Make your drinks shimmer with E555.
Added 2019-09-24 05:08:55 +0000 UTCIt's a happy coincidence that I discovered what food additive E555 is at around the same time I passed 555K subscribers. Not so sure about the fact that it's mica!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjOjI56vUuE
But on the basis that it's a very fine air-float mica powder coated in oxides to give it colour I guess it doesn't pose much risk to eat and drink it.
I'm not sure that eBay bought cosmetic mica glitter is going to be food grade, but then again, how do you tell where the manufacturers of edible glitter got their mica from. It is after all just mica powder coated with a molecular layer of titanium dioxide and iron oxide in various levels that give a range of colours. Given the amount used I'm willing to take the risk of adding a tiny quantity to a drink to make it shimmer and sparkle.
This experiment made me realise that the markup on the tiny pots of edible glitter based on mica packed out with sugar is immense.
Comments
Still just as shimmery when shaken.
Big Clive
2019-12-29 19:21:12 +0000 UTCHow are these looking?
btSchmieds
2019-12-29 06:55:37 +0000 UTCThe mica insulation is often found wound round the heaters in cheap eBay soldering irons. It smokes off its binder when first used.
Big Clive
2019-10-02 01:14:54 +0000 UTCI have worked in a company that moca a doctor mined in Russia and Idia, processed into fine particles via pulverization with high pressure, water. it was then rolled onto rolls just like paper, and afterwards it was cut down and several layers glued together to fix the winding of a bread toaster, for example. the hardness is very high you, and it is very harmful in the lungs with fine dust .it is a stage between coal and diamond.
2019-10-01 19:20:38 +0000 UTCYou can convert a single pint just by adding some of the Poundland prosecco glitter. When I first got the mica I took it to the pub and it ended up in pints of beer.
Big Clive
2019-09-30 14:56:23 +0000 UTCI tried it in a DIY lava lamp and the mica gradually precipitated out to the base.
Big Clive
2019-09-30 14:54:40 +0000 UTCI am now inspired to make a unicorns tears IPA, because why not.
2019-09-30 10:37:05 +0000 UTCI wonder if it's the aluminium connection. The chemical formula is Potassium Aluminium Silicate. At this point in time there is no proof that aluminium is involved in Alzheimer's. I'm not sure if the mica would dissolve in your stomach acid.
Big Clive
2019-09-29 00:51:07 +0000 UTCI read that the mica glitter is believed to higher the risk of alzheimer but i dont know how high the risk actually is
Leon Schutte
2019-09-28 09:38:20 +0000 UTCYes the effects are different now that I went back and watched that one again
Michael Thompson
2019-09-26 09:35:52 +0000 UTCTwo different effects available in commercial spirits. The gold leaf is available and also the shimmer drinks.
Big Clive
2019-09-25 02:49:45 +0000 UTChttps://youtu.be/vUiCFfRDs7Q
Jason Brinkerhoff
2019-09-24 23:32:49 +0000 UTCI used a 12v fan glued a couple (rather uninspiring) 3mmx1mm magnets to the hub, then put a small stack in a bit of shrink tube and dropped it in. It works rather well. Pulsing it works better than leaving it to run to get nice turbulence. My experiment was with glitter, which I imagine settles out faster than the mica would, though I suppose I could be wrong. With this in mind I hooked it up to a RF LED controller with one of those horrid blinking modes and it worked rather well at agitating the contents at random intervals.
Jason Brinkerhoff
2019-09-24 23:24:32 +0000 UTCThis was very interesting! Clive is this what you were striving for when you were playing with the edible gold?
Michael Thompson
2019-09-24 19:35:58 +0000 UTC@Simon That is more or less what I am planning on trying. I've done some minor experimentation with things at hand and it seems like it should work. I have plenty of old PC fans sitting around and I've found intermittently pulsing the power can jostle a magnet on a jar. The question will be "is that enough" I'll get it working one way or another.
Jason Brinkerhoff
2019-09-24 17:08:20 +0000 UTCWhy?
2019-09-24 15:30:43 +0000 UTCOne Word...Lava Lamp
2019-09-24 15:09:44 +0000 UTCCould you use the recently shown pendulum mechanism to stir intermittently?
2019-09-24 13:25:22 +0000 UTCIf you watch carefully you'll see that the motor is actually connected to one of the LED colour channels so it ramps up with the LED.
Big Clive
2019-09-24 13:14:46 +0000 UTCYou can get the bare stirrer magnets on eBay.
Big Clive
2019-09-24 13:13:50 +0000 UTCThe disclaimer is in the description. It's mainly for the Americans. "As always with any edible project I'll leave it up to you to make the decision if you wish to experiment with it or not. The eBay mica is always going to be an unknown variable, even if it is advertised as a cosmetic suitable for the lips. As long as it's fine enough (and this stuff gets airborne at the slightest disturbance!) then it poses less risk than some toothpastes that use coarser stuff. Adding it to a strong carrier spirit will also act as a steriliser."
Big Clive
2019-09-24 13:13:03 +0000 UTCI found an eBay listing that says "mica powder can be widely used in mucus" so it must be safe.
Jason Brinkerhoff
2019-09-24 10:01:40 +0000 UTCI might have a go at rigging up a magnetic stirrer of sorts. I actually thought of doing something similar with glitter, but this would be much better. I'm thinking a cheap DC motor or fan with a microcontroller to randomly agitate it. I may use an ESP8266 so I can use it to remotely activate and control it.
Jason Brinkerhoff
2019-09-24 10:00:18 +0000 UTCIf it were in a bottle with some of the plastic jewels, would they provide enough turbulence, and scrape the bottom of the bottle enough, to kick them into motion in the water column?
2019-09-24 07:39:47 +0000 UTCJust wonder how difficult it would be to make/ adapt a magnetic stirrer. I have a couple of Christmas decorations that have a course glitter in them. Every 30 odd seconds it gives it a whizz and stirs it up.
Neil Tonks
2019-09-24 06:41:39 +0000 UTCFrom the tongue in cheek department..... Before I watched the video I imagined Clive with a bag of dud Mica capacitors, yanking the legs off and putting them in an electric blender. Seriously that glitter effect would look fun it it fluoresces under UV lights.
Nuts 'n' Proud
2019-09-24 06:36:34 +0000 UTCI'm referring this one to the department of missing disclaimers for review 🧾🧴🤕⚰
The Tinkering Shed
2019-09-24 06:15:35 +0000 UTCTried it as soon as I got the mica. It may be fine, but it still has a much higher density than water and settles out.
Big Clive
2019-09-24 05:58:16 +0000 UTCLooks cool, but when I asked my Taiwanese wife about ingesting materials from Chinese sellers, she made a comment about how Youtubers put their lives on the line for their viewers. Fingers crossed!
The Griffiths Family
2019-09-24 05:50:40 +0000 UTCSir you are a genius! Adapt the diamond lamp ( which is still going) to glitter!.
Neil Tonks
2019-09-24 05:47:49 +0000 UTCI wonder if the mica could be used with to make interesting lighting effects like "magic potion" bottles with a bit of resistive heating.
Jason Brinkerhoff
2019-09-24 05:40:12 +0000 UTCAnd the NE555 is for shimmering your LEDs. Coincidence? I THINK NOT! 😁
Erwin Kooi
2019-09-24 05:39:36 +0000 UTCIn 500 years time, when archeologists are digging up our remains, imagine what they'll think when they see sparkling poo! They'll obviously come to the conclusion that we are the followers of the Great Bigclive!
Neil Tonks
2019-09-24 05:30:11 +0000 UTC
