Introduction: Instant Ice - How to Waterbend in Real Life
Pour a glass of water and watch it turn to ice instantly! This step-by-step tutorial will show you everything you need to know about Instant Ice.
http://www.thekingofrandom.com
Step 1: Watch the Videos!
Step 2: "Super Cool" Water Trick
A couple of years ago, a friend at work told me he left water bottles outside overnight in freezing temperatures. Then he got the water to freeze instantly by shaking them.
I was fascinated by the idea, and began to research the online resources demonstrating the effect of supercooled water, and began to experiment with it on my own.
I can confirm, along with hundreds of others, that this phenomenon is legit, and here's how to do it step-by-step!
1. Find some purified water (The easiest place to find this is an unopened bottle of water)
2. Put it in the freezer for the exact amount of time to supercool it (More on this later)
3. Initiate nucleation of the ice crystals (Easier than it sounds)
Step 3: How to Supercool Water
Some factors that affect the time to freeze are;
- Volume of water in the bottle
- Size and shape of the bottle
- Temperature of water before it goes in the freezer
- Temperature of the freezer
- Position of the bottle in the freezer
- Impurities in the water
To determine the formula for your specific bottles;
- Make a note of the time
- Check your bottles after 90 minutes, and thereafter every 15 minutes until one freezes
- Mark the time of the frozen bottle, and subtract 15 minutes.
In my case, the first bottle froze after 2 hours and 45 minutes, and I found all the bottles worked consistently between 2-1/2 hours and 2 hours 45 minutes.
Step 4: How to Test Your Supercooled Water
The rest of the unfrozen bottles in the freezer should be supercooled and ready for action.
When you take them from the freezer, be very gentle. They are super sensitive and can freeze with even the slightest jolt.
To test one, just give it a whack on the bottle, anywhere you want. If you hit it hard enough, you should see the water instantly begin to freeze from the top to the bottom. The result will be a clear liquid turning to an opaque white, as seen in the pictures.
You can also freeze the water using a piece of ice as a nucleation point.
Just pour the water on top of the ice, and watch your ice pillars grow right before your eyes!
If they don't grow very fast, try leaving your bottles in the freezer for another 10 minutes.
If your bottles are freezing with only a slight touch, or before you want them to .. try taking your bottles out of the freezer 5 minutes earlier.
As the water freezes, it actually releases latent heat into the ice and the temperature warms up to just below freezing. This leaves you with a delicious edible slush with the consistency of a wet snowball.
Step 5: In Another Container
You can try pouring your water into an extremely clean glass. If it's still liquid at this point, try dropping an ice-cube into the center, and watch the whole thing crystalize.
You can do the same thing by just holding an ice cube on the surface of the water, and watch it get frozen in place.
Step 6: Colored Ice
I tried pouring out an entire bottle on a bed of ice to form an "instant snow-cone", then used some juice from melted freeze-pops as a makeshift syrup.
A fun and entertaining treat for a hot summers day!
Well, there you have it! That's how to freeze water instantly like a water-bending master.
If you haven't see the video yet, it's not too late. See it here!
If you like this project perhaps you'll like some of my others. Check them out at www.thekingofrandom.com

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56 Comments
7 years ago on Introduction
I accidentally did this with a beer bottle recently. I had seen this video in the past and once I realized what was happening I started screaming and yelling, haha.
Reply 5 years ago
you what! HOW!!!!!!!
Reply 5 years ago
I had put it in the freezer with plans to take it out once it was cool. I forgot about it and went to get it out. I noticed it was still liquid and picked it up. When I uncapped it, it suddenly started rapidly freezing just like in the video. I was freaking out.
5 years ago
hi guys what i just saw was awsome
5 years ago
Cool!
8 years ago
Sweet! Now we need one for earth, air, and fire so that we can become the avatar!
Reply 7 years ago on Introduction
yeah
7 years ago
Super awsome!
8 years ago on Step 4
Woah this is cool!!!!!!!!!! This is useful in the South, expecially during summer!! Thanks so much for a great snow cone idea!!!
8 years ago on Step 4
It was AWESOME!!!!
Thank you soooo much!
8 years ago
Wtf â¢~â¢???
8 years ago
This also works with beer but u hit it on a surface with the bottom of the glass.... I saw it in mythbusters. â¢~⢠:)))
8 years ago on Introduction
Is that a statesmetal bowl? If so where did you get it from?
8 years ago
Sweet
8 years ago on Introduction
Very COOL!, no pun intended....
Reply 8 years ago on Introduction
It actually gets warmer as it "freezes".
8 years ago on Introduction
awsome man that soo cool :like:
8 years ago on Introduction
I did this to one of my beers by mistake, wondered what the hell was happening. I grabbed it out of the freezer (in a hurry) removed the top, the pressure drop was enough to start the freezing process, scared the crap out of me when I saw it, AND it made my beer instantly flat and yuck!
8 years ago on Introduction
Whatever you do, DON'T drop the "Ice-Nine" !!!!
8 years ago on Introduction
I put it in the microwave and set the timer to a negative number.