Make Giant Bubbles at Home

<p>Plus, who doesn’t love bubbles? I remember neighborhood bubble competitions when I was a child, the challengers puffing their cheeks full of air, releasing a steady stream just fast enough to inflate the soap bubble through the plastic wand without bursting the fragile film layer. If only this French giant bubble artist had been around on those days, he would have won — no questions asked. (A few “He’s a cheater!” shouts might have been heard from the jealous losing parties.)</p>
<p>He, along with other bubble artists, make their own homemade bubble solutions to allow them to blow bubbles large enough to encase a human body, with some growing room left over.</p>
<p>To learn how to make your own oversized bubbles — and definitely become the coolest person on your block — watch the self-titled “Soap Bubble-ologist”, Keith Michael Johnson, in his video on how to make big outdoor soap bubbles.</p>
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<p> The ingredients and instructions he uses are provided below, along with links to images and places to buy the needed items online.</p>
<p>
<strong>Ingredients:</strong>
</p>
<p>
<i>Plastic Bucket</i>
<i>
<font color=”#000000″>Paint Impeller, available at hardware stores</font>
</i>
<i>1 1/2 gallons hot water</i>
<em>1/2 tsp</em>
<a href=”http://www.google.com/products?q=J-Lube&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7GGIH_en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=Dox2TI9gg7vyBoKq_LEH&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=image&resnum=3&ved=0CD8QzAMwAg” target=”_blank”>
<font color=”#800080″>J-Lube</font>
</a>
<em> (a veterinary hand lubricant which comes powdered and dissolves easily in water)<br />One tube (4.25 ounces)</em>
<a href=”http://www.google.com/products?q=surgilube&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7GGIH_en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=RIx2TJ74BoGC8gaNnom0Bg&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CEgQrQQwAg” target=”_blank”>
<font color=”#800080″>Surgilube</font>
</a>
<em> (a surgical hand lubricant made of water-soluble gums)<br />1/4 cup</em>
<a href=”http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7GGIH_en&q=pure+glycerine&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=fox2TPDMEoT78AbwvdmwBg&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CDoQrQQwAg” target=”_blank”>
<font color=”#800080″>Glycerine</font>
</a>
<em>(99.5-percent pure or better)</em>
<em>16 ounces</em>
<a href=”http://www.pgestore.com/home/kitchen/dish-soap/dawn-non-ultra-original-scent-14-oz/037000217350,default,pd.html?start=7&cgid=home-dish-soap&srule=product-name-descending” target=”_blank”>
<font color=”#800080″>Dawn Non-Ultra Dishwashing Liquid</font>
</a>
<em>(Note: You need more than one of the 14-ounce bottles!)</em>
<em>1/2 cup</em>
<a href=”http://cleanitsupply.com/p-6585-pg-dawn-manual-pot-pan-detergent-shr-pgc45112.aspx” target=”_blank”>
<font color=”#800080″>Dawn Manual Pot and Plant Detergent</font>
</a>
<i>
<font color=”#000000″>
<br />Butcher’s (cotton) string</font>
</i>
<i>Inexpensive <font color=”#000000″>bamboo poles (available at garden centers)</font>
</i>
</p>
<p>
<strong>Directions:</strong>
</p>
<p>To make a giant bubble wand, you will essentially create a loop of braided butcher’s string between the two lengths of bamboo poles. The bamboo poles can be as long as you find comfortable, start with 3 to 4 feet. Decide how large you want your bubble wand to be, then cut three equal lengths of string to go between the ends of the two poles (as the top of the wand hole) and three longer, equal lengths of string (to form the bottom part of the wand hole).</p>
<p>First securely knot the three shorter lengths of string around the end of one of the poles.  Braid the string, leaving enough string to attach to the other pole. Knot the longer lengths of string around the first string braid, as close to one of the poles as possible. Braid the longer strings, again leaving enough at the end to attach the braid in the same way as the start of the braid at the other end. Alternatively, you can braid both sets of string and then attach them to the poles to create the wand hole afterwards. </p>
<p>In a large plastic bucket, use the paint impeller to mix together the hot water, J-Lube, Surgilube and glycerine. Carefully, without making the mixture foam, stir in the Dawn detergents. </p>
<p>Dip the wand in the mixture, and bubbles away! Experiment with blowing a series of bubbles, blowing smaller bubbles into the side of the giant ones, and anything else you can think of to enhance your overall bubble experience. </p>
<p>To learn more about bubble artistry, and to watch more videos, check out the giant bubble information available at <a href=”http://http//bubbleartist.com/index.html” target=”_blank”>BubbleArtist.com</a>.</p>
<hr />
<p>
<a title=”Jennifer Kongs” href=”https://www.motherearthnews.com/biographies/jennifer-kongs” target=”_self”>Jennifer Kongs</a>
<em>is the Managing Editor at</em> MOTHER EARTH NEWS <em>magazine. When she’s not working at the magazine, she’s likely working in her garden, on the local running trails or in her kitchen instead. You can find Jennifer on </em>
<a title=”https://twitter.com/MotherEarthJK” href=”https://twitter.com/MotherEarthJK” target=”_blank”>Twitter</a>
<em>or </em>
<a title=”https://plus.google.com/115755474557922237067/about” href=”https://plus.google.com/115755474557922237067/about” rel=”author” target=”_blank”>Google+</a>.</p>