Friday, June 25, 2010

SLiM: Old Faithful on Father's Day

Over here, on father’s day we had some father-son bonding time. This was helpful as the rest of the clan is currently absent.
Rabbim had to pick up some stuff from “the helpful place” (Ace Hardware). I went with him, and then we went to CVS\Pharmacy. We picked up the medications that we needed from the \Pharmacy, and were generally avoiding the CVS part. As we were leaving, I spotted a pack of Mentos®, just ten feet away from a bottle of Diet Coke! I got the idea, picked up both, bought them, and went home. We quickly researched the optimal number of Mentos as well as some interesting variations and cool YouTube videos.
Finally, we went outside to get ready.

We now present SLiM’s Quick ‘n’ Easy Steps to make your own Coke and Mentos Geyser.
1. Buy package of mint Mentos (mint Mentos aren’t kosher, so don’t taste) and large bottle of a diet cola.
2. Select open area outdoors.
3. Place bottle on flat surface.
4. Make tube of paper just wide enough to hold Mentos.
5. Open Mentos roll.
6. Take entire roll or just ten Mentos, and place in stack in tube.
7. Open bottle.
8. Position tube over top of bottle, with finger pinching bottom of tube.
9. Move close to bottle (yes, move close, so all the Mentos will actually go in).
10. Move finger to release Mentos
11. Now run.

You see how easy it is. There is a delay between the first Mentos hitting the soda and the fountain of about 1 second, so be wearing a shirt that can get dirty, so you won’t be paranoid and run from the soda before all the Mentos are in. Don’t be surprised if your geyser lasts only 1-2 seconds.
Of course, you want to be videoing this. We had three video vantages; one of them failed, so you may want backup.
Remember not to drink the soda still left in the bottle. It is no longer kosher. A cleanup may or may not be necessary. Some of the Mentos may fly out of the soda with the geyser, and you might not notice this. Don’t think that some of them missed the soda.
Well, enough with the reminders and instructions.



I’m the one dropping the Mentos in; Rabbim is doing the video. Ignore the slogan on my T-shirt.
It was really fun and really cool. I want to do it again with variations someday, and also Mister Youngster probably wanted to do it himself. So you might be seeing the fountain again soon on this blog.