot enough unless the thermostat is bypassed - probably not a great idea.

I would try heating fog juice in a pan on the stove. Use a candy or meat thermometer to find out the temperature required to boil the fog juice. A 110V standalone burner is not very expensive, but should not be left unattended, it is not idiot proof.

Rice cookers, as stated in my OP, only reach a strict maximum of 212 degrees Fahrenheit by the way they exploit magnetism and the boiling temperature of water - there is no thermostat (or at least not in simple rice cookers like mine).

Additionally, if I'm going to buy anything with the sheer intent of making fog, it would be a proper fog machine.

Sounds like I'm just going to have to throw down for one.

Update: I ended up finding a very old 450W single burner stove and dripping some e-ciggarette juice on it to test it. Worked surprisingly well and only took 3-5 minutes to start vaporizing the droplets. I had to smear the e-juice around and blow on it to really get it going. Just 15 drops or so fogged up my large bedroom enough to easily see the beam from my <5mW 635nm laser. A 1100W burner (brand is IMUSA) can be found on Amazon for just $12. For the price this seems like by far the cheapest way to create fog - and have an extra burner! Now to source some cheap vegetable glycerin and distilled water...

 

[Snecho]

I actually have been using my RDA (rebuildable drip atomizer) to blow "fog" as of late, but the nicotine I'd inhale from blowing enough fog to fill up a room would be... unhealthy to say the least.

Also, you overestimate the complexity of rice cookers. They also work by plugging them in and pressing a button.


Rice cookers, as stated in my OP, only reach a strict maximum of 212 degrees Fahrenheit by the way they exploit magnetism and the boiling temperature of water - there is no thermostat (or at least not in simple rice cookers like mine).

Additionally, if I'm going to buy anything with the sheer intent of making fog, it would be a proper fog machine.

Sounds like I'm just going to have to throw down for one.

Update: I ended up just finding a very old 450W single burner stove and dripping some e-ciggarette juice on it to test it. Worked surprisingly well and only took 3-5 minutes to start vaporizing the droplets. I had to smear the e-juice around and blow on it to really get it going. Just 15 drops or so fogged up my large bedroom enough to easily see the beam from my <5mW 635nm laser. A 1100W burner (brand is IMUSA) can be found on Amazon for just $12. For the price this seems like by far the cheapest way to create fog - and have an extra burner! Now to source some cheap vegetable glycerin and distilled water...

For just $10 more, I would still just buy a straight up fog machine. I wasn't overestimating the complexity of a rice cooker, I was just saying you can avoid all this hassle and just buy a legit fog machine instead of sourcing all these burners and chemicals and stuff.

However I'm glad you found a way to DIY it and experiment with it.