Darkroom Test Smoke

[BobUK]

In my last darkroom set up I used Joss sticks to see how the ventilation was flowing.
Trouble was they were cheap, not so nice smelling and the scent hung around for months in the small space.
I don't smoke, so cigars are out as a source of smoke.
Can anyone suggest a safe, controllable and pleasant source of smoke to see how the airflow is behaving?

Thank You.

 

[Luckless]

Last time I needed a controlled smoke source for air flow testing I rigged something similar to those beekeeper smokers out of a soda can and a blower bulb from my camera bag, and used a few sticks of incense.

It was by no means as handy to use as a professional unit, but it was also basically free.

Also learned that I wasn't the biggest fan of the sandalwood incense my friend had, so probably best to try finding one you actually like before using it too much in a space you're spending a lot of time in.

 

[joe bosak]

Well, there's more expensive incense - eg Prinknask Incense, you light the charcoal and sprinkle the crystals on top. The charcoal gets red hot but you only get smoke from what you sprinkle so to that extent it's controllable... and it's very pleasant. Expensive compared to incense sticks.

I don't know what joss sticks you tried, Nag Champa is pretty good. We had some awful incense bulbs that just smelt of woodsmoke.

I always think cigar smoke hangs around so use incense to cover it up, so don't think you're missing anythingby not smoking...

 

[Donald Qualls]

I'd suggest either lighting a candle, let it get burning well, and then blow it out (to get a thin stream of smoke that will last a minute or so) or do the same with a twisted piece of plain paper. The smoke produced will be very neutral smelling and will clear quickly. If that's not enough smoke, you could use a bee smoker (borrow from a nearby beekeeper?), which will produce a more or less controllable output of pretty heavy smoke (and as I recall, also runs on plain paper).

 

[Kino]

If you know a mechanic, try to borrow a vacuum leak smoke machine.

 

[MattKing]

Would bubbles work?

 

[Rick A]

Inexpensive incense, pick a scent you like.

 

[grain elevator]

No smoke is really safe to inhale. I'd use rosemary or sage as I already have them in the kitchen and the smoke smells ok.

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

Try moving a tray of vinegar from processing point to processing point. If while moving it, you can't smell it, you're golden.