Mumbles Posted April 1, 2016 Posted April 1, 2016 I was browsing the internet last night, and glancing through some stuff on Kickstarter. I'm a sucker for games and have gotten some rather unique stuff there over the years. Anyway, I stumbled upon this: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/truecubes/true-cubes-crystal-clear-ice-cubes-made-simple? I am intrigued, but $30 seems rather steep for something I can make at home. Now, there are some tricks to getting crystal clear ice. Namely using distilled or RO water to largely eliminate minerals. Unless you have an RO system in your home, it seems weird to me to buy water for ice, even if it is special ice. It can be accomplished with tap water as well. Boiling it first, or a few times, helps to remove the dissolved gasses. Even starting with just hot water instead will get you closer. The biggest thing is even cooling and slow freezing from the top down to prevent stress cracks and cloudiness. Now, it seems pretty obvious that this is just a big insulated ice cube tray. I've read reports of putting icecube trays in coolers, or other insulating environment. Does anyone have any hints or tricks? I will probably be giving this a shot with a cooler, or some excess styrofoam. This is really just a novelty. I don't have any real applications for this, just making drinks look a little better.
dusty56 Posted April 1, 2016 Posted April 1, 2016 I find that if I crush the ice and then pour and consume the right amount of Jack Daniels I don't notice the clouds in the ice. In my head is another matter. Said tongue in check.
MadMat Posted April 1, 2016 Posted April 1, 2016 (edited) From what I've seen, the majority of cloudiness in ice is caused by dissolved gasses coming out of solution when water begins to freeze. Boiling the water before freezing drives out most of the dissolved gasses. I heard from someone that worked at a ice making company that they bubbled air through the water while freezing... This seems counter intuitive, but apparently that's what they do. As far as the "special ice making tray".... it's probably BS After thinking about it for a little while, if you look at a cloudy ice cube, you will notice that the cloudiness is always in the center of the cube. From what I deduce, the water freezes from the outside inward. Once there is a layer of ice completed around the outer surface of the cube, the remaining gasses on the inside are sealed off and prevented from escaping... Sooo.... slow freezing may actually help. I also see the sense in bubbling air through the water; the resulting turbulence probably prevents the outer seal of ice from forming, allowing the gasses to escape easier. Edited April 1, 2016 by MadMat
Fulmen Posted April 1, 2016 Posted April 1, 2016 Clear ice is simple enough to make with directional freezing. Look at those hollow cubes you get in your soft drink, they are usually crystal clear without using RO water. These are made by circulating water over cold fingers, allowing the ice to grow from the inside and out while dissolved gases and solids are flushed away by the circulation. This also prevents the cracking that occurs when freezing from the outside in, even without any dissolved matter ice still has a larger volume than water. So if a body of water freezes from the outside in it will expand, cracking the outer skin of ice.
memo Posted April 1, 2016 Posted April 1, 2016 last time I used clear ice I think it was rotten, made very sick, I was sick all the next day. it had to be the ice. I had just bought the bottle of vodka , so it couldn't have been that. had to be rotten ice
OldMarine Posted April 1, 2016 Posted April 1, 2016 last time I used clear ice I think it was rotten, made very sick, I was sick all the next day. it had to be the ice. I had just bought the bottle of vodka , so it couldn't have been that. had to be rotten ice I just spit ice poisoned Jack Daniels on my tablet while reading this!
NeighborJ Posted July 25, 2016 Posted July 25, 2016 I have spent twelve years working as an HVAC service technician and ice machines are one of the things I had to service. The secret to clear ice is to keep the water moving as it freezes. This forces the water to freeze from the inside out, slowly building layer upon layer. Small ice machines use a circulation pump but large facilities accomplish the same thing with air bubbles. It's funny I've got from making ice for a living to playing with fire (steamfitter/welder) not to mention the whole pyro thing. Your special ice tray may have a tiny battery powered pump.
dagabu Posted July 25, 2016 Posted July 25, 2016 I have spent twelve years working as an HVAC service technician and ice machines are one of the things I had to service. The secret to clear ice is to keep the water moving as it freezes. This forces the water to freeze from the inside out, slowly building layer upon layer. Small ice machines use a circulation pump but large facilities accomplish the same thing with air bubbles.It's funny I've got from making ice for a living to playing with fire (steamfitter/welder) not to mention the whole pyro thing.Your special ice tray may have a tiny battery powered pump. You and I have a lot in common, J.
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