JourneyLeaf: Life a Page at a Time

The night before the Big Freeze (polar vortex), a friend sent me a link to pictures of frozen soap bubbles. They were gorgeous and soon the idea spread across Facebook. Eli and I were eager to try it! Yesterday morning it was a mere 9 degrees, yet we had no luck. The bubbles behaved pretty much as normal. Rats.

At dawn this morning there were twice as many numbers on the thermometer -- which sounds balmy until you realize that means 16 degrees. We were awake anyway and I'd collected additional information about freezing bubbles, so we bundled up and trooped outside. At first we floundered. Then...success! If you want to try it too, tips follow the photographs.

Sometimes the bubbles popped or deflated after partially freezing, but that was interesting too.

This big bubble (around two inches in diameter) partially tore and partially shattered. Fascinating! Instead of turning into a wet spot as on a warm day, it became a ring of debris.

The frozen bubbles were usually cloudy, having a matte texture rather than the usual gloss. "They're soft!" Eli exclaimed upon poking one. Some of ours felt a little leathery, so they must not have been fully frozen.

Making Frozen Bubbles

What Temperature? We were able to make frozen bubbles at sixteen degrees. The Weather Channel, however, suggested the temperature should be below ten before trying to freeze bubbles.
What Type of Bubble Solution? The online article that I started with said they used a homemade bubble recipe containing corn syrup. (Click HERE for a recipe. Click HERE for the article.) We tried that recipe and also one with glycerin without luck. (Click HERE for the latter.) A friend had luck using store-bought bubbles and that's what worked for us too. We stopped by CVS for cheapo Miracle Bubbles from Imperial Toy LLC. Gymboree's Bubble Ooodles worked too. We didn't find bubbles at our grocery store, but pharmacies and dollar stores usually carry them. (Update: My friend Sarah said that she heard the bubble solution works better if it is warm.)
Create a Frozen Landing Pad -- When I scrolled through photos of frozen bubbles, I noticed they were all resting on ice. The best case scenario would be freezing bubbles after an ice storm or snowfall has coated your yard, but we were out of luck. Thus last night I filled two plastic serving trays with water and left them out to freeze solid. This morning we got some dome-shaped or collapsed frozen bubbles on our deck boards, but the complete and lovely bubbles we captured were all on the sheets of ice on our trays. (Update: My friend Katie said that her bubbles didn't freeze until several seconds after landing, so she suggested soaking a blanket/towel in water and leaving it out overnight to make a frozen landing pad.)
Try for Small Bubbles -- We got some frozen bubbles bigger than a ping pong ball, but the best ones were the size of marbles or peas. Gymboree's Bubbles Ooodles trumpet-shaped pipe with tiny holes worked the best for making lots of small bubbles. (For a picture, click HERE.) Blowing through a bundle of soda straws gathered with a couple of rubber bands would probably work too.
Make Lots of Bubbles -- Most of your bubbles will pop, so blow lots and lots. A bubble machine would have been awesome, but Gymboree's Bubbles Ooodles pipe worked great for us.
Maximize Hang Time -- The bubbles that froze best were the ones that floated for a little while. I put our frozen trays at my feet and blew the bubbles upwards so that there was a good five feet for them to fall. (A completely still day, of course, will make it easier to know where they will land.) On the other hand, slight drafts of air may help them stay aloft longer. If you have help (besides an over-eager five year-old who left their gloves at school), somebody can get beneath the bubbles and gently blow them upward until they freeze. A helper can also maneuver a frozen tray below a frozen bubble as it starts to fall. (It seems that once the bubbles freeze, the air inside them gets cold enough that they sink more quickly than regular bubbles.)
Humidity is Important -- Very dry air pulls the moisture out of the thin bubble walls and can cause your bubbles to pop before they have a chance to freeze. I don't know what the humidity was on the first morning we tried, but this morning it was 68%. The higher the percentage the better.
Be Careful of Direct Light -- Judging on what I read, a bubble becomes a tiny greenhouse when the sun hits it. Unless you're working on a super-cold day, know that direct light may warm the air inside just enough to keep your bubbles from freezing. On the other hand, it might create partial softening and frost patterns, so do some experiments.

Photographing Frozen Bubbles
You got 'em! But how do you prove it?

Use Contrast -- Photographing pale bubbles on pale ice is tricky.
I wish now that I'd made my ice sheets on a dark colored trays to provide some contrast.
Make Flat Ice Sheets -- I wish I'd filled my trays up to the brim so that I could photograph the bubbles at eye level with the dark treeline behind them. As it was, the rim of my tray got in the way of taking pictures.
Skip the Flash -- I had no luck with a standard on-camera flash as it "washed out" the pale bubbles. Instead, I had to wait for the sun to rise and use a high ISO. (If you want to make a big project of it and create homemade reflectors and light sources, one of the best books I've seen on this is Heidi Adnum's The Crafter's Guide to Taking Great Photos.)
Use a Tripod -- In the low light, I couldn't hold my 18-200mm zoom on my Canon Rebel XTi steady enough for crisp details. Also, the light was low enough that I had to switch to manual focus. To make sure I got an image that was as crisp as my basic lens and high ISO would allow, I took many shots and refocused slightly each time. Even if I deleted most of what I took, I got a few "keepers."

Many thanks to Danielle for sending me the original article as well as to Katie and Sarah for their help.

Speaking of bubble fun... This past spring and summer, we got into making huge monster soap bubbles. If that appeals to you, click HERE.

Comments

awesome! Thanks!
My co-workers and I had fun just blowing bubbles! lol! We also threw hot water to make it evaporate.
We weren't really "wasting" time, we have a stressful job and this really got our day off to a great start and set a positive tone for the day! My supervisors decided to make soup and grilled cheese for the staff for lunch. You know me, I'm all about co-worker bonding! lol!

Posted by: Kim | 08 January 2014 at 12:01 PM

Thank you so much for this helpful information! I'm just beginning my frozen soap bubble quest and had so many questions about how to make these work. I began by making glycerin bubbles, but as you said, they won't freeze, so now I will proceed with your advice and try the commercially available bubble solution. I especially appreciate your tips for photographing them. I know you've saved me and others a lot of time and frustration! Thank you!!!

Posted by: Deborah Lanni | 15 January 2018 at 08:46 AM