Removing air from water using vacuum

[NascentOxygen]

So it sounds like the plastic is less dense than the water. Have you got a large chunk so you can demonstrate that it will sink? Lots of plastics would be unsuitable for snow because of the fact they are too light to sink.

 

[turbos4audi]

It seems that way. But if you look at the snow through the glass with a microscope you can see tiny little bubble attached to the snow. This brings me back to trying to degass in one way or another. Unfortunately I do not have a big block of it. It come from China somewhere I think.

 

[turbos4audi]

But it "floated"?
It seems that it was just not wetted. If it is more dense than water, nothing but surface tension would stop it sinking.

So the snow I used may not have been soaked as long as it should have been. I did the test again this morning with 4 different jars. And while most of the snow sank there were still a couple flakes that were floating because they had a tiny bubble attached to them. This is my current issue. THere weren't even any trees in those 4 jars. Just the solution, snow and a rubber plug to seal it.

 

[sophiecentaur]

What does the snow do when you mix it up well with water and detergent? If any of it sinks then you are OK. Else you will need to find a less dense fluid or heavier flakes. I should have thought that filings from something that you have to hand would do.
Have you never tried them until now?

 

[turbos4audi]

What does the snow do when you mix it up well with water and detergent? If any of it sinks then you are OK. Else you will need to find a less dense fluid or heavier flakes. I should have thought that filings from something that you have to hand would do.
Have you never tried them until now?

We have used these flakes many times thus far with no problems. The only difference now is that we are subjecting the water and tree to a vacuum. We never did this with the snowmen.

 

[NascentOxygen]

The plastic flakes are stored in a sealed barrel? If you were able to replace the air in the barrel with CO2, then when you transfer a spoonful of flakes to the globe any adhering gas carried in by the feathers on the flakes would be CO2 and it would dissolve in the water. A trace of NaOH in the water might absorb the dissolved CO2. (I doubt that a tiny amount of NaOH would affect the green plastic paint on the tree.) The difficulty would be replacing the air among the flakes of plastic with CO2. Perhaps just a squirt into the bottom of the barrel from a CO2 source every day might see diffusion gradually replace the trapped air by CO2 over a period of weeks. Shake the barrel a few times to try to speed up the mixing.

With Christmas approaching, I imagine you are keen to get your snowdomes into the stores?

 

[Looser74]

I think the tree is the problem.
I would use a humidity Thermal Chamber (See ESPEC)
and put the tree inside the chamber for some time with high humidity to allow the tree to absorb moisture(something like 8hrs or so, depending on the material.)
or boil the tree for some time at arround 50~60 degrees.
moisturize tree to remove air bubbles inside the tree.

Put Tree inside the jar.
Seal.
add vaccum
Fill jar while still
apply permanent seal.
and should be bubble free.

 

[sophiecentaur]

Dunk it in Gin and wash it with de-gassed (long boiled) water.