Borax Crystals
I saw a post by Gail from Purple Hues and Me and I was totally inspired to make these amazing crystals on my own!
You can use them as bowls, candleholders, or just decorative trinkets!
Materials:
- Borax powder
- Liquid gel food coloring
- White pipe cleaners
- Glass jar
STEP 1: Make your crystal base
Start by making your crystal base. Use white pipe cleaners and twist a few of them together to make 1 long strand.
Once you have twisted them together you should have something like this. Make your crystal any shape you'd like - long and narrow, round, or square!
Be sure to leave little space between the pipe cleaners. I should have made the weave a little tighter on this one.
STEP 2: Boil your water
First create a double boiler with a pot and a heat-safe container. Fill your container with 2-6 cups of water and bring to a boil.
STEP 3: Add food coloring
Next, add your food coloring. Be sure to over saturate your water so your crystals have enough color.
STEP 4: Mix in your Borax
Add your Borax to the water. I started with 1 cup at a time, making sure to mix it well before adding another cup. You will know when to stop adding Borax when you can see pieces floating on the surface.
STEP 5: Prepare your mixture for crystalizing
Turn off your heat and remove your container from the pot.
STEP 6: Dunk your pipe cleaners
Tie a string to your pipe cleaner crystal base and tie the other end to a skewer. Dunk your pipe cleaner in the water a few times to get it saturated, then cover it with a piece of cardboard to keep the heat in.
Let this sit up to 24 hours.
And THIS is what you are left with! I love how these came out. The colors are pastel and they are all shapes and sizes.
Resources for this project:
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Comments
Join the conversation
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I was making a lot of these a while ago in blew. Leaving them sitting in a bowl for quite a long time before I realized that they had all turned white. It could have been as long as a year, but I don't remember.
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Thanks for this. Great idea and your directions are very clear.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Can you heat the remaining mixture and reuse it again?
How do you get it out of the jar?
What happens to the pipe cleaner? Do you remove it afterwards?