Category: "Frozen soap films"

Freezing a Soap Film

December 1st, 2014

Upon seeing this morning some recently posted pictures of freezing soap bubbles, I decided to give it a try.

Fortunately, we have been having freezing temperatures recently. And coincidentally, my older daughter had just purchased some glycerin for making hand lotion. (Glycerin is a very useful ingredient in soap-solution.) I mixed up a cup of solution, using crushed ice in the water to make it cold, found a bit of twine, and headed outside to a shady spot in back.

I soon gave up on blowing bubbles, and just tried freezing a film. It worked on the third try:

(As with all images on this blog, click to enlarge.)

Sometime later, I will work on freezing larger bubbles. I imagine though that if I had my polarizing sheets with me, even a frozen film could dazzle. Next time.

If you have experience freezing large bubbles, please let me know. My ice films would break within about a minute of the first signs of ice formation--it would be nice to know a better method.

- JN