For an upcoming play we need some kind of "molecular kitchen". The director wants basically a movable table with boiling pots on it. And as always in theatre: the budget ist tight!

So the cornerstones of this project are: Be cheap but let it look great! No external power source, once it's on stage! Build it small, so you can build it in!

The starting point is the very small fog machine "tiny fogger", we already have in stock (sorry no cheap solution here) and from there on it was very straight forward to the prototype you will see here...

Step 1: Basics

Groundfog is basically cold fog (hot air rises, cold air sinks down). So I needed a way to cool down the fog. In the highend class of show equipment this is usually done with dry ice or nitrogen. The first is not very easy and safe to handle and the second is not cheap and neither of it is small.
So I thought, why not take the icepacks one uses in cooling boxes for camping, some fitting tupperware or similar and styrofoam? Add some leftover tube fittings and tape, and here we go:

Step 2: The Box

I bought four icepacks and a lunchbox of the rigth size.
I drilled two holes into opposite sides of the box and glued in a fitting into each with some hot-glue.
Then I insulated everything with styrofoam.

Step 3:

Put in the ice-packs (after keeping them in the freezer long enough), close the box and seal it tight with tape.

Step 4:

Hook everything up, press the button and ther you go! Hot fog goes in, cold fog comes out through the tube, into the pot, fills it up, "boils" over an sinks down. Voila!

This is a prototype or proof-of-concept. There probably will be a more elaborate version later on, when the play goes on stage. When it's done I will post some pictures.

Here's a video of the working prototype:

Step 5: Getting on to the Final Version

The set designer finally made up her mind and that's what she came up with:

A let's say "very special" (read ugly) lampshade, turned upside down to act as a food bowl...

To be continued in my next instructable: Stageprop with built in tiny fogger and fog chiller (on the cheap)