How To Make a Glowbubbler
I sort of stumbled across idea when I was searching the dollar store for simple cheap plastic rings with 6 or 7 inch diameters. I had an idea for a rig that was difficult for little kids to tangle badly. It turns out that your average 22 inch glow necklace makes a 7 inch loop.
Too many times, I've been in the parks sharing the bubbling experience, and seen the frustration of those Very Little Kids who want to make big bubbles like Sis, Bro, Mom, or Dad, but can't control a tri-string. Plus, no matter how tiny I build them, it's very easy for them to create a tangled mess in just the blink of an eye.
Night or day, glow or no, this thing is tough to tangle. It's made for dipping in the big bowls along with Sis, Bro, Mom, Dad or me. It extends the lower age limit of the people who can enjoy making big bubbles with us in the field.
Materials:
1) 1 pkg of 2 glow-stick necklaces - Length: 22 inches each. Necklace diameter: 7 inches. The ones I found at the "Dollar Tree" store come with protective sheaths for each of the glow sticks. These sheaths are needed for the project.
2) Florist foam (stiff Styrofoam) - Enough for two 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" x 2 1/2" triangles, 1/4" thick. Any light wood would also work. I used modeling clay to make the prototype, and determine its dimensions.
3) Duct Tape - A foot or two.
4) Polyester twine or round ribbon - 28 inches. Don't use cords that are thinner than twines. They'll tangle more.
Not pitcured: A lit candle.
Procedure:
1) Remove the glow sticks from their sheaths. Tightly wrap the two sheaths together at one end with duct tape, overlapping the ends by about 1/4 inch. 3 wraparounds is good enough. Fold in the extra overlap. Spread the open ends apart a little, allowing the crossed ends to splay apart like a fan. (No big deal if a sheath creases/folds.)
2) Cut a triangle from the foam that's 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" x 2 1/2" (42 x 69 x 69 degrees), and 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. The thinnest foam I could find was 1", so I sliced my triangles in half lengthwise. Nip off the pointy tip of the triangle at about 1 inch.
3) Put the foam separator between the sheaths to separate them, and adjust it between their ends so that their open ends are about 17 inches apart. Secure it in this position with duct tape, and continue wrapping in duct tape down to the bottom, forming a Y-shaped handle.
4) Near the tip of each sheath's tube, on its inward facing side, make a hole a little bigger than the size of the cord you've chosen. I used the heated tip of an unfolded paperclip to drill through the tube's side. Various other pointy things would work as well, like an Exacto-knife.
5) Measure and cut two 14" pieces of cord. Make slip knots that are about 1 1/2" long in each end. Feed their other ends through the inward holes in the tubes, and pull them out through their tubes' ends. To make it easier to "thread the needle", I dip the end of the cord into some hot candle wax, and form a point with it while the was is warm. Bend a hook in the end of a paperclip to help fish the cord out through the tube's end.
6) Make an overhand knot in each cord end that's 8 inches from the tip of the loop you made. Then make a couple more knots on top of that. Trim the end. If you're using polyester cord, melt the tip a little to secure the knot. Pull the knotted ends back into the tubes.
7) All that remains is to break the capsules in a glow stick, feed it through the loops, and connect its ends. It can be folded up somewhat by wrapping the tips together with the cords, and pulling the loop through. To keep your unused glow sticks from being bent and prematurely activated, store them in something like the inner tube from a roll of wrapping paper.
Performance Tips:
Glow sticks actually make rather poor bubblers, since they're not at all absorbent. Here are some ideas for boosting their performance...
1) Using a glow stick as is (without wrapping it with something), it works better with a BLM or HEC mix than with a guar. (See the Wiki's recipes.)
2) If you rough up the plastic of a glow stick, it will hang on to a little more juice and make more bubbles per dip. Sandpaper works (100 grit or less). You can also scrape it with a finely serrated knife or on a sidewalk for a similar effect. (Careful not to "break" the glow stick, and start the glowing going too soon!)
3) To greatly increase its performance, wrap your glow stick loosely/sparsely with some kind of absorbent material. Household cotton string works well. You can use the connector piece to anchor the string's ends.
4) Some types of utility ropes and clotheslines are made of diamond-braid cotton that contains a polyester core which can be removed and replaced with the glow stick. Some shoelaces are also hollow and can be a good fit for your glow stick. These types of coverings will likely produce the most bubbles per dip.
5) Certain types of tape yarn are hollow too. They can also be used to boost performance. Some are thin enough to allow the glowing glow stick to show through.
A Glowbubbler in action.