helium filled bubbles machine?

[blue]

I've had this idea for a while.

Modified bubble machine that blows a bit of helium instead of just air so the helium filled bubbles don't fall.
Helium isn't cheap, but bubbles aren't heavy either so no need to blow them with pure helium.
Still would be expensive but would be so cool to have so many bubbles in the air going up and not falling in an open event.
Combine that with powerful uv lights in the night that are aimed in the sky (so doesn't get on other things) and glowing bubbles (from glowing bubble fluids) and that could look pretty cool.

[VDX]

... some thirty years back in school we've used methane, H2 or H2O2 for a bubbles machine and 'tested' the bubbles with long burning sticks ... imagine igniting them with laser beams ;-)

Viktor

[blue]

How did it work out? Did the bubbles not fall down as I'm hoping?

[mixedgas]

The bubble wall is a few hundreds of nanometers to a micron thick at best, there is not much material to glow well, even if you excite the dye with large amounts of UV light.

The best effect is still to aim the fog machine into the bubble machine.

Helium would rapidly diffuse out of the bubble, hydrogen not so much.

A good bubble machine launches about 8 feet up on full fan speed.

Steve

[blue]

The best effect is still to aim the fog machine into the bubble machine.

Yeah, I've seen that one on Halloween. A different effect to what I'm talking about though.

Helium would rapidly diffuse out of the bubble, hydrogen not so much.

Why so?

[WookieBoy]

It would diffuse out of the bubble membrane because the helium atom is so very very small and the membrane wall isn't solid... air stays in as it's a larger molecule...
I've seen this done with hydrogen and a foam mixture on (I think, but can't be sure as I've had a few drinks ) a U2 gig I was involved in... though they created a rising 'foam cloud' that rose over the stadium...

[laserbiker]

This reminds me of a time 55 yeas age when My friends and I filled one of those Edmund Scientific 16' weather balloons with hydrogen. (Made from aluminum scraps and pool acid.)
We tied a string to it soaked in turpentine lit it, and released over the sky's of San Diego. The giant momentary Rolling taurus of flame Was spectacular. It was fun being a kid.

[blue]

It would diffuse out of the bubble membrane because the helium atom is so very very small and the membrane wall isn't solid... air stays in as it's a larger molecule...

I mean I understand why it happens. But I don't get why it would escape "rapidly". And why hydrogen would be any different like Steve said.
And by rapidly what do we mean? I'm not expecting to get bubbles to the stratosphereor so high they won't be visible anyway.

I've seen this done with hydrogen and a foam mixture on (I think, but can't be sure as I've had a few drinks ) a U2 gig I was involved in... though they created a rising 'foam cloud' that rose over the stadium...

Cool. Where was the concert at? Maybe I can find a video.
EDIT: I guess something like this only larger https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H1rq09npEk

[Draco]

In my twisted scene of humor i would use hydrogen lol

[Jem]

What about Nitrogen? That's a bigger molecule I think, so less leakage, not really inflammable though... <crawls back into teapot>