Salt Crystal Garden

by Tool Using Animal

85K12565

Intro: Salt Crystal Garden

Alright this is an old one. I learned this in grade school, they probably don't do it anymore because it involves dangerous chemicals like water. But it's fun for the kiddies.



STEP 1: You Will Need

Water
Laundry Bluing, getting hard to find, it's a suspension of Prussian Blue in water.
Salt (table)
Clear Household Ammonia
Bowl
Toilet Paper Roll Core


STEP 2: Procedure

Mix equal quantities of water, ammonia, salt, and laundry bluing together. Pour solution into a bowl and stand a tp roll in the bowl. Over the next 18-24 hours the crystals will form.



STEP 3: Optional Steps

Optionally the cardboard, and subsequently the crystals can be colored with drops of food coloring.

Other porous materials can also be used such as terra cotta and coal (the traditional substrate).

62 Comments

Okinell 16 years ago

This was too cool.... Thanks for the posting. I am almost 54 yro. and can remember when my Dad did this a couple of times but for some reason we/he used a lump of bituminous coal. I am not sure where you could find coal here in Southeast Texas, or where we found some unless it was some we had brought back from the narrow gauge train out of Durango, Colorado. Anyway, thanks for sharing something that brought back some fun times as a kid. I just wish some one could/would tell me where you could get those little "putt-putt" metal boats my Dad use to bring home. You would light this little candle that caused this small hollow metal "bladder" of sorts to heat up and propel the boat around the bath tub. They came in very small to fairly good size ones.

Heringhaus 16 years ago

I bought some ( boat) on the net just google putt putt boat Don

aicerg1 13 years ago

we did this at school but we added epsom salt and food coloring

ajsadr 6 years ago

My question is this

What is the role of aqueous Liquid bluing solution in crystalline growth?

Is there a good alternative to it?

I found Blue powder of it

The powder should first be dissolved in water?

_Radium_ 7 years ago

If one figure a way to remove the paper medium without damaging the Xtals, one can build really nice lamps using this.

_Radium_ 7 years ago

Nice.
Other crystalline substances can work too, both organic and mineral chemicals.

SallyJ11 8 years ago

where can i find the mrs stewart bluing, i'm from indonesia.

KwartzKitten 9 years ago

I'm going to try it! It may be the one thing I can actually grow.

alexwin 14 years ago

I couldn't find Mrs. Stewarts Blueing, so I'm trying it with "RIT White Wash Bleach Alternative". Hopefully they're the same.

DootSnaps 14 years ago

wait, bleach?
it's not actual bleach, right?
because if it is mixing it with ammonia will make mustard gas, which is poisonous and will kill you

noname420 13 years ago

I wonder what happened to alexwin. Hopefully it wasn't real bleach that he mixed with ammonia but that would explain why he never commented back on this.

elizabethteacher 14 years ago

I tried this, but couldn't get it to work - I used "Bluette Laundry Bluing".  I couldn't find Mrs. Stewarts.  I used 2 T of each ingredient.  Can you tell me what I might do differently?

Tool Using Animal 14 years ago

I think it's the blueing. I looked at the MSDS and Bluette is Ultramarine blue, a sodium aluminum silicate compound, whereas Mrs Stewart's is Prussian Blue an iron compound.

elizabethteacher 14 years ago

Turns out, you're right. I called the Mrs. Stewart's company and they told us they had tried the very same experiment on their competitors blueing and it doesn't work.  In other words, it HAS TO BE Mrs. Stewarts because of the requisite ingredients it contains. They offered a "Salt Crystal Garden" kit for $9.00.  Can be purchased on their website - www.mrsstewarts.com. Thanks for your quick response. 

CraftBear 13 years ago

Is there any way of doing it without the blue stuff? xD I have no idea where to even start looking for it...
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