You'll need a few basic supplies to build your own fog machine. These supplies should be available at most hardware stores, and are not expensive. Unless you plan to keep your fog machine for a long time, most of these items can be repurposed for other projects. The items you'll need include:  A 2-foot, 6-inch round sheet metal ductwork pipe. This is also known as a stove pipe, and this will be the container that you make your fog inside. A 25-foot length of 1/4-inch copper refrigerator tubing A 50-foot length of 3/8-inch copper refrigerator tubing A 12-foot length of 3/8-inch clear plastic tubing A 2-foot length of 1-1/2 inch pipe (used as a form, then discarded) A 2-foot length of 3-inch ABS plastic pipe (used as a form, then discarded) 4 pipe clamps for the 3/8" Clear plastic tubing 1	small submersible pump (80 gal/hour) A package of plastic wire ties An ice chest or bucket One coil should have a diameter of 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) and the other coil should have a diameter of 3 inches (7.6 cm). Form the coils by tightly winding soft copper refrigerator tubing around a piece of PVC pipe. You should be able to wind the copper tubing around the pipes using your hands, but if you have difficulty grasping it, you could grab the tubing using pliers.  To create the inner coil, wind the 25 foot (7.6 m) copper tubing around a 2 foot (0.61 m) (61 cm) long pipe with a diameter of 1.5 inches (3.8 cm). To create the outer coil, wind the 50 feet (15.24 m) copper tubing around a 2 foot (0.61 m) (61 cm) long pipe with a diameter of 3 inches (7.6 cm). Slide the coils out of their respective tubes once created. Slide the smaller coil directly inside the larger coil and secure it in place by using small wire ties. This allows the fog to pass in and around the coils, which provides the best cooling.  If tying the smaller coil in place is too difficult, you can just allow the small coil to lay against the bottom of the larger one. Because the coils will need to fit inside the stove pipe, stretch them out until they roughly match the length of the pipe. Slide the larger coil into your stovepipe, using wire ties to hold both coils in place. The goal is to have the two coils as close to the center as possible inside the larger pipe.  Hanging the coils in this way allows the fog to pass in and around the coils and cool it even better. The machine will work without using the ties, but it won't work as well. At one end of the chiller, connect the ends of the inner and outer coils using short pieces of plastic tubing and pipe clamps.  You'll need to connect the ends of the coils on the other side of the chiller to a small submersible pump using longer pieces of plastic tubing and pipe clamps. Cold water will come from the pump, and circulate through the coils. The pump should be completely submerged and there should be room for a small commercial fog machine to sit beside it.  The water needs to be ice cold in order for the mechanism to work, so you may need to wait 30 minutes or so after dumping the ice in the water before you can create the cold fog. Place your fog machine into the other end of the ice chest. The spout should face outward. After a minute or so, cold water should circle through the copper tubing.  Test the temperature of the copper by touching it. You should be able to feel the cold water through the sides of the copper. Follow by turning on your fog machine. Fill the fog machine with commercial fog juice and switch it on. Fog should roll out, but instead of floating up as hot fog does, it should sink to the floor thanks to the cooling mechanism.

Summary: Go to a hardware store for supplies. Create two soft copper coils. Place the smaller coil into the larger coil. Place both coils into a stovepipe. Connect the coils. Submerse the pump in an ice chest full of ice water. Turn on your pump.


The 80s were all about the big, bold, and colorful, and hair was no exception. If you have bangs, try to get them as big as possible. You can do this by crimping them, curling them, or putting them into large, barrel rollers the night before. The 80s were all about big hair, so if you are blessed with textured or ethnic hair, you are lucky and don't have to do much. Follow your usual hair care routine, and wrap a thick, cloth headband around your hair to give your hair a pop of color. If you like to wear your hair in braids or cornrows, try adding some plastic pony beads to the end for a pop of color and fun.

Summary: Go for big bangs. Go natural if you have textured or ethnic hair.


As with any sort of charcoal grilling, before you get started grilling your bacon, you'll need to get your charcoal to just the right heat for grilling. Before lighting them, however, make sure to offset the coals by piling them in one side of the grill, leaving the other coal-free. This will create a hot side of the grill and a cool side when the coals are lit. When you're ready, light the grill.  Note that if you aren't using match-light charcoal, this may require lighter fluid. After lighting, leave the lid off and wait for the coals to burn to perfection. Coals are typically ready for grilling after they develop a grey, ashy exterior and emit a warm orange glow. This can take 20 minutes or longer. Using a pair of tongs to protect your hands, place the strips of bacon on the cool side of the grill (the side with no coals underneath). As the bacon cooks, the fat will naturally render and drip down into the grill. If you cook the bacon over the coals, this can lead to massive flare-ups as the bacon fat ignites. To avoid the danger of burns, fire, or burnt bacon, cook using only indirect heat. The bacon fat will still drip down into the grill, but since there are no coals underneath, flare-ups will be minimal. Try to lay most or all of your bacon strips across the bars of the grate, rather than parallel to the bars. This makes it less likely for the thin bacon to slip through the cracks of the grill into the ashy area underneath. When the bacon is done, it should have an appearance ranging from red to dark brown (depending on how crispy you like it) and a delicious aroma. Remove the bacon from the grill strip-by-strip and place it onto a plate lined with several layers of paper towels. Allow the paper towels to absorb some of the excess fat, then serve the bacon as desired! As with turning during cooking, bacon proves the exception to other meats in terms of allowing it to rest before serving. While many other cuts of meat are noticeably moister and more flavorful after resting for 10-15 minutes following cooking, bacon is ready to eat as soon as it's cool enough not to burn your mouth!
Summary: Light the grill. Place the bacon onto the cool side. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.