Author Topic: PROPS: Dry Ice  (Read 7076 times)

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javnine

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PROPS: Dry Ice
« on: Jan 18, 2009, 05:27 pm »
Does anyone have tips or suggestions for dealing with dry ice?  Useful websites for research to prepare myself?
« Last Edit: Jun 09, 2009, 02:38 am by PSMKay »

Srlaupan

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Re: Dry Ice
« Reply #1 on: Jan 18, 2009, 05:50 pm »
How exactly will you be using it? I think if we all know a little more about what you're "preparing" for we could give better advice... For example...small amounts in a glass or bowl, making low flying fog, in a fogger, etc.? Let us know how it'll be used...

javnine

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Re: Dry Ice
« Reply #2 on: Jan 18, 2009, 09:13 pm »
It'll be used to recreate a music video, so low-lying fog for maybe 30 seconds.

kiwitechgirl

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Re: Dry Ice
« Reply #3 on: Jan 19, 2009, 04:47 am »
1. Don't keep it in an ordinary freezer - you'll stuff the freezer completely!  An old, already broken freezer is a good way to store dry ice as it's well insulated.
2. Obviously, make sure you're using/storing it in a well-ventilated area....
3. Again obviously, proper safety precautions when handling it - gloves and long sleeves, I had a classmate at drama school who managed to overbalance into some dry ice (he was under a bed where the ice had to appear from, it's a long story!) and he had some pretty nasty burns on his forearms.
4. Everyone else will want to play with it.  There are so many fun things you can do with dry ice - in a soft drink bottle with some warm water for a very loud bang, in the toilet with some dishwashing liquid, in a local park fountain - so be prepared for this!
5. Don't let anyone put it in their drink, the possibility of it all going wrong is a bit high for my liking....
6. The water doesn't actually need to be at 100 degrees (Celsius) for the dry ice to work; after much experimentation, we discovered that 60 degrees C was enough to give us really good dry ice coverage for the entirety of Javert's Suicide in Les Mis - which is quite a long ice drop, we were dropping about 15kg of ice for that scene.  If you need a really long drop then a higher temp is good, but it doesn't have to be boiling.  Do be aware that 60 degrees is the point where Legionnaire's Disease is killed off, so you want to go at least that high. 

If any of this is teaching you how to suck eggs, I apologize!

SMrose

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Re: Dry Ice
« Reply #4 on: Jan 19, 2009, 09:00 am »
Great advice from Kiwitechgirl. To add: if you don't have an old freezer, you can store it in smaller quantities in a cooler. You will have to get "fresh" dry ice every night, though...

Celeste_SM

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Re: Dry Ice
« Reply #5 on: Jan 19, 2009, 10:36 pm »
There is a big difference between the effect you get with pellets as compared with the effect with bricks. Even if broken into chunks. Pellets create fog faster.

Libby

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Re: Dry Ice
« Reply #6 on: Jan 20, 2009, 10:13 am »
Also, I find that even if you have an old freezer, you should also get a cooler. That way you can prep the dry ice, and have the cooler backstage with you.

cprted

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Re: Dry Ice
« Reply #7 on: Jan 20, 2009, 02:15 pm »
Honestly, I think dry ice is more trouble than it is worth.  Between storage, procurement, power, and safety issues (dry ice will burn your skin, use neoprene gloves, long sleeves, and a face shield at all times), chemical foggers are the way to go.  While the name currently escapes me, there are foggers that cool the fog to create the dry ice like, low lying cloud effect.  Not only is this safer and easier, but the technician has a lot more control over the output.

centaura

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Re: Dry Ice
« Reply #8 on: Jan 24, 2009, 08:18 pm »
Yes, be aware of how quickly dry ice will evaporate without proper storage!  I've had some tours come through that need dry ice, and if they're here for more than a day I have to order twice the amount of dry ice that they need because half of it will be gone for the second day - that's with it just stored in coolers.  Even on a one-off, I'll still order more than the need, to cover for evaporation while waiting.  I have a show next month that wants 80lbs - I'll be ordering 100lbs because it will be delivered in the afternoon and I don't have anyplace to store it but sitting outside.

So, you'll need to figure out how much you need, how you're going to store it, or how you're going to get a fresh supply every day.  In some bigger towns there are sometimes gas stations or some other such that you can go and buy your day's needs from, but in smaller towns you'll have to have it delivered - but they can tell you how fast its going to evaporate so you can figure out your needs in advance.

-Centaura

 

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