As best I can tell, smoke or fog machines produce their grey (or gray, depending on your 19th century source different colors) fog either by use of oil (smoke), or by use of water, either by spinning the water to produce a fog (i.e. visable water vapor), or by use of cold, commonly dry ice to create a true temperature inversion fog.

 

The oil leaves an oily gummy residue.  The fog at best would increase the RH, and if created with dry ice can also create carbolic acid, with brings both high RH and a residue which is acidic.

 

I personally love to play with dry ice fog, either for my children's drama class plays, or as a physics lesson, or by fogging my front yard for Halloween, but would never, ever let someone create fog or smoke within my historic house museum.



Randy Hees

Patterson House at Ardenwood Historic Farm

City of Fremont, California

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Alexandra Trumbull 
  To: [log in to unmask] 
  Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 1:54 PM
  Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] smoke screens in museums


  We are finding that at the Historical Society too, as well as the conservator-irking issue that our calcium-rich local water used for the smoke screen leaves a film on the exhibit cases. 

  "Jackson, Gregory" <[log in to unmask]> wrote: 
    Alexandra,
     
    It has been my experience that the fog/smoke machines that use "smoke fluid" tend to deposit an oily residue on surface.  It has been a while since I used one though, so technology might have improved.  Dry ice or some other technology may do the trick. 
     
    Greg Jackson
    Pottsgrove Manor Historic Site
     

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Alexandra Trumbull
    Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 4:34 PM
    To: [log in to unmask]
    Subject: [MUSEUM-L] smoke screens in museums
     
    And another question...
     
    I am looking for thoughts by conservation and collections staff on the use of fog machines or smoke screens in exhibits. The Indiana Historical Society has launched a new exhibit that uses a sensor-activated smoke screen, projecting an image on a wall. The director of conservation and I are monitoring the changes in RH in the galleries and are interested in how other museums and galleries have found compromises between exhibits and conservation regarding this technology.
     
    Any insight would be much appreciated. 
     
    Thank you again,
     
    Alexandra
      

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