Why pay for smoke fluid? >>>

[Anonymous]

I have found a much cheaper thing to use for smoke than smoke fluid. If you have a smoker that uses fluid try a few drops of olive oil. Yep, olive oil! No fluid I have used works better. I have been using it for 2 years on the same engine with no problems except alot of smoke.[:)] It is a heck of alot cheaper than smoke fluid too [:I] I use it in my Marx 666 engine that I restored.

[prewardude]

What does it smell like? Cooked olives?

[Anonymous]

It smells like any other smoke.................

[Boyd]

I can get a headache from the smoke fluid Lionel uses now.

[Buckeye Riveter]

BTW, I heard that smashed bananas can be used to grease the gears of your engines and it is much cheaper than the white lithium grease. [:-^][:-^][:-^]

[Kooljock1]

It always amazes me how people will shell out $1800 for a new locomotive, and then try to save a few pennies on smoke fluid!

But then I saw he was a MARX man, and it all made sense! [:D]

Seriously though, don't take chance with this stuff, you want smoke? Just buy some JT's and get over it! It smokes better than any other brand, is tested for safety, and comes in something like 25 delightful aromas.

Alright, more like 18 delightful aromas, two so-so aromas, and five dowright hideous industrial aromas...

BUT YOU GET THE POINT!!!

Jon [8D]

[CNJfan]

That amazes me as well!
Tim C.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Kooljock1

It always amazes me how people will shell out $1800 for a new locomotive, and then try to save a few pennies on smoke fluid!


Jon [8D]

[spankybird]

BTW - Do you know what the flash point of the olive oil is [?]

[andregg1]

Hi to all
the point is not the money, I think, is if the smoke fluid is health or not.
Personaly I don't use smoke fluid because I can get a headache.
Anyway first you need to know what happen when you burn olive oil.
perhaps is not health like S.F.
Andre.

[Roger Bielen]

Is it the good extra virgin, first squeezing, stuff or the el cheap-o light, almost oil stuff?

[csxt30]

I have used Olive oil in the little Pop Pop tin plate steam boats before. That is what they reccomend & you lite it with a match. A little bottle of it seems pretty expensive, though.

[ben10ben]

The simple answer is that putting any oil with unknown characteristics such as flash point, boiling point, etc., down your smokestacks is a very bad idea.

Not to mention all the impurities in Olive Oil that are no doubt clogging up your wick and slowly choking your heating elements of fluid, causing them to overheat and eventually burn out.

[MartyE]

I always laugh when I see this subject come up. I say go for it. It's your train, your eye brows and your olive oil. You've been doing it for 2 years and you like the results. It might be combustable as all heck but who are we to tell you what to do. Personally I use manufactured smoke fluid but that's my choice. Now all you need is a portable bread oven pulled behind in the tender. I find I have to rework my smoke units now at least once a year using JT MEga Steam anyways so I don't think impurities would be an issue.

[Buckeye Riveter]

For all you folks that are using olive oil, gasoline, kerosene, hooch, moonshine, Diet Coke, donkey urine, ground onion skins, fish entrails, STP, or whatever exotic material you have concocted to make your engine smoke, I believe I would suggest taking a look at the fine products advertised on this website:
http://www.h3r.com/products/home_vehicle.htm

Marty, I , like yourself, laugh every time I see this posted, but now I click on http://www.darwinawards.com/ to see if I recognize any names from the forum. [:D]

[Jumijo]

Marty,

You have to service your smoke units once a year from using JT's smoke fluid? That's not the first time I've heard that. I only use Lionel smoke fluid in my trains. It smokes better too.

As for using weird stuff instead of smoke fluid, olive oil isn't the strangest thing I've heard of. About ten years ago, CTT did an article about trains on tv in the 50's. The author stated that since smoke pellets didn't produce enough smoke to be seen on camera, he used asprins instead - with fantastic results! billowing plumes of smoke!

Jim

[MartyE]

At least once a year. No gummin or anything but regardless of keeping them filled the wicks always seem to get nasty.

[spankybird]

Next we will want to glue 75 cent traction tires on our wheels. [:D]

[FJ and G]

Getting back to the original title of the thread, it is true that smoke fluid is expensive if you like to use it a lot. The thing to do would be to determine the ingredients and exact proportions used in the product and then hatch a batch. Obviously the store product is safe and has been tested so if you are using exactly what they use, it would work. The trick would be to determine the secret ingredients and to replicate the store product exactly. I think it might be some sort of mineral spirits. I wouldn't recommend someone do this who is not very good at chemistry (which leaves me out)

[Jumijo]

Dave, mineral spirits would be highly flammable. Smoke fluid is supposedly made from mineral oil. The same thing as baby oil. I've always wondered how effective regular unscented mineral oil would be as a smoke fluid. You can buy a huge bottle of it for a buck at Walmart.

I'll stick with Lionel.

Jim

[jefelectric]

Interesting topic, never thought much about it but I just picked up a bottle I,m using and the label says "Not to be taken internally, although harmless if swallowed accidentalley." Does this mean it is made of olive oil?

John

[Anonymous]

I love this subject. You can all go buy the high buck stuff that Quote is the best for your smoke unit. Sounds like a bunch of dealers not wanting folks to cut in on their high profit. Well I use propylene Glycol that is available at a Pharmacy and comes in pint bottles for around $10.00. This stuff orginally came with a steam locomotive. Used it now for over two years in all kind of smoke units. Now I'll put on my flack jacket and metal helmet. [:D]

[Anonymous]

I once tried 3&1 oil, talking about SMOKE.
but i dont do that one no more.
mineral oil works too.

[Anonymous]

What's this about burning Olive Oil?

Popeye will be furious!

[Anonymous]

Now I understand why every now and then I see someone with a French Fry sticking out of his smokestack!
[;)]

[iguanaman3]

From what I heard, MTH smoke fluid is made from vegetable oil, so olive oil does not sound strange at all. I like vanilla scented JT myself though. It's even weaned me away from the Lionel smoke pellet smell which I still enjoy.

Neil

[mickey4479]

I can't sleep. This thread is a great way to wander until the sand man. I run steam locos. I have used the smoke units a couple of times, but my basement gets smokey in a hurry from just one loco let alone 2 or 3 more running smoke. If I decide to take a photo, I might fire up the smoke units. Good night ... I mean morning.

[Anonymous]

*** man, you would think I burned a cross in someones yard. I was just trying to save you all a little money that you could be spending on trains. I got the idea from a person I know that runs smoke machines for bands. They use olive oil in the machines. Thousands of people inhale that smoke at every concert they go to.......... Guess we better make room at the marble gardens for all of them ;)............ I would agree with one post here though............ More than likely the folks who make the "real" smoke fluid sure wouldn't want you to save any money................ I am brave............. I have lots more ways you folks can save money...... I will post them on occassion. That is what the hobby is about right? Money in your pocket is money you can spend on another train..................

[Jumijo]

MarxTrainMan,

I'm not knocking you. You can put whatever you like in your locomotive. If olive oil works, that's cool. I'd love for someone with a PW loco to tell me whether or not asprins work.

Jim

[tsgtbob]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jaabat

MarxTrainMan,

I'm not knocking you. You can put whatever you like in your locomotive. If olive oil works, that's cool. I'd love for someone with a PW loco to tell me whether or not asprins work.

Jim

Yes, it does work. I did it to an about to be restored 2020 right after the CTT article came out. Made an MTH look anemic!!!!
However, asprin is an acid, that can eat (eventually) through parts, so it was a one time only experement (call the MYTHBUSTERS)
As for the comments about MarxTrainMan's original idea,run your trains the way that YOU want to, and ignore those who aren't having any fun! (or want to complain about stuff for ever and ever)

[jonadel]

Perhaps a few drops of Orville Redenbacher with 3 or 4 kernels of gourmet popping corn could be tried.............or..........maybe not.

Jon