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Experiments in Making Cocktail Ice

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Re: Experiments in Making Cocktail Ice

#71

Post by foobarbecue »

jcampbell1 wrote: post #70
foobarbecue wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hm. This internal stress issue you describe might be a thing, but I'm pretty sure bubbles exsolving during freezing is also a thing. Most of the times I tried and failed to make clear ice there were obvious bubble exsolution trails.

I’ve been making clear ice for a decade. Even gone as far as an aquarium bubbler and nichrome wire setups. What you think are obvious bubbles are not actually bubbles. Just put a double walled insulated cup in the freezer. The internal stress explanation accounts for 98% of the result when you think through how the crystal growth happened.

Sounds like we need an experiment. The best one I can think of is to freeze ice in presence of a tracer gas and then check if that gas is released upon melting. I'm not sure I could pull that off. Got any better ideas?

Re: Experiments in Making Cocktail Ice

#72

Post by jcampbell1 »

foobarbecue wrote: post #71
jcampbell1 wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve been making clear ice for a decade. Even gone as far as an aquarium bubbler and nichrome wire setups. What you think are obvious bubbles are not actually bubbles. Just put a double walled insulated cup in the freezer. The internal stress explanation accounts for 98% of the result when you think through how the crystal growth happened.

Sounds like we need an experiment. The best one I can think of is to freeze ice in presence of a tracer gas and then check if that gas is released upon melting. I'm not sure I could pull that off. Got any better ideas?

Just compare frozen boiled water and aerated tap water. Both will be cloudy when made in a tray and both will be clear when made in an insulated cup. It does make a minor difference, but it is unimportant.

Also notice the radial pattern that the internal fractures take. This is inconsistent with bubbles and perfectly consistent with internal stress due to expansion pressure.

Re: Experiments in Making Cocktail Ice

#73

Post by foobarbecue »

jcampbell1 wrote: post #72
foobarbecue wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like we need an experiment. The best one I can think of is to freeze ice in presence of a tracer gas and then check if that gas is released upon melting. I'm not sure I could pull that off. Got any better ideas?

Just compare frozen boiled water and aerated tap water. Both will be cloudy when made in a tray and both will be clear when made in an insulated cup. It does make a minor difference, but it is unimportant. Also notice the radial pattern that the internal fractures take. This is inconsistent with bubbles and perfectly consistent with internal stress due to expansion pressure.

I think the effect of boiling is negligible because air dissolves back into the water as the water cools. I don't understand your radial pattern argument. When I look closely at the lineations in the ice I see that the streaks are composed of individual spheroid voids. Not sure how fracture could do that.

Re: Experiments in Making Cocktail Ice

#74

Post by jcampbell1 »

foobarbecue wrote: post #73
jcampbell1 wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just compare frozen boiled water and aerated tap water. Both will be cloudy when made in a tray and both will be clear when made in an insulated cup. It does make a minor difference, but it is unimportant. Also notice the radial pattern that the internal fractures take. This is inconsistent with bubbles and perfectly consistent with internal stress due to expansion pressure.

I think the effect of boiling is negligible because air dissolves back into the water as the water cools. I don't understand your radial pattern argument. When I look closely at the lineations in the ice I see that the streaks are composed of individual spheroid voids. Not sure how fracture could do that.

You can pour water straight from the kettle into the trays and cover it.

https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo-ice-cubes-image179488...

In that photo I see a few gas bubbles, but it is dominated by radial expansion fractures and cloudy high pressure ice in the center. That ice will crack when put in water. Clear ice does not crack.

Re: Experiments in Making Cocktail Ice

#75

Post by dabluecaboose »

eutectic wrote: post #12
dabluecaboose wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>If you time it right, 90% of the water freezes, and the water impurities pool at the bottom And even if you don't, worst case you end up with a cloudy end on your clear ice that can be easily removed by rubbing it on an aluminum sheet pan

I'm not sure it will be so easy to get the ice out if you let it freeze solid.

Aluminum is a fantastic heat conductor. You can slice ice using a non-sharpened aluminum flat, easily.
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