Fun with a vacuum and peeps!

Earlier I posted about playing with a vacuum pump and mini-marshmallows.  I used a small bottle and rubber gasket for the vacuum container.  The problem was the seal wasn't very good and the small neck didn't allow large objects to be placed inside.

I asked V to save one of her pasta sauce jars.  I drilled a 1/2" hole in the top and threaded a brass barbed nozzle through with a connector on the other side.  Then I used some epoxy to seal around the drilled hole from each side.  

The I used some teflon tape and hose clamps to get a tight fitting with the brass connectors on the pump end. 

At first we tried some trusty old mini-marshmallows to see how they expand in the vacuum. 

Compare the two pictures below to see how much they have expanded. 

And now for the peeps.  I saved a box from Easter just for this.  They were getting a bit stale so I was worried they might not expand well, but see for yourself. 

In the end they are warped and wrinkled and have shrunk down even smaller than when they started.  I presume this is because air has escaped from bubbles inside the marshmallow. 

And again, with five peeps in a row.

Above, peeps after being exposed to a vacuum.

The problem with electric arcs is that air is such a good insulator.  It would be fun to combine high voltage and a vacuum later on.