Ice

[Lonesome Loins]

Whether it's whisky or a gin & tonic, I like my drink with a single, 2" cube of clear ice. I hate to see a good drink spoiled by cloudy, white ice. It's not just the aesthetics, but clear ice is cleaner and a single large cube doesn't dilute the drink as quickly.

[The KYChemist]

http://www.instructables.com/id/make-crystal-clear-ice!/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

I love this web-site!

[Prairiepiss]

There is already a whole thread about this somewhere. If I remember correctly. Mash Rookie started it. You should seek it out. And have a read.

[Lonesome Loins]

http://www.instructables.com/id/make-crystal-clear-ice!/

I love this web-site!

The boiling method does not work very well. I've tried it.

The easiest, surest way to make large clear ice cubes [without buying it from http://www.glace-ice.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow for a ridiculous $7 per cube] is to put water in a small ice chest, then put it in your freezer. The insulation on all sides but the top lets the water freeze like it does on a pond or lake, slowly from the top down. That way the gasses and other impurities are pushed down and out of the ice instead of being trapped in the middle. If you stop the process at the right time, you have a large block of clear ice. If you wait too long, you still have a nice block of clear ice, but the bottom 2" or so are cloudy or full of bubbles. You then just have to melt or chip off the ugly ice.

[kekedog13]

Nice looking cubes there Lonesome. I've made "Gourmet Ice " this way and cut them with a meat cleaver ( not very consistent ). How did you make such square perfect cubes ?

[MitchyBourbon]

I have a mini fridge in my bar that makes crystal clear ice, but the cubes are quite small. You need more than one cube.

[woodshed]

I typically go without ice. But the fruit drinks, apple pie etc.. for me usually require some melt down as most I have had are over the top.

[Lonesome Loins]

Nice looking cubes there Lonesome. I've made "Gourmet Ice " this way and cut them with a meat cleaver ( not very consistent ). How did you make such square perfect cubes ?

I've been experimenting with this for a couple years. I even made my own stainless steel ice picks which have a slight slot screwdriver shape to help me direct the force. I've also tried scribing the blocks before chipping them. Like you say, I haven't been able to be very consistent, so...

Finally, I've developed sort of an ice tray I call an 'ice matrix' and some other tweaks so I get 2" cubes without having to try to cut them. I've got a patent pending on it, but I'm not sure how much demand there is for it, to justify the advertising I'd have to do to market it, and to mass produce it. Right now I have to make each 'tray' by hand. I appreciate the help I get here so I'm happy to share my directions for free, privately, if you write me at lonesomeloins@gmail.com

[Truckinbutch]

Generous of you to make such an offer .

[YukonJack]

I use these, which my wife found for me and they work quite well, sorry not to step on your invention.

http://www.tovolo.com/freezer/king-cube ... tratusblue

She also just found these, which are pretty cool. It is a littl weird to have a ball of ice in your drink.

http://www.tovolo.com/freezer/sphere-ice-molds-set-of-2

[Lonesome Loins]

I use these, which my wife found for me and they work quite well, sorry not to step on your invention.

http://www.tovolo.com/freezer/king-cube ... tratusblue

She also just found these, which are pretty cool. It is a littl weird to have a ball of ice in your drink.

http://www.tovolo.com/freezer/sphere-ice-molds-set-of-2

I'm aware of the Tovolo molds. I have two of the sphere molds and 2 of the king size. But used as they are, they will not make clear cubes or spheres. I've used a lot of different commercial products in my experiments. The Tovolo products are the best ice cube trays or molds I've used. Very high quality and they are made from silicone rubber which makes a great ice tray because it is durable and flexible, but they do not make clear ice.

If you just fill them with water, whether it has been boiled or filtered or both, and put them in your freezer, you get the typical ice cube or sphere. It will be clear on the outside and white with air bubbles in the center. If you insulate them or put them in a cooler full of water, you will get ice that is clear on top, but full of bubbles on the bottom because there is nowhere for the gasses to escape as the water freezes.

I've managed to make spheres of fairly clear ice using the Tovolo molds and insulating them and providing an escape for the air as the ice freezes, but it is a time consuming process. I prefer the perfectly clear 12 cubes per batch I get using my system, tho' there's still a little work involved in getting them perfect, but that actually makes it fun. Clear ice is actually clearer than water or glass or even diamonds.

[new distiller]

Perhaps a drain at the bottom of the cube tray approx ten percent of the cubes volume to catch "air entrapment" when pushed to the bottom in an insulated freeze?

[Lonesome Loins]

This is the way they should look:

[DAD300]

Son got me some whiskey stones for xmas...about to try them.

[Rebel_Plague]

clearIceCube JLA.jpg

This is the way they should look:

Looks fantastic that's for sure. Any way you could share a pic of your cube making setup ......????

[Lonesome Loins]

clearIceCube JLA.jpg

This is the way they should look:

Looks fantastic that's for sure. Any way you could share a pic of your cube making setup ......????

Thanks for the interest. It's prob'ly about time I registered some concerns I have. I have been answering private emails on this subject, with the understanding it will remain private. And I am willing to continue to do so. I've put hundreds of hours into this project and it's been a lot of fun, but I've yet to reap any commercial reward from it. So I hesitate to to publicly give out too much info. I think I can, at the low end, sell the parts/apparatus and complete directions for $25 or less, depending on the configuration. This is prob'ly not much more than the materials cost, plus construction at $10/hour. Sorry for the lengthy reply, but I'll still give you the essence of it if you send a private email.

BTW, I told my neighbor, one of the smartest people I know, a mechanical engineer, how to do this and gave him my full directions. He experimented and still screwed it up by not reading carefully. Funny. I guess when you've put so much time into something, things that seem obvious and simple to you are not so simple after all. I'm not trying to hype my device [since this is still at the prototype stage, making the parts for $25 is more a labor of love than anything else, plus the value I get from feed back], but it's really much easier if I just make another prototype and ship it to you.

Nonetheless, send me a private email and I'll send directions.

Another confession. The other day I want to a friend's place, a party. He served his drinks with white ice from the refrigerator's ice machine. I realized with some embarrassment I was privately horrified. I've become an ice snob.

[Rebel_Plague]

clearIceCube JLA.jpg

This is the way they should look:

Looks fantastic that's for sure. Any way you could share a pic of your cube making setup ......????

Thanks for the interest. It's prob'ly about time I registered some concerns I have. I have been answering private emails on this subject, with the understanding it will remain private. And I am willing to continue to do so. I've put hundreds of hours into this project and it's been a lot of fun, but I've yet to reap any commercial reward from it. So I hesitate to to publicly give out too much info. I think I can, at the low end, sell the parts/apparatus and complete directions for $25 or less, depending on the configuration. This is prob'ly not much more than the materials cost, plus construction at $10/hour. Sorry for the lengthy reply, but I'll still give you the essence of it if you send a private email.

BTW, I told my neighbor, one of the smartest people I know, a mechanical engineer, how to do this and gave him my full directions. He experimented and still screwed it up by not reading carefully. Funny. I guess when you've put so much time into something, things that seem obvious and simple to you are not so simple after all. I'm not trying to hype my device [since this is still at the prototype stage, making the parts for $25 is more a labor of love than anything else, plus the value I get from feed back], but it's really much easier if I just make another prototype and ship it to you.


You make a post of homemade ice on a forum were everything on here is free...... everything you have learned are came to get help with and you want to charge $25 bucks for a simple way to make clear ice.... I thought that this site is here to help each other learn and share ideas ..... but thanks for sharing the picture of the clear cube of ice I am sure with a little research and trial by error ill figure it out and share!

Nonetheless, send me a private email and I'll send directions.

Another confession. The other day I want to a friend's place, a party. He served his drinks with white ice from the refrigerator's ice machine. I realized with some embarrassment I was privately horrified. I've become an ice snob.

You make a post of homemade ice on a forum were everything on here is free...... everything you have learned are came to get help with and you want to charge $25 bucks for a simple way to make clear ice.... I thought that this site is here to help each other learn and share ideas ..... but thanks for sharing the picture of the clear cube of ice I am sure with a little research and trial by error ill figure it out and share!

[Lonesome Loins]

clearIceCube JLA.jpg

This is the way they should look:

Looks fantastic that's for sure. Any way you could share a pic of your cube making setup ......????

Thanks for the interest. It's prob'ly about time I registered some concerns I have. I have been answering private emails on this subject, with the understanding it will remain private. And I am willing to continue to do so. I've put hundreds of hours into this project and it's been a lot of fun, but I've yet to reap any commercial reward from it. So I hesitate to to publicly give out too much info. I think I can, at the low end, sell the parts/apparatus and complete directions for $25 or less, depending on the configuration. This is prob'ly not much more than the materials cost, plus construction at $10/hour. Sorry for the lengthy reply, but I'll still give you the essence of it if you send a private email.

BTW, I told my neighbor, one of the smartest people I know, a mechanical engineer, how to do this and gave him my full directions. He experimented and still screwed it up by not reading carefully. Funny. I guess when you've put so much time into something, things that seem obvious and simple to you are not so simple after all. I'm not trying to hype my device [since this is still at the prototype stage, making the parts for $25 is more a labor of love than anything else, plus the value I get from feed back], but it's really much easier if I just make another prototype and ship it to you.


You make a post of homemade ice on a forum were everything on here is free...... everything you have learned are came to get help with and you want to charge $25 bucks for a simple way to make clear ice.... I thought that this site is here to help each other learn and share ideas ..... but thanks for sharing the picture of the clear cube of ice I am sure with a little research and trial by error ill figure it out and share!

Nonetheless, send me a private email and I'll send directions.

Another confession. The other day I want to a friend's place, a party. He served his drinks with white ice from the refrigerator's ice machine. I realized with some embarrassment I was privately horrified. I've become an ice snob.

You make a post of homemade ice on a forum were everything on here is free...... everything you have learned are came to get help with and you want to charge $25 bucks for a simple way to make clear ice.... I thought that this site is here to help each other learn and share ideas ..... but thanks for sharing the picture of the clear cube of ice I am sure with a little research and trial by error ill figure it out and share!

This is the first time I've heard from a moron on this site. Apparently you can't read very well. $25 is for a product, not just information. You'll get neither from me at any price.

[Rebel_Plague]

Thanks cause a tool that makes ice like a pro shouldn't need Money lol .

[Rebel_Plague]

Here is an easy way to make ice and can make better with a few modifications
lol!!!


http://youtu.be/One-Kanq6kg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow.

[RandyMarshCT]

Ice balls are $25 and they don't make clear ice. I'll buy one of your setups and give you a fair review, Loins.

[Lonesome Loins]

A $10 personal size [internal dimensions about 8" x 6"] Igloo cooler does a better job and lasts longer.
The trick is to get cubes easily instead of having to use an ice pick and a saw.

And you still have the problem of the inevitable time when you let the thing stay in the freezer too long and you have a solid block of cloudy or bubbled ice on the bottom.

[Lonesome Loins]

Ice balls are $25 and they don't make clear ice. I'll buy one of your setups and give you a fair review, Loins.

Yes, the Tovolo sphere ice molds are made very well, but they make opaque ice. You can greatly improve the clarity of the ice they make by insulating them, but it is a lot of hassle, and I've yet to make one perfectly clear.

http://www.polaricetray.com/us/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
Polar ice makes complete systems, but there largest costs $59 USD
And only makes a small piece, about 4" x 6". They also make molds that make a single 2" cube of clear ice.

[Rebel_Plague]

A $10 personal size [internal dimensions about 8" x 6"] Igloo cooler does a better job and lasts longer.
The trick is to get cubes easily instead of having to use an ice pick and a saw.

And you still have the problem of the inevitable time when you let the thing stay in the freezer too long and you have a solid block of cloudy or bubbled ice on the bottom.

Unless you want to look like a badass like this guy lol!!

http://youtu.be/mRlnkyIhbeU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[Rebel_Plague]

Are like this guy !! Show some skills !!

http://youtu.be/uiQ9kK4W3Cs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow