We are currently working on a protocol to help people determine their PEO potency. The protocol is under development. Help us out by visiting the related blog entry, performing the test, and reporting your results.
The current (as of March 2015) version of the protocol is found here.
Simple Method for Gauging PEO Potency[]
Below is a simple method for gauging your PEO's strength. It is simpler to perform than the main protocol but provides a less precise reading of the strength.
Materials needed:
- Water
- Appropriate detergent
- PEO
- Isopropyl alcohol (for slurry)
- pH-Adjuster (such as citric acid or baking powder) (optional)
- small plastic bubble wand
Method:
- Make at least 100 grams of a 1% PEO solution. (If you use J-Lube, that would be 4% J-Lube). FInd instructions for making a 1% PEO solution here on the proposed protocol page. LET THE SOLUTION AGE AT LEAST 24 HOURS. Store it in the refrigerator.
- Mix up several liters of a detergent and water mix at your preferred dilution
- pH-adjust the water and detergent mix using your preferred method. You can use 1/2 slightly heaping teaspoon baking powder (or 2 grams) per liter of water. Note that there will be some sediment. This is perfectly normal.
- Measure out 1 liter of the detergent/water mix into a few different containers.
- To one container, add 1 gram (1 ml) of the PEO solution. You can use a syringe to measure it. 1 gram will be 1 ml.
- To another container, add 5 grams of the PEO solution.
- To another container, add 10 grams of the PEO solution.
- Let the solutions rest over night.
- To test the solutions, gently stir to make sure the PEO is evenly distributed. Dip the small plastic wand and lift it out to gauge how stringy the solution is. Blow a stream of bubbles. Dip and blow bubbles several times.
- Repeat this procedure with each container.
- Next: test each solution with a tri-string wand of your preferred size. For these tests, I usually use a 48 inch top-string (120 cm).
Evaluating. If you have full-potency PEO, even the the solution with just 1 gram PEO solution should work better than plain detergent and water and the solution with 10 grams of PEO solution will be pretty stringy and possibly overdosed. If none of the solutions are stringy, try the test again but this time make solutions with 10 grams, 20 grams and 30 grams of the PEO solution and compare them. After trying them, try a mix of the solution that worked best plus some of the solution that has less PEO. Repeat with the best performing solution with some of the solution that had more PEO.
Make a record of the results and re-test every six months.
Store the PEO in the freezer.