Dry Ice Smoke Rings

I was playing around with dry ice and had the idea to put some in an old milk bottle with hot water to see what happened. I accidentally squeezed the bottle and was very surprised when a crude smoke ring came out. After a little investigation and some practice i have been able to create perfect smoke rings every time. 

- 1 emptied and cleaned milk container (waxed cardboard is best)
- Dry Ice in small pieces
- Winter gloves (for protection)
- Hot or Warm water

Wait until your water is nice and hot, this will make a more clear and defined smoke ring as well as give you more time to play around. Fill up the milk bottle just enough so that it can be placed on its side with the cap facing up without the water spilling out.

Add five to seven pieces of dry ice into the bottle with hot water. Add enough so that the smoke is thick and white but thin enough so that the smoke rings can still form. 

Squeezing the bottle in any manner will make smoke rings every so often, but to make them consistently the best strategy is as follows:

-Put your hand in the middle of the bottle
-Place four fingers on the top of the bottle and your thumb on the side facing you.
-Push inwards gently with your four fingers and keep them there.
-Then gently but quickly press inwards then outwards with your thumb.

This can be repeated quickly by leaving your fingers on the bottle but rapidly pushing your thumb in and out.

It took me a long time to get a good photo of a smoke ring, they are very hard to take pictures of, but look much better on video and in real life.

The bottle can also be placed upright to make the smoke rings go higher.