Imagine a small plastic sheath that fits over your fingernail. It could either be attached by some form of adhesive, or, if your nails are long enough, it could just clip directly onto them. Over the nail itself the plastic attachment has a small reservoir – much like the kind used in the nib of a fountain pen (see link). Only instead of terminating in a scratchy point, the two ends of the nib project out past the nail and join together to form a small hoop. The result? Well, attach one to each finger, dip your mitts in soapy water, give your fingers a little waggle and find out. Hopefully, you’ll unleash little finger-tracers of tiny bubbles, and not just flick tiny droplets of soapy water about that will inevitably hit you in the eye and really sting.
The wee reservoirs mean that the nails can store enough soap mixture to keep the bubble-trails going for longer, although frequent dipping will probably still be in order. But just think of the applications… Is it Hawaiian dancing where every gesture tells a story? Imagine how much more magical those intricate hand-gestures would be if they left a trail of bubbles quivering in the air behind them. Harp music is already quite ethereal – install a gentle wind machine behind the back of the player, ensure a full set of Finger Bubbles are worn, of course, and suddenly you get a visual representation of the tremulous, delicate notes that are being played – the bubbles slowly drift to the floor and vanish as the sound of the plucked string fades and eventually dies away. Magicians, of course, would wear out their sets in weeks – imagine how impressive even the most simple feat of legerdemain would appear if surrounded by a sheen of floating spheres. Or they could be used by deaf people to add a note of clownish irony to their signings. Who knows - even ballet might become entertaining.
The possibilities are endless, if not entirely realistic.-- lostdog, Apr 29 2003 Pen Nibs http://www.dickblic...?param=0&ig_id=1448Some nibs from pens. [lostdog, Oct 05 2004] //Finger Bubbles are worn, of course, and suddenly you get a visual representation of the tremulous, delicate notes that are being played//
What happens when your resevoirs go dry? The magic is lost.-- cottongin37, Apr 29 2003 But if you're dextrous enough to play a complicated instrument like a harp, surely you're dextrous enough to also dip your fingers into soapy water after each riff... Although it would spoil the magic a little bit, I'll admit.
"Finger Bubbles: They're finger-dippin' good!"-- lostdog, Apr 29 2003 rubbish name, though.-- lostdog, Apr 29 2003 The solo from hoops I did it again by Britney.-- sufc, Apr 29 2003 You could have wrist mounted soap and water dispensers so you don't need to dip your hands. Oh wait, better yet, a Whole "David Letterman" suit'o'bubbles. I mean just picture one of those Celtic dance groups frothing up the stage till it’s so slick that they're all flippin ass over teakettle. Beautiful.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Apr 29 2003 //rubbish name, though//
How about “Napalmolove” and have the bubbles briefly burst into flames when they hit the floor? Market using some catchy slogans like “You’re soaking in it now”, and “I can feel it”.-- Shz, Apr 29 2003 oh oh my whimsey metre's busted again, just ran out without warning....-- peter2, Apr 30 2003 very nice, [lostdog]. I particularly like the signing angle for those background commentaries on the TV. a nice bubbly bun for you.-- po, Apr 30 2003 BTW [lostdog], I find nothing wrong with the name. My suggestion is an example of a *really* bad name.-- Shz, Apr 30 2003 Oh, "Napalmolive?" I see what you meant now.
I keep hearing Don Ho when I read the title.-- waugsqueke, Apr 30 2003 You could grow your fingernails extra long and punch a hole in each one.-- beauxeault, Apr 30 2003 40lb? what the devil are you feeding him.
Drew had a cat that big - but he was *meant* to be that large. come back, Drew...-- po, Apr 30 2003 "cat bubbles" sound superb - if you didn't make them up, you should have, bliss.-- lostdog, Apr 30 2003 Cats are self-cleaning on the outside: given how proud they are about their external appearance, I'm sure they'd appreciate any help they can get on scrubbing their insides too...
Although, I am kind of biassed (sp?). I'd still love to see a sneeze from my cat that would send a twin jet of tiny bubbles streaming from both of his nostrils...-- lostdog, Apr 30 2003 I am fascinated with bubbles and have played around with them a lot.
I have tried very small bubble loops and they don't work very well mainly because they require quite a bit of air pressure. I think the soap film is too rigid when suspended across a small diameter loop. I have my doubts that you could ever get the bubble "started" unless you were really flinging your hands through the air.
In fact, the best results I got for a small loop was to use a plastic drinking straw, one end of which I dipped in the bubble mix¹ and then carefully blew through the other end to make small bubbles. Actually small bubble, singular, as I could never get more than one bubble to form on small diameter stuff, either.
¹I use Joy+glycerin.-- bristolz, Apr 30 2003 I missed the soap comment yesterday, blissy. one of mine loves to lick the soap in the bathroom, she likes red and green peppers as well.-- po, May 01 2003 Again, croissant. Was this inspired by the O2 bubbles ad, where a multitude of said bubbles are seen streaming from the fingers of a lady in a motor?-- my face your, May 07 2003 Actually, yes.-- lostdog, May 07 2003 I love the random button. This is fantastically whimsical. I suggest an auto feeding mechanism that supply's the bubble fluid to the fingers, and small fans to make them even when not moving. Put this on one hand and a green laser on each finger of the other hand and you've got a bubble popping laser light show from heaven. [+]-- bleh, Sep 25 2007 random, halfbakery