Why the Same Gel Holds 300 Times Its Weight in Rainwater and 95 in Your Tap
Calcium, magnesium and sodium cut gel absorbency long before a batch goes bad. A one-gram test in your own water, and why softened water is the worst choice.
Chalky Batches: What Hard Water Does to Polymer Snow
Hard water above 250 mg/L cuts absorbency and leaves chalky bloom on dark floors. How to test a venue tap before you commit 500 square metres.
Hard Water at 380 mg/L: The Formulation Adjustment Most Gel Lines Skip
A pack plant in the Middle East filled two batches on consecutive days, one with softened water and one with mains water at 380 mg/L as calcium carbonate. The softened batch hydrated to a firm gel in 12 minutes. The mains batch took 26 minutes, never fully smoothed out, and produced packs that relea…
