Everybody likes soap bubbles! Whether you're blowing them for your
own enjoyment or to celebrate a special occasion such as a graduation or
wedding, it's fun to challenge others to blow the biggest and longest-lasting
bubbles. Most of the time people use commercially-made bubble pipes or wands,
but you can blow bubbles with just about anything, even your hands.
In this activity, we'll learn how to make our own bubble solution and how to create a special bubble wand by tying a macrame´ knot. Macrame´ is an old craft in which cords are knotted in various combinations, resulting in a finished piece such as a wall hanging or sculpture. The method is used also to make clothing, belts, bags, and other utilitarian items.
The term, macrame´, is Arabic for "fringe," and Middle Eastern craftsmen began using the technique centuries ago to add trim to solid fabric. Over the years, the knotting method developed as a craft in its own right, and eventually people were using it to make altar cloths and church vestments. There is evidence that macrame´ was popular in France and Italy in the fifteenth-century, and in the 1800s, British and American sailors practiced the craft to help pass the time on long voyages.
Macrame´ has enjoyed a revival among artists and craftsmen in the past thirty years. The technique is usually done with cords such as jute, sisal, raffia, and flax, but it's possible to adapt macrame´ knots for use with other materials. To make our bubble wand, we'll use telephone wire, a plastic coated copper wire, to tie a variation of "Josephine's Knot." While most bubbles are spherical in shape, you'll be surprised by the ones you can blow from this wand. By recycling materials to make it, we'll help save natural resources, energy, and landfill space.
The runaway favorite products for making bubbles are Ultra Dawn and Joy dish washing liquids. They're recommended by "bubble experts" all over the world! Following are some recipes for making your own solutions.
Bubble Mixture for One:
To use with our bubble wand, mix the ingredients in a wide-mouthed container or bottle, and enjoy!
Large Quantity Mixture:
Mix the ingredients in a gallon jug. Shake and then let it settle for about four hours. Again, to use with our bubble wand, pour some of the solution into a wide-mouthed container or bowl. Have fun!
If you can't find scrap telephone wire for this project, substitute a piece of aluminum wire, or just use a thin, wire coat hanger. Needle nose pliers will be helpful in bending it.
Try experimenting with other objects such as a rubber band, straws, paper clips, or the handles of a pair of scissors to see if you can blow bubbles with them. An easy way to make lots of bubbles at one time is to reuse a small, plastic, vegetable basket from the supermarket. Just add the bubble mixture to a pie pan, dip, and blow.
For iridescent soap bubbles, mix 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1 tablespoon glycerine (available at a pharmacy), 2 tablespoons of liquid detergent, and 1 cup of water.
See the Bubbles page at The Exploratorium to learn how making bubbles is related to science and mathematics. While you're there, check out the links to other Internet Sites and the "Bubbliography" for a list of great books.
Then float over to The Bubblesphere for a visit with Professor Bubbles. There you'll learn how to make more bubble solutions and wands. The site also features some games and a bubble forum where you can get expert answers to your questions about making bubbles.
When working with telephone wire, please take the following safety precautions:
- Wear disposable gloves
- Never put the material in your mouth.
- Don't leave the wire in direct sunlight.
© 1998 Marilyn J. Brackney
Volume 13 No. 3
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