How to make an ice ball maker

Step 9:

When you're all done, the ice ball maker should operate like shown above.  Perfect ice balls!

Wondering how I got such clear ice to start with?  Then check out my other Instructable, how to make crystal clear blocks of ice.

Attached are some very basic AutoCAD files of my design.  They contain the original 125x125x75 mm block and the same block with a hemisphere carved into it.  You should be able to import these into your CAM program (like SprutCAM), but I recommend starting from scratch to understand the whole process flow.

Comments

[Nuclearpwr]

I am really on a mission to make these really cool ice balls...hope you can help me out here....

I do not have access to any machining equipment and even if I did, I am not a machinist...would you consider making one for me? I would of course pay you for the material, machine time and your time.

Thanks again,

Marko in Mass

[Nuclearpwr]

You are my hero. I've been trying to make clear ice balls for a while and your post does it all...clear ice and the ice ball machine...and a whole lot cheaper than the on-line units.

Question : What size piece of clear ice do you need to use in the unit? Does the size of the clear block of ice matter...assuming it is big enough to fill the sphere...and does the shape of the clear block make any difference.

I found a small mini-version of the on-line model and when I use mine, sometime I get flat spots on the ball...and I think it might be because I am using irregular shapes of clear ice...pieces just broken off a larger pc of clear ice.

Thanks again and great instructional video.

Marko

[ToolboxGuy]

Way cool ! Given that you have a CNC at your disposal, I am surprised that you didn't add any runoff channels/gates, to keep the countertop dry. Since you don't want to corrupt the shape, just make an outer ring around the shape, and an outlet channel.
I would love to make one of these for ice formed whiskey glasses, say four at a time, or perhaps shotglasses in quantity. Shape then freeze until the party. Have to make grips/indents so it doesn't become too slippery.

Perfect for pool parties - and very little to clean up, at least for those of us who drain our glasses.

[spcutler]

That's a great idea! I was originally thinking in terms of having a small hole in the bottom that the water could flow through, but that would, as you say, corrupt the shape. And I'll admit, drilling tiny holes in a nearly-finished project always scares me! Your idea with the channels solves both problems. I was already planning on making some more, and I'll be sure to try that out if I do.

One thing to watch out for when refreezing--because there is still a film of water on the surface, you will tend to get marks corresponding to the container you put them in. So it looks a bit imperfect, though after 30 seconds in the glass the marks will melt away.

[spcutler]

That's a great idea! I was originally thinking in terms of having a small hole in the bottom that the water could flow through, but that would, as you say, corrupt the shape. And I'll admit, drilling tiny holes in a nearly-finished project always scares me! Your idea with the channels solves both problems. I was already planning on making some more, and I'll be sure to try that out if I do.

One thing to watch out for when refreezing--because there is still a film of water on the surface, you will tend to get marks corresponding to the container you put them in. So it looks a bit imperfect, though after 30 seconds in the glass the marks will melt away.

[One.]

I'm not gonna lie, that thing is pretty darn cool. It makes some freaky noises while it's in action, haha

[firesirt]

this is awesome. I think I might try something like this, only casting the aluminum rather than cutting it.

[spcutler]

Good luck, and let me know how it turns out! My first thought is that the surface wouldn't be smooth enough. But on the other hand, the surface of the ice ball melts fairly quickly and would probably leave a nice surface in short order. So it might actually work really well. Have fun!

[codongolev]

where did you get the perfectly clear ice?

[spcutler]

See my other instructable here for a tutorial:
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-crystal-clear-blocks-of-ice/

I've since made a "quad" unit that can freeze 4 blocks at once, each the correct size for use with the ice ball maker.

[didgitalpunk]

would it not work better if it was copper?
just wondering cause it has a better heat conductivity than aluminum

[spcutler]

Copper would definitely beat aluminum in the heat conduction department, and be beautiful to boot--the main trouble is that it's so expensive! I also can't find it in the sizes I'd need; 5" square or round bar. I'm sure it exists but not at the places I've looked at so far.

I did make a nice copper cylinder on the lathe as part of a mini element collection. It's the prettiest element of the ones I have to far, and nice and dense too--although tungsten beats it there!

[Skymeat]

I think you might have nailed it on the aluminum...Copper is a pain in the ass to keep clean. Tarnished Aluminum just looks a bit dull..

[didgitalpunk]

true enough XD copper is so anoying to keep clean but you can plate it with zinc and it won't oxide anymore and the heat transfer won't be much affected by the microscopic coat of zinc.
at least i think so.

[didgitalpunk]

Tungsten conducts heat better than copper?
That I did not know!
Anyway nice instructables man!

[nickmh]

It doesn't, he meant it's much denser than copper. Tungsten is nearly twice as dense as lead.

[didgitalpunk]

hoo yeah i misread there ^^ thx!

[codongolev]

this would make an awesome or awful weapon in a snowball fight depending on how you look at it.

[William930]

you mean weather its flying toward you or away from you?

[codongolev]

yeah. I mean, I know there's "that kid" in every snowball fight that packs ice in the center then swears he didn't know it was there, but having an arsenal of pure ice balls would take it to a whole different level.

[microfarm]

The video is exceptional! As an artist (potter, silk painter, silver), I am just wondering, what do you do with the ice balls? I love the way the aluminum thingie looks and I think it would make a good cookie jar! N

[spcutler]

The main purpose is for drinks like scotch and whisky. A large ball is perfect for cooling the drink without diluting it too much. But just as important, the ice looks really nice sitting in a glass!

[meg02003]

I am sure this is not of too much concern considering and would be hard to show has any effect but aluminum aint the best for the body. Maybe a SS insert into the aluminum block. This way the aluminum is not all up in ya Ice. Like I said not a big concern for some folks but for me I would want my ice nice an hippie approved.

[Londonbrig0]

So cool! How much does the top half of the mold weigh? Looks like the video is in real time, and it does the job pretty quickly.

[spcutler]

Whoops--I had a little error in my math! Each half actually weighs 3 kilograms, or 6.5 pounds.

[spcutler]

The top weighs about 1.1 kilograms, or 2.4 pounds, and the bottom weighs the same. And yes, the video is in realtime. It would go a little faster if I ran cool water over it, but it's fast enough for me.

[joeuhlik]

What temperature do you heat the aluminum up to before making an ice ball? Nice work.

[spcutler]

Room temperature is fine, but after making one ball it gets pretty frosty, so if I need more than one I run it under cool water.

[osbock]

beautiful! Do you heat the blocks before you put the ice in? It looks like it goes pretty fast.

[spcutler]

Yep, the whole melting process takes only about a minute an a half. The blocks start at room temperature, but end up pretty chilly, so if I need to make more than one ice ball I have to run cool water over it to bring it back to room temp.

[Ugifer]

That's amazing!

Is it really that fast - less than 2 mins to form a ball - or did you speed up the vid? If you did, it's a very smooth edit!

Great idea, beautiful execution and stunning ice balls! What's not to like?

[bennelson]

Hmm, what to do with an ice ball? How about this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFafcjA_p7E

[benq]

COOL