Okay, I will wiegh in on the Ultra smoke 2000. first, I do not own one, but I do use the chemical it works with in my work. (no I will not publically give the name on the forum board) It will make a sizeable puff of smoke (the chemical) I use it to test for efficiency of air flow in chemical fume hoods (remember your hoods in chemistry class)
The material must be MIXED with air to get a good puff, and yes, it is corrosive, to cloth, metals, plastics and lungs/skin.
the instructions on my bottle says use within 24 hrs, as the material will continue to undergo it's rection wtih air, although more slowly, once opened.
keeping the material tightly capped in a good container will work, but it rarely will be sold to the average person in enough quantity to allow for having a proper container to do that with. I have references to it being used one drop of material at a time to effect a small "puff" of smoke for certain applications, but in these times, I think the alternative methods are better investigated unless you have a good set up for doing actual chemical work. You might not see the effects of the vapors on fabrics, paint etc., but they are there and reacting nonetheless!
You might try looking for a product called "splintax" it too is for smoke testing hoods, but instead it is a "smoke match" a bit larger than a wooden match, and other than the initial flame, it makes smoke, not fire, though it is still burning so it will be hot to the touch. I think one could figure out how to "pull" this one off without much difficulty!
regards
Kay

Anyone used a thumb thing to produce a small flash, using flash paper.

The thumb Thing is a great utility gimmick. If I do say so myself.

I use a finger flasher for igniting flash cotton. I have seen the TT flasher but I did not like it. Steffan Soule has one and uses it in every show. He uses his own "substance" called C-Fire. I like it, he offered some to me last time I saw him. Impressive FIRE! You can see it HERE

Why not use a smoke cup? It uses a little bit of cotton mixed with some powder, just a flip of the wheel and BAM smoke starts coming out, use a couple if you want. There is also different coloured powders. How about Pink and Purple smoke?

Evan