I'm fabricating a smoke chamber (based on the can idea, no pics just the design in my head), but I have a question. For what period of time do you leave the soldering iron on? Also how much air do you supply to the chamber, or is it just for ignition? I don't plan on using a pump, just wandering how much air you needed so I can plan .
Ald, morning.... Once the chips start to smoke, you can unplug the iron and see if they continue to smoke.... If they are dry, they should continue.... My tin can, and others I saw, were laid on their side and filled about 1/3 rd full, and the lid on the tin can was closed... bent back to it's original position... This requires only a partial lid open with the can opener so the lid can be bent.... I think this was so the air could be cut off from the chips so they wouldn't catch on fire, only smolder..... a hole was drilled in the lid, where it would contact the "ground", "bottom of the smoker"... Iron slid in and into the pile of chips/sawdust..... foil can be used to close the can also....
As far as the amount of air for the smoker goes, I can best describe it as a lazy stream of smoke emitting from the smoker....
I do not think a continuous supply of smoke is necessary... If chips smoke for 1 hour then you add more chips so you are getting a 50% smoke time, that would be adequate....
As an example, my buddy was from Alaska... He lived with a tribe that smoked fish for a week or so in their smoke house.. Smoke was alternated 1 day smoke, 1 day no smoke....
Smoke house design and smoke generation are kind of "the eyes of the beholder" type thing.... no 2 were alike until mass production... Even the mass produced units are highly modified until the user is happy with the results....
Believe me when I say, "I am trying to help answer your questions, it just doesn't sound like it"..
Let me know if I can be of more help..... Dave