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Dry ice cauldron

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 7:31 pm
by mandy0221
Ok so for my party I wanted to try making a couldron fog with dry ice. They sell the dry ice at Kroger but I have NO CLUE what to do from there. Can anyone give me some pointers?

I know you put the dry ice in water but does it have ot be hot or cold? Do I put the dry ice in plastic baggies or what? I know you cant touch it....so how do you break it up.

Thanks!!!

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 10:25 pm
by MHooch
mandy0221...I've never used dry ice, but I read that it works better in warm water, and that you will need to replenish the warm water to keep the fog rolling. Look at a site called dryiceinfo.com...it will give you the whole scoop.

Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 11:10 pm
by mandy0221
Thanks Hooch - I will check it out!

Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 7:53 am
by Pennywise11
That really sounds neat the whole dry ice cauldron. I was just wonder how do you go about getitng dry ice. I just really have know idea of where to start to look for it.

Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 10:08 am
by mandy0221
Well the kroger is our local grocery store. I noticed last year they have a cooler up front near the ice fridges that said DRY ICE on it. So I would assume that groceries are the places that carry it.

Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 10:52 am
by uncletor
Pennywise, head over to a welding supply place or just look it up in the yellow pages..(seriously) under DRY ICE..but the welding supply place is the way to go.
We buy some every year.
HOT water is the way to go..the hotter the water, the more smoke you get, as the gas is returned to it's gas state..
Now...an experiment I have NEVER tried..
In the farm implement business there is a do dad called a pail heater..keeps the pails the cows drink from in the out doors free of ice in the winter...I have ALWAYS wondered just WHAT would happen if I put a PAIL HEATER in the water/punch/cauldron/whatever and dropped the dry ice in..the guy in the store says IN THEORY it sounds fine..but HE doesn't want to try it either...(CITY BLACK OUT: WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD HATES TRICK OR TREAT ELECTRIC HORROR HOUSE. UNCLE TOR SENT TO JAIL.)
Protect your eyes, ALWAYS handle with gloves..never touch it with just your fingers...break it up with a hammer...keep the big chunck in the back yard..around here, you get a piece about the volume of a kids lunch pail for 20 bucks. Break it up and bring the pieces out to the front..keep the little goobers away from it.
DO NOT PUT IT IN THE FRIDGE..it will kill everything in the fridge. Remember the fridge TAKES HEAT away..AND will happily take the heat away from the dry ice and the rest of the fridge goes bad...
If you wish to drink from a test tube or a flask... and want that dramatic effect of having the test tube smoke because their is a little piece of it in there..(flask is best..the piece stays in THAT while you pour some into the tubes..) make sure you DO NOT suck back the little pieces...
If I sound like I'm paranoid about it, I'm not..I just treat it with RESPECT..obey the rules and we can all stay out of jail.

Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 11:23 am
by Pennywise11
Thanks for the info Uncletor, I will have to see if there is an actual Welding shop in town somewhere. I'll keep you posted.

Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 9:33 pm
by mandy0221
So can you actually put it into something you drink? As long as you just dont drink the actual dry ice? I always thought it was a chemical so you shouldnt even place it in a drink. -

Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 11:57 pm
by Bafa
You can put it in like a punch bowl or something, NOT in your cup. If it touches you it will burn you.

Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2006 10:30 am
by uncletor
It's frozen gas. Carbon dioxide if memory serves.
so don't inhale over in too deep. and if you want drama style smoke coming out, it'll have to be a hot drink and it'll be hard to drink because of the gas..but it can be done..lends no flavor by the way...just don't injest it.