Bubbles
Hi there, maybe you've seen me around town blowing big bubbles and I gave you this website to get instructions on how to do your own. Maybe you somehow stumbled upon this with a lucky web search. Either way, glad you're here! Let's make bubbles.
Acknowledgements
Everything I learnt comes from the Soap Bubble Wiki. There you can find more recipes and other methods for bubble wands. The only difference between theirs and mine is that I'll add some local shops to buy the stuff in Townsville.
Bubble Recipe
You only need five things: – Water – Fairy dish soap – Baking Powder – Guar gum – Rubbing alcohol (to help mix the guar gum)
Fairy dish soap can generally be bought at Woolies or Coles, and I've found no difference between the “ultra concentrate” and the normal soap. So which ever one you get just use the same amount.
Guar gum can be bought at Health 4 Life located in Domain shopping centre just beside IGA there. It cost $4 for 100g of the stuff and that will last you a LONG time.
Mixing the bubble mix
If you want an in-depth set of instructions then I highly recommend you check out the Soap Bubble Wiki – Guar Gum Recipe page. However, I'll give you a basic recipe below.
- Add one (1) litre of water to a bucket or large bowl
- Add 50 grams (about 10 table spoons) of Fairy dish soap to the water
- In a small separate bowl, add roughly 1.5 grams (about ¼ slightly heaped teaspoon) of guar gum. Mix this with enough rubbing alcohol that there are no lumps. The amount of rubbing alcohol here doesn't matter, we're looking for a nice, smooth slurry.
- Pour the guar gum/rubbing alcohol slurry into the water and soap, mixing slowly with a spoon or ladle.
- Add two (2) grams (about ½ slightly heaped teaspoon) of baking powder to the mix and stir.
- Done!
You now have a litre of bubble mix! If you want to make more in one go then just multiply the amounts. Normally I make three litres in one go as it fits nicely in an old milk bottle.
Bubble Wands
The bubble wands are pretty straight forward. They are simply dowels with rope tied in a loop between them. I got all the parts for mine from Bunnings.
For these I will point you back to the Soap Bubble Wiki. Specifically, their page on bubble wands.
I suggest starting with smaller bubble wands. I have noticed that bubbles made with my big ones tend not to last as long, where as my smaller ones can make quite long bubbles tubes.
Tips
You need a somewhat still day. If the wind is blowing too hard then your giant bubbles will pop quickly or tear themselves apart. If there is no wind at all that will still work, you'll just need to walk backwards with your bubble wands to blow bubbles.
The surface of your bubbles should have lots of rainbow patterns on them, much like oil on top of water. If your bubbles look very clear and pop quickly then try adding a little more baking powder until you get that rainbow pattern.
When doing bubbles the area around the bucket can become quite slippery, especially when using giant bubble wands. Keep that in mind when you are doing bubbles so you don't create a slick spot that someone may hurt themselves on.
Feel free to experiment with different mixes and bubble wands. As mentioned before, the Soap Bubble Wiki is a fantastic resource. I hope you enjoy this new hobby!
— Lenny