Health Warning about Home made smoke oil, and a test

Re:Home made smoke oil, a test and a health warning!

Stainzmeister said:
Safe ?
Are any of the oils safe be they home made mixtures or proprietry ?
Click to expand...
All smoke oils, including homemade, are based on hydrocarbons similar to paraffin (heating oil, lamp oil, TVO, call it what you like) and yes Health and Safety have decided they can be dangerous if you drink it.
Have to say, I never made a habit of knocking back the odd glass of paraffin - seemed common sense to me.
 
Re:Home made smoke oil, a test and a health warning!

May I suggest that live steam will give the best smoke effects.
Don't inhale the smoke though.
 
Re:Home made smoke oil, a test and a health warning!

Hi Tim. I was not directing the question to you in particular (and my apologies if you thought so) but rather to anybody, yourself included, that might be better informed than myself.

SWMBO suggested vegetable oil - grape seed oil is used as base for many skin applied natural remedies (Tea Tree, etc) - she's given me a small bottle to try when I've time.

Mind you, even cooking oil is dangerous and (so I'm told) if it gets too hot it's like cracking crude for petrol etc.

What a dangerous world!
 
Re:Home made smoke oil, a test and a health warning!

funandtrains said:
The blue LGB smoke oil is toxic as well.
Click to expand...

To be pedantic its 'Harmful,. Toxic is another category altogether.
 
Re:Home made smoke oil, a test and a health warning!

Someone on the forum has previously mentioned Johnsons Baby Oil as a substitute for LGB Smoke fluid. I did try it but results were poor.

I found the 50/50 mix to be far more effective and easier on the pocket (£2 for two litres).

The Johnsons wasn't a total loss thought, plenty of other uses for it. :bigsmile:
 
Re:Home made smoke oil, a test and a health warning!

3Valve said:
Someone on the forum has previously mentioned Johnsons Baby Oil as a substitute for LGB Smoke fluid. I did try it but results were poor.

I found the 50/50 mix to be far more effective and easier on the pocket (£2 for two litres).

The Johnsons wasn't a total loss thought, plenty of other uses for it. :bigsmile:
Click to expand...
You having a baby mate? :bigsmile:
 
Re:Home made smoke oil, a test and a health warning!

ROSS said:
3Valve said:
Someone on the forum has previously mentioned Johnsons Baby Oil as a substitute for LGB Smoke fluid. I did try it but results were poor.

I found the 50/50 mix to be far more effective and easier on the pocket (£2 for two litres).

The Johnsons wasn't a total loss thought, plenty of other uses for it. :bigsmile:
Click to expand...


Yes, I mentioned it. However..it seems very effective when pumped into model aircraft engine silencers..High heat I expect.
Click to expand...

Phew, glad I didn't imagine it.

Could well be the heat. I had a couple of loco's smoke OK but most either gave very little or no smoke.
 
Re:Home made smoke oil, a test and a health warning!

Someone once gave one of my locos a helping of "Oil of Jasmin" he had bought from a pound shop. The loco still stinks now even though the smoke unit failed shortly after. Beware of imitations!
 
Re:Home made smoke oil, a test and a health warning!

May I suggest that live steam will give the best smoke effects.
Don't inhale the smoke though. Chris M

That's a good one..... ££££ live steam ££££ and these guys are trying to save a few quid on smoke oil :rolf::rolf::rolf::rolf::rolf::rolf::rolf::rolf::rolf::rolf::rolf::rolf::rolf::rolf::rolf::rolf::rolf::rolf::rolf::rolf::rolf:
 
well not to discount any warnings, but rather my own experience
like paul

i use the 50/50 (despite a cache of old LGB)
outside only
unlike Paul , to me it seems a bit more thick than LGB , but not a lot

to tell the story, i dont smell it at all outside-
some observations-its slightly more oily compared to lgb-ie it will leave a residue far longer on engine bodies etc-but does eventually disappear

while i cannot be certain-i did have the grate of a 2017 actually deform from the smoke-dont know if this is due to the mix staying hotter longer after it is expelled up the stack compared to LGB-or if simply running at high voltage too long would otherwise inevitably overheat the plastic grate on the funnel

what i do like is that it cheap and easy to obtain- i dont worry about a tipped over dispenser bottle, capping it, or anything else that may deplete it-and i love smoke and use the smokers always-like it more than sound which i will turn off from time to time

i have no doubt its more harmful -as when ive used in it indoors (some time back) i noticed it does smell unpleasantly compared to LGB, and stays wafting and airborn longer

i intend to continue its use while running outside-i am, at closest, at least 6-7 feet from any engines stack, and there seems to always be a slight bit of air movement

and ill ask you all to let me know if you observe any brain damage....
dont ask SWMBO...lol
 
Re:Home made smoke oil, a test and a health warning!

I think the real main thing to take to mind here is to keep the bottles safely away. Even if there is not so much of an issue with the vapours, the fluid itself is not safe. My Citronella fluid has been locked away in my chemicals cabinet, that the kids have no access to and only I have a key to. Me or you may Know not to going tasting oils and such, but a youngling may find that quite tempting, especially as it doesn't smell 'bad'.
I think it's one of those things that should be used with common sense; don't use it in confined spaces or without adequate ventilation.
I have to admit it did smoke well in my Stainz, but I didn't like the effects in Frank S.
And I really didn't like feeling ill last night, as I said it reminded me of when first tried smoking.
I'm only giving the information that I have found, but please do treat it with caution. :D
 
Re:Home made smoke oil, a test and a health warning!

I've just read through this thread.

Not wishing to deter anyone from being on the cautious side, I looked up a sample Safety Data Sheet for a generic Citronella Oil.

It's a concentrated, distilled oil product and, as with just about any such oil, drinking it or rubbing it into your skin will have effects.

I've 'prepared' and used the 50/50 mix myself (being a boring old 'elf & safety bod), always wearing protective gloves, done in the open air with plenty of ventilation, not using the smoke generators indoors etc., the same way you should treat any fluid if you deliberately want to burn it.

There are many other products lurking in kitchen cupboards which, if not used correctly, can have harmful effects on us soft humans.
No one much worries about sodium hyperchlorite, because we call it bleach and are used to having it around! But it is the cause of many hospital visits, estimated in excess of 3,000 per year. The inadvertant mixing of simple domestic cleaning products can be fatal. Use one of the common toilet cleaners and, not reading the instructions like we all do and not flushing/diluting the product, then putting bleach in the bowl gives you a good chance of creating chlorine gas ......

One product I won't have in the house are those spray oven cleaners, nasty stuff - get rid if you see some lurking.
 
Re:Home made smoke oil, a test and a health warning!

Right! So 50/50 it is - with the right care and observance of course - tried the Grape Seed oil and no joy (in fact nothing at all).
 
Re:Home made smoke oil, a test and a health warning!

I use take on the 50/50 mix.

I use 25% citronela oil mixed with 75% LGB or Massoth smoke fluid to give a rather large and iregular smoke output not sure if you should breath it though.
 
Re:Home made smoke oil, a test and a health warning!

As a Mechanic of advancing years I practically swim in Petroleum products all day! It's done me no harm mentally (well except for playing with trains in the garden!) and it's because we take precautions, if you spill it clean it up, try not to breath the fumes from anything that smokes or gets hot!! I must say though that one of my pet methods of identifying leaks is the good old taste test I can identify all sorts of fluids with just a taster on the tip of the tongue..............................
4c8ab3773f924c78a841e4f6e7275b52.jpg
 
Re:Home made smoke oil, a test and a health warning!

minimans said:
As a Mechanic of advancing years I practically swim in Petroleum products all day! It's done me no harm mentally (well except for playing with trains in the garden!) and it's because we take precautions, if you spill it clean it up, try not to breath the fumes from anything that smokes or gets hot!! I must say though that one of my pet methods of identifying leaks is the good old taste test I can identify all sorts of fluids with just a taster on the tip of the tongue..............................
images
Click to expand...

Prefer a safety match myself :bigsmile::rolf:
 
Re:Home made smoke oil, a test and a health warning!

Z`s comment was not very helpful i just though he would like it to be in yellow :thumbup::rolf:
 
Re:Home made smoke oil, a test and a health warning!

Steve said:
Z`s comment was not very helpful i just though he would like it to be in yellow :thumbup::rolf:
Click to expand...

Ooooooooo yes! :thumbup:
 
Re:Home made smoke oil, a test and a health warning!

:rolf:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top