Old Timer's
bubble solution recipe...
What follows is a post I made quite a while ago to the
BubbleFanciers Yahoo Group concerning a very old recipe...
Hello all,
I don't know if any of you have the book MAGIC WITH SOAP
BUBBLES by ORMOND
MCGILL? Written for magicians with plenty of bubble type
magic for any magicians out there. It was published by
HADES publications ISBN 0-919230-95-4. Copyright 1987 by
Brian M. Hades, though this must be a reprint of a very old
book.
It describes among other things, a bubble circus with
bubble roller coasters, crash 'em cars and flying trapeze
(a bubble riding on a swing seated on a glycerine covered
ring)....
So, as part of the book - he includes his recipes!
For
your delight and edification I will share them with you
now. I tried the first one to no avail - perhaps you will
have better luck.
Remembering how difficult things were in the old days helps
me get through those
bleak moments of depression when pondering my current
troubles with Mr. Bubbles.
Begin quote from book.
"MAKING THE
SPECIAL BUBBLE BLOWING SOLUTION (chapter 2, pg
11). To make the solution I use for Magic Bubbles you must
first obtain some pure Castile Soap.
Using a sharp knife, cut the soap as finely as possible and
dissolve it into a cup of
warm water. Use only as much soap as will dissolve easily
into the water. Next, pour some glycerine into the soap
solution in a ratio of two-fifths glycerine to three fifths
soapwater. Shake the mixture well, and allow the final
solution to sit for awhile. You will soon see a film
forming on the solution's surface. Skim this film off and
then pour the liquid into a jar for later use. Make sure
that you keep the jar sealed when not in use to enable the
bubble blowing solution to last for a very long time.
Another good formula for making resilient bubbles is this
one: Place a heaping
teaspoon of pulverized Gum Arabic into a cup of hot water
and stir until it is completely dissolved. Then, using
another cup of hot water, dissolve a square (about 2x2x2
inch size)
of Castile or Ivory Soap. To this add in a piece of gelatin
paper and stir until
everything is dissolved.
Pour both solutions into a bottle, add a tablespoon of pure
glycerine, shake
well and keep in the refrigerator until needed.
Over time the mixture may dry up. to restore it, simply add
some hot water and
the solution is ready to produce beautiful bubbles.
Both of these bubble blowing solutions described above
produce bubbles which
have a surprisingly strong surface tension. They maintain
all of their natural
glistening beauty while allowing you to do many things
which are not generally possible with bubbles.
(from the back cover) About the author: Ormond Mcgill is a
name to conjure with
in the field of magic. Born in Palo Alto, California in
1913, he represents more than
half a century devoted to the art of magic. He is a
magician and hypnotist of
international reputation, and has toured many parts of the
world with his exciting stage show: East Indian Miracles,
The Seance of Wonders, South Seas Island Magic, The Concert
of Hypnotism. Ormand is both an authority on magic and
hypnotism. As a performer and author, he brings to his
writing, as sense of professionalism."
End quote from book.
What a
HOOT! Though, I
would give a toe to have been able to see his act in
action... (Bubble roller coasters & all his various
stunts.)
Happy Bubbling. Keith
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