Glowing Ice Sphere Materials
The most important item for this project is a mold that you can use to make a sphere of ice. You can use a plastic snap-together ball, meant for making your own holiday ornaments or you can fill any hemisphere containers to put together two halves of a sphere. Look for ice cube trays that make rounded ice, small bowls, large measuring spoons, melon ballers, etc. Plastic and metal containers work well; don't use any container made from thin glass, since it may shatter when you are freezing the ice.
How to Make Water Glow
You have a few different ways to make your ice glow.
- Tonic Water - Blue
Tonic water glows blue when it is exposed to a black light due to the fluorescence of quinine, the ingredient which gives tonic water its characteristic flavor. You can freeze tonic water and float your ice sphere in a punchbowl. This type of glowing ice is completely safe to eat or drink. - Highlighter Water - Any Color
If you squeeze the ink from a non-toxic fluorescent highlighter pen into water and pour it into a mold, you can get an icy sphere that glows brightly under a black light. Although the ice is non-toxic, it isn't good to eat or drink. Use highlighter ink when you want a wide selection of colors or want brightly glowing ice. - Glowing Ice - Greenish Yellow
If you mix a little non-toxic glowing paint into some water and make an ice sphere, you will have an ice ball that glows in the dark for an extended period of time. This type of ice makes a great snowball. Shave the ice or slush it up in a blender, pack it into a snowball shape, expose it to a bright light, then turn out the lights and have a snowball fight in the dark.
