[Phillip Beall]

All,

We have a bunch of Club members that like to fool around with “projects”.  Earlier this year “Commander Zero” made a post on his survivalist blog DIY Remote control….”air freshener dispenser”.  I’m not a big fan of Instagram, but the link takes you to the Instagram page of Vince Gregory (@its_me_vince_g).  Vince also appears to be involved with Corax Gun Works in Spokane Valley, WA.  They specialize in upgrading and accessorizing modern lever action rifles, but I digress.  I muddled through the video.  For me Instagram videos always launch muted…very annoying.  And unlike YouTube there is not a transcript, so you have to carefully listen and take notes.  Then, he keeps saying there is a parts list in his bio.  It took me like fifteen minutes and multiple clicks all over to figure out where that was.  And then the list…well, I will just include the list below.

So, what is it?  It is a pretty clever DIY aerosol spray dispenser.  Commander Zero calls it an “air freshener dispenser”, but the guy that produced the video was pitching it for little fire extinguishers, wasp and bear spray.  Some of the people that commented on his Instagram posts made remarks about all manner of other uses.  Some caused me to wonder if people are just dumb or what?  When you talk about flamethrowers and the likes, I’m just not sure it is smart to post that…but that is just me.

The original Instagram post, or “reel”, was made on March 26, 2025.  It simply showed the device being operated and he gave a cursory overview of what it would do and how it would do it.  Then, I guess because he was getting a lot of hits, he made a follow up on April 2, 2025, where he went into detail and demonstrated some of the assembly steps.  Finally, on April 7, 2025, he made a third post where he incorporated a WiFi smart switch in lieu of the car fob type remote.  With that it can be triggered with a smartphone app.  He also added something omitted from video #2, a thread adapter to make the tap fit the solenoid.

Is it cool?  Pretty cool.  Does it have a lot of utility?  I don’t know, I see it as maybe a cool way to for a tool shed to be protected with a little fire extinguisher or maybe it could be used with bear spray if a WiFi camera alerted you that someone was in there stealing your stuff.  Manually deployed I don’t think that would count as a “booby trap”, but it might.  For sure it is a good training project to figure out how to use solenoids, low voltage, switches; using your brain on a “build” kind of like guys do with the Heathkit radios.  Before someone asks “Is Heathkit still in business?”  Yes, they are (link here).  😉

In his build he uses a product that I have discussed at Club meetings, the new style splices that have the low temperature solder ring inside an adhesive type clear heat shrink tube.  He also uses pink thread tape.  I was familiar with white (general purpose) and yellow (gas) Teflon type tape, but wasn’t sure what the pink was for.  Here is the Google result (link here) if you are curious to know what all the different colors, including green and red, signify.  He also makes mention of a LASCO 17-6783 1/4-Inch Female Flare by 1/4-Inch Male Pipe Thread being incorporated.   It was obviously installed in the build in his first video, so I guess he just overlooked laying one on the bench for his second video.

In any case, links to the videos are here – Video 1, video 2 and video 3.  They are all very short, maybe 1-2 minutes max.

73

Phillip Beall (W5EBC)

 

Remote Aerosol Device Material List (author provided parts list link here).  The links are all to Amazon, prices are approximate and when I was looking the LASKO item was out of stock (11/04/2025).  I imagine Swaim’s, Home Depot or APEX would have the item, or a suitable alternative, locally.

Side Can Tap ($12)
12v Solenoid ($16)
Pipe tape ($8)
Wire connectors ($10)
Battery pack ($8)
Spray nozzle ($11)
12v waterproof remote ($26)
LASCO 17-6783 1/4-Inch Female Flare by 1/4-Inch Male Pipe Thread adapter ($15)
Smart switch ($14)

 

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