The most intense smoke fluid is????

I'm not sure how well a mixture of propylene glycol, glycerin, and water will work in an O Guage smoke unit.

You can be the first to try it and let us know.

I agree with Rick...you first. 

The most intense smoke I ever got was after converting a Lionel postwar 2056 from pills to liquid. Running under the Christmas tree, it suddenly started pouring out huge clouds of evil smelling smoke - real smoke. Turned out that the resistor caught the plastic cap on fire. Boy did it smoke. Boy did it ever stink even more than it smoked!

So the most intensive smoke fluid is... burning plastic.

I think the most intense smoke I've ever seen is when the AC Regulator fails on a Legacy or late TMCC locomotive.  Think of an 8 watt resistor across 18 VAC track power!  Instead of around 6 watts of power inside the smoke unit, it's now getting 40 watts!  It doesn't last long, but it is SPECTACULAR!   Oh, you also have to not only replace the regulator, but also the smoke unit PCB when the run is done.

Don't ask me how I know this.

RickO posted:

I'm not sure how well a mixture of propylene glycol, glycerin, and water will work in an O Guage smoke unit.

You can be the first to try it and let us know.

Have seen layouts at shows where suddenly flames burst out the stack of a steam engine. Turned out the engine owner was using lamp oil because it was cheaper than smoke fluid.

I tried that deliberately on the bench with a fan driven smoke unit, it will indeed fire up.  It took longer than I expected to get fire, but once I got it, it was impressive.   I should repeat it with a video.

On second thought the electric cigarette has to generate a ton of heat to get that vape fluid to smoke. If that technology was adopted to trains, this is what might happen.

https://youtu.be/AYRTgZcLFhU

I have to agree with GRJ; once you see a regulator board failure, the flames out the stack are truly spectacular. I had one fail on my 28079 C&O "Texas" a few years ago.

  I think a "flame on" video of lamp oil would be the best thing you've done for the hooby John.    Which is already very impressive, but not life saving in a literal sense.  You know how it goes; folks like proof.    A member posted the lamp oil bit in the last thread.  I know he's been told, and likely needs to see it to believe it.

   I think it was John Galt Lines that was going to attempt a vape conversion. He was too imvolved with work to play last I had heard from him.

Adriatic posted:

  I think a "flame on" video of lamp oil would be the best thing you've done for the hooby John.    Which is already very impressive, but not life saving in a literal sense.  You know how it goes; folks like proof.    A member posted the lamp oil bit in the last thread.  I know he's been told, and likely needs to see it to believe it.

I think once was enough for that test!

  I have fluids, mineral oil, lamp oil, and kerosene, but I don't have a working fan unit, just puffers. They're dead right now. I can't get two years on a board/motor it seems  I lost 3 nichromes too  Half my smoke units died this summer. I think it's the newer of the two packings I've had is melting. Old & Pac-Man disks are ok. It's not fluid related imo.

Just for fun: some 1.5v-12v battery operated toys suggest a water and vegetable oil based mix in a well with a hanging heatproof white fibre wick (fiberglass?) with a but some have a bellows on a cam. I haven't looked lately, but one Lionel Scientific G sat outside for 4 years and ran and still smoked for a bit soon after each rain. The smaller toy was about OO 3v from 2-ÀA batteries and smoked like crazy considering what it was just a delicate wire across the top of a fat McDonalds straw sized "can" and a bellows jet above it all. Two might even be seen at a decent speed..

    3v water and veggie oil? 🤔😪😴 ... 😴🤧😴...😴😴😴 

Even good old Lionel smoke fluid can flame up with proper power input

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVYBZltvGW8

I experimented with vape fluid cause it smell's great. I bought zero nicotine. Intensity is the same. Cost is higher. Heard too much in the news that it's harmful, so quit using it. Really like the sent of MTH apple pie and been using that. I also wondered how conductive the vape fluid was if it got into the shell on engines that contain the circuit board in them. Wonder that about the lamp oil now too that some people claim to use.  

When I used to have my smoke units on my starter sets, I used just regular Lionel fluid. One of my friends, not sure if he's a part of this forum Ken Vendlinger, makes his own. He's told me what he uses but I don't remember off the top of my head but I know he has cedar and pine scented fluid. He's been making it for a long time and smokes and smells great.