Make Popsicles Using Baby Soda Bottles / Tube Vaults

10K278

Intro: Make Popsicles Using Baby Soda Bottles / Tube Vaults

I bought a bunch of PETsoda bottlepreforms, more commonly known as baby soda bottles or tube vaults. The pricing is better in bulk, so I have more preforms than I know what to do with them.

Serving as molds for popsicles is just one of the endless uses for these containers.
Or you could just buy a cheaper popsicle mold and stop reading now.

With that out of the way, it's fairly obvious how to make popsicles using these tubes. Pictured is an overview and if you can see what's going on you could stop reading.

I like clean execution however, so in this ible I show a simple accessory that yields popsicles with centered sticks embedded in them. Sure, you could always jam in sticks when the popsicles aren't entirely frozen, but you could forget about revisiting the freezer by suspending them centered in place, from the start.

STEP 1: Get Stuff

To make popsicle stick holders:
• Scissors
• Knife
• Plastic water milk jug or other plastic bottle.
You could probably use any food-grade plastic sheet as long as it is thin and flexible.

To proceed with making popsicles (that justify this instructable's existence):
• 2L PET preforms / baby soda bottles / tube vaults, with soda bottle caps
• Popsicle sticks (I reused mine)
• Fruit juice, flat soda, etc.

STEP 2: Make Popsicle Stick Holders

Needless to say, be careful when using sharp knives/scissors.

Basically, cut rectangular strips from the plastic, and cut two slits of equal length in the center. 
Align the slits so that a popsicle stick can be "woven" through.

Test the holder by inserting a popsicle stick, bending the strip into an S-shape, and sticking it into a 2L preform. The stick should float fairly centered if the slits were neat and centered.

You can eyeball it all like I did. In case you like numbers, I measured the strips to be around 70mm by 23mm, with 13mm slits.

STEP 3: Freeze Some Pops!

Pour some juice or equivalent into a clean and empty tube, at least three-quarters full. I add a bit more because the popsicles you get out of these are tiny.

Place a clean popsicle stick in a holder and slide that in. Seal the tube with a cap, and to keep it standing upright, use as a base another cap which has its original tamper-resistance ring intact. Alternatively, get or make a fitting rack for several tubes.

Freeze the upright tube(s). It doesn't take too long because these are quite thin.

Pulling the popsicle out of a tube is somewhat tricky because there is a vacuum effect. It helps to let it thaw some minutes, and twist it out pulling downwards, to reduce the chance of the popsicle breaking (leaving the tip inside ):

I've noticed with cranberry apple juice that the syrupy flavor tends to settle at the bottom, so that's why I thaw the tubes upside-down, in hopes of the ice getting resaturated.

8 Comments

AMAZON has all you need for this! just scoped out 'baby soda bottle pterforms' took me sraight to it.
Technically these 'Baby Soda Bottles' are called 'Parsoons'.
Parsoons? No, they are definitely called preforms used for making bottles of all sizes. Been in the business for years
Where did you find the preforms for sale at? I might hit up the local soda distributor to see if I can score some.
Are those tubes plastic or glass? And since water expands when frozen, do they break or shatter?
I am interested to know if the ID (internal diameter) is constant through the whole preform? In other words, does the inside of the preform get narrower or wider internally after the neck? I would like to experiment using these as tractors on my net gun https://www.instructables.com/id/Build-A-Net-Gun/ (currently I hack up soda bottles to make it work). If 1/2" PVC fit all the way into the preform, that would be ideal.
It is constant, despite the apparent outside tapering near the mouth. The I.D. is a bit over 13/16", and possibly at or just under 27/32"
Hello Nice idea, and your system to keep the popstick centered looks clever ! Do you know where I can get those tubes ? If it can be purchased overseas it's nice but if you got one in France it is much better ! In fact I don't really know what to google for ... Thanks