How to Grow a Round Crystal
Gather your supplies., Build your crystal sphere., Suspend the sphere., Boil and dye water., Stir in borax., Dunk and suspend., Cover and leave., Celebrate or try again.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Gather your supplies.
You will need Powdered Borax, a packet of fuzzy pipe cleaners, a heat proof glass container (such as a beaker), neon food coloring, a pencil or skewer, a measuring spoon, scissors, and thread.
Your pipe cleaners should either be white, or the color of the crystal you wish to grow.The pipe cleaners are the bones of your crystal.
Your crystal will be translucent, so the pipe cleaners will show through if they are a different color than the crystal. -
Step 2: Build your crystal sphere.
Take your pipe cleaners and weave 2-3 into a large, loose sphere.
The crystals will grow around the pipe cleaners, so leave plenty of space between the pipe cleaners.
Try weaving basic geodesic domes, or just bending and criss-crossing the pipe cleaners until you get a rough sphere.
To visualize what your sphere will look like when finished, imagine that each pipe cleaner will "thicken" by growing crystals.
Make a few, as you can't predict how the crystals will grow, and some might fare better than others.Weave the pipe cleaners around one another so that the shape is structurally sound.
You can make your sphere whatever size you want, but make sure it will fit easily within the glass container.
For a smaller sphere, pretzel up a single pipe cleaner. , Take your pencil or skewer, and lay it across the top of your glass container.
Cut a piece of string and tie it to your pipe cleaner.
Tie the other end to the pencil or skewer, so that your sphere dangles near the bottom of the glass but does not touch the bottom or the sides.Put aside for now. , Boil 2 liters or so of water, enough to fill half the glass container—if you are using a beaker, you can remove your sphere for now and boil the water in it on the stove.
Stir in a few drops of food coloring. , While the water is still hot, add about nine tablespoons of borax and stir till it dissolves.
Keep adding tablespoons of borax until you add a tablespoon of borax that does not entirely dissolve.
Your crystals will be biggest if you add the maximum amount of borax that your water can dissolve. , While the borax solution is still very hot, add it to the glass container.
Dunk your sphere in and out of the solution several times, to shake off air bubbles.
Next, suspend the sphere by placing the skewer or pencil atop the glass container.
Reheat the solution if it has cooled. , Put a magazine, a piece of cardboard, or some other light flat object over the beaker, and leave the whole shebang out on the counter overnight.
If you are using a beaker, you can leave it on the stove so that it cools slowly. , After at least eight hours have passed, lift your crystal from the solution.
You should have a sphere covered evenly in translucent lumpy crystals.
If you like how it turned out, consider spraying it with a clear acrylic coat, as borax crystals can dissolve if handled or dampened.
If you don't like it, simply reheat the solution and try again.Your pipe cleaner structure should be completely obscured by crystals.
If it is not, it needs more time in the solution.
If you like it but can see too much space between the pipe cleaners, you can return your structure to the solution so the crystals can continue to grow. -
Step 3: Suspend the sphere.
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Step 4: Boil and dye water.
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Step 5: Stir in borax.
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Step 6: Dunk and suspend.
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Step 7: Cover and leave.
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Step 8: Celebrate or try again.
Detailed Guide
You will need Powdered Borax, a packet of fuzzy pipe cleaners, a heat proof glass container (such as a beaker), neon food coloring, a pencil or skewer, a measuring spoon, scissors, and thread.
Your pipe cleaners should either be white, or the color of the crystal you wish to grow.The pipe cleaners are the bones of your crystal.
Your crystal will be translucent, so the pipe cleaners will show through if they are a different color than the crystal.
Take your pipe cleaners and weave 2-3 into a large, loose sphere.
The crystals will grow around the pipe cleaners, so leave plenty of space between the pipe cleaners.
Try weaving basic geodesic domes, or just bending and criss-crossing the pipe cleaners until you get a rough sphere.
To visualize what your sphere will look like when finished, imagine that each pipe cleaner will "thicken" by growing crystals.
Make a few, as you can't predict how the crystals will grow, and some might fare better than others.Weave the pipe cleaners around one another so that the shape is structurally sound.
You can make your sphere whatever size you want, but make sure it will fit easily within the glass container.
For a smaller sphere, pretzel up a single pipe cleaner. , Take your pencil or skewer, and lay it across the top of your glass container.
Cut a piece of string and tie it to your pipe cleaner.
Tie the other end to the pencil or skewer, so that your sphere dangles near the bottom of the glass but does not touch the bottom or the sides.Put aside for now. , Boil 2 liters or so of water, enough to fill half the glass container—if you are using a beaker, you can remove your sphere for now and boil the water in it on the stove.
Stir in a few drops of food coloring. , While the water is still hot, add about nine tablespoons of borax and stir till it dissolves.
Keep adding tablespoons of borax until you add a tablespoon of borax that does not entirely dissolve.
Your crystals will be biggest if you add the maximum amount of borax that your water can dissolve. , While the borax solution is still very hot, add it to the glass container.
Dunk your sphere in and out of the solution several times, to shake off air bubbles.
Next, suspend the sphere by placing the skewer or pencil atop the glass container.
Reheat the solution if it has cooled. , Put a magazine, a piece of cardboard, or some other light flat object over the beaker, and leave the whole shebang out on the counter overnight.
If you are using a beaker, you can leave it on the stove so that it cools slowly. , After at least eight hours have passed, lift your crystal from the solution.
You should have a sphere covered evenly in translucent lumpy crystals.
If you like how it turned out, consider spraying it with a clear acrylic coat, as borax crystals can dissolve if handled or dampened.
If you don't like it, simply reheat the solution and try again.Your pipe cleaner structure should be completely obscured by crystals.
If it is not, it needs more time in the solution.
If you like it but can see too much space between the pipe cleaners, you can return your structure to the solution so the crystals can continue to grow.
About the Author
Susan Robinson
Susan Robinson is an experienced writer with over 9 years of expertise in lifestyle and practical guides. Passionate about sharing practical knowledge, Susan creates easy-to-follow guides that help readers achieve their goals.
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