Magpie
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foam
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.
The single most important condition for a successful synthesis is good mixing - Nicodem
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HgDinis25
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Can you try to explain a little bit more? For instance, whipped cream wouldn't work? It can produce some nice stable foam...
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cyanureeves
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yum! beaten egg whites with sugar = MERENGUE.
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Texium
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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!
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Manifest
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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?
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Magpie
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Quote: Originally posted by HgDinis25  | | 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.
The single most important condition for a successful synthesis is good mixing - Nicodem
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Tdep
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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?
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Brain&Force
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http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Latte-Art
It's listed in part 1 of the instructions. All you need is the milk. Gelatin is a good idea, but this is easier.
At the end of the day, simulating atoms doesn't beat working with the real things...
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violet sin
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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.
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Magpie
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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. "
The single most important condition for a successful synthesis is good mixing - Nicodem
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violet sin
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I don't think a little bit of USP grade glycerine would hurt a coffee machine, but obviously use your judgment on your appliances
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Tsjerk
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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]
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Magpie
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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 488 times
Attachment: The Scream.htm (358kB)
This file has been downloaded 326 times
[Edited on 17-11-2014 by Magpie]
The single most important condition for a successful synthesis is good mixing - Nicodem
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j_sum1
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Cool.
I'll have a double shot Mona Lisa latte to go thanks.
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Magpie
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Here you go :
Attachment: Mona Lisa.htm (413kB)
This file has been downloaded 328 times
The single most important condition for a successful synthesis is good mixing - Nicodem
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j_sum1
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Eughh! Tastes a bit... I don't know.. like maybe it has geletin in it.
(With some traces of Photoshop.)
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