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NOTE (May 2017): This entry should really be called "PEO Waterless Concentrate". In this experiment, I was really making a waterless PEO concentrate and not just slurrying. As it turns out, detergent works well for slurrying WSR301 though it may be less convenient than usind cold dry alcohol or glycerine as a slurry liquid. You do need to add some water after you make the slurry for the PEO to stay dissolved (in suspension) for the long-term. A detergent slurry is used for my Bubble Power Powder (a video demonstration is found on its page). In July 2016, I did a number of trials using WSR301 and J-Lube in detergent slurries, and they worked well. More information in the Slurry-Detergent article.

First Entry - Slurrying WSR301 with Dawn Pro[]

Last night (October 14), I slurried my wsr301 with very cold detergent before combining with more detergent and water. It worked well for a fresh mix. Tonight, I decided to try with room temperature Dawn Pro. I mixed two portions as described below, one to use tomorrow and one to let sit to see if it is stable.

After mixing, I covered the glasses to discourage evaporation.

I will update after using the first portion and also when I have a sense of whether this is shelf-stable or not. It would not surprise me if the PEO settles out over time.

Recipe:

  • 0.15 grams degraded WSR301
  • 50 grams Dawn Pro

Steps:

  • Measure the WSR301 and add to a small glass that can hold about 175 ml.
  • Measure out the detergent into another glass.
  • Add just enough of the detergent to the glass with the WSR301 to barely cover it.
  • Use a fork to stir/mash slurry into a paste/froth.
  • Add a little more detergent and stir.
  • Repeat until all the detergent has been added.

When mixing the solution may become a little frothy. This is ok. It will dissipate over night.

PEO NOTE: This is my original WSR301 that is 3 or 4 years old. It has been in the freezer for the past year. But before moving to the freezer, it lost about 2/3s of its potency.

Update - 2014/10/15[]

20141016 8151 waterlessPEO nextday forweb

Waterless PEO/Detergent mix after 24 hours.

A bit of thickened "stuff" (for lack fo a better word) is evident on the surface.


I stirred to distribute the stuff, but it did not fully integrate into the liquid. Tiny bits are evident.



Update - 2014/10/18 - Mixing One Portion[]

20141018 8164 waterlessPEO after

After adding 50 grams water and stirring -- little chunks still visible. They dissipated 12 hours after mixing with 950 ml. water.

Today, four days after mixing up the initial two portions, I added 50 grams of water to one portion. It is clear that some of the PEO has clumped and did not immediately dissolve when the water was added. I added this to 950 grams water and stirred gently for a while. There are tiny bits evident. Given how little PEO there is, I am not sure how much of the initial PEO made it into solution.

I added 1/4 heaping teaspoon cream of tartar. My goal is a pH in the 7.4-7.6 range.

I am able to get 4 to 8 bubbles per dip. So, some of the PEO definitely made it into the solution which is very slightly (rather than very) stringy, but there are still some little chunks that are unresolved. We will see if they resolve. I suspect that they won't.

My take is that it will work as a slurry if water is added immediately to hydrate it but that a waterless PEO concentrate is not viable for longer-term.

Update - 2014/10/19 - Checking the Portion Diluted Yesterday[]

This morning, the solution shows no signs of the little bits. So, the PEO has fully integrated. As expected the solution is slightly milky (a normal occurrence when the pH of a Dawn Pro solution drops below 7.8). The pH measures 7.28 which is lower than I expected/hoped for. But it is a reasonable pH. My tap water is pretty alkaline, though. So, 1/4 heaping teaspoon is probably too much for people that don't have alkaline tap water.

We will have to see what happens with the other portion after sitting on the shelf for a longer period of time. I should note that I have mixed up a slurry as described at the beginning and was able to immediately add 50 or 100 ml to get a nice lumpless mix.

So far, I would not recommend letting it stand as long as I did for the portions documented in this blog entry. The required waiting time for the PEO to fully integrate is less than optimal.

Updated - 2015/03/05 - Reconstitute Remaining Portion[]

Back in October (5 months ago), I made two portions of the waterless concentrate. It has remained covered with foil (but not tightly sealed) since it was created. It was quite gooey, and it was evident that there has been considerable evaporation (the sample weighed 25 grams less than expected). I added it to 1 liter + 25 grams water. The detergent/PEO mix sunk in little chunks. After about one hour, it had resolved. However, when tested with a small plastic wand, it acted as if there were no PEO. So, the PEO in the solution must have degraded under these conditions.

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