Home-made sea water
John Popelish
http://www.thenaturalworld.com/tidepool/salty/index.html
Here is a recipe for home-made sea water. This recipe neglects calcium
(which is abundant in tap water compared to sea water) and bromine
(because I don't know a ready source) since this is a minor component.
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Add to one pint of water: (tsp=teaspoon, tbl=tablespoon)
2 tsp salt (Pickling salt is good because of lack of anti-caking
ingredients. Rock salt is not as pure, but okay, as is table salt. I
don't know what is in kosher salt. It may be sea salt.)
2/3 tsp epsom salt
1/20 tsp salt substitute (mostly potassium chloride)
1/62 tsp baking soda (you are on your own as to how to measure this
small amount. Those who have seen cocane divided in the movies will
figure it out.)
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And for 5 gallons water:
1-2/3 cup salt
1/2 cup epsom salt
2-1/4 tsp salt substitute (potassium chloride)
2/3 tsp baking soda
Note: if you mix up a large batch of these dry ingredients at these
proportions (or buy sea salt), you can measure out 2 2/3 cup per 5
gallons of water when needed to make 5 gallons of sea water.
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I have been using a pint of something similar to this as an after bath
skin conditioner and am pleased with the result (though I have cured
nothing). Some of you may waht to have a little sea water on hand for
spot treatment, or make enough to bath in. I make no gaurantee or the
accuracy of these formulas, and would be happy to have someone else
check them.
Best wishes to all,
John Popelish
DaveW
>This recipe neglects calcium (which is abundant in tap water
>compared to sea water) and bromine (because I don't know a ready
>source) since this is a minor component.
Uh, how about Bromo Seltzer? Just kidding, I have no idea if the
name comes from bromine or not.
>2 tsp salt (Pickling salt is good because of lack of anti-caking
>ingredients. Rock salt is not as pure, but okay, as is table salt. I
>don't know what is in kosher salt. It may be sea salt.)
What are the anti-caking ingredients that we're avoiding with pickling
salt?
>2/3 tsp epsom salt
>1/62 tsp baking soda
Just so I don't have to go look this stuff up, what do these things add
to the mix, in terms of elements? Also, don't anyone forget that
sea water has just about *everything* mixed into it, it's just that more
than 99% of the disolved solids are from just 6 elements. Whether
or not something 'extra' will eliminate any healing effects is unknown,
in most cases (don't go adding arsenic or the like, please).
>(you are on your own as to how to measure this small amount.
>Those who have seen cocane divided in the movies will figure it out.)
Sheesh. I've seen that in the movies, and I can't figure it out. The
best way I can think of dealing with this problem is to mix enough of
these dry goods for something like 10 or 20 gallons of water (as you
suggested later, John), since that will make the measurements of the
trace stuff 'bigger'.
In fact, John, could you post the ingredients list for a batch that
would be good for the average bathtub full of water? I've only ever
measured my own bathtub, as I said before, which is about 4'x2'x9",
or 6 cubic feet. At 7.48 gallons per cubic foot, my full bath is around
45 gallons. Call it 40, since the corners are curved, and the bottom
and the back slope. Would you please run the figures for this much
stuff, and also give us the amount of this mix we'd want to use per
pint? And even per ounce, for those of us who've found really small
spritzer bottles? Thanks.
Also, can you figure something else for us? That web page I saw on
the Dead Sea seems to conflict pretty badly with the USGS site, in
that the D.S. site claimed 33% salinity vs. 3% for 'normal' oceans,
while the USGS site claims that 'normal' oceans are somewhere
around 35 parts per thousand saline, vs. the Dead Sea at 40 ppt.
Anyway, following the USGS's example, would you also, please,
post the ingredients list at 40/35ths (or 8/7ths) concentration, so we
could also mimic the Dead Sea's salts (this is, of course, assuming
that there's not a lot of 'extra' stuff in there, just more of the same)?
----------
Oh, note that if you don't want to mix huge batches of this stuff, the
conversion chart at:
http://www.foodwine.com/cgi-bin/hts?convcalc.hts+usequiv+new
Defines the smallest measurements (a few grains, pinch, dash, etc.)
as "less than 1/8th teaspoon," so that's not much help in figuring out
how much 1/62nd of a teaspoon is. For those with access to really
sensitive lab scales, perhaps a teaspoon-to-gram conversion of the
ingredients would help?
Thanks for running the numbers for us all, John.
- Dave W.
John Popelish
>
> John Popelish wrote:
> >This recipe neglects calcium (which is abundant in tap water
> >compared to sea water) and bromine (because I don't know a ready
> >source) since this is a minor component.
>
> Uh, how about Bromo Seltzer? Just kidding, I have no idea if the
> name comes from bromine or not.
Yep. There is bromine in that, but I have no idea what the formnula
is. I have some potasium brominate dough conditioner, but it has lots
of outhe stuff mixed with it. Anyway, bromine is a very small component
(less than half of the baking soda amount).
> >2 tsp salt (Pickling salt is good because of lack of anti-caking
> >ingredients. Rock salt is not as pure, but okay, as is table salt. I
> >don't know what is in kosher salt. It may be sea salt.)
>
> What are the anti-caking ingredients that we're avoiding with pickling
> salt?
Sodium silico aluminate, mostly. It never disolves, and makes the water
cloudy, and would leave a powery residure on your skin. Mostly
harmless.
> >2/3 tsp epsom salt
> >1/62 tsp baking soda
>
> Just so I don't have to go look this stuff up, what do these things add
> to the mix, in terms of elements? Also, don't anyone forget that
> sea water has just about *everything* mixed into it, it's just that more
> than 99% of the disolved solids are from just 6 elements. Whether
> or not something 'extra' will eliminate any healing effects is unknown,
> in most cases (don't go adding arsenic or the like, please).
This recipe makes up a pretty good match of the six most common ions,
sodium (11.4 parts per thousand vs 10.7 in sea water), chloride (17.9
ppt vs 19.3), magnesium (.8 ppt vs 1.3), sulfate (3.2 ppt vs 2.7),
potassium (.4 ppt vs .4), and bicarbinate (or HCO3 at .15 ppt vs .15).
Calcium (at .42 ppt) is not included in the recipe, because it is more
common than this in most tap water.
> >(you are on your own as to how to measure this small amount.
> >Those who have seen cocane divided in the movies will figure it out.)
>
> Sheesh. I've seen that in the movies, and I can't figure it out. The
> best way I can think of dealing with this problem is to mix enough of
> these dry goods for something like 10 or 20 gallons of water (as you
> suggested later, John), since that will make the measurements of the
> trace stuff 'bigger'.
Divide a quarter teaspoon into two equal piles (with a single edge razor
blade, if you want to be authentic). Each is an eight teaspoon.
Rearrange and divide one of these 3 more times to get 1/16th, 1/32nd and
1/64th teaspoon. Use one of these piles as 1/62nd teaspoon, and put the
rest back in the box.
> In fact, John, could you post the ingredients list for a batch that
> would be good for the average bathtub full of water? I've only ever
> measured my own bathtub, as I said before, which is about 4'x2'x9",
> or 6 cubic feet. At 7.48 gallons per cubic foot, my full bath is around
> 45 gallons. Call it 40, since the corners are curved, and the bottom
> and the back slope. Would you please run the figures for this much
> stuff, and also give us the amount of this mix we'd want to use per
> pint? And even per ounce, for those of us who've found really small
> spritzer bottles? Thanks.
I'll work up some bigger batches tomorow.
> Also, can you figure something else for us? That web page I saw on
> the Dead Sea seems to conflict pretty badly with the USGS site, in
> that the D.S. site claimed 33% salinity vs. 3% for 'normal' oceans,
> while the USGS site claims that 'normal' oceans are somewhere
> around 35 parts per thousand saline, vs. the Dead Sea at 40 ppt.
> Anyway, following the USGS's example, would you also, please,
> post the ingredients list at 40/35ths (or 8/7ths) concentration, so we
> could also mimic the Dead Sea's salts (this is, of course, assuming
> that there's not a lot of 'extra' stuff in there, just more of the same)?
That is a tremendous descrepancy. Dead sea water si so bouyant, that I
am suspicious of the 8/7 th ratio. And I would expect the ions to be in
quite different ratios to sea water, because of saturation and
crystilization. When you see a reference you really trust, I will try
to come up with a recipe.
> Oh, note that if you don't want to mix huge batches of this stuff, the
> conversion chart at:
>
> http://www.foodwine.com/cgi-bin/hts?convcalc.hts+usequiv+new
>
> Defines the smallest measurements (a few grains, pinch, dash, etc.)
> as "less than 1/8th teaspoon," so that's not much help in figuring out
> how much 1/62nd of a teaspoon is. For those with access to really
> sensitive lab scales, perhaps a teaspoon-to-gram conversion of the
> ingredients would help?
A tablespoon of these dry ingredients weighs around .6 ounces.
A teaspoon weighs about .2 ounces (US dry measure, 16 ounces to a pound,
2.2 pounds per kilogram).
> Thanks for running the numbers for us all, John.
>
> - Dave W.
You are welcome. I hope someone can put this to use.
John Popelish