For all of you who thought that waiting 12-18+ hours for a globe was just too long, take note of the recent drop in temperatures, at least in the Minneapolis area!
A small globe can easily freeze in 8-12 hours in this weather, -2°F !
Adjust your timing schedules, everyone . . .
Last night Tom put out a small (8" in diameter) at 9:30 pm and I removed a circle of rubber from the top of the balloon and looked inside this morning at 6:30 am. If I had taken the balloon completely off, it would have been nice, but I left the rest of the balloon on so it could "cook" a few more hours. The temp for the day will be a high of 18°F, so given the size, it will probably be ready at noon.
REMEMBER, you should only cut a hole in the top of the balloon if you first have determined by pushing on it that a complete crust of ice has formed! If you can lift the balloon, the bottom of the balloon should be soft and unfrozen, allowing you the ability to feel how thick the ice crust has become. (Do not attempt this step with dime store balloons!)
IDEA TO TRY
A recent inductee into the Ice Lantern Lovers came up with a very interesting idea. She suggested that if the timing schedule you are on determines that you will need to get up at 2 am to check a globe before it freezes solid, bring it inside for a few hours before you go to bed to slow the freezing process. Put it back out just before you go to bed so you can wake up at a reasonable hour. Great idea and worthy of an experiement!
I know she is testing it and I will, too! Report to follow.
If you try it, I'd love to know how it worked for you!
Contact me with questions, suggestions or to send me photos of your ice lantern creations!
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