Post by drhenley on Jun 16, 2014 17:43:34 GMT -5
Found instructions on making a ballistic gelatin block, and have been whipping up a batch.
The formula is the easy part...
1 pound of Knox gelatin to 1 gallon of water. At the supermarket, they come in 1 ounce boxes with four pouches per box. That means 16 boxes or 64 pouches for one gallon of water.
The hardest part turned out to be getting the gelatin mixed with the water. You don't want to mix it with hot water or you'll end up with a big glob of halfway hydrated gelatin that is a PITA to get broken up and mixed.
You don't want to mix it too slowly into cold water because it "blooms" gradually in cold water, and if it takes too long to mix in, it becomes like a bowl of grits before you get all the gelatin mixed in.
Note to self: Next time OPEN ALL THE POUCHES FIRST AND POUR THEM INTO SOMETHING.
You will have to stir the gelatin into cold water to mix it. Do it quickly... I did it with a spoon. The larger the batch, the harder it is to mix in the gelatin with a spoon. Some recommend a paint stirrer bit for a drill.
Once you have mixed all the gelatin powder into cold water, set it in the refrigerator for two hours to bloom. If you are not ready to put it in a mold yet, just leave it like that in the refrigerator until ready to use.
When you are ready to use it, you put the gelatin in a metal mixing bowl and place it in a large stock pot with water.
Gently stir the gelatin mixture as the water heats up. Don't get it over 130 degrees. If you heat it gradually, it will all be liquid long before it reaches 130 degrees. Pour it into the mold. Let the mold cool and refrigerate for one day.
Without some preservative, this formula will grow bacteria. If it is for a single use, then that's not a problem. But if you want to remelt it and reuse it, then you have to put something like propionic acid in it. There some some reports that a little chlorine bleach will preserve it.
Here is what it looks like after reheating and cooling. Because of the limitations of my equipment and refrigerator space, I found it more practical to make it in batches of 1/2 gallon at a time. So this is 1/2 gallon of ballistic gel, ready to be remelted and poured into a mold.
The formula is the easy part...
1 pound of Knox gelatin to 1 gallon of water. At the supermarket, they come in 1 ounce boxes with four pouches per box. That means 16 boxes or 64 pouches for one gallon of water.
The hardest part turned out to be getting the gelatin mixed with the water. You don't want to mix it with hot water or you'll end up with a big glob of halfway hydrated gelatin that is a PITA to get broken up and mixed.
You don't want to mix it too slowly into cold water because it "blooms" gradually in cold water, and if it takes too long to mix in, it becomes like a bowl of grits before you get all the gelatin mixed in.
Note to self: Next time OPEN ALL THE POUCHES FIRST AND POUR THEM INTO SOMETHING.
You will have to stir the gelatin into cold water to mix it. Do it quickly... I did it with a spoon. The larger the batch, the harder it is to mix in the gelatin with a spoon. Some recommend a paint stirrer bit for a drill.
Once you have mixed all the gelatin powder into cold water, set it in the refrigerator for two hours to bloom. If you are not ready to put it in a mold yet, just leave it like that in the refrigerator until ready to use.
When you are ready to use it, you put the gelatin in a metal mixing bowl and place it in a large stock pot with water.
Gently stir the gelatin mixture as the water heats up. Don't get it over 130 degrees. If you heat it gradually, it will all be liquid long before it reaches 130 degrees. Pour it into the mold. Let the mold cool and refrigerate for one day.
Without some preservative, this formula will grow bacteria. If it is for a single use, then that's not a problem. But if you want to remelt it and reuse it, then you have to put something like propionic acid in it. There some some reports that a little chlorine bleach will preserve it.
Here is what it looks like after reheating and cooling. Because of the limitations of my equipment and refrigerator space, I found it more practical to make it in batches of 1/2 gallon at a time. So this is 1/2 gallon of ballistic gel, ready to be remelted and poured into a mold.