My son has a project where he needs to make a stable foam. He asked me for help but I told him that I spent my whole career and the time in my hobby
trying to avoid, eliminate, or reduce foam. Mrs Magpie suggested beaten egg whites. Related to this I mentioned angel food cake batter.
In his own words:
"Hey dad. I have a weird question. I have a project coming up that requires me to draw pictures in a Latte, and photograph them.
We did some tests, with espresso shots and milk foam. It was ok, but the dark foam in particular was very unstable. It wants to dissolve fairly fast,
and it's difficult to control the darkness of the foam. Is there something I can add to the solution that will strengthen the walls of the foam? Right
now I only have about 5 minutes of working time, and it's hard to make the rending in time. If I could get some more stable foam, and get 20 min out
of it, it would be a giant help. Also, it doesn't have to be edible.
I'm under the impression there are foaming agents with different properties. I'm not sure which ones would be appropriate."
I said I would pose this query to the SM forum and see if any there could provide some suggestions. (I've already told him to Google search foam
stabilizers). Thanks for any help you can give.
HgDinis25 - 14-7-2014 at 15:41
Can you try to explain a little bit more? For instance, whipped cream wouldn't work? It can produce some nice stable foam...cyanureeves - 14-7-2014 at 16:25
yum! beaten egg whites with sugar = MERENGUE.Texium - 14-7-2014 at 16:29
Sometimes my mom makes cappuccinos at home, and the frothed milk topping seems very stable. She has a milk frothing machine that's essentially a
heated magnetic stirrer. Maybe you can try something like that. I'm sure that the laboratory version would work just as well!Manifest - 14-7-2014 at 17:07
Cappuccinos are a pain in the ass to make, frothing the milk and everything.
What is meant by a stable foam? One that lasts for a long time?Magpie - 14-7-2014 at 17:26
Can you try to explain a little bit more? For instance, whipped cream wouldn't work? It can produce some nice stable foam...
I really don't know anymore than what I said in the OP.
I will suggest that my son take a look at these responses. Maybe there is something here he can use already. Remember, this foam does not have to be
edible. It just has to look like a latte in a photo.Tdep - 14-7-2014 at 18:46
Gelatin?
I just tried a hydrazine sulphate synth and had to move some excess foam to another container. It's still full of bubbles a few days later and I can
only attribute that to an excess of gelatin I added.
I guess maybe any sort of thickening agent will make the bubbles/foam stronger and last longer? Brain&Force - 14-7-2014 at 19:08
It's listed in part 1 of the instructions. All you need is the milk. Gelatin is a good idea, but this is easier.violet sin - 14-7-2014 at 19:22
I might suggest glycerine. I have always heard, and have read a few times, that if you bought bubbles for children that were too easy to pop, add a
little glycerine to make them last a lot longer. I found some small bottles of pure glycerine in the cosmetics section of CVS. the store clerks were
no help, said they didn't have any. but it was over by the hand and nail section with cotton swabs. like 6$ for a little bottle, but available.Magpie - 14-7-2014 at 19:33
Here's some more info from my son:
"The milk foam, isn't really the issue. It's the dark foam (crema) of the espresso shot that is hard to keep alive. It's like the head on a beer.I use
it to draw into the latte milk foam.
I'm wondering if there is something I can add to the espresso when it's in the machine, so when the water is pushed through, will give a better longer
lasting froth. "violet sin - 14-7-2014 at 19:38
I don't think a little bit of USP grade glycerine would hurt a coffee machine, but obviously use your judgment on your appliances Tsjerk - 15-7-2014 at 09:15
Nice dad to have when you are doing a science project!
I have been struggling with the foaming ability of BSA the last 6 months, and still am. If the result doesn't have to be drinkable then this could be
an idea.
BSA stands for bovine serum albumin, and is the cheapest of all proteins to get in a pure form. I have seen concentrated solutions (10mg/ml) of them
keeping their foam for days.
Maybe making a foam with (blender?) dye, and one without, pouring one on top of the other and get your paintings that way?
That way you could even go into different colours.
[Edited on 15-7-2014 by Tsjerk]Magpie - 16-11-2014 at 15:37
ScienceMadness contributes to commercial success! The photos below show the finished product which is now being used in Nescafe (Belgium)
advertisements.
He uses glycerine to stabilize the foam - so violet sin you get the award! BSA was a candidate but was too expensive for first
tries.
My son, who works for an advertising agency in Manhattan, is the artist who made these pictures. He first makes a base foam then uses Photoshop to
finish the rendering.
Attachment: Marilyn Monroe.htm (410kB) This file has been downloaded 482 times
Attachment: The Scream.htm (358kB) This file has been downloaded 322 times
[Edited on 17-11-2014 by Magpie]j_sum1 - 16-11-2014 at 16:00
Cool.
I'll have a double shot Mona Lisa latte to go thanks.Magpie - 16-11-2014 at 16:20
Here you go:
Attachment: Mona Lisa.htm (413kB) This file has been downloaded 323 timesj_sum1 - 16-11-2014 at 16:37
Eughh! Tastes a bit... I don't know.. like maybe it has geletin in it.
: