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It has been a long time since I have done any bubble experiments. And my last batch of experiments (were they really in the Spring) haven't yet been completed or properly documented. This blog post is mostly a reminder to myself about topics that I need to explore some more or document on the wiki.

Baking Soda and Citric Acid[]

I had been interested in these ever since I started bubbling since I had seen some mentions of them on SBF -- although there didn't seem much in the way of follow-up. Baking soda had been mentioned to me by a number of people who had very non-specific comments. Then in Nov. of 2010, Alan McKay wrote a letter that appears on SBF that mentioned Baking Soda/Citric Acid. I tried to lure someone else into trying them out but didn't get much traction. People seemed skeptical that they would make a big difference. I finally got around to trying them out in Feb. 2011 about the same time that I also started exploring more dilute (16 to 1 and greater) giant bubble mix and also HEC-based mixes. I seemed to be seeing improvement in the mixes from subtle to major and started encouraging people to try it out to see if they saw a similar improvement -- as I was worried that the improvements that I was seeing were observational or experimental error. Over the next several months, I heard from quite a few people (several of whom had been quite skeptical) that the baking soda/citric acid combination was having a big impact on their solutions.

No one has yet really worked on studying if there are optimal amounts. There does seem to be some variation (probably attributable to water pH) as to when in the mixing process they should be added. This all needs to be followed up and documented. There are already some videos linked to the blog that seem to demonstrate major benefits.

HEC-Based Mixes[]

I have made nice mixes with quite a few different types of HEC (a few types of Dow CelloSize and a few types of Natrosol). I have had the best results with Dow QP100MH. But I think that Natrosol is just as capable but I need to find the right amount and the right mixing protocol. The Natrosol definitely seems a bit more finicky than the Cellosize when it comes to hydration. I haven't had any failed Cellosize mixes even with fairly minimal stirring (using both cold/hot mixing and when adding it to warm not-hot water). Natrosol has required more stirring over a longer period of time to fully-hydrate. So, it seems less friendly for 'quick mixes' than the QP100MH. Some of this has been blogged but more work needs to be done. Also, work needs to be done to see if PEO/HEC combos are improvements over HEC-only or PEO-only mixes. PEO seems to have the greatest size potential but I have made some monster bubbles with HEC-only mixes.

Dual-Wick Tri-Strings[]

For a long time, I have hypothesized (and I am sure others have, too) that having a heavy top-string but a very light bottom string (light enough to self-close when drained) might be especially friendly for giant bubbles. This seems to be true. I haven't gotten very fair but preliminary tests seem to show that a setup like this has a lot of advantages. It turns out that all of Brian Lawrence's tri-strings are rigged this way (as are his garland looplets).

Wiki Reorganization[]

Some topics are getting big enough that they need to be broken up into multiple pages. And better use of category pages needs to be made. Also, all linked videos need to be tagged.

Wicks to try out[]

I need to compare the Wendy Pure 100% bamboo tape yarn to the Rowan tape yarn. Then I need to compare both to the round bamboo yarn.

Need to try out the [[ http://www.rubbermaidcommercial.com/rcp/ObjectServer?table=PDFs&id=627&name=RCP_SM709_Wet_and_Dust_Mops.pdf%7CRubbermaid super absorbent mop-head yarn]] that Dustin is using and which Todd K is using in his video (see theJumbo Juice article). These mops are apparently available at Walmart -- in the Hardware section and not with the other mops. Brian L. suggests that it is the "Super Stitch" model's yarn. Dustin estimates that one mophead yields about 350 feet of yarn.

Nets[]

I need to try out bubble nets.

Pics[]

I needed better pics for all kinds of bubbles for the wiki -- and some help making the wiki look nice.

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